His Outrageous Proposal (Scandalous Family-The Victorians Book 4) by Tracy Cooper-Posey

Author:Tracy Cooper-Posey [Cooper-Posey, Tracy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stories Rule Press
Published: 2023-05-31T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Churchyard, London. May 30th, 1891.

As the organ launched into Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, Jennifer Jane and Patricia both flittered around Alice, adjusting folds in her gown and brushing lace edging to settle it properly.

Alice squeezed the gold posy holder a little tighter. “You’ve already checked my train,” she told Jennifer, as her sister circled around behind her. “Twice, in fact.”

“A last check to be sure,” Patricia murmured. She caught Alice’s wrist and turned it a degree more to the left. “So the bouquet hangs straight,” she added.

“Are you sure?” Jennifer added, coming back around to face Alice. She did not smile, despite wearing a new gown made of China silk, in a pale green color that made her hair glow. The gown had delighted Jennifer with its fashionable details and exorbitant fabric when Alice and Maud had first designed it.

Alice met Jennifer’s gaze, the usual “Of course I am sure!” that had risen to her lips so often in the last few weeks halting unspoken. Jennifer had worked tirelessly helping Alice with the store. She had not once questioned Alice’s decision to marry Garrick Wortham, while the rest of the family had all but driven Alice into the ground with questions and demands that Alice explain herself.

Instead, Jennifer had worked tirelessly to help Alice prepare the new store that both of them would manage. Even in that regard, Jennifer had not shown much more than a pleased surprise when Alice had announced that they would not be opening the little haberdashery that they had worked so hard to set up, but would instead be preparing and opening the much larger premises with the tall and wide windows that Alice had first wanted to acquire.

In fact, Jennifer had said very little in opposition to anything Alice had decided, lately. When Alice and Garrick had stepped into the drawing room at Great Aunt Annalies’ and announced they intended to marry, the whole room had erupted into a cacophony of cries and questions. Even Great Aunt Annalies had risen to her feet and thrown her hands up into the air—although Aunt Annalies had also been smiling, while everyone else looked astounded. Even shocked.

Everyone, except Jennifer.

Jennifer had remained in the corner of the sofa opposite Great Aunt Annalies’ usual position, her gaze upon Alice, her eyes wide. She had not smiled, but neither had she frowned or looked stunned.

Alice had been surrounded by women demanding details, dates and invitations, the recipient of hugs and kisses and pats upon her cheek and had not been able to do more than give Jennifer a small smile.

Garrick had not pretended that the engagement was born out of true love. When Aunt Annalies asked him what had prompted him to propose, he had picked up Alice’s hand and said, “We suit each other. Alice has a mind for business that I appreciate. It is the makings of a good partnership.”

That pragmatic explanation had satisfied Aunt Annalies but it had left the other woman in the drawing room looking a little deflated.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.