Page 5 of A Perfect Engagement
“I saved her life,” Miles said more clearly. “I was walking along Brooks Street, and she came barreling out of the park at full steam. A curricle being driven by some young buck almost ran her over. I pushed her out of its path. That’s how we met.”
“Rescuing a damsel in distress. Very dramatic.” Daniel raised his glass.
“I rather bungled it. I knocked Miss Grisham down so hard she banged her head against the ground and was knocked unconscious.”
“Oh well done, brother.”
“I had to call for a carriage and take her home. I went back to visit her the next day to see how she was doing, and that was the start. Aunt Diana thinks it is a smart match.”
“How long have you known her?”
“Two weeks.”
“Two weeks?! Isn’t it a bit hasty? I mean, how much can you possibly know about someone in two weeks?” Daniel was taken aback by his brother’s impetuousness.
Miles shrugged again. “It is the logical next move for me. Why wait? At the end of this week, her father will be hosting an engagement party for us at his estate in Hertfordshire. That’s why I called you here.”
“I would be happy to come and celebrate your engagement. You can introduce me to your betrothed.” He glanced up at Miles, who wandered around the room. Miles straightened the clock on the mantel, then adjusted the fireplace irons in their rack. “Out with it, what are you not saying?”
“The event is planned to be more of a house party. They’ve invited the guests for ten days with the engagement ball on the last evening.” Miles rubbed at the back of his neck. “I simply cannot take ten days in the country right now. You can see how much correspondence I have to answer. And there was an accident at the mill in Derbyshire.”
“Is everyone all right? What happened?” Derbyshire was the seat of the Marquest. The town and the people there held a special place for him and his brother. He and Miles had grown up on the estate, shuttled away from the active social life of their parents. Raised by the household staff, they had run free in the village surrounding the estate.
“Three men were injured when a fire broke out. Most of the building is destroyed, but the men who were injured will recover. It’s a mess, and I will need to have it rebuilt immediately for us to have any chance of finishing this season’s milling.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“As I was saying, I just don’t have the time to spend a week celebrating my engagement. But I don’t want to insult my new in-laws or start off on the wrong foot with my intended…”
Miles gave him an abashed look. Daniel knew that look all too well.
“Oh no, I know exactly what you are thinking, and the answer is no. Not a chance in hell.”
“But we’ve done it dozens of times in our youth. No one will guess. You are a much more charming me than I am.”
“No.” Daniel held his ground. “You assume I have the time to spend a week away from my estate?”
“Markham is practically your neighbor; in fact, I’m surprised you don’t already know him,” Miles returned. “You could be home in a couple of hours if you needed to check on your farm.”
Daniel huffed. His estate spanned five hundred acres. It was hardly a farm. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at his brother. The truth was he didn’t know any of his neighbors. He had inherited the estate two years ago when his father died but had never paid much mind to it until six months ago when Phoebe had shown up on his doorstep, ill and dying, with little Josie in tow, and his whole world had turned upside down. Brooksdale had been the perfect place for Phoebe to stay and recuperate.
As it turned out, the estate awakened in him a long-buried love of the land. He had thrown himself into rehabilitating the house and the land. Each day he fell into bed exhausted but content. He had the opportunity to use his knowledge of horticulture, which he learned at university. While spending time with his beloved Josie, he’d found a new purpose in being a father. He didn’t have time to socialize with the local gentry.
He hadn’t even told Miles about his daughter yet. It was all a bit unorthodox, and Miles cared so very much about appearances. He also hadn’t seen his brother in months, and it wasn’t the kind of news one just dashed off in a letter. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the right time either; he would have to explain to Miles about Josie later.
Miles walked over to stand in front of him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Please? It would just be for a few days. I could arrive by, say, Thursday, and we would switch back.” He stepped back and ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “I’m buried in ledgers and paperwork. I must go to Derbyshire and see about the mill.”
Exhaustion was etched around Miles’s eyes and in the grim set of his mouth. Daniel sighed. He wouldn’t say no. He would do anything for his twin. “All right, I’ll do it. But you must fill me in on the details about your betrothed and her family. And it will only be just a few days, right?”
A genuine smile bloomed across Miles’s face. “Yes, of course, just a few days.”
Chapter Three
“Charlotte, stand still!How will we ever get you fitted properly if you keep squirming?” her mother’s shrill voice carried across the room from where Lady Markham sat at the writing desk.
Charlotte stood still while the seamstress finished pinning the bottom of her new dress. The light blue organza fabric was hard to work with, but this was hour number two of standing patiently while the seamstress made final adjustments to a half-dozen dresses she would wear next week during the house party. Her mother didn’t even allow her to have a book to read because she insisted reading filled Charlotte’s head with ridiculous fantasies of love and happily ever afters.
Charlotte attempted to shift her feet without moving her body too much. She needed to get out of this room. The last week had been torture. Mother insisted on needing her help on every aspect of planning the upcoming party, but also scorned all of Charlotte’s suggestions. She had invited all the surrounding gentry in addition to several of her friends from London. And Lord Hawksridge’s aunt had suggested several families. The house would be full of people she didn’t know. Charlotte’s anxiety rose in her throat at the thought of having to socialize with strangers all day every day for the entire week.
