sailor’s dream?”
Dade glared at their mooning parents. “She wasn’t communing with the spirits! She’d almost drowned, Ellie. Her things were drying by the fire and her chaperones fell asleep.”
Iris nodded helpfully. “Oh, yes. Archie and I drank our brandies and went straight out. I suppose the brandy didn’t help Callie at all.”
“I knew it.” Ellie narrowed her eyes. “She was in her cups! Drunk and consorting with strange men!”
Cas and Poll shook their heads.
“Drunk and consorting, yes—”
“But with a single strange man—”
“Not a platoon or anything.”
“Not that we know of, anyway.”
They turned as one to look at Dade.
“Was there a platoon?”
“You didn’t say. Details, man—”
“Details!”
Another time, Attie would have giggled at the way the twins made Dade twitch. Now, however, she simply scowled and worried about Callie.
If Ellie was right—which thought alone was alarming—and Callie had gotten herself in trouble with a stranger, why, that stranger could be any sort of rotter! Dade certainly seemed to think so, and he’d actually met the man.
Mr. Porter, who had formerly inhabited a rather swashbuckling fantasy form in Attie’s imagination, shrank and deformed into a monstrous hulk, a creature who assaulted innocent drunken maidens wandering about in their unmentionables!
“I’ve given you all the details!” Dade was nearly shouting now.
“Temper, temper, son,” Archie said mildly. “The lads were simply trying to help.”
“There’s nothing they can do. There’s nothing any of us can do to save her now.”
“That’s not strictly true.” That was Orion again. Attie craned her neck to see her third-eldest brother.
Orion was leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. The other Worthingtons assumed a respectful silence, even the twins, for this was Orion’s thinking pose. Many outstanding and dangerous moments had come from such a pose. Not all had involved fire, flood, or famine, either, despite the rumors.
Orion went on distractedly, as if he were speaking to himself. “The marriage will likely have been consummated by now, so annulment will be of no use…”
“Callie refused, anyway,” muttered Dade.
Orion blinked. “So, logically, there are two more possible solutions. Divorce—”
Ellie started. “No! Absolutely not! If there is a divorce in the family, I will never make a decent match!” When most of the brothers scowled at her, Ellie shrank a little. “Well, neither will Attie! And Callie would never want that!”
Orion hadn’t so much as glanced Ellie’s way during the interruption. “Or the last possibility—” He sat up and gazed benignly at them all. “Widowhood.”
“Ooh.” Iris brightened. “I could wear black. I look positively ethereal in black! And Callie would make a lovely widow, wouldn’t she, dearest?”
Archie beamed. “Stunning!”
The twins stood as one.
“So, we’re all in—”
“For a spot of murder?”
“What shall it be? Poison?”
“Too girlish. Not enough blood.”
“True, true. I see your point.”
“A carriage accident?”
“Hmm. Might harm the horses.”
“We can’t have that. No, indeed—”
“There will be no murder!” Dade stood in the center of the room and pointed them all out in turn, one sibling for each word. He didn’t see Attie, who had been still as a stone during the twins’ dialogue.
Poison.
Heavens to Betsy … what an interesting idea.
Chapter 6
Callie woke early. Outside the tall windows of her bedchamber, the Cotswolds countryside was still dark, as the spring days had not lengthened enough to match her sleep patterns. Curling into a tight ball beneath the heavy coverlet, she tucked her clasped hands beneath her chin and breathed into the silent darkness.
Married.
Married to a strange man.
A flash of the night before crossed her thoughts and half-embarrassed, half-aroused heat washed over her body. A very, very strange
Dade glared at their mooning parents. “She wasn’t communing with the spirits! She’d almost drowned, Ellie. Her things were drying by the fire and her chaperones fell asleep.”
Iris nodded helpfully. “Oh, yes. Archie and I drank our brandies and went straight out. I suppose the brandy didn’t help Callie at all.”
“I knew it.” Ellie narrowed her eyes. “She was in her cups! Drunk and consorting with strange men!”
Cas and Poll shook their heads.
“Drunk and consorting, yes—”
“But with a single strange man—”
“Not a platoon or anything.”
“Not that we know of, anyway.”
They turned as one to look at Dade.
“Was there a platoon?”
“You didn’t say. Details, man—”
“Details!”
Another time, Attie would have giggled at the way the twins made Dade twitch. Now, however, she simply scowled and worried about Callie.
If Ellie was right—which thought alone was alarming—and Callie had gotten herself in trouble with a stranger, why, that stranger could be any sort of rotter! Dade certainly seemed to think so, and he’d actually met the man.
Mr. Porter, who had formerly inhabited a rather swashbuckling fantasy form in Attie’s imagination, shrank and deformed into a monstrous hulk, a creature who assaulted innocent drunken maidens wandering about in their unmentionables!
“I’ve given you all the details!” Dade was nearly shouting now.
“Temper, temper, son,” Archie said mildly. “The lads were simply trying to help.”
“There’s nothing they can do. There’s nothing any of us can do to save her now.”
“That’s not strictly true.” That was Orion again. Attie craned her neck to see her third-eldest brother.
Orion was leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. The other Worthingtons assumed a respectful silence, even the twins, for this was Orion’s thinking pose. Many outstanding and dangerous moments had come from such a pose. Not all had involved fire, flood, or famine, either, despite the rumors.
Orion went on distractedly, as if he were speaking to himself. “The marriage will likely have been consummated by now, so annulment will be of no use…”
“Callie refused, anyway,” muttered Dade.
Orion blinked. “So, logically, there are two more possible solutions. Divorce—”
Ellie started. “No! Absolutely not! If there is a divorce in the family, I will never make a decent match!” When most of the brothers scowled at her, Ellie shrank a little. “Well, neither will Attie! And Callie would never want that!”
Orion hadn’t so much as glanced Ellie’s way during the interruption. “Or the last possibility—” He sat up and gazed benignly at them all. “Widowhood.”
“Ooh.” Iris brightened. “I could wear black. I look positively ethereal in black! And Callie would make a lovely widow, wouldn’t she, dearest?”
Archie beamed. “Stunning!”
The twins stood as one.
“So, we’re all in—”
“For a spot of murder?”
“What shall it be? Poison?”
“Too girlish. Not enough blood.”
“True, true. I see your point.”
“A carriage accident?”
“Hmm. Might harm the horses.”
“We can’t have that. No, indeed—”
“There will be no murder!” Dade stood in the center of the room and pointed them all out in turn, one sibling for each word. He didn’t see Attie, who had been still as a stone during the twins’ dialogue.
Poison.
Heavens to Betsy … what an interesting idea.
Chapter 6
Callie woke early. Outside the tall windows of her bedchamber, the Cotswolds countryside was still dark, as the spring days had not lengthened enough to match her sleep patterns. Curling into a tight ball beneath the heavy coverlet, she tucked her clasped hands beneath her chin and breathed into the silent darkness.
Married.
Married to a strange man.
A flash of the night before crossed her thoughts and half-embarrassed, half-aroused heat washed over her body. A very, very strange
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