Chapter Seventeen #3
How very strange. When she’d considered kissing in the past, it had not looked that attractive. She’d almost wondered why people did it. Daisy had told her it was divine, but then she’d looked at Lord Hemmings and was a bit put off by it.
Of course, now she knew it had been because she was considering Lord Hemmings. Kissing Lord Burkhart was another thing entirely. Daisy was right, it was divine as long as you were kissing the right person.
“You really must answer me, you know,” Lord Burkhart said. “I cannot keep kissing you if you do not say you will wed me. It would be ungentlemanly.”
“I will most definitely wed you,” Pansy said. “Who else would I wed? Poppy and I have gone so far as to attempt purchasing black bombazine which we planned to wear to depict our recent unhappiness.”
“We could not say why we left,” the lord said, “in case we could not get our fathers to agree to the treaty. We could not expect either of you to live parted from the other.”
“No, we never could have lived like that. We had thoroughly discussed the circumstance and thought we might be forced to meet in secret in a wood.”
“So you had discussed things that far, had you?”
“Yes, we did. You will find that with twins, absolutely everything gets discussed.”
“Discuss this, then,” Lord Burkhart said, kissing her once more.
He held her up, as she did go a bit jelly-like. It really was divine.
They were behind his carriage and they heard the viscount shout from the doors. “Might I know the location of my daughters?”
“Coming, Papa,” she called. Then she laughed as Lord Burkhart attempted to smooth her hair and straighten her dress.
Feeling she was as straightened out as she was going to be after such a delightful encounter, she rejoined her father, as did Poppy.
“Lord Mulholland,” Lord Burkhart said, “as we had discussed, we have made the necessary arrangements with our fathers, a treaty has been signed, and we have posed the question and been accepted. At least, I have.”
“I have too,” Mr. Lelander said.
“Yes, yes, very momentous. I’ve been down this road five times before so we’ll let the solicitors sort it all out.” The viscount then heavily sighed. “My last two daughters. Well, that is a shame.”
“You will still have me, Grandpapa,” Teddy said, taking him by the hand.
“Now that is right,” the viscount said. “That does cheer me.”
“And I can stay on to cheer you up, Grandpapa,” Bertie said. “Even though Miss Millthorpe is a terrible taskmaster.”
“Very brave of you, Bertie,” the viscount said. “Well! There is no need for us all to be out in this weather. Let us return to the dining room. Smuckers, will you set two more places. Then we will have read to us this peace treaty.”
Pansy took Lord Burkhart by the hand and pulled him into the house, though she knew she broke every possible rule in doing it.
Miss Millthorpe would clutch her heart over it, but who cared for that?
She was to be a married lady, to the only man she would ever wish to marry.
Poppy was to live nearby, and somehow the gentlemen had managed to get a treaty so they might see one another.
The dining room had taken on a whole new mien in Pansy’s eyes. It was brighter and cheerier than it had been. Everything was brighter and cheerier than it had been.
Smuckers, understanding that proposals had been made and proposals had been accepted, directed Jimmy and Johnny to rearrange the places.
Lord Burkhart was once more by her side and Mr. Lelander was once more by Poppy’s side. Everything was right with the world.
“Viscountess,” the viscount said. “We have lost another two daughters to marriage, I’m afraid. I know it is right, and yet it strikes me rather hard.”
“Bertie and I have vowed to cheer Grandpapa up, Grandmama.”
The viscountess nodded. “I am, of course, delighted for my two girls. Though I remain a bit in the dark regarding the unfolding of events.”
“Count me in the dark, too,” Mrs. Dallway said.
“It’s all about a peace treaty between their houses,” the viscount said. “I added my own touches before they left.”
Pansy was rather dumbfounded that her father had known about the treaty and never said. But then, he’d likely thought it best they’d not known in case the gentlemen did not return. Oh, but what misery could have been saved. A whole decanter of sherry could have been saved.
“Are we to know the details of this treaty?” Violet asked, laughing at the notion of it.
Lord Burkhart nodded. “I wonder if Mr. Smuckers will care to read it out?” He glanced at Mr. Lelander. “If we were to debate between us who ought to read it—”
“We might come to blows,” Mr. Lelander said.
“Yes,” Lord Burkhart said. “We are really trying to avoid coming to blows.”
“What say you, Smuckers?” the viscount asked. “Are you game to jump into this preposterous situation?”
Mr. Smuckers nodded gravely.
“Have a glass of wine to wet your throat for it,” the viscount advised.
Smuckers looked absolutely appalled over the idea of drinking wine in front of the family while he was meant to be attending the sideboard.
The viscountess nodded. “I do think that would be best,” she said to the butler.
Smuckers poured himself some wine after that directive. The viscountess could sanction howling at the moon and the butler would find it suddenly acceptable.
Lord Burkhart and Mr. Lelander had hurried to the top of the table with their copies of the treaty.
Smuckers took both copies. Then he turned around and shuffled them so the two gentlemen would not know from which copy he read from. Pansy snorted over it, as she knew he’d done it to avoid an argument between them.
Treaty or not, these two husbands-to-be were going to need some careful management.
Smuckers set down his wine and cleared his throat. Then he read the treaty.