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Authors: Victoria Alexander

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BOOK: The Scandalous Adventures of the Sister of the Bride
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“Nothing to apologize for, Gray,” Samuel said in an offhand manner. “My ill-fated
attempt to reach the altar is common knowledge at home. But, given the joyful circumstances
of your impending nuptials, this is perhaps not the time to discuss it.”

“How very thoughtful of you, Sam.” Camille smiled. “Although I should warn you, there
is nothing a group of women like better than to discuss scandal of any sort. Dare
I hope there was scandal involved?”

“Camille.” Delilah slanted her sister a quelling look. Regardless of whether she wished
Samuel to be here or not, this was no doubt something he didn’t want to talk about.
At least not to virtual strangers. “I must agree with Mr.—Samuel, this is not the
time.”

“At this point, I can look back on it with a certain amount of amusement.” Samuel
offered a wry smile. “And yes, Camille, I imagine there is always scandal when a wedding
does not occur as planned.”

“Have you met Grayson’s cousin yet?” A wicked twinkle shone in Camille’s eyes. “I
suspect you and Winfield might have a great deal in common.”

Grayson chuckled. “He was engaged three times before he finally made it to the altar.”

“Those are footsteps I do not intend to follow.” Samuel shook his head. “No, I have
learned my lesson and I try not to make the same mistake twice.” His gaze briefly
flicked to Delilah. “But we all make mistakes, don’t we?”

“I know I have.” Teddy wrinkled her nose.

“Once is a mistake,” Delilah said primly. “Three times is nothing less than a habit.”

“You strike me as the kind of woman who rarely makes mistakes,” Samuel said.

“It is only human to make mistakes.” Delilah shrugged. And with any luck, those mistakes
don’t return to sit across the table and make comments with underlying meanings. Although,
given the mess with Phillip’s legacy, luck was apparently in short supply at the moment.
“But I too never make the same mistake twice.”

“I didn’t say I haven’t made the same mistake twice,” Samuel continued. “I simply
said I try.”

“Perhaps you need to try harder.” Delilah smiled pleasantly.

“The problem with mistakes is that one doesn’t always realize they are mistakes at
the time.” Samuel’s eyes narrowed slightly. “It isn’t until later reflection that
one realizes one might have made a mistake.”

Grayson nodded. “True enough.”

“And then, as it happens, what one person sees as a mistake another might see as a
stroke of good fortune.” Samuel’s gaze pinned hers. “Don’t you agree,
Delilah?

A shiver skated down her spine at his use of her name. She ignored it.

“Not at all,” she said coolly.

“Nonsense, I agree completely,” Camille said. “Why I should think that sort of thing
happens all the time in business. One man’s mistake is to another man’s benefit.”
She refilled her cup. “You do realize, Sam, you may have made a grave mistake arriving
when the wedding is still nearly three weeks away.”

“Have I?” Samuel’s brow rose.

“Indeed.” Camille nodded. “You will most certainly be called upon to render your assistance
should it be needed.”

“There will be a great deal of decorating and rearranging to be accomplished.” Teddy
thought for a moment. “Of course, none of that will need to be done until the days
just before the wedding and I do have workers arranged for but another hand is always
useful. In addition, there will be errands to be run—”

“Quite a bit of fetching and delivering,” Camille added. “From the village and from
London as well.”

“And, as Camille has planned several events before the wedding,” Teddy began.

“It’s not so much a wedding as a festival,” Grayson said in an aside to his friend.

“You will be expected to do your part.” Teddy smiled at Samuel. “There are never enough
gentlemen at these things, so we will count on you to converse with the ladies and
charm the dowagers.”

“That should be no problem.” Grayson chuckled. “I can attest to that.”

“I’ll do my best.” Samuel grinned at Teddy. “I have been told I can be most charming.”

Delilah choked on her tea.

Camille’s forehead furrowed in concern. “Are you all right?”

“Quite.” Delilah coughed. “I must have swallowed something that didn’t go down well.”

“Understandable,” Samuel murmured.

Delilah resisted the urge to glare.

“Although, as Delilah does not remember you,” Grayson said, “perhaps you should put
more effort into your ability to charm and not depend entirely on those roguish American
good looks of yours.”

Samuel laughed.

“Nonsense, Grayson,” Camille chided. “I find Sam most charming and I daresay I shall
continue to do so the better I get to know him.”

“I for one would never forget meeting you.” Teddy flashed Samuel a brilliant smile.
“Therefore, the fault must lie with Dee for doing so.”

“As I said, it was probably another shepherdess I met. Therefore the mistake . . .”
Samuel’s gaze caught Delilah’s. “Was mine.”

“One of many, no doubt,” Delilah said before she could stop herself.

“But rarely the same one twice.” The look in Samuel’s eyes belied the polite smile
on his lips.

“Ah, well, rarely is not the same as never but the trick is in the rarely.” Delilah
smiled. “Isn’t it?”

Samuel chuckled. “It usually is.”

“Is this your first trip to England, Sam?” Camille said, steering the conversation
in a far less dangerous direction.

“Actually, this is my third visit,” Samuel said. “Although I’ve never seen anything
of the country outside of London.”

“We shall have to change that,” Teddy said. “You simply must see . . .”

The conversation erupted into a spirited debate on which of England’s sights the American
absolutely had to see from the ruins of Whitby Abbey to the ancient Stonehenge to
the scenic lake district with Camille, Teddy, and Grayson each lobbying for their
favorite. Good. Perhaps the man would spend these weeks before the wedding traveling
the country.

There was nothing she could do about him really unless she intended to shove him out
the door. And that would be rude. Tempting but rude. Still, as long as he was here,
she would have to avoid him as much as possible. His presence might well ruin everything.
The man seemed intent on baiting her. And it was exceptionally hard not to rise to
that bait. Sooner or later, someone was bound to notice if they hadn’t already. Why,
every time she glanced in his direction, his gaze was on her.

The last thing she wanted was for anyone to know about her adventure or mistake or
whatever it was. Teddy would keep her secret but Camille would never be able to resist
telling Beryl. And if Beryl didn’t tell anyone, although there was nothing Beryl loved
more than being the bearer of juicy gossip, the simple fact that she knew was bad
enough. Beryl would love knowing about Delilah’s indiscretion. Delilah could practically
hear her chortling about it now. Camille would certainly tell Grayson as well, who
would no doubt feel it his duty to say something to Samuel. And who knew what would
happen then.

Besides, Delilah fully intended to narrow down the possibilities for her next husband
in these last weeks before the wedding. It was her plan and an excellent plan at that.
But it would not do for any of her candidates to think she was unsuitable. A woman
of loose moral values. A tart. Her gaze met Samuel’s once again and she’d had quite
enough.

“If you will all excuse me, I have some pressing correspondence to attend to.” Delilah
rose to her feet, the men standing at once. “Grayson, I may need to call on you later
for advice of a legal nature.”

“Of course.” Grayson nodded.

“If there is anything I can do,” Samuel offered.

“You?” Delilah stared at him with as pleasant an expression as she could muster. “Are
you well versed in the complexities of the legal system in this county then?”

“No, I’m afraid not.” He shook his head. “However, I do have well-respected solicitors
in London who are.”

“I am certain Grayson can provide the assistance I need.” She waved off his comment.
“But I do thank you for the offer.” She forced a polite smile. “Samuel.”

“Sam.” Again that annoying spark of amusement shone in his eye. The man was obviously
trying to ruin her life.

“My apologies but I simply cannot call you
Sam,
” Delilah said. Let the others call him Sam and be his friend. She had no desire to
do so. He did not belong here! “And I . . . I once had a dog named Sam.”

“I don’t remember a dog.” Camille frowned.

“I daresay there are any number of things about my youth that you don’t remember,”
Delilah said.

“Probably.” Camille smiled apologetically.

It wasn’t at all fair of Delilah to remind Camille how she and Beryl had behaved toward
their younger sister in the past as Camille was sincerely trying to mend that rift.
Still, Delilah had spent most of her life with sisters who barely acknowledged her
existence and this effort of making amends and forging a new relationship was as difficult
for Delilah as it was for Camille.

“I am sorry. It’s all water under the bridge now really.” Delilah smiled at her sister
then turned to Samuel. “But my Sam was a loyal and faithful companion. I adored him
and he adored me.”

“Perhaps you simply need to prove to Delilah that you too can be a loyal and faithful
companion,” Grayson said mildly.

“I can indeed and even better.” Samuel smirked. “I can’t remember the last time I
bit anyone and I hardly ever bark.”

“You should be very proud.” Delilah smiled politely, nodded at the others, and took
her leave. Good Lord, that wasn’t at all like her. What was she thinking?

“My apologies for my sister, Sam,” Camille said behind her. “She is not usually so—”

“Rude?” Grayson said.

Rude?
She cringed. She was never rude. It was his fault. Bloody American. Look at what
he had done to her and he had only just arrived.

“I was going to say curt . . .”

Curt
was the best Delilah could manage right now. Certainly, an hour from now or tonight
or years from today she might be able to come face to face with her
adventure
without so much as twitching a brow. And indeed, she had wondered what her reaction
might be should she ever encounter him. But as she had expected to never lay eyes
on him again, she had not planned on how to handle such a meeting. As it turned out,
she should have. And wasn’t disaster to be expected when one didn’t have a plan?

She drew a deep breath and continued toward the library. Writing to her solicitor
would take her mind off the American, at least for a few minutes. She’d made every
effort to curb her impatience at the incredibly slow manner in which her legal difficulties
were being resolved. Why, she scarcely wrote for the latest news more than twice a
week now.

“Dee!” Teddy’s voice sounded behind her.

Delilah turned back. “Yes?”

“What was that all about?”

“What do you mean? What was what all about?” she asked as if she hadn’t the faintest
idea what Teddy was talking about.

“You know exactly what I mean.” Teddy’s brow furrowed in annoyance. “You were positively
rude to Mr. Russell—Sam.”

“Don’t be absurd.” She waved off the charge. “I wasn’t at all rude. I might have been
a bit, oh . . . sharp.”

“You were far more than sharp.”

“Just because you and Camille have taken to this American doesn’t mean I have to.”
Delilah sighed. “Haven’t you ever met someone you simply took an instant aversion
to?”

“Outside of a villain in a melodrama, no. And never when the person in question is
a guest. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say. In truth, I’ve
never seen you be less than unfailingly polite to someone you’ve just met.” Teddy
studied her closely then realization washed across her face. “Good Lord, of course.
I should have realized it at once.”

Delilah braced herself. No one knew her better than Teddy and if anyone could discern
the truth it would be her oldest and dearest friend. “Realized what?”

“My dear friend, I do apologize. I should have seen it sooner. It’s obvious to me
now why you’re not being at all your usual self.”

“Is it?” Delilah held her breath.

“You may be able to fool your sister, but then she doesn’t know you as well as I do.
And you’ve never been able to fool me.”

“No, I suppose I haven’t.” Delilah sighed in surrender. She had never kept anything
quite this significant from her friend before and Teddy had always seen right through
her. “It’s just so, well, awkward and embarrassing.”

“Nonsense,” Teddy said staunchly. “It’s not your fault and you have nothing to feel
awkward or embarrassed about.”

“I don’t?” Still, one might think it was at least partially her fault. The man hadn’t
forced himself on her after all. She had been a more than willing participant. Eager
really.

“Of course not.” Teddy laid her hand on Delilah’s arm. “It’s this business about the
claim to Phillip’s estates, isn’t it? You’re much more concerned than you’re letting
on, aren’t you?”

Relief swept through Delilah. What a perfect excuse for her behavior. She should have
thought of it herself. “Well, yes. I am worried.”

“I know better than most how financial difficulties can make anyone a bit surly.”
Sympathy shone in Teddy’s eyes. “You’ve been keeping it to yourself, and while I can
understand that, it is always better to share your concerns.”

“Perhaps,” Delilah said in a weak voice.

“There is no perhaps about it. While there is nothing we can do to help, we can at
the very least offer you our unflinching support and affection. And you do have that,
you know. Besides, the load always seems a bit lighter when shared.”

“Indeed it does.” Delilah cast her friend a grateful smile.

“With all you have on your mind, it stands to reason that you might be a bit less
than gracious.”

BOOK: The Scandalous Adventures of the Sister of the Bride
5.3Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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