A Mourning Wedding by Carola Dunn

Author:Carola Dunn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2011-04-28T16:00:00+00:00

14

Daisy was feeling guilty. Instead of enjoying basking in the evening sun in the comfort of her chair and footstool, she couldn’t help wondering whether she was responsible for Lucy’s broken engagement. She had questioned Lucy’s love for Gerald, practically suggested she was only marrying him because his father was a marquis. With the wedding preparations in full swing, Lucy hadn’t the nerve to cry off, but as soon as the excuse of a postponement appeared she seized her chance.

Which was all very well if she didn’t love him, but if she did and only doubted because of what Daisy had said …

The knock on her door was a welcome distraction, even if whoever it was just wanted to pump her about Alec’s progress. “Come in,” she called.

Lucy stormed in. “Darling, that foul little beast my cousin Erica’s going around saying Binkie’s family will refuse to let him marry me, because of the murders.” She plopped into the chair opposite Daisy’s, not at all in her usual languidly graceful way.

“Have you told her you’ve already called it off?”

“Good Lord, no! That will only confirm what she’s thinking.”

“She’ll have to know sooner or later, though.”

“Unless I marry him after all.”

“Just to scotch rumours that he’s dropped you? I wish you’d make up your mind, Lucy. I’m meeting him after dinner to try to explain you to him, but I don’t think I can even attempt it.”

“If you’re asking me to explain myself, I can’t. I’ve never been so confused in my life. I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so confused. I can’t marry him just to spite Erica, but I don’t want to turn into a dreary spinster like Angela or Aunt lone. Daisy, what on earth has come over Aunt Ione?”

“I can’t tell you, but I will say that she wasn’t a dreary spinster by choice. Come to that, I don’t suppose anyone exactly chooses to be dreary, though they may choose not to marry. But Angela isn’t what I’d call dreary.”

“Darling, her clothes!”

“We can’t all have your sense of style. Instead of fashion, Angela has passion.”

“For those ghastly, dreary mongrels of hers,” Lucy objected.

“She’s doing something she cares deeply about. That’s not a dreary life. Anyway, look at your cousin Flora. You can’t call her a dreary spinster. If you don’t marry, you’ll be like her, with both fashion and a passion—for photography.”

“Are you trying to persuade me not to get married now?”

“Not at all, I’m just saying there are worse fates. By the way, darling, your ex-intended asked me not to call him Binkie any longer. He said no wonder you don’t take him seriously when you think of him as Binkie.”

“It’s not that I don’t take him seriously! Gerald’s a nice name, though, nice and solid. I thought he liked being called Binkie,” Lucy said plaintively.

“I expect he did at school. I don’t expect the people he sells stocks to—if that’s what he does—call him Binkie.”

“Unless they were at school with him.”

“True,” said Daisy laughing.

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