“Good heavens,” Drusilla breathed.
“Indeed, and to make matters even more concerning, as I was trying to wrap my mind around what had almost sounded like a peculiar proposal, Sanford rose to his feet, moved directly next to me, bent down on one knee, and then declared his never-ending love for me.”
Drusilla blinked. “That must have been a bit of a shock for you.”
“Well, quite.”
“What did you say after Sanford declared his never-ending love for you?” Annaliese asked, sitting forward.
“I’m afraid, given the shock I’d just been delivered, I told him that he needed to discontinue being ridiculous or he was going to ruin the friendship—and only friendship—that was between us.” Irma winced. “That was definitely a mistake becauseSanford descended into a rant, spouting all sorts of crazy things, starting with how he’d been biding his time to be with me for years, had deliberately befriended Morton as a way to remain close to me, and then admitted what he’d said to Morton the day Morton died, which left me realizing that I was in the presence of a man who seemed to be suffering from some type of delusional state.” She caught Drusilla’s eye. “That’s when I told Sanford that his emotions were obviously getting the better of him, which he didn’t appreciate, and had him storming out of our dinner.”
“He didn’t storm for very long because he continued managing Merriweather affairs to his very great advantage for almost another year,” Drusilla pointed out.
“Oh, he was back the next day,” Irma said. “Bearing flowers and begging my pardon, telling me that he’d had too much wine the previous night, and that while he would always love me, it truly was a friendship type of love. He then said that he hoped he hadn’t ruined our friendship by his behavior the night before.”
“And because of that, you let him stay on in his position and never thought to tell either me or Annaliese what had happened?”
Irma’s lip quivered. “I know that was a mistake, Drusilla, but in all honesty, I was a little frightened of Sanford at that point. I truly thought it might be for the best if I just didn’t say anything about his less-than-acceptable behavior to anyone because I was afraid he’d begin being a little loose with his tongue and twist our relationship around to all the gentlemen in Sanford’s many clubs. That would have certainly cast aspersions on a reputation I’ve always taken great pains to maintain. I also figured it was best not to make any waves since Elbert would be taking over for Sanford in a year, and then I’d be able to distance myself from him. I never in a million years thought that I’d infuriated Sanford to such an extent that he’ddecide to completely ruin me to extract his revenge for my not returning his love.”
Drusilla reached out and took hold of Irma’s hand. “Do you actually believe, though, that he could even now be traveling here with the express purpose of extracting additional revenge against you?”
“Unfortunately, given the months that have elapsed since Sanford sailed away on his yacht, I think he’s had time to think the matter through. And, if I’m not mistaken, he’s either decided that I’ll be more agreeable to marrying him now since I’ve been shown how difficult life can be without money, or he’s decided he needs to assuage his desire for further revenge, which, in his mind, might mean he’s decided he needs to get rid of me once and for all.”
Thirty
To say that it had been one of the most unusual days Drusilla had ever experienced was saying quite a lot, given the unusualness of her life in general these days.
“You’re certain you’ll be alright for an hour or so while I follow Mother home in her phaeton, then gather up a change or two of clothing before I return?” Rhenick asked, drawing Drusilla’s attention as she stood in the hallway, getting ready to do a last sweep of the castle to make certain the doors and windows were locked.
She smiled. “I’ll be fine, although I must admit I’m relieved you offered to stay at the castle for the foreseeable future, as it appears we’ve got quite a few threats being leveled against us right now.”
Rhenick returned her smile. “And I must admit that I was surprised you accepted my offer since I know you’re determined to embrace your independence these days.”
“I was rather surprised myself, until it struck me that I’d be a complete ninny if I declined your kind offer because embracing a sense of independence certainly shouldn’t mean I need to refuse assistance or advice from a gentleman simply on principle. Especially not when you’ve been nothing but helpful to me ... well, after you decided you might have made a blunder by telling me we needed to get married.”
“You’ll notice that I haven’t broached that topic again, per your demand, although I have been wanting to clarify something with you.”
“Clarify?”
“Indeed, and clarify that no matter that I did blunder rather badly the first day we met, I’m well aware of the fact that the manner in which I approached the subject of marriage with you was completely beyond the pale.”
“I, ah, see.”
Rhenick’s eyes took to crinkling at the corners. “I don’t think you truly do, so to explain a little more sufficiently, know that, in my mind, marriage proposals should be dealt with properly and not in some willy-nilly fashion. Properly, if you’re curious, involves a gentleman presenting himself to his intended on bended knee, where he’ll then declare an earnest proclamation of his love for said intended, and then ask her to do him the very great honor of becoming his wife.”
For a split second, Drusilla found herself waiting with bated breath to see if Rhenick was about to drop to one knee, and then, when he did no such thing, a smidgen of what felt exactly like disappointment stole through her.
Before she had an opportunity to contemplate the disappointment, though, Rhenick told her he was off to escort his mother home before he turned and strode through a door Mr. Grimsby and Chester, the Whittenbecker butler, were already holding open for him.
“I believe you’re now expected to return with Mrs. Whittenbecker back to Rush Street,” Mr. Grimsby said to Chester, which had the man giving a bit of a start, as if he’d just recalled he truly was supposed to return with Wilhelmine to the house he actually worked in since his butler lessons were done for the day.
As Chester hurried through the door and down the steps after Rhenick, Drusilla turned to Mr. Grimsby, who gave his face a bit of a rub before he shook his head.
“I’m not certain Chester is ever going to be able to grasp the intricacies of what it takes to become a proper butler, but he fixed the fireplace screen in five minutes flat because he spent years working with iron.”
Drusilla grinned. “It does seem as if Chicago might be suffering from a lack of appropriately trained domestic workers. Wilhelmine was saying something to Mother about how Coraline’s lady’s maid singed off a bit of Coraline’s hair the other evening while trying to style it in an upsweep.”
“Isn’t Coraline the youngest Whittenbecker sister, and as such, too young to be wearing her hair in a chignon just yet?” Mr. Grimsby asked.
