Page 75 of An Unwitting Alliance
“He is greatly loved, to be sure.” Cassandra studied the new couple with what glimpses she could see of them between the others. “Can you believe they are all childhood friends?”
“But what are they doing here?”
Cassandra lowered her voice. “Perhaps they’ve come to rescue him from me.”
Megan’s eyes widened. “That cannot be. Mr. Harwood cares for you.”
Cassandra looked back at the friends, who burst into laughter again. “Does he?” But the question was smothered by the noise. Just then, Mrs. Sheldon dropped her reticule, and the ties parted a little, exposing a fan inside. Miss Manning quickly bent over and retrieved the purse for her friend.
As simple as that, something clicked inside Cassandra’s mind. Patricia had picked up Cassandra’s reticleat the sewing circle. Could she have placed the pearls inside then? But why? Why would Patricia frame her for robbery? Whatever her reasons, Cassandra had to give the necklace back. It was burning a hole in her reticule the longer it hid there, causing even greater havoc to her tremulous state of mind.
She turned to tell Megan her theory about Patricia, only to learn that Megan was no longer beside her. She had moved to the piano room and opened the doors. The circle of friends parted, and Tom led Mrs. Sheldon to Cassandra, with Mr. Sheldon following just behind.
“Cassie, this is our little Nymph, the most recent addition to our group. And this is her husband, Fisher.”
Fisher dipped his head. “Might I clarify? This is my wife, Louisa, and I am Paul Sheldon.” He put his hands on his wife’s shoulders and smiled down at her. “There are a great many of us, so do not be anxious about learning our names all at once.”
Mrs. Sheldon’s smile was like a permanent fixture on her face. “Paul’s right; it is equally difficult when you must learn two names, both our real ones and the ones Tom has christened us with.”
Cassandra grinned. “I admit it is a little daunting. However, it is still a great pleasure to meet you all.”
“If you can stand Tom, then you might be able to stomach the rest of us,” Mr. Sheldon joked.
“I can never predict Mr. Harwood. Are you all alike in that way?”
Tom chuckled. “You can tell she likes me.”
Mr. Sheldon coughed into his hand to smother his laugh. “There is a reason we call him Teasing Tom. He is rarely serious about anything. Whatever he has told you, forget it. He doesn’t mean most of the things he says.”
But how could she know what he meant and what he did not? She thought she had figured out the difference, but this afternoon had her entirely confused. And she had yet to work through how easily he had dismissed her character and assumed she had stolen the pearls. Megan had forgiven Cassandra for her own false accusation, but Cassandra had taken Tom’s mistake and used it as a gauge of his opinion of her. The heart was a frustratingly sensitive organ.
Remembering her manners, she pushed her thoughts aside to deal with later and asked the Sheldons, “Have you dined yet? We have plenty of food left from dinner.”
“We just ate at the inn,” Mrs. Sheldon said. “But thank you just the same.”
“Please, sit and enjoy yourselves, then.” Cassandra motioned for them to have a seat, suddenly self-conscious of the worn state of the sofas.
No one seemed to notice, however, and soon they were all seated around the room, with her on the end of the longest sofa with Mrs. Sheldon next to her. Tom took a seat on the floor beside her and rested his back just under the arm of the sofa. Miles was also stretched out on the floor, in front of the fireplace. These were members of high Society, and yet they were as comfortable together as a family in an intimate setting.
“They are a lot at first, aren’t they?” Mrs. Sheldon whispered. “I myself have known them only since the beginning of summer.”
“Truly?” Cassandra could hardly believe it.
Mrs. Sheldon nodded. “Paul and I were an arranged match much like you and Mr. Harwood.”
The protective way Mr. Sheldon kept his wife’s hand in his lap had not escaped Cassandra’s notice. “Had you known each other long before your engagement?”
“We gave ourselves a month to see if we were a good fit.”
Cassandra swallowed. “How fortunate it is that you had a choice, then.”
“Of sorts.” Mrs. Sheldon bit back a laugh. “Sometimes we tease that we were tricked into falling in love. The matrons of Brookeside are quite cunning.”
“I am beginning to see that for myself.” Cassandra shook her head, still shocked by how the couple beside her had thrived under such circumstances. “And...” She lowered her voice. “You are both happy?”
Mr. Sheldon glanced over at them then. “What are you two whispering about?” He lifted his wife’s hand and kissed it. Before Mrs. Sheldon could respond, Miles called Mr. Sheldon’s name and engaged him in conversation.
“We are very happy,” Mrs. Sheldon finally answered, the truth in her words ringing in the warmth of her tone. “It may not be the perfect beginning a girl dreams about, but he is a good man who cares for me; that is what really matters in a marriage, I think.”
