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The meeting had taught him much about Henrietta that he hadn’t known, and it had explained some of the things that had puzzled him. He hadn’t known she’d been affianced before, and he had been astonished to hear that her previous fiancé had left her for another, with no warning and no courtesies whatsoever.
The Stanton matriarch had kept the tale brief out of courtesy for the sensitivity of the subject, but by the end of the explanation he had harbored a desire to confront the errant lout who had behaved so shamefully, first to thank him for leaving Henrietta single and therefore available to become his muse and his love...and then to thrash the man soundly to within an inch of his life on Henrietta’s behalf for such dishonorable and churlish behavior.
A pity the young brute had fled to the Continent to avoid the scandal and the consequences of his actions. If he ever returned, Daniel planned to make time to meet the fellow in the ring at White’s and see that he fully understood that Henrietta had a champion now who would defend her honor, even if years had passed since the insult had been given.
As addressing that issue was not possible, he had decided to take the opportunity presented by his presence, the presence of the Stanton family, and the newly given paternal blessing of Lord Crawford to formally offer his proposal to Henrietta herself.
Her acceptance was not everything he might have hoped for, had he been able to propose in private, but it was warm enough that Lady Crawford had made a sound of disapproval and Andrew, who had joined them during the interview in silent support of his sister, had grinned behind his hand.
He stayed for dinner that evening, before taking his leave to see to the beginning of the necessary preparations for the wedding.
From the Stanton home he returned to Jackson’s abode, as the Salisbury townhouse was not yet prepared for his occupation and he had no desire to spend the night at the club, where he was sure to be the object of both speculation and rumor. Jackson and Patricia were both overjoyed to hear his news, and he spent the remainder of the evening discussing the beginnings of plans for his wedding with his two closest friends.
Three weeks at least were needed for the posting and reading of the banns. He would have been content to leave it at that and go before the priest with as little ceremony as possible. He even considered applying for a special license, so that they need not even wait that long. He wanted Henrietta back in his home...and longed to see her in his bed.
Patricia, however, advised him to consult with his future wife. And her advice turned out to be invaluable, as Henrietta was uncomfortable with the idea of a special license. A fair reservation, when he remembered how her previous fiancé had made use of theirs.
In the end, they agreed to have their wedding near the end of the Season, two months after the spectacle at Almack’s. It gave them time to plan, to send out invitations, to choose which church they would attend for the ceremony, and deal with the other details involved.
Patricia insisted he get a new suit of clothes in the latest fashion for the occasion, and Henrietta had also expressed a wish to purchase a new dress for the wedding, the design of which she refused to discuss with him. Both women had advised him to let his hair grow so that it would be the proper length for a fashionable tail by the wedding date.
The guest list alone took little time to create. He had very few individuals who needed to be invited, since he had no living family, and few social connections. Henrietta, on the other hand, had several social acquaintances that would need to be sent invitations. Henrietta would be responsible for the invitations, considering she was better placed and better acquainted with society’s structure and its more prominent members.
Both of them had been required to decide the menu for the wedding breakfast that would follow the wedding ceremony. Ham, rolls, eggs, and a lovely almond-iced cake with sugar-glazed fruits as a nod to his favorite dessert, with hot chocolate to drink and a light, sweet wine for the toasts.
Then had come the matter of the witnesses. He wanted Jackson to stand with him. There was no one else he could possibly choose. She, on the other hand, wanted Eva Darnell, the maiden who had, in many ways, been instrumental in bringing them together.
Jackson would be uncomfortable escorting a young woman who was not his wife, and Eva would likewise be in an unfortunate position if she were required to walk with a married man. The matter was solved by including Andrew in the groom’s party to be Eva’s escort, and Patricia in the bridal party to be escort for her husband. Jackson and Eva would serve as the witnesses on the official papers, and the others would provide for the social niceties.
He expected the meeting between all of the party members to be uncomfortable, given his recent interactions with Miss Darnell. He had, after all, given her a rather public proposal only to retract it and propose to her friend. Fortunately, his concerns turned out to be unfounded.
In the first meeting of the wedding party, Eva took her place as Andrew’s partner with no hesitation, and she was quite cordial to the young man. Even Daniel could see the young Heir Crawford was quite smitten with Miss Darnell, and he rather thought she was neither blind nor indifferent to his interest.
Henrietta also noticed the warmth between her friend and her brother and huffed in exasperation. “Years I’ve wondered who Andrew should best be matched with, and now it seems he’s found his own match…with a friend I originally thought to match to the man who turns out to be the perfect match for me.” She laughed. “I do wonder if I might not be due to retire from the scene for more than one reason, to have not seen this relationship’s potential and blooming.”
He laughed, hugging her close, which was all he could permit himself in the company of others. “Well, even so, I cannot find fault with how things have come about.”
The planning took about a week to finalize, a week that also gave him the time to be fitted for his wedding suit and send out the relevant messages and responses to the cards he continued to receive, in spite of the scandal and rumors that filled the society pages.
From there, he returned to the Salisbury country seat to make the necessary changes in preparation for having a new lady in the house. A new bedchamber, for those nights when they did not share their marital bed (though he hoped such nights would be few). A proper lady’s solar, which meant airing out and furnishing the long unused smaller solar that he had passed over when deciding on the room for his work studio. A proper lady’s reception room and a parlor. A music room, and a room for whatever other amusements and occupations were to Henrietta’s fancy.
He also sought out a new lady’s mare for her to ride if she wished, a three-year-old filly with a sweet temper, a gentle pace and a beautiful chestnut coat that reminded him of Henrietta’s hair when she stood under the direct morning sun. He added the appropriate tack to his purchases as well.
There were also the appropriate maids and servants to hire for a lady. For that, he sent a boy to London with a message for John Thistle and his wife. Both were surprised to receive a summons to the Salisbury estate, but beyond relieved when he told them that he wished to offer them positions in his household, with Sarah serving in her former position as Henrietta’s lady’s maid, and John as a carriage driver.
It pleased him to give something to the couple that had helped him become acquainted with his beloved, to give her happiness as well. He knew Henrietta had felt horribly guilty about depriving the couple of their livelihoods through her ruse, and her joy when he informed her of his actions earned him an enthusiastic kiss that nearly incited another scandalous encounter between them.
He also gave directions to Danvers and the cooks and the maids, dutifully passing along Henrietta’s instructions on the wedding breakfast menu, the numbers of guests they would have, the decorations that were to be placed, and other such details.
In between preparations and plans and fittings, he sought out time to work on a private project of his own, the wedding gift he would present to his lady-wife when they finally had privacy on their wedding day.
A month after then encounter at Almack’s—it had taken some talking and a substantial number of apologies, but he had managed to keep his voucher—he posted the banns, written and read in both his church and Henrietta’s, though they had chosen his parish for the actual ceremony.
By the time the banns were posted, his hair was grown long enough to be tied back into the fashionable tail at the nape of the neck. He had to admit, he liked the style, for all he had originally thought it foppish. It suited the lines of his face, and Henrietta’s response the first time she saw him styled thus was everything he could have wished for.
He made a note to inform Danvers that hair ties were to become a permanent part of his wardrobe.
And so, the days passed by in quick succession, though not nearly quickly enough for him.
