Page 23 of The Meaning of Love
Not just one formal notice but two!
Abruptly, he sat upright, rigid in the chair. He stared at the notices, then swore. Violently.
How could this happen without me having even an inkling it was on the cards?
Obviously, his source of intelligence was deficient.
He grunted. He’d known that for some time.
So where did that leave his plans?
The more he thought of it, the more curious he found it that he hadn’t heard even a whisper of an impending engagement, much less of any wedding in the offing. Surely unions at that level never occurred willy-nilly.
“I didn’t even know they were acquainted, and he’s only just come back to town.”
So where and how did they meet, much less form an attachment of sufficiently long standing to give rise to a betrothal?
He read both notices again and wondered if, perhaps, the reason he hadn’t heard of the association before was because there hadn’t been anything to know. If so, this betrothal was suspiciously sudden. “Out of nowhere, as it were.”
Unexpected and precipitous betrothals often didn’t lead to weddings. He could attest to that himself, several times over.
After mulling the possibilities, he decided that until he learned for certain that a wedding had been announced, there was no need to rejig his careful planning. Given the news as it currently was, altering the schedule would be an overreaction.
And even if the betrothal was genuine, engagements usually lasted for many months and sometimes even years.
He looked again at the announcements and wondered. Although he’d assumed he would have a year and more to carefully maneuver, Carsely wasn’t that young, and although he wasn’t sure if he was remembering the right chit, if Miss Melissa North was who he thought she was, she wasn’t any debutante, either.
Regardless, he would wait and see; with stakes such as those he was aiming for, playing safe was key.
Meanwhile, however, he would think about advancing his plans, developing them further, firming his options and getting his troops into place—just in case the unexpected happened and the newly affianced couple thought to marry this year.
If that proved to be so, then the period available to prosecute and win his campaign would be foreshortened. Nevertheless, he really couldn’t see, Carsely being who he was, that the lead-up to any wedding would be reduced to a prohibitive degree.
The Gazettelying open on his lap, he sat and weighed and debated.
Eventually, he folded the paper and laid it aside, then rose and crossed to the desk between the windows.
It wouldn’t hurt to write a few more letters.
Chapter 4
By Sunday morning, Melissa was growing exceedingly weary of being the cynosure of ton attention. Even in church—even during the sermon—she was conscious of the unrelenting scrutiny of those in the nave behind them. As they’d claimed a place toward the front of the church, those staring included most of the congregation.
Flanked by Julian and her mother, she tried to keep her mind on the minister’s words.
The three soirées she and Julian had attended the previous evening had been every bit as trying as she’d feared. The announcement of their betrothal was so new, many had only learned of it that day and were all but lying in wait to ambush them and, under the guise of congratulating them, extract further details, such as when their engagement ball might be held and when the “happy event” of their wedding might occur.
Sadly, she couldn’t reply that she really had no idea on either count.
She was relieved when the minister reached his benediction. Minutes later, she took Julian’s proffered arm, and with appropriate smiles on their faces, they followed her transparently proud mama toward the door. They’d hung back slightly so that most of the congregation was ahead of them, but once they’d exchanged the customary greetings with the minister, who had heard the news and tendered his smiling congratulations as well, they emerged onto the porch, which was teeming with other worshipers.
Noting the horde poised to descend on them, she gripped Julian’s sleeve and, smile brightening, determinedly steered him directly to Lady Halliwell, one of her mother’s oldest friends.
She was gratified to find Julian quick to respond; he moved so smoothly, without hesitation, that it appeared that he as well as she had always intended to speak first with the Halliwells.
Lady Halliwell was delighted to be thus singled out. Melissa spent several minutes introducing Julian to her ladyship and her two daughters, accepting their congratulations, and deflecting the expected questions, which gave her time to take stock of those transparently awaiting their turn, and with input from her mother, who elected to remain with the Halliwells, select which group to acknowledge next.
The strategy left her in charge of who they spoke with and for how long; there were always others hovering, eager to have their say.
