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GRANDMAMA’S DINING ROOM
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY
23 JANUARY 1889
I threaded my arm through Thomas’s, leading him into the dining room, where our families waited, milling about. My betrothed abruptly halted, nearly making me lose my balance as he took in each of the dessert tables. Sir Isaac Mewton hissed from his shoulder, displeased with either his frosty-blue silk bow or Thomas’s sudden halt. He hopped to the ground and skirted around us, heading straight for the bowl of cream I’d asked the footman to leave for him.
“You beautiful, brilliant, wonderful woman,” Thomas whispered, eyes going wide as he stuck his finger in the closest cake and tasted the frosting. I shook my head. He had the manners of an alley cat and the disposition of a child. “My God. Is that espresso frosting? I’ve never—” He inspected me in that Cresswell way of his. “Your creation?”
“It was just an idea—I know how much you favor coffee, and it goes so well with chocolate…”
Thomas kissed me, hard and deep, only stopping when someone cleared their throat across the room. We broke apart, both of us flushed, and waved shyly at our family members. Aunt Amelia, the likely culprit for the admonishment, tsked.
“Thank you for joining us for Thomas’s birthday celebration,” I said, once we’d all taken our seats around the large mahogany table. “Please raise your glasses in a toast. Mr. Cresswell is now eighteen. If only he were a bit wiser to match his old age.”
“You may be waiting on that day for all eternity, Audrey Rose.” Daciana elbowed her brother, smiling tenderly. Chuckles went around the table.
We feasted on the roasted boar and herbed potatoes, forgetting about proper dining protocol on who needed to speak to whom, and simply enjoyed being together. After the desserts began arriving in earnest, Thomas caught my attention and raised his brow. It was time.
Suddenly, glancing into the faces of our loved ones, my nerves came back with a vengeance. I wasn’t sure why my mouth was now bone-dry, or why my heart beat three times too fast. These people loved us; they wouldn’t pass judgment. And yet I couldn’t stop the flutter of my pulse. The last of the sweets were making their way to us, and I had no choice but to stand up and announce our betrothal. It was all so real, I—
Thomas grabbed my hand under the table, weaving our fingers together in the same way our lives would soon become entwined.
He squeezed reassuringly, then let go and stood, raising his glass of wine. “To Audrey Rose, for her time and careful planning of this evening. I’m quite possibly the luckiest person who ever lived. And not simply because she had every dessert known to humanity baked for my pleasure.” Everyone raised their own glasses, clinking them merrily. Thomas cleared his throat, his nerves finally showing. “It brings me the greatest honor to announce our engagement. Through some means of magic and mystery, she has accepted my proposal.”
The silence I feared never happened. At once, our families clapped and congratulated us.
“Oh, joyous day!” Mrs. Harvey practically fell backward in her excitement. She rushed around the table, tottering a bit, and hugged me close. “Congratulations, my dear! I knew you and my Thomas were a smart pair! The way he looks at you—like he’s seeing under all those layers and—”
“Thank you, Mrs. Harvey!” I clutched Thomas’s chaperone back fiercely, meeting my father’s glistening eyes across the table. He smiled, warm and proud. He clearly missed where Mrs. Harvey’s train of thought was heading. Thank goodness for small favors. Once Thomas managed to wrangle Mrs. Harvey back into her seat, I stood at his side. I motioned for the champagne to be brought out, waiting as everyone took their rose petal–infused flutes.
“We have one more tiny announcement,” I said, drawing in a deep breath. Thomas clasped his free hand in mine again, giving another encouraging squeeze. There was no time like the present to unleash some chaos. “We wish to marry within the next fortnight.”
There was a new scientific theory that claimed sound ceases right before an explosion occurs. I hadn’t put much thought into it before, but I imagined it was similar to how silent the dining room became after I’d made that last statement. Weddings normally took a length of time to prepare for—mostly due to all the legal matters that needed sorting. Two weeks was unheard of. Once the shock of our upcoming nuptials passed, everyone began clamoring at the same time.
“A fortnight?” Aunt Amelia cried. “Impossible!”
“The flowers!” Liza added, appalled. “The menu…”
“The dress,” Daciana said, sipping from her champagne flute with gusto. “It’s madness, hosting a wedding that quickly. Unless…” Her sharp gaze landed on my belly.
I scowled, earning a sheepish look of apology. I was not with child. Thomas and I hadn’t—my heart raced when I recalled our scandalous bath last night. Though he’d explored much more of my body than he’d ever done before, we had not crossed that line.
Thomas stood beside me, shaking his head. “Given the nature of our work, we may need to travel alone. Quite soon. It would be easiest for us to do so if we were married.”
“Of course!” Aunt Amelia tossed her hands in the air. “Your careers. How unreasonable of us to have forgotten that Audrey Rose has chosen dark pursuits in place of tending to a proper home.” She rubbed her brow. “This party was planned so well. I thought you’d grown out of that morbid, unbecoming fascination.”
Thomas bristled, but I put a hand on his arm. I recognized my aunt’s scolding for what it was—n
erves and worry. “I know it’s asking a lot of everyone, Aunt,” I said calmly. “However, if anyone can accomplish an impossible task, it’s the people present in this room.” I looked from my aunt to Liza, Mrs. Harvey, Daciana, and Ileana. Warmth filled the void of sadness I’d felt, missing my mother. “My mother would be extremely grateful for the love and support you’ve all shown to me.” I turned to Thomas, smiling shyly. “To us.”
“Since it’s such a short timeframe to accomplish a wedding,” Thomas added, “we’d like for it to remain very simple. Our only wish is to be surrounded by those we love. And cake. Most specifically, that chocolate coffee concoction that has stolen my heart and my senses entirely.” I nudged him. “Almost entirely. A bit of macerated cherries or raspberries would also be welcome. Do feel free to bring us samples. Often.”
Liza appeared as if we’d requested to dance across a crescent moon during Samhain splattered in sheep’s blood. “Simple?” she sputtered, glancing around for assistance. “What, shall we sew the table linens together for your dress?” Her pitch was rising to a worrisome level. Father and Uncle both lifted their heads, staring up at the ceiling in a manner I was all too familiar with. “I cannot work under such conditions and limitations! It is unreasonable to ask that of us.”
I opened my mouth, stunned. “Liza… we don’t want to be any trouble. It’s—”
“—our God-given duty as your family to make this as spectacular as possible. How dare you believe, for one instant, we would ever feel troubled over making your day beautiful!”
