LITMIR.BIZ

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sister, she shared his pragmatic nature, dark hair and eyes, and the uncanny ability to make money from anything. Hetty had survived the loss of a beloved husband, made and lost several fortunes, and held her own with businessmen and society matrons alike. She was not to be intimidated by the likes of me.

      Instead, she sidled up to Lily and placed a protective arm around her shoulders. As if I were going to harm her in some way. For her part, Lily struggled to fight back her tears and mopped her eyes with a handkerchief.

      “Of course I’ll help. You just took me by surprise.” I glanced at my sister and sighed. “Your wedding is only eight weeks away. Couldn’t you have waited?”

      Lily, with the face of an innocent babe, raised her handkerchief to her watery eyes. “That’s exactly the point, Franny. We saw no reason to wait.” As she waved the handkerchief dismissively, Hetty drew back and took her own seat. “After all, we’ll be married so soon. I had no idea it could happen this quickly. You and Reggie were married for some time before Rose came along. And Aunt Hetty was married for years and never had children. How should I have known?”

      How should I have known was not likely to pass muster as an excuse for our mother. I could just imagine her reaction had I made such an announcement before my wedding. Though now I think about it, it wasn’t as if there’d been time. My mother had singled Reggie out as a possible husband for me before we even left New York. A mutual friend introduced us soon after we’d arrived in London. Reggie and I danced a few times, he and my mother came to terms, and we were married without ever having a chance to become acquainted.

      Have I mentioned the marriage was a disaster? Is it any wonder I wanted Lily and Leo to have a long engagement period? To take some time and come to know one another?

      Clearly, they came to know one another all too well. Now what were we to do?

      “Leo suggested we elope,” Lily said, almost in a whisper.

      Her words pulled me from my thoughts. “Oh, no, dear. That will never do.”

      She balled the handkerchief in her fist. “Well, we can’t wait eight weeks as we’d planned. How on earth will I explain giving birth so soon? It would be less than six months.”

      “You wouldn’t be the first, dear.” Hetty patted her hand.

      “No, you wouldn’t, but if it can be avoided, so much the better. However, an elopement is almost a proclamation that one is with child. I agree the original wedding date is out of the question, but an elopement is not a satisfactory alternative.” So where did that leave us?

      Since Lily seemed to have recovered herself, I ventured to ask another tricky question. “What does Leo’s mother say?”

      She gawked at me as if I’d just asked her to set herself on fire. “Mrs. Kendrick says nothing as she has absolutely no idea of our situation.” Her voice had become a shriek. “You cannot seriously think I’d tell her? Frances, I’d die first.” She stared and clutched at her throat as if choking. “I’d simply die.”

      “Well, we can’t have that, but how do you intend to keep this from her?”

      “That was the point of the elopement.”

      I was relieved to see Hetty narrow her eyes in confusion. “Were you planning to elope and stay away for nine months?” she asked.

      Lily took a breath to speak then stopped herself, sinking against the back of the chair. “Bother. I suppose we’d have to, wouldn’t we?”

      “Leo couldn’t do that, dear, at least not without giving his father a very good reason. Unless he can come up with a plausible lie, you will still have to tell them the truth. Mr. Kendrick isn’t likely to allow him a nine-month wedding trip.”

      Leo Kendrick was a businessman. In fact, he was a partner in his father’s business. I wasn’t entirely cognizant of what he did, except a portion of the business involved mining and part, manufacture. His grandfather had started the company, and his father expanded it and made it quite profitable. Enough to raise his daughters as gently bred ladies and send his son to the best schools and raise him as a gentleman. Though he planned for Leo to take over the running of their enterprise eventually, all four of the children were expected to make advantageous marriages.

      Leo’s oldest sister, Eliza, had done just that, and Leo’s choice of Lily also met with his father’s approval. Thank goodness, as the two were hopelessly in love. They’d have married months ago if I hadn’t urged them to wait. I pulled my thoughts up short. I was not about to take responsibility for Lily’s pregnancy.

      But looking at her now, lost in her misery, I felt compelled to come up with a solution—as did Hetty, it seemed. Since she’d come in here to support Lily, she must have known about her condition at least a bit longer than I.

      “Have you any ideas, Aunt Hetty?”

      She shook her head. “I thought an elopement was their best option.”

      “It’s not a horrible option, but it should be considered only as a last resort. Surely, we can think of something better.”

      “You’re right.” Hetty squared her jaw in determination. “We are three intelligent women. What would we do if we had every possible option to hand?”

      “If Graham weren’t selling Harleigh Manor, we could arrange a wedding there in under a week,” I said. “Just have the closest family members in attendance. As long as we’re not in town, no one will feel snubbed if they aren’t invited.”

      I sighed and leaned against the desk behind me. Selling the old family home was the best idea my brother-in-law ever had. The behemoth of a mansion had sucked several fortunes into its very walls, including mine. That fortune was the only reason Reggie had married me. Not that I didn’t have other redeeming qualities. I was a consummate hostess, an intelligent conversationalist, and knew how to dress and act in society. While I was taller than the average woman, the rest of me was indeed average—fair skin, as society required, dark hair, blue eyes—nothing off-putting, but nothing to inspire my late husband to hold me in higher regard than my dowry.

      Reggie’s brother, Graham, was now Earl of Harleigh, and he just couldn’t afford to keep Harleigh Manor going. Fortunately, the house itself was built by his great-grandfather on an unentailed part of the property, and he was free to sell.

      But it would be lovely to have use of that house now.

      “A wedding in less than a week might be a bit too soon,” Hetty said. “Your mother will only just be arriving, and Lily can’t get married without her.”

      “Can’t I?” Lily’s lip trembled. I sympathized with her plight, but she could not marry before our mother arrived then leave me to deal with her fits of temper. Not that she wouldn’t be justified after traveling all the way from New York to attend her youngest daughter’s wedding.

      “No, dear, you can’t.” I turned to consult the calendar on my desk. “Her ship arrives on Tuesday. It would be wise to marry as soon as possible after her arrival so as to leave her less time to fuss about the change in plans.”

      “That’s why the elopement was such an attractive idea,” Lily said. “Leo’s parents are away from town this week. Mother won’t be here. We could marry and present them with a fait accompli.”

      In fact, they’d be presenting nothing. I’d be stuck with the dirty work. “That’s not fair to Patricia Kendrick. Leo is her only son. She’d want to be at his wedding.” I crossed my arms in front of me and gave her a long, hard look. “And the two of you will have to tell her about the baby at some point, don’t you think?”

      “Not until after the honeymoon. But you are right. I expect her to be disappointed in us, but if we marry quickly, at least she’ll see we took some action to mitigate the gossip.” She gave me a pleading look. “That should help, don’t you think?”

      “Only if we find a country house in which to hold this small family wedding. So far, we

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