Page 3 of Murder in Matrimony
After reading your recent opinion on the marriage season, I would like your opinion on the wordshonorandobey. As you must know, our great lady Queen Victoria emphasized the words at her own wedding, illustrating that, although she is our esteemed monarch, she is also a modest matron. You have never been afraid to voice your concern for unwise words. I wonder if you consider these two of them.
Devotedly,
A Wondering Wordsmith
Dear A Wondering Wordsmith,
Your account of Queen Victoria’s wedding vows is correct. She indeed repeated the aforementioned words with emphasis. Then again, she is the Queen of England and can emphasize whatever she likes. It does not diminish her authority in any way. We will continue toobeyher regardless of her devotion to her husband, which is perhaps the only sense of the word that truly matters.
Yours in Secret,
Lady Agony
“Iam not hosting a wedding breakfast for your sister, and that is final.” Tabitha emphasized both syllables infinalwith the stomp of her cane on the parquet floor of the breakfast room the next day.
“That’s correct, Aunt—you’re not.” Amelia tipped her chin in challenge. “I am.”
Madge had left for Mells only an hour before, and alreadyTabitha was making demands.Let her make demands. Her breath would be better saved to cool her tea, which had just been poured. Even without her younger sister’s brazen admission of informing their family of her plans, Amelia would be hosting her wedding party. She had the space, the resources, and the time. Their parents had none of those, and while Captain Fitz’s family might have been fully capable, the reception was the obligation of the bride’s parents. Hosting the breakfast would relieve their parents of a good deal of pressure.
Bailey, the footman, pulled out a chair, waiting for Tabitha to be seated, but Tabitha didn’t budge from the doorway. Garbed in a blue-green morning dress, she stood tall and proud like a peacock. However, peacocks were not only pretty; they were fierce. They could be aggressive when their territory was invaded, and now might be one of those times.
For if the Scott family was known for anything, it was invasions. When traveling, descending upon a function like a gaggle of geese, they were often met with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Some found it hard to believe—and a little odd—that a family could be as close as they were. But their livelihood had not only made them close; it had made them partners of sorts. They might spar like gladiators during the day, but they always closed the night as a family.
Bailey coughed, and Tabitha’s eyelids lowered in his direction. He edged closer to the wall, his fingertips dropping from the back of the chair.
Tabitha returned to Amelia. “You will disobey me then.”
“We are mutual friends, Aunt.” Amelia reached for her teacup, hoping the action would encourage Tabitha to sit down. “We do not obey or disobey but listen to and respect one another.”
“You are not respecting my decision.”
“Considering the decision involves my younger sister, perhaps it is not your decision to make?” In the spirit of reconciliation, Amelia allowed the statement to lift in question. It was enough for Tabitha to move to her chair and sit down. Immediately, Bailey served her customary dry toast.
“Your sister is trouble. You know it. I know it. And thetonknows it. Can you imagine what sort of mischief she could make at a wedding?” She paused. “Or weddingbreakfast?” Which was perhaps worse since the Amesburys were organizing it.
Amelia set down her teacup. “It is herownwedding, Aunt. Why would she make mischief on her special day?”
“Mischief follows her wherever she goes, Amelia.” She leaned over her plate. “Look what happened at our recent ball. A man wasmurdered.” Pointing her long fingers, she tapped out both syllables of the word on the table.
“That was not her fault. In fact, she herself underwent a great deal of suffering. For that alone she deserves to have a wedding breakfast here.” Amelia made the last statement with much emotion, wondering why it was that she possessed the greatest empathy when a family member was absent. Truly, Madge should be present to witness her passionate defense.
Tabitha ate her toast in silence, and the seconds stretched together in blessed solitude. Eventually she said, “I suppose your entire family will attend.”
“You may be sure of it.” Amelia knew her immediate family would not miss Madge’s wedding nor would her extended family, including aunts and uncles. It was the bride’s prerogative, however, to invite intimate relatives and favored friends since the wedding was intended to be a sending from her paternal home. Amelia would not deny her that. “We will need to make certain accommodations for family members who travel into town. Rooms, of course. Food. Entertainment.” She cleared her throat, not wanting to broach a certain subject but knowing she must for arrangements to run smoothly. “There is my uncle Henry, who’s always been overly fond of sherry. It might behoove us to remove it from the library during his stay.”
“Uncle Henry?” Tabitha sputtered the name like a curse word.
“Aunt Gert—Gertrude—only partakes of wine, however, and that can easily be managed during the dinner hour.” Amelia looked to Bailey, who dipped his chin, cataloging the problem for later. “Trust me. You do not want to see her blootered. She has a very loud voice that grows louder still with drink.”
Tabitha took her last bite of toast with such force that brittle crumbs scattered to her plate.
“Do not concern yourself, Aunt.” Amelia used what she hoped was a reassuring tone. “I can make the necessary arrangements.”
Tabitha slowly dabbed her mouth and replaced her napkin before responding. “You can take the sherry out of the library, but more must be done for a wedding party than to hide the liquor. Someone must plan the wedding breakfast, and that someone must be me.”
Point taken. Tabitha studied menus as some captains studied maps. If Amelia wanted a first-rate wedding breakfast for her sister, which she did, Tabitha should be the one to plan it. But how to encourage her … that was the question. “I would not be averse to you making arrangements.”
A familiar smile, the one that brokered deals, flicked across Tabitha’s lips. If Tabitha hadn’t been born into the aristocracy, she might have made a fine banker. “And I would not be averse to you curbing your guest list.”
