Someone to Honor by Balogh Mary

Author:Balogh, Mary
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-07-01T16:00:00+00:00

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After Harry had decided last night that his sister was not just going to wander off to church in the morning to be married, but that she was, by thunder—his words—going to have a wedding, guests or no guests, Abigail had abandoned her plan to wear her favorite blue day dress for the occasion. Instead she had hauled out from the back of her wardrobe the sprigged muslin dress that hung there a little separate from all the other garments so that it would not crease though it was seldom worn. She was not sure why she had even brought it with her from London. She had had it forever and a day, but she had worn it no more than half a dozen times. She had worn it first to Camille and Joel’s wedding in Bath—oh, goodness, five years ago. She had worn it last a few months ago to the large neighborhood party her mother had organized for the eightieth birthday of the Dowager Marchioness of Dorchester. It was delicate and pretty and always semifashionable because it had never been ultrafashionable. It was not quite formal enough to be an evening dress, but it was more than just a day dress. She had always loved it.

Now it would be her wedding dress.

It would have been far too fancy for a stroll into the village, but she would not be strolling anywhere on her wedding day, it seemed. Harry had insisted that she would travel to church in the carriage with him. Not with Gil too. He would go ahead of them, because a bridegroom was not supposed to set eyes upon his bride on their wedding day until they met in church. But, absurdity upon absurdity, he had insisted that Gil go to church in the carriage too lest he muddy his boots, which was altogether possible after the rain of the last few days.

Now, early in the morning, Abigail had discovered that her straw bonnet, the one she most wanted to wear, was far too plain for this particular dress and for the occasion. After a few moments of near panic—what would she wear on her head?—she had the idea of decorating the brim with live flowers instead of the modest cluster of silk ones that adorned it now. She donned her dressing gown over her nightgown and ran down the back stairs in order to take a shortcut through the kitchen to the garden at the back where the flowers for the house were grown in neat, colorful rows alongside the vegetables.

She did not escape notice as she had hoped to do, however. Even before she reached the back door the cook had hailed her, and the two kitchen maids with her gawked. She should have gone around the outside of the house, Abigail thought, but then she would have felt obliged to get dressed first, and she might have risked being seen by her bridegroom and forever dooming her marriage to whatever ghastly fate lay in store for such unfortunate couples.

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