Page 27 of Baron in Check
After the dance,once Maia ran off to play with her cousins, Arnold came to Greg’s side. “You do know that dinner isn’t for another three hours?”
Greg put a hand on his chest and inclined his head toward his friend. “I came to ask for permission to pass.”
“Why?” Arnold asked.
“It’s … ahem … I don’t want to leave Hermy dining alone at my house.”
“Why would you do such a thing?” Arnold cocked his head. “She’s your guest,” Arnold said, lowering his voice. “Is she your fiancée yet?”
“Fiancée?” Lizzie, who’d eyed Greg suspiciously, rushed to their side. “What?”
“She is,” Greg mumbled to Arnold.
“You’re engaged and didn’t tell us ?” Lizzie called, looking at Rachel and Hannah.
“She said yes?” Fave asked as they approached and formed a semicircle facing Greg: Fave with Rachel, Arnold with Hannah, and Lizzie.
“Of course, she said yes. She’s quite ashamed of it,” Greg said in as authoritative a tone as he could muster.She needs my help, and I mustn’t take advantage of her distress.However, his friends’ glances back at him were disconcerting. They knew him better than he knew himself.
“We have to make her unashamed then,” Rachel said.
“There’s no shame in marrying Gregory Stone!” Hannah added with a wink. Therewasa time when she’d disagreed with that statement and judged Greg rather harshly for being a traitor who’d forsaken Judaism for Christianity, but once she’d opened her heart to get to know him, they’d become friends. Oftentimes, friendship forged from initial distrust was as strong as steel forged in fire.
“Shed the cloak of shame and wear your scars as armor.” Lizzie was always ready with a proverb.
“When’s Caleb back from the palace?” Greg asked Lizzie.
“I’m not sure. He was supposed to be here already.”
“Does he know?” Greg asked Arnold and Fave, who answered with a nod. “And everyone knows I need to?—”
“It’s a fabulous idea,” Rachel said, hooking her arm into Fave’s.
“I hope Arnold will be able to walk the bride down the aisle,” Hannah said, leaning against her husband as he wrapped his arm around her.
“You mean, you’d all be there?” Greg couldn’t catch up with their wedding plans. Hermy had said yes to him, which was the extent of his plans.
“Weren’t you going to invite us to your wedding? You were at ours. All of us.” Lizzie gave a piercing look worthy of her mother’s supercilious glance honed over decades among matrons at Almack’s.
“When can I meet her?” Rachel asked. While Fave, Arnold, and Lizzie had grown up with Hermy, Rachel, and Hannah had married into the family only a few years ago, so they didn’t know Hermy yet.
“Why isn’t she coming to dinner tonight?” Hannah asked Arnold.
“Why indeed?” Arnold shot the question right back to Greg.
“Please take the carriage and pick her up. It’s time to welcome her properly,” Fave added.
“Hermy,would you like to go out for dinner?” Greg asked when he entered his study, where Hermy had set up a new chess game. “Did you move the furniture again?”
His desk was now facing the door ninety degrees from its usual position. His two-seater was facing the fireplace and separated from the two matching armchairs beside the window on the small rug. And the hearthrug was now the coaster to the dog’s basket.
“Gambit needed a cozy spot by the fire, and I didn’t want to waste gas for light while pondering which opening to use on you.”
“You want to use some tricks on me?” Greg approached, searching her hands for the ring.
She put her left hand on her hip as if to sayI’m wearing it; I’m not backing out.“Where are we going?”
“Sunday dinner,” Greg said. He was close.
