“Still abed. They send their regards.”
In the street, he helped Carrie into his curricle. Nicholas pulled a jeweler’s box from his pocket and turned to her. He took her hand and drew off her glove.
The diamond ring sparkled in the sunlight as he slipped it on her finger.
Carrie gasped. “Oh Nicholas, it’s beautiful!”
Nicholas kissed her. “It was my mother’s.”
He took up the reins and drove the short distance to his house while explaining his plans for the next few days.
She wrinkled her nose. “Then I shan’t see you. But it gives Gwen and me time to get things done. We have consulted her dressmaker. As my maid of honor, Gwen plans to have a new gown made.”
“Might your wedding gown be rose pink?”
She smiled. “I shan’t tell you.”
He shook his head. “Keeping secrets from me, already.”
She laughed.
After he’d taken Carrie on a tour of the house, they sat in the drawing room with the tea tray. Bella rushed in. “Oh good, scones!”
Jeremy wandered in soon after her. Spilling cake crumbs, he described his first ride in Rotten Row. “I shall gallop my magnificent stallion down the Row, one day. He will be a far superior animal to anything thetonhas seen.”
“That, I look forward to witnessing,” Nicholas said wryly. “Especially when the park guards catch up with you.”
He looked questioningly at Carrie.
“We have something important to tell you both,” Carrie said, smiling at them. “Nicholas and I are to marry.”
“Oh!” With a sob, Bella left her chair to hug Carrie. She eyed Nicholas speculatively before throwing her arms around his neck with a heavy sigh. “Does this mean Jeremy and I can live at Elm Park?”
Nicholas gently untangled himself. “Indeed, it does.”
“I’ll spend my holidays there. We can ride every day, Nicholas,” Jeremy said thoughtfully, “And maybe…”
“We’ll discuss this later,” Nicholas said hurriedly, noting the speculation in the boy’s eyes.
“Can I see your ring?” Bella asked. “Come and see how brightly it flashes, Jeremy.”
Jeremy shrugged. “Gentlemen have no interest in such fripperies.”
As Carrie held out her hand for Bella, her smiling eyes met his.
“I intend to appeal to His Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, for a special license,” Nicholas said. “It will remove the necessity to call the banns for three Sundays.”
“It will be rushed.”
“Too rushed?”
She shook her head with a smile.
After learning she was to be a flower girl, Bella described the dress she would like made for the wedding, of crimson silk, similar to the one their mother wore in a portrait at Leeming Hall. Judging by the look on Carrie’s face, Nicholas doubted it would pass muster.
“How long will it take to drive to Great Witcombe?” Jeremy asked.
“We’ll be away for a couple of days.”
