Yesterday, when Lady Grandison had joined the children and Harriet in the garden for tea, she had wandered off again in mid-sentence in search of some silver table decoration that she had decided would be perfect for the wedding breakfast. Carina had found herself doubting that anything would be ready for the grand event.
Unexpectedly, she caught Miss Cole’s glinting gaze. It was one of the things Carina liked in Harriet, that she saw the humour in every situation and quite without malice.
“It will all be perfect, you know,” Harriet said, “although I don’t quite understand how. And she does it all without getting remotely flustered.”
Carina blushed. “I have an orderly mind, and I find myself wishing to take over, which is horribly presumptuous.”
Harriet laughed. “No, quite natural. We arrived here in the middle of her house party, throwing ourselves upon her mercy without warning, and she merelyabsorbedus. And Sir John is something of a saint, which probably helps. Now, only a few weeks later, she is organizing a massive wedding breakfast which amounts to a second house party in one season, and it will all go swimmingly. Probably because everyone loves her.”
“We do,” Orchid pronounced. “And we don’t love many people.”
“Only because we don’tknowmany people,” Lily said. She was the frailest of the family, in somewhat delicate health. “Do you, Miss Jasper?”
“Not really,” Carina said, blinking in surprise. “I lived in the same town all my life until I came here, so I recognize many there. I even know their names, but I would not say I know them.” She did not say she had thought of several of them as good friends until her father’s fall from grace. The experience had opened her eyes.
“You must know Mrs. Baldeston well,” Harriet said.
Harriet had sat beside Lady Grandison during Carina’s initial interview, when Mrs. Baldeston’s recommendation had been mentioned. Carina, afraid of being turned away, had not admitted that she’d never met the woman. Again, confession lurked on the tip of her tongue, but Harriet got distracted by some argument of Alex and Rose and the moment passed.
Now, during their impromptu schoolroom break, Alex called from the window, “It’s Snake!”
Orchid and Rose sprang up and bolted for the door. Before Carina could exert some discipline, Lily cried, “No! Remember?”
Rose sighed. Orchid scowled. But they both trailed reluctantly back.
“Remember what?” Carina asked, bewildered.
Lily’s pale cheeks turned a little pink. “We agreed we should not swamp him as soon as he arrives, so that Harriet may meet him alone first. After all, they are about to marry.”
“That is very understanding of you,” Carina said.
“We thought so,” Alex said proudly. “But we didn’t ban ourselves from waving from the window.”
Rather than calling them back to work, Carina gave in to her own curiosity and joined them at the window for a glimpse of the notorious Snake Sanderly. Though the children claimed to love very few, they seemed to Carina to be warm and trusting, and open at least to hurt and neglect by an unprincipled man. Once married, Harriet would have no say in their present or future...
“He’s not looking,” said a dementedly waving Orchid, pressing her nose to the glass.
“Give him a chance,” Alex scoffed. “He has to care for his horses.”
The earl appeared to have driven himself in a very smart curricle. His groom had just run to the horses’ heads and his lordship stepped down. Carina’s first glimpse was not encouraging.
Though undeniably a handsome man, dressed in a fashionable driving coat with innumerable shoulder capes, his expression was cold and haughty, as though given to sneering.
“Lord Snake!” Orchid scolded, when he still didn’t glance up to the window.
Carina dreaded the moment he might. How hurt would they be by a grimace, or an expression of complete indifference as he ignored them?
Then, without warning, the man’s whole manner changed. His face relaxed into an unexpectedly brilliant smile, and he moved forward, lifting his arms. An instant later, Harriet Cole landed hard against him, her arms flung around his neck, her face lost in his.
Carina coughed. “Come, children, another quarter hour of work before tea.”
“Theyareengaged,” Lily said excusingly.
At that moment, the couple broke apart laughing, and Harriet pointed to the upstairs window, where the demented waving recommenced.
The earl swiped up his hat from the curricle seat and waved it at them.
So, not indifferent or at least not unkind. That was a relief.
