Page 49 of A Perfect Engagement
“I’m glad to hear that you are doing something with Brooksdale. Agatha loved that place.”
They had made a loop around the roses and strolled back toward the veranda. Daniel took a deep breath. What would be the best way to tell his aunt about his daughter?
“Now, Daniel, I have a few ladies who I have had the pleasure to talk with this week that I think would be perfect for you. Miss Nellie Fenway is a very cheerful girl, with a good family and a good dowry. And Miss Annabelle Hollister is quite lovely. She is quiet, but once you get her talking, she is very intelligent.” Aunt Diana sucked in a breath before continuing. “Then there is Lady Susanna Ashby, a good friend of Miss Grisham. Her mother told me that Susanna is eager and ready to settle down. Lady Dearborn is quite determined that she marry this season. She is very beautiful, and you would certainly never be bored with a lively lady like her as your wife.”
Daniel laughed under his breath. Lady Susanna was indeed an interesting lady. And she surely would be mortified by her mother’s offering her up like a treat on a dessert plate. He was sure he had met the other two ladies at some point this week, but damned if he could remember who was who. “Please stop with the matchmaking, I beg you. Finding a wife is the last thing on my mind.”
“Nonsense,” she said again. “What’s the harm in a little dancing, a little flirting? You are probably too rusty to even make a decent impression on these women. You have been rusticating out here in the countryside by yourself for so long.”
“But Aunt Dian—” He tried again to protest. How had they gotten off-topic? He was trying to tell her about Josie.
“I won’t hear it, young man. You will meet new people and be charming. The party ends in three days. You can do that for me for the next three days, yes?”
She had called him young man. There was nothing to do at this point but nod his head in acquiescence.
Chapter Twenty-One
What was goingon? Charlotte took a sip of her lemonade and continued to watch Daniel flirt with Nellie Fenway. It could only be called flirting. Miss Fenway laid a hand on his arm, and instead of stepping back, he covered her hand with his own and winked. Winked! His aunt, Lady Welles, stood next to him and laughed as well at whatever he said. She had steered him over to Miss Fenway and her friends right as luncheon was ending. Daniel had been entertaining them for twenty minutes at least.
“Charlotte, what has your attention so fully? I said your name three times.” Ellie tugged on her sleeve.
Charlotte nodded her head toward Daniel. “Look at him. Does he have no shame? He just winked at Miss Fenway for goodness’ sake. I could hear her high-pitched giggles from all the way over here.”
Ellie narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps he is one of those gentlemen that can’t help himself. The kind of rogue that flirts with anything in a skirt.”
Charlotte frowned. Daniel was not like that, or was he? Was she so naïve she couldn’t see past his easy charm? Daniel had told Susanna and Ellie he wasn’t married. But she had seen with her own eyes that he had a daughter. That little girl had called him Papa. Perhaps he was widowed? Who was the woman in the wheelchair? All these questions had been circling in her thoughts since yesterday. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “What did you need, Ellie?”
“Oh, they are starting the scavenger hunt. We are on a team with Lord Hawksridge and Mr. Hollister.”
“Excellent. I will get to spend some more time with the real Hawksridge.”
Hawksridge’s behavior may not have been the ideal way to start out their engagement, but he had apologized. Charlotte felt she had gotten her point across. Besides, whatever Daniel’s situation was, it hardly mattered when it was his brother she was engaged to. And she would keep telling herself this until she believed it.
Turning her back to Daniel and Miss Fenway, she wound her arm through Ellie’s. “Edward and his wife came up with the clues. And you know how clever the pair of them are, so hopefully this will be fun.”
They found Hawksridge standing next to Lucius across the grass by the bed of nasturem. Miles looked uncomfortable and stiff, but when he saw them approach, he smiled. “Good afternoon, ladies.” He tipped his hat, then swatted at a bee that flew by their small group. His expression settled back into mildly annoyed.
“Lucius, what are you doing with us? Don’t you have your own group to bother?” Ellie crossed her arms.
“I switched with Hollister. Mother had me in a group with Miss Fenway and Miss Thornton. She is going to kill me with the matchmaking. I owe Hollister a bottle of Father’s brandy, but it was worth it. Those two ladies are twits.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t save your brother, Hawksridge. It was every man for himself.”
Hawksridge laughed. “I think my aunt has similar designs to get Weston married off finally as well.”
Charlotte wanted to ask what he meant. Why would his aunt be matchmaking if Daniel was married? Wasn’t he? Had he been married before? She exchanged a glance with Ellie.Was he ever married?In the way only the best of friends can, Ellie deciphered her thoughts. She lifted one eyebrow and shrugged.
Charlotte’s sister-in-law Katherine approached them from the veranda. A smile wreathed her face. “I have the list of riddles.” She waved a stack of parchment in the air. “Now, each group must find and collect the items. The last clue is where the game ends. Whichever group arrives first with all the correct items wins.”
Charlotte accepted the paper from Katherine. “What fun. Thank you, Katherine, for being in charge of this activity.”
“Edward and I had fun creating the riddles. And it’s not as though I could waddle all over the estate looking for clues.” She laughed and laid a hand on her protruding belly. “Ta ta. On to the next group.”
Hawksridge snatched the list from Charlotte’s hand. “Let’s see what we have to find.” He frowned down at the paper. A deep furrow appeared between his eyebrows.
Charlotte studied her fiancé. Had he really just ripped the paper from her hand? He was certainly taking the game very seriously. “Hawksridge, how about you read the first riddle aloud to the group. Then we can all help figure it out,” she suggested gently.
His head snapped up. “It’s a candle.I grow shorter as I grow longer.A candle. We can grab one from a sconce.” He strode toward the house.
Lucius and Ellie glanced at each other and shrugged. Charlotte sighed. “I guess we should try to keep up.”
