Drake unfolded the letter and scanned the page. “Lark crosses her lines,” he commented.
“Quite a bit to say, has she?” Bane asked. “Are she and the children well?”
Just a minute,” Drake replied, as he studied the page, trying to untangle the lines of text across the page from those written down the page across the first set. He read it out loud as he deciphered it.
“Dear brothers, I trust all goes well for you in London. Phillip and I are thriving, and the children are healthy and happy. Baby has a new tooth, which has been a sad trouble to him, poor little man, but the tooth is now through, so Nurse and I can look forward to better nights of sleep.
Phillip and I thought you should know that our brother Colin has been in Sheffield. He is seeking a new…”Could that be supper? No,…“supplier for glass jars. He did not come to see me, but one of Phillip’s friends knows I was a Sandman.”Oh. That must be Sanderson.“He told Phillip that Colin is spreading dire rumors—Colin says you were thrown out of the neighborhood for licensed…”licentious, probably…“behavior, and that youare dishonest businessmen, making your money through fraud and lies.
Phillip told his friend that Colin is jealous of his younger brothers, but we thought you should know. Phillip thinks you might have a case for slander.
Do not forget that I am expecting you to stay with me for Christmas.
With much love,
Your affectionate sister,
Larkspur Hampton.”
“So, we have our explanation for why Pentworth hasn’t returned the agreement.” Bane commented.
“Or do we?” Drake asked. “Perhaps Colin has got to him in some way, or perhaps something else has happened. Let’s write again, and then if there is no word, we had better go ourselves. Or one of us, at least.”
Bane made an impatient gesture. “I’m not happy with us leaving London while our ladies are in danger. Let’s try a letter.”
“Mr. Wintergreen seemed open to our suit,” Drake said, optimistically.
“Open, but not decided,” Bane corrected. “And, in any case, it is not him but our ladies that we have to convince. He made that clear. How shall we when we cannot get alongside them?”
“It might be easier now they have moved back to their own home,” Drake pointed out. “The dragon will not be monitoring them morning, afternoon, and night. Should we go to afternoon calls at Lady Marple’s, do you think?”
Bane shot out of his chair. “Flowers! Drew said that men send flowers to ladies they danced with the previous night, and visit the ones in whom they are particularly interested. Where can we buy flowers, Drake?”
Drake was already across the room on his way to fetch his coat and hat. “There’s a barrow just around the corner from their street. They’ll have a boy to do the delivery for them, I expect. A bouquet for each of the cousins?”
“Yes, and a special one for our own particular lady,” Bane decided, pulling on his gloves and donning his own coat and hat. “We’ll have their flowers sent to their house, not Lady Marple’s.”
“And yes,” Drake said, over his shoulder. “We shall make an afternoon call, and if we’re refused the door, we’ll know where we stand with Lady Marple, and can plan accordingly.”
*
Livy
Livy and Cillawere changing to go to Aunt Ginny’s for afternoon calls when a knock on the door proved to be the butler delivering four bouquets, two each.
“The bigger one is from Drake—Mr. Drake Sanderson, I mean,” Cilla reported, reading the neatly written card. “The smaller one from his brother.”
Livy craned her neck to see her own flowers. “Keep still, do, Miss,” begged Barker, who was attempting to style Livy’s hair.
“Read my cards, Cilla, please,” Livy said, and Cilla did. A large bouquet from Bane and a smaller one from Drake. Of course, the brothers knew that Livy and Cilla had come home last night. Other dance partners might also have sent flowers, but would have assumed they were staying at Aunt Ginny’s, since she was their official sponsor, and it was at her house they had been receiving visitors.
“I wonder what Papa said to them,” Cilla said.
“I wonder what they said to Pa,” answered Livy. If those men had cooked up a plot between the three of them to marry heroff, they could think again. Not that Livy was as against marriage as she’d once thought. Not if Bane were to be her husband. Not if he still wanted to wed her when he knew what she had once done. But she would not be married without anyone seeking her consent or even her opinion.
Pa had allowed them a few minutes after his meeting to present their respects, as he put it, and had hovered the whole time. When Livy asked what they had talked about, Pa only said, “The Sanderson boys wanted to be sure you were safe. I let them know I protect my own.”
Which was not very informative—as soon as she had the opportunity, she was asking Bane.
