“Do not hand them to me. I don’t want his spittle anywhere near me.”
Davis paused in the door. “Am I to assume we have concluded today’s visits?”
Cecily nodded vigorously. “If anyone else shows up, please tell them I’m no longer receiving today.”
“Unless it’s Lord Philby,” Rose mumbled.
Cecily brightened and gestured at Davis. “Yes. Unless it’s him.”
“Yes, my lady.” Davis backed away and disappeared.
Cecily shook the gloves again, sounding quite like the seventeen-year-old girl she was. “This is monstrous. I cannot keep doing this. How long do I have to keepdoingthis?”
“Until September.”
“It’s barely May!”
“Or until someone makes an offer. I thought Lord Philby would be coming by, since he sent flowers again.”
“So did I.” Cecily paused. “You don’t think they were goodbye flowers, do you? A pleasant way to say ‘thanks for the dance, good luck with the hunt’?”
“Men don’t usually say goodbye, especially at this stage. They just disappear.”
“You don’t think—”
“No.”
“Neither do I.”
They both turned at their father’s words. Edmund Timmons stood in the doorway, a bemused smile on his face and an unfolded piece of foolscap in one hand, which he waved at his youngest daughter.
Rose had seen that look before, and she smiled, delight warming her from her core outward.
Cecily shook her head, not understanding yet. “What is it?”
“This is a note from Lord Philby requesting an appointment with me tomorrow at ten.”
Cecily’s squeal was cut short when she clapped her hands over her mouth.
Edmund chuckled. “I will take that as an acceptance of his suit.”
Cecily nodded vigorously, her hands still over her mouth, and Edmund folded the paper and slipped it into his coat. “Then—unless this goes quite differently than I expect—I will bring him in here afterward, where you will meet with him.” He turned to Rose. “You can be here as well?”
She nodded.
Cecily finally lowered her hands. “Does this mean I don’t have to keep entertaining all these men?”
Edmund crossed his arms. “It does, unless you change your mind.”
“Why would I do that?”
Rose sighed. “Cecily, not every suit runs as you expect. You could discover you don’t care for him after all.”
“Oh I cannot imagine such a thing.”
Rose grinned at her father. “She’s smitten.”
“Indeed she is. Well, my dear, prepare her as best you can. I will respond to Lord Philby immediately, and I will tell your mother when she returns, although I’m sure her reaction will give me indigestion.”
