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It was not long afterwards, that the sounds of Oxford began to reach them through the carriage walls. Though the windows were firmly shut to protect them from the bugs that liked to accost them on the journey, the hustle and bustle of Oxford was unmistakable.
Though she had greatly enjoyed her time away, Daisy realised the moment she heard the sounds just how much she had missed the place. Not only that, but she had also missed her father and Bertha and the servants and perhaps even to some extent, her stepmother’s nagging.
Shifting to sit on the bench opposite her husband, she pulled back the net curtain protecting them from the blistering sun and gazed out at the streets she had known all her childhood.
She could feel her husband watching her with quiet amusement, and when she looked at him and said, “What?” he merely smiled at her and gently shook his head.
She turned her attention back to the window, watching the buildings grow taller and more prominent, anticipating the moment when they would pull up outside her papa’s house.
“Are you certain you wish to go directly there?” Philip asked her. “We could still retire to Radcliffe House and see how long it takes for anyone to notice our return.”
Though the suggestion and all it entailed caused Daisy’s heart to flutter with delight, she remained firm in her decision. “I am certain we have worried everyone long enough.”
Philip merely nodded in agreement. Daisy did not like to add the fact that she could not wait to tell her papa that she was happy, that he had been right, and this marriage was exactly what she had needed to continue her education, that she had found the right man just as he had so often promised her whenever his wife was not around and accusing him of filling her head with fantasy.
She also couldn’t wait to see her stepmother’s face when she learned of their union. Having learned from Bertha moments before she had departed to run away that she had found several letters addressed to her in Lady Balfour’s vanity table, she was more than a little excited to show her that all she had done had been for naught.
Having lost herself in thought, she was most surprised when Philip announced, “Well, here we are,” moments before the carriage drew to a halt. Even more surprising was that when she glanced out of the window, the door to Lockhart House was already opening. The butler was a welcome sight as he peered out, looking like he could not believe his eyes.
“Your Grace! Come quickly!” she heard her stepmother yelling moments later, and even as she and Philip prepared to depart the carriage, she saw her entire family erupting from the house.
Philip left the carriage first, though he ignored all the clamouring behind him, instead turning to offer Daisy his hand to help her from the carriage. All fell entirely silent the moment she stepped out, and it appeared that everybody had taken to holding their breath.
Moving together to stand before the duke and the rest of the family, Daisy couldn’t help smiling, her entire face beginning to burn with embarrassment. She felt as though everybody on the road had stopped to watch what was occurring before the duke’s house.
“Daisy,” the duke greeted her sternly, his back so straight and tense that Daisy thought if she pushed him, he might well just topple right over. “Mr Radcliffe.”
Before either of them could respond, her father rushed forward, wrapping her so tightly in his arms that she could barely breathe. Startled, she released Philip’s hand and returned her father’s embrace, even more surprised when she felt him trembling with relief.
“Daisy, you have no idea how worried we have been!” the duke announced, stepping back to hold her at arm’s length and look at her. “You are well?”
“I am,” Daisy assured him with a nod, and before she could lose her nerve, she added, “I am well, and I am married.”
She gritted her teeth immediately, steeling herself for her father’s wrath. Yet it never seemed to come. All she heard was Lady Balfour’s gasp of dismay, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her take a step back as if she might faint. More surprising was that Bertha did not immediately act as the good daughter and move to comfort her mother.A lot has happened while I have been away,Daisy observed.
“Oh, Daisy!” her father exclaimed, and he embraced her again, leaving her feeling as if she had walked into a dream rather than a nightmare. “Or should I say, Mrs Radcliffe?”
The way he turned a glare on Philip made Daisy feel a little uneasy. Yet, he said nothing to the man and instead turned back to tell her, “Whatever has happened. We are all just glad that you are safe. Everything else we can figure out together.”
Hearing the happy inflection in her father’s words, she felt her head spinning. “You are not mad?”
“Though I am not pleased with the way this has come about,” the duke announced, glancing at Philip once more as if to let him know he was not entirely off the hook, he turned back to Daisy and added, “I can see how happy you are.”
“George!” his wife exclaimed, but the duke seemed to ignore her as he turned to Philip and offered his hand.
“I believe we have some things to discuss,son,” the duke said, and Philip glanced at Daisy, looking startled before he turned back to the duke and met his gaze, shaking the man’s hand.
It was then that the duke’s gaze darkened. He seemed to grip Philip’s hand a little tighter and leaned forth to say much more quietly, just loudly enough for Daisy to overhear, “If you ever hurt my daughter, so help me.”
“Papa!” Daisy exclaimed.
But when the duke pulled back again, he was smiling once more.
“I accept this union on one condition,” the duke stated, and Lady Balfour exclaimed all over again.
“George! You cannot accept this insolence!”
Daisy knew that all had changed the moment her father chose to ignore his wife entirely. Instead, he stepped forth, placed a hand on Daisy and Philip’s shoulder, and announced, “I shall accept this union on the basis that a proper wedding be held!”
