The next morning, Andrew exited his room on the mansion’s mezzanine level, taking a set of curving stairs to the lobby. Unaccustomed to keeping daytime hours, he shielded his eyes against the sunlight streaming in through the front door’s beveled glass. The rays gave the space a warm, wholesome glow that vaguely irritated. He shook off the sensation and approached the check-in desk where the scent of gardenias greeted him along with a mid-thirties woman.
“Good morning, your lordship. Will you be joining His Grace for breakfast?”
“Momentarily. And please, Andrew will do.”
Diana’s already up and briefed her staff of peer etiquette. Would her conscientious nature also have her regretting their kiss? Did he? Giving in to impulses certainly wasn’t his norm.
He noted the woman’s name tag. “First, Debbie, I was wondering when the gift shop might open.” He tugged on the shirt he’d purchased last night. “It appears I’ll need another change of clothes.” Not that he planned to be here in the wilds of western Mississippi much longer, but he’d be damned if he’d fly back wearing the same set of clothes.
Debbie reached in a drawer for a set of keys. “At ten o’clock, but I’ll be happy to open up now if you like. Anything you need to make your stay more comfortable, please let me know.”
A large butterfly net for my uncle. “That’s wonderful, but there’s no need to trouble yourself. I’ll come back after breakfast.”
Andrew entered the breakfast room with its magnolia motif wallpaper and large cherry dining table and smiled when he found it empty save for his uncle. After pulling the French doors closed, he took the seat to Neville’s right. “I’m glad to see you up. I trust you rested well and are thinking clearheaded this morning.”
Uncle Neville dabbed the corner of his mouth with a linen napkin. “I’m feeling remarkably well considering the jet lag.”
“Excellent.” Andrew’s stomach tightened. His uncle meant the world to him, and the last thing he wanted was to see him hurt by anyone—Andrew included. “I was hoping we could discuss your engagement to Mrs. Curtis.”
“I’m sure you have concerns. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have left Monte Carlo. I know more than you think I do.” Uncle Neville turned to face Andrew. “As much as I find discussing money distasteful, I can assure you Mrs. Curtis isn’t interested in our money.”
But was Uncle Neville interested in hers?
An influx of cash would certainly help replace the ancient heating system at Chatham Park. To say nothing of what a few thousand pounds would do for the mansion’s plumbing. Without the financial responsibilities of maintaining the estate, he might think of pursuing another profession. Despite what he’d told Diana, at one time Andrew had hoped to become a mathematics instructor. He excelled in the field of study and loved kids. In a perfect world, he’d already be married to the proper type of woman and well on his way to producing the heir and the spare. And the spare, spare.
Andrew brushed away the romantic notions and those concerning Diana’s money. She’d worked hard to provide for her family, and he would continue to do the same despite his professional preferences. Thank God, his superior mathematical mind could also provide a way to earn large sums of cash to support Uncle Neville as well as his parents.
“What of Mrs. Curtis’s past?” Diana mentioned her father was no longer in situ. Where was he now? Had there been other men?
“That seems rather old-fashioned.”
“I’m only thinking of your best interest. You have a reputation to maintain.”
“Jackie is free from any encumbrances precluding her from becoming my wife.”
But was she? Diana hadn’t mentioned a divorce—only that her father had run off. “So, you say, Uncle. However, you still haven’t addressed the suitability issue.”
“The people of Chatham will come to love her winsome ways just as I have.”
An image of the St. Michael’s Fete under her direction flashed to mind. “I beg to disagree with you, Uncle. However delightful you might find Mrs. Curtis, she’s far from a suitable. Have you considered how she might cope with the duties of Duchess of Effingham?”
Neville waved away his concerns. “Minor details, minor details.”
Before Andrew could refute his uncle’s dismissal, the door opened, and the subject of their disagreement entered. With Diana close behind.
“Speaking of my lovely bride-to-be.” Uncle Neville elbowed him. “On your feet, boy. You’re in the presence of ladies.”
Andrew rose and nodded to both women. “Good morning, Mrs. Curtis, Diana.”
While Diana and her mother poured themselves coffee from the buffet, Uncle Neville leaned in to whisper. “Jackie has nothing but high praise for Diana. As beautiful as her namesake, a head for business, and a fiery temper to keep a man on his toes.”
Andrew jerked his attention back to his uncle. Had the fairies made a body switch when he wasn’t looking?
After pressing a kiss to Neville’s cheek, Jackie took the seat to her fiancé’s left. “I hope you both slept well. We have a lot to do today. So many plans to make. I can’t wait for you to visit the springhouse.”
Diana took a seat next to her mother and let out a deep sigh. So, she hadn’t gotten any further with her mother than he had with Uncle Neville. Clearly it was going to take more than a conversation to get his grandmother’s ring off Jackie’s finger and his uncle on a plane headed east. The exact plan escaped him, but his gut told him it would take Diana’s cooperation.
From the daggers she was shooting at him, she hadn’t forgiven him for the kiss. The last thing he needed was for her to side with her mother and his uncle. “Mrs. Curtis, we started off badly yesterday.” His gaze darted between Diana and her mother, hoping she’d understand the dual meaning behind the apology. “Please forgive me. I’m afraid my mouth got the better of me.”
As Diana’s cheeks flamed red, he extended a hand to Jackie. “I do hope we can be friends.”
The woman’s face exploded in a grin. “Of course, sugar.”
“Apology accepted?” he pressed, waiting for a reaction from Diana. Her nearly imperceptible nod meant more than it should have.
“Most assuredly.” Jackie patted his cheek. “I’m delighted you’re here. This will give us time to get to know each other better before the wedding.”
Andrew’s stomach roiled at the thought. “About that, Diana, I was wondering if I could have a word.”
She stood, and her phone played a jazzy tune. “Just a moment. This is my event manager’s ringtone.” She excused herself to the far side of the breakfast room before taking the call. Her frantic voice wafted back, cutting off the lovebirds’ plans for the morning.
Soon, Diana returned to the table rubbing her temple.
Jackie turned toward her daughter. “What’s wrong, baby? You look dreadful.”
Diana pulled a roll of antacids from her pocket and popped one in her mouth. “That was Wes, Jasmine’s husband,” she said between chews. “The whole family has the stomach flu. She can’t even get out of bed.”
“How dreadful,” Uncle Neville exclaimed. “And damned inconsiderate, if you ask me. I expect my staff to take better care with their health.”
Jackie jumped up from her seat. “We should send over some chicken soup.”
“Perhaps later, Mama.” She tugged her mother back to her chair. “No one in the kitchen has time to make soup. Right now, I need to figure out what still needs tending to before the wedding guests start arriving.”
“I know something that will help.” Jackie extracted a silver tube from her pocket and handed it to Diana. “You should freshen up your lipstick. It’ll make you feel better.”
Diana clutched the tube like she might crush it. “Not now, Mama. I need to think. Surely there’s someone who can pitch hit.”
Andrew stood. “Perhaps I could be of assistance.” A spark of hope flamed as a plan sprang to mind. Someone up there must like him because the situation couldn’t be more advantageous for proving his point.
“How’s that?” Diana cut her eyes at him. “Are you volunteering?”
“No, but if you’ll walk outside with me, I think we can come up with a solution to several predicaments.”
As they stepped onto the balcony, Diana noted her staff lining white chairs in front of a large arch at the back of the garden where the ceremony would take place. Nearer to the house, others were setting up small tables for the reception. She leaned over the railing to get a better look. Were those brown tablecloths? Not the color the bride had chosen.
She called down to the open expanse of lawn. “You guys hold up a minute before you set the tables.” If only she could clone herself then she might possibly manage all the hats she needed to wear today. “What’s your grand solution?”
“I propose you have your mother take charge.”
Diana rolled her eyes. “Have you lost your mind?” He was supposed to be helping to fix this situation, not talking crazy. “She’s not capable of organizing lunch for two, much less a wedding for one hundred.”
“Exactly. I need to prove a point to my uncle. Our family has hosted the St. Michael’s charitable fete since 1918. If he were to marry your mother, she would be responsible for organizing the event.”
“Who does this now?”
“My mother, but as the Duchess of Effingham, it would become your mother’s duty to maintain family standards. The fete is one of several social obligations. There’s the Christmas open house and the annual garden show.”
“Your plan is to embarrass my mother in front of her beau and potentially upset a wedding for your uncle to see sense? I won’t have my mother humiliated.” Her voice rose an octave.
He held his hands up. “Hear me out.”
Unaware of her knee-jerk reaction, she unclenched her fist. “Fine, but this needs to be in the neighborhood of making sense.”
“I imagine your event planner has already seen to the greater details of the wedding.”
“I’m certain of it. Jasmine is as efficient as they come.”
“What you require now is someone to take charge of the bridal party, make the guests feel welcome, and handle any situations that arise.”
“Correct.” Within her small circle of friends, Jackie could be quite gregarious and entertaining. However, decisions weren’t her forte. Neither was dictating to anyone but Diana. Even their black lab, Buster, ignored Jackie’s commands. “I don’t see how it will work.”
“My uncle is a stickler for protocol and family obligations. He takes his duty to the county and his role as duke seriously. If he feels your mother might not be able to cope, perhaps he’ll reconsider this ill-conceived notion.”
Diana let the idea roll around in her head. Between conference calls she could check in with her mother, and the staff would be doing most of the work. The possibility of Jackie’s failure didn’t set well, but then again neither did Jackie, Duchess of Effingham, taking on larger social engagements where folks weren’t as understanding and the consequences for failure greater. In one of those rock-and-hard-place dilemmas, Diana made her choice. “It’s a deal.”
Andrew took the hand she offered. “It’s settled then. You can set Jackie up with her tasks, and I’ll direct Uncle Neville to a place where he can observe his fiancée in action.”
Her stomach twisted for reasons other than a reaction to the flash of dimple when he smiled. “I don’t like this at all.”
His wide grin softened. “I understand, but we’ve got to be cruel to be kind. What they have is infatuation. I wouldn’t give them more than six months before they were making each other miserable.”
“I know.” With another glance at the reception preparations below, she stepped toward the French door leading into the breakfast room. “There’s an old southern saying, ‘like must marry like.’”
Andrew followed. “Sounds reasonable.” His hand went to the small of her back, sending licks of heat through her body. “Let’s head back in and start breaking hearts.”
Back inside, Diana squatted beside her mother. “Mama, Andrew has a solution for Jasmine’s absence, but I need your help.”
Jackie’s blue eyes sparked. “Of course, baby. What can I do?”
Diana drew in a deep breath and prayed for forgiveness. “You take Jasmine’s place today for the wedding.”
Her mother’s mouth formed an O. “I could never…” She grabbed Diana’s hand.
It’s for the best.
“There’s no one else who can do it today. I have meetings I can’t cancel, and everyone else has their own tasks to complete.”
Twin furrows formed between Jackie’s brows. “All I’d have to do is tell the wedding party when to walk down the aisle, right?”
Diana nodded. “You might also have to make sure everyone has enough food and drink.”
A detail about the Williams-Perdue wedding popped in her brain. Jasmine said there’d been friction between the bride and her future mother-in-law. It was only fair Jackie had all the facts. Her inability to cope should conflict arise would simply prove Andrew’s point. “And you know how feelings can get hurt at weddings. As event planner, it’ll be your job to soothe any ruffled feathers.”
“I don’t know.” Jackie chewed her lip.
The duke took Jackie’s other hand. “Of course, you can help Diana. There’s nothing to managing these types of things. It’s simply a matter of being organized and keeping people’s whistles wet.”
Perhaps it was nothing if the hostess didn’t tend to wander off to investigate a bird’s call or begin discussing an obscure interest such as propagating geraniums. What if Jackie made a comment about the bride being in the family way?
Lord have mercy, her mama could ruin half of Greenbrier’s business in an afternoon.
She opened her mouth to retract the offer.
“I’ll do it.” Jackie beamed. “If you think I can be of help, then I’ll give it a try.”
Diana stood on shaky legs. “You’re a peach for helping me out. The guests should start arriving at eleven.”
“Well, then I better find something appropriate to wear.” Jackie gave the duke a peck on the cheek and drifted out of the breakfast room muttering, “I wonder if the bride would like to see my hydrangeas. They would make beautiful centerpieces. I’ll be sure to find her when she arrives.”
Panic gripped Diana. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have to speak to the staff.”
“A word before you go.” Andrew nodded toward the terrace.
Outside, she let her anxiety have free rein. “I don’t like this one bit. We agreed my mother would not be humiliated.”
Childhood memories flooded back. While the ladies in her gardening club understood Jackie and made allowances for her, that hadn’t been the case with the parents of her classmates. More than once Diana overheard cruel comments regarding her family and their broken-down mansion. She’d been able to restore Greenbrier to its former beauty, but no amount of designer clothes could disguise her mother’s limitations.
“You’ve made that clear, and I understand the desire to protect your mother. It’s my motivation as well. However, I’m going to have to insist you not intercede. You must let the situation play out without your intervention.”
“I have a conference call during the event I can’t reschedule. There are also tax documents needing my attention, so I’ll be in my office the whole time.”
Andrew patted her arm. “Perhaps it’s for the best. I’ll let you know when it’s over.”
His kindness did little to sooth her anxiety. “Pray this works. Otherwise…” She left him to ponder what might happen if setting her mother up for failure didn’t result in the duke breaking off the engagement.