He shot her an arch look. “Not girls raised like you. I suppose it was some kind of cosmic retribution for what I put my own father through. And I am man enough to admit now that I found all of it… hurtful,” he said. “And because of that, I did not always reactin the best way. But I want you to know how much I admire you and the life you have built for yourself.”
Phoebe’s fingers twisted ever tighter. This was unexpected, to put it mildly. “Would you think that even if I wasn’t about to be a duchess?” She said this lightly and with a wry smile in a desperate bid to maintain her own composure, but her father remained distressingly sincere.
“You know I don’t give a damn about any of that, Bee,” he murmured.
He hadn’t called her that in years. “Father…” she said softly as her eyes prickled.
“There’s something else,” he interrupted, as he pulled out a file from his desk drawer. When he turned away, Phoebe was quite certain he was blinking back tears. “It took longer than expected, but I found a building not far from your old school. It’s a little smaller, but Alex and I toured it and she says it has more windows and a larger yard for the children to play in. She said the old one was very small.”
Phoebe managed to nod as she took the file from him. “It was.”
“In any case, the rent is paid for the first three months—though I suspect that bullheaded headmistress of yours will insist on paying me back.”
“She will,” Phoebe agreed as she looked over the papers. Then she glanced up when she saw the owner: Atkinson Enterprises.
“Youboughtthe building?”
Her father shrugged. “That wasn’t the plan at first, but the old owner was a shifty fellow and it seemed the best way to ensure the school wouldn’t have to move again. Ever.”
Phoebe was stunned. “I—I don’t know what to say. ‘Thank you’ seems woefully inadequate.”
“Well, that’s good enough for me,” he said with a smile. “I’m proud of you, Bee. I’m sorry it took me so long to say that.”
She came around the desk and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “Thank you, Father,” she whispered as her throat tightened with emotion. “Thank you, thank you.”
“You’ll need to thank your sister, too. It was her idea.”
“I will.”
Phoebe pulled back, then hesitated. She didn’t want to ruin this new accord, but she had to say something. “Why are you forcing Hank Junior on Freddie?”
Her father frowned in confusion. “I’m most certainlynot. The lad asked to court her and when I told Freddie about it, she agreed. Enthusiastically, I might add.”
Now it was Phoebe’s turn to look confused. She certainly hadn’t seemed enthusiastic yesterday.
Her father sighed and gave her a fond look. “Freddie isn’t like you or Alex. She doesn’t have the same ambition.”
“Freddie is massively talented,” Phoebe argued. “She could do anything she wants to.”
“But that’s just it, Bee,” her father implored. “I think she’s finally grown bored of society and is feeling a little lost because she doesn’t really knowwhatshe wants.”
“Oh,” Phoebe said weakly. “That… that makes sense.”
“Your mother thinks marrying and starting a family would be good for her, and I agree.”
“And even better if the marriage can benefit the business.”
“Well, yes,” he admitted, a tad sheepishly. “A connection with a family like the Ericsons would open doors a little more easily in New York.”
“But really, Papa.Hank Junior?” Phoebe couldn’t help wrinkling her nose. “He’s so dull.”
“If she finds a better offer, so be it. But I don’t see that happening,” her father added.
“What do you mean? Freddie’s the most popular girl in London.”
He gave her a pitying look. “Lots of menlikeFreddie, darling. But that doesn’t mean they want her for a wife. Hank Junior is an American and seems more accepting of her eccentricities.” Phoebe bit her lip. She hadn’t considered that. “And Freddie does seem taken with the idea of living in New York.”
Phoebe started.“What?”
