Chapter Fifteen #3
“The danger is long past,” Marigold said. “I have delayed because I know as soon as I confirm it, everybody in the house will be up in arms about The Turk.”
Poppy nodded, as that did indeed make sense. Even Marigold without a child in her belly sometimes seemed a risky proposition on The Turk.
“I will cooperate with them, though neither I nor The Turk will like it. I think he knows. He’s been unusually calm. Animals sense these things. Anyway, how do you two get on?”
Poppy hardly knew how to answer. She was delighted for Marigold, of course. She was delighted that there would be another niece or nephew in the world. And yet, news of Marigold’s condition served as one more reminder of what might have been, but would not be.
Smuckers hurried back into the drawing room. He held a silver tray with a letter on it. “From Lord Smythesdon, for the ladies.”
“Oh, let’s read it,” Pansy said. “Lord Smythesdon is bound to be looking for a report on Bertie. He’ll imagine he’ll get a more sympathetic accounting from us than Miss Millthorpe.”
“Poor Bertie,” Marigold said laughing. “The last time I saw him, I asked him about his lessons with Miss Millthorpe. He said they were harrowing in length.”
Pansy opened the letter and read it aloud, as Smuckers pretended to work on a spot of dust on the mantel.
Pots and Pans—
I hope you have recovered your spirits. Or if you have not, you will soon.
Through my intellectual pursuits at Oxford, I have encountered two gentlemen who are very promising indeed.
Mr. James Wilderman is heir to Viscount Harrowby.
Mr. William Wilderman is…can you guess? His younger brother!
The younger will be given a very large living and the vicarage is not a half mile from Harrowby Hall.
These two fellows are equally handsome, being brothers after all, and I found them to be exceedingly genial.
Perhaps a bit on the young side, but then that is probably just my advancing years viewing it.
In the end, it matters little, as nobody ever stays young, no matter how hard they try, so if they are young now, in a few short tomorrows they will not be.
Both the Wilderman brothers are unmarried.
We arrive on the fourteenth.
PS – I hope Bertie is doing well at his studies and has not driven Miss Millthorpe mad. He writes that his lessons are grueling and I believe it!
Best Regards—
Your Favorite Brother-in-Law
Lord Smythesdon was bringing two gentlemen? It was too soon. They had not yet recovered from Mr. Lelander and Lord Burkhart leaving. They were not even certain they ever would recover.
“I don’t like it,” Pansy said.
“Nor do I,” Poppy said. “It’s as if he does not grasp the gravity of our despair.”
“The gravity of your despair?” Marigold asked, with a snort.
“Yes, Marigold,” Poppy said sternly. “The gravity of our despair.”
“Pops is right, our despair is very grave,” Pansy said. “Ought we to write him and tell him not to come?”
“Or at least delay,” Poppy said. “It really is too soon. We are not ready to entertain two gentlemen who, no matter how genial they are, will not measure up to Mr. Lelander and Lord Burkhart.”
“Agreed,” Pansy said.
“Not agreed,” Marigold said. “You two cannot mope around forever. There seemed to be something promising developing, but then it did not go anywhere. You are not widows, after all.”
Poppy did not answer because it would be absurd to claim she was a widow.
Though she did feel a little bit like a widow.
She’d been so sure she would be a wife, and now she was not.
She might never be. She and Pansy had even determined on some black bombazine at the haberdasher, that material best suited to communicate their mood, but Mr. Clyde had refused to sell it to them as being too dramatic.
Mrs. Featherstone had accompanied them on that particular trip and she’d laughed all the way to the carriage.
“You do not need to marry these two fellows from Oxford,” Marigold said.
“Let them come. It will take your mind off things and then you can see where you are. If they end up bothersome, I will ask Weston to bring them home for billiards or some other distraction. Assuming they can swim, they can try out the lake on the dinghies. And I mean really swim, not like Mr. Philips trying it out because he’d seen it done. ”
Pansy and Poppy both shrugged at the same time.
“In any case, I doubt you will turn Smythesdon around once he’s got a plan.”
That was probably true. Lord Smythesdon was a very likable brother-in-law.
But he was also filled to the brim with confidence and enthusiasm.
Once he’d set on a plan, it was doubtful they could turn him from it.
Violet would be just as eager to visit, not to become acquainted with these two brothers her husband spoke of, but to see Bertie.
“If we find them tedious and too interfering with our grief,” Poppy said, “we can always claim a lot of headaches. We can escape to our rooms.”
“True,” Pansy said. “Just not with sherry.”
“No, we will never do that again.”
“These men are welcome to entertain themselves however they like, as long as they do not interfere with our grief.”
“Right,” Marigold said, draining her tea and standing up, “The Turk could not possibly care less about your supposed grief and will be pawing the drive by now. Let us be off.”
Smuckers led Pansy and Marigold out of the drawing room and they set off for their ride.
As for herself, Poppy lounged on the sofa and ruminated on these two brothers that Smythesdon was bringing and her determination that they should not interfere with her grief.
It was her grief, and she intended to hold on to it.
Nobody was to attempt to cheer her up and try to make her forget Mr. Lelander. She would never forget Mr. Lelander.