“What?” Papa and Henry asked in unison.
Grandmama lowered herself to a vacant armchair. “Have a seat and I’ll tell you.”
And so she did. For the next half hour, if the clock on the fireplace mantle was anything to go by, Grandmama spoke of her run–in with a gypsy woman decades ago, her serendipitous meeting with her husband immediately after, and the love matches recently made by three of her granddaughters. “Each had unsuccessful Seasons, but as soon as the crystal was in their possession, love found them. And now they are all happily married.”
“To fellow peers,” Papa exclaimed. “Eva is now the Countess of Somerset, Henrietta’s husband will one day inherit a dukedom, while Annie’s marriage has made her the Duchess of Rutland. So in their cases there wasn’t much cause for concern, regardless of how their matches came about. But aside from this fact, I have to say that I find your story utterly preposterous. If this is the sort of nonsense you’re filling my daughter’s head with, I may have to limit the time the two of you spend alone with each other.”
“Whether you believe in the stone’s power or not is irrelevant,” Grandmama remarked as though Papa were a bothersome fly she kept having to swat away. “The only thing of importance here is the fact that it clearly brought Lilliana together with Mr. Henley. She is destined to marry him.”
“Ridiculous.” Papa reached for his glass and took a long sip. “Magic doesn’t exist and the fact that you would sit there and try to convince me otherwise is an insult to my intelligence. Not to mention the fact that I cannot for the life of me comprehend your willingness to support Lilliana’s desire to marry a nobody – a former employee, no less. She’s your granddaughter, for God’s sake.”
“Yes, she is,” Grandmama said, “which is why her happiness matters more to me than a title, a scandal or–”
“Poverty?” Papa pressed. He gave a humorless laugh. “She’ll live in a cottage at best. At worst, she’ll end up in a hovel, cooking and cleaning while looking after her children. Worrying if they’ll be warm for the winter or if they’ll go hungry when Mr. Henley fails to provide.”
“He would not fail to provide,” Lilli said, her voice stronger than she herself felt at the moment. “Mr. Henley is not only driven but smart enough to acquire whatever position he sets his mind to.”
“Is that so?” Papa asked.
“He did acquire a solid position as Henry’s valet,” she shot back.
This comment led to an awkward silence until Henry said, “It won’t be easy for him to acquire a similar job since I sacked him without reference. Besides, he’d have to earn higher wages if he were to afford a decent home.”
“Not necessarily,” Lilli said while tamping down the urge to throw something at her brother for being so callous. When Papa and Henry gave her questioning looks she took a deep breath and said, “We can use my dowry.”
“Absolutely not,” Papa blustered.
“You mean to deny me?” she asked, deliberately infusing her tone with outrage.
“You’ll not have my blessing to squander your life, Lilliana, and without that there can be no dowry since your only recourse would be to elope. And before you even begin to ponder such an extreme notion, I would suggest you take some time to consider the ramifications such action would have on your family.”
“Perhaps this is where I should tell you that I intend to help the young couple,” Grandmama said. “Financially, that is. Should they need it.”
“Dear God.” Papa sank against his seat, a look of complete and utter despair in his eyes. “This is mutiny.”
“What is, dear?” asked Mama as she entered the room. Papa and Henry rose to their feet in greeting, albeit with a half–hearted lack of energy. Papa waved at an empty seat and waited for Mama to claim it before resuming his own.
“Your mother has filled Lilliana’s head with nonsense,” Papa said.
Mama’s eyes widened. “That’s a rather damning accusation.”
“Apparently, Grandmama is of the opinion that Lilli is fated to be together with Mr. Henley due to the powers of a magical stone,” Henry said. To his credit, he managed to do so with a straight face, for which Lilli was grateful.
“Oh dear,” said Mama. She suddenly frowned. “The same Mr. Henley who works for you?”
“Until I found him in the garden with Lilli earlier,” Henry said. “Upon which I promptly sacked him.”
“Goodness.” Mama glanced at each of them in turn, her expression filled with interest. “It would appear as though this evening has been more eventful than I imagined. I can’t believe I’m only just learning of all this now. Shame on you, Peter, for not informing me sooner.”
Papa set his jaw. “I was hoping to spare you the sordid details.”
“I see.” Mama reached for Papa’s glass of brandy and took a long sip. She then requested a refill from Henry before asking Papa, “How do you intend to deal with the situation?”
“By marrying Lilliana off to a suitable gentleman as soon as possible.”
“An excellent plan,” said Mama while Lilli tamped down the urge to scream. Looking like a madwoman would not help counteract Papa’s notion of her being slightly cracked in the head for believing a stone could play matchmaker. “Have you any particular prospects in mind?”
“Henry and I have both agreed either Mr. Ershwin or Mr. Newhurst would make an excellent choice.”
