James did not have to look for Marigold very long. The image of her distraught face kept flashing through his mind, urging him on toward her. He worried about the state he would find her in.

He checked the dining room, the library, and the sitting room just off the foyer. They were all vacant.

He wandered through the manor toward the eastern wing when he realized she must have gone as far away as she could. Concern growing, he hurried on.

He pushed open the doors to the drawing room and found Marigold’s silhouette standing in front of the roaring fireplace. There was a white cloth in her hands, and she was diligently attempting to blot some of the red wine from the front of her pale dress.

“There you are,” James said, closing the door behind himself.

She looked up at the sound of his voice, and he saw her eyes were filled with tears.

He crossed the room quickly to her, and gently held her by the shoulders. “My darling …”

Her bottom lip quivered, and she continued her fruitless dabbing on her dress.

“It’s all right,” James said reassuringly. “It’s quite all right, my dear. There now, there’s no need to cry.”

She looked up into his face, her tears glittering in the firelight. “I have never been more humiliated in all my life. At my own engagement party … I manage to make a right mess of everything …”

Angrily, she tossed the napkin onto the sofa, having little success at pulling any of the wine from the dress.

She sniffed and frowned down at the pretty pink fabric. “I feel just awful. I am so terribly sorry about your sister’s dress.” More fresh tears spilled over her face. “I have absolutely no idea how I am to repay her for it; it is positively ruined. The dress probably cost more money than I have ever seen in my life.”

“Darling …” James said. “Come and sit. Come,” he urged, taking her hand in his and leading her to the sofa in front of the fire.

She begrudgingly agreed and allowed him to pull her down onto the velvet seat.

“These sorts of things happen, my love,” James said, brushing a loose curl behind her ear. “No one is going to think any less of you for something that was an accident.”

She hung her head. “Accident … if I hadn’t been so flustered, I could have paid better attention to my surroundings, couldn’t I?” She looked hesitantly up at James. “Is that poor man I ran into all right?”

“He’s just fine,” James said. “I think he feels it is his fault. He certainly could have been paying better attention than he was.”

Marigold shook her head. “It was not his fault any more than mine.” She sighed heavily, wiping her eyes with the back of her silken gloves. “Those people … they just caught me off guard. Those things they were saying … it was as if I was some sort of … heathen.”

“Heathen is a bit strong,” James replied, “But they certainly were not very courteous. These people have a certain expectation of how society is run, and the idea that other places in the country do not adhere to the same practices is unfathomable to them.” He bristled. “I did not appreciate the way they insinuated your father was in a contemptable profession. Indeed, he most likely is wealthier than they, counting his cattle alone.”

Marigold frowned.

“This whole trip …” she began. “I have struggled to make sense of this world in which I find myself. A world in which you are comfortable and at home. I have felt like an outsider all along. And I don’t know if I could ever learn enough to be accepted in this sort of society. It does not come naturally to me.”

“But kindness and empathy do come naturally to you,” James said. “And those qualities are far more important than how to be quick witted or have impressive skills.”

“These sorts of people will never take me seriously even if I tried to find a way to belong in this world,” she said, shaking her head. “I have no earthly idea how to speak to any of them. I do not have the proper education to keep up with them in conversations; I have not experienced the same sorts of things in life to understand their way of doing things.”

“Yet you bring a whole new way of looking at life to those conversations,” James replied. “Think of how many were interested in hearing what Bear Springs is like.”

“In a condescending sort of way,” Marigold replied sadly.

“What of my family, hmm? And my friends? None of them have treated you the way that those older folks have. They have been genuinely interested, intrigued by how life is out there. Many are envious, I believe, for our lives in Utah are far simpler than the lives they all live in New York.”

She stared into the fire, the wine spots on the dress beginning to darken and dry.

“I just feel worthless around them all,” she said. “I don’t know how to carry myself. I couldn’t possibly imagine wearing clothes or jewelry as expensive as the ones I am wearing right now.” She pulled at the pearls around her neck, the gem-studded rings at her fingers, and the satin dress. “I am not fit for these sorts of things. My mother never wore anything as nice as these. They are too good for me.”

She placed the rings on the side table and unclipped the pearls, holding them in her hands.

“Marigold … I truly thought you were enjoying yourself here,” James said. “I know it’s been a more difficult adjustment, and everything has been so new and overwhelming … but I did not know you were feeling so disheartened about it all.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “I am not disheartened. And I do like it here. It is lovely and engaging. The city is a fascinating place. Your parents’ home is … well, it’s absolutely astounding. I have not seen its equal in my life. Your family has been kind and welcoming, and I can see where your compassion and good looks come from.” She smiled weakly at him, and then rose to her feet.

She crossed to the fire, folding her arms over herself.

“I miss the open plains, the fields full of wheat and barley. I miss the open sky. I miss the sun …” She sighed. “I miss the people of Bear Springs. I miss my father, my sisters. I miss my home, my horses, my life.”

James’s heart clenched. “I was worried about this when you suggested having our wedding ceremony out here,” James said, also rising to his feet. “I wondered if being away from home might be too difficult for you.”

Marigold did not reply.

“You see, I know exactly the thoughts going through your mind right now. I can understand them better than anyone, in fact. When I moved to Bear Springs, the very same things plagued me when I first arrived. The only difference was that I had no one on my side, no one to help guide me through. I wished I had, because I feel as if it would have made my first few weeks there much easier.”

He felt the old fear rising up in him as he recalled the memories of his arrival in Bear Springs.

“Everything was vastly different. There were new people, a new home to adjust to. Even the air smelled different.”

She glanced up at him, watching him sadly as he spoke.

“I understand what you mean when you say you feel inadequate. I had no idea how to carry myself. Everyone acted very different than what I was familiar with, and so I had to learn to adapt. It had been my decision, after all, to make the move. I wanted to honor that decision as best as I could.”

He gently reached out and touched her arm.

“I understand what it feels like to miss home, almost desperately, especially when it is so far away. Everything suddenly seems perfect there, and you feel like a fool for leaving.”

She looked away, chewing on the inside of her lip.

“I missed my mother and father dearly, as well as my siblings, my nieces and nephews. I knew life back here in New York might be easier for me because I knew how to operate in this sort of place. Utah was very different. It drew me out of my comfort zone.”

Marigold shifted uncomfortably.

“My darling, I do not say these things to you to make you unhappy or make you feel guilty. I just want you to know that I understand. These people here … whatever they may say, however they might view you … do not let it bother you. They have no power over you.”

She smiled weakly, her tears having ceased. “I suppose it isn’t any different than someone I know giving me their advice about how I should live my life, especially if it is unwarranted.”

“Or unwanted,” James added for her.

She nodded. “I just feel less than myself here, and I have never felt that before. I suppose it came as a bit of a shock just how different everything is. I cannot understand how you dealt with all of the expectations that this sort of society places on you.”

“It’s not all bad,” James answered. “Once you have grown used to it, it becomes like second nature. Much like caring for animals, something I still struggle with myself.”

She smiled a small, sad smile up at him. “Indeed.” She sighed heavily. “I do not know what came over me, running away like that.”

“They danced around very sensitive issues without knowing it,” James replied. “I should have been better about redirecting the conversation.”

She shook her head. “No, I suppose I am so used to everyone knowing my mother is gone that to have to repeat it for a stranger seemed strangely … well, it made me feel vulnerable.”

“I suppose you have been feeling that way a lot this trip, haven’t you? With all of the attention on you.”

She nodded. “I suppose I have been.”

“I’m sorry all of this is not how you imagined.”

“I honestly had no idea what to expect.”

“I should have prepared you better,” James said.

“How would you have known I would be uncomfortable?”

“Because of how uncomfortable I had been,” he replied. “Life is different. Perhaps if I had better prepared you about the sort of gatherings we had, or how people act and speak… maybe you wouldn’t have felt quite so exposed.” He sighed, guilt gripping his heart. “Much of this could have been avoided had I more sense.”

She touched his arm gently. “I do not blame any of this on you. I blame myself for allowing me to get swept away so easily by my emotions. I should know better. I am a grown woman, after all, not some child.” She sighed. “Not that any of our guests would think that now.”

“You think too little of yourself,” James replied.

A moment of silence passed between them.

“Well … there is a very large party still going on, full of people who are probably wondering what in the world is happening,” James said finally, staring into the dancing, flickering flames.

“I suppose you are right.” She looked down at her dress once more. “Though I certainly cannot return to the party in this state.”

“Allow me to fetch my sister and see if she can help you find another suitable dress to wear.”

Abigail and Molly were upon him as soon as he reentered the ballroom.

“Is she all right?”

“Poor dear, she must be miserable.”

“She is fine now,” James replied. “But could you ladies please help her again? She needs a new dress, of course. Would you be so kind as to take her up for a quick change?”

They disappeared without another word.

“Ladies and gentleman,” James said, clinking a newly acquired glass with the side of a knife. “I would like to apologize for our absence. Miss Marigold is fine and is just making a quick change. We appreciate your patience in this matter.”

The guests nodded and smiled at him, a few clapped their hands in acknowledgement.

“Thank you very much. Dinner should be served soon.”

Marigold, Abigail, and Molly appeared only a short time later, and the whole room broke into applause for her which caused her to nearly stumble once more in surprise. Thankfully, Abigail caught her and made it look as if she herself had stumbled, and she waved at the room respectfully.

James would be forever grateful for his sister and her constant desire to help him.

Marigold came to his side once more, and she smiled up at him happily.

With a start, James wondered if the conversation they had even took place. She appeared glad, even excited. Where had all of her sorrow and worry gone?

“Everything all right?” he asked.

“Certainly,” Marigold responded, looking about the room with a renewed happiness. “Your sisters are most amusing. I am blessed to know they will soon be my family.”

“Oh, what a darling,” James’s mother said.

James smiled, but in the back of his mind, he could still see her standing beside the fire, tears streaming down her face.

Marigold struck up a conversation with his brother, Charlie, and James simply listened. The whole party seemed to have moved on from the incident, for which he was grateful.

But Marigold was carrying a great weight on her shoulders, a weight he understood. But she also did not have to discard it, for they would be returning to Bear Springs together.

He attempted to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

It upset him to hear how much Marigold felt like an outcast in New York. He had hoped more than anything she would feel right at home. But how could he live with himself knowing his bride to be was so unhappy?

Perhaps we should have stayed in Bear Springs, he thought to himself. She would have been happier, and I would have been fine.

It was her decision, though, he remembered. She was the one who wanted to be here with his family.

He supposed the idea of them moving out of Utah and coming to live here in New York was too much to hope for. How would she ever be happy in a place like this that felt so foreign to her? It was almost as if she were determined to not understand.

He also wondered if his expectations were too high too quickly. They hadn’t been in town long, after all. He wondered if he needed to take a step back from the entire situation.

Discussing anything with her would have to wait, he knew.

He forced a smile on his face and told himself he was going to enjoy his engagement party, not sulk like a fool.

“Charlie, did I tell you about the time I had to diagnose a bovine based solely on the knowledge I had about humans?”