“Are you out of your mind?” Sheridan hissed. “I was barely able to convince her to marry me as it was. I certainly wasn’t going to bring that up. Besides, I haven’t been able to find out anything from Lady Eustace, so I dare not tip my hand until I do.”
Thorn snorted. “What makes you think you’ll be able to question Lady Eustace without telling Vanessa?”
“Trust me,” Sheridan said dryly, “it will not be a problem. All of a sudden I’ve become Lady Eustace’s favorite person. Which is ironic, considering that until I proposed to Vanessa, her mother hated me.”
“It’s the special license,” Thorn said, with a furtive glance back. “That always impresses the mothers.”
“Apparently.” But in his case, Sheridan wasn’t sure if it was because Lady Eustace assumed that such an extravagance meant he wasn’t as poor as she’d first feared. Or if she merely hoped the special license would ensure that the wedding would be talked about in the highest circles of society, making her the center of attention for months to come.
He wasn’t about to disabuse her of her notions by telling her the truth: He’d bought a special license solely because it meant they could marry fairly quickly. He’d feared that one of the many people who’d known about Vanessa’s tryst in the garden square might tell someone before he could make her a respectable married woman.
Sheridan wasn’t taking any chances. A wedding veil covered all sins.
“This is a delicate situation,” Sheridan said. “It just isn’t prudent to say anything to Vanessa at this juncture. After all, I might discover that Lady Eustace hadn’t been involved in any way in the death of Mother’s husbands. In that case, wouldn’t it be better that Vanessa never learn of my part in our investigation at all?”
Because if she did, she’d feel cheated, forced to marry a man she didn’t love for the worst of reasons—his inability to keep his hands to himself while he was investigating her mother.
“She seems a reasonable sort. You should talk to her.”
“Look,” Sheridan said under his breath, “let me handle my own marital affairs. Besides, don’t you have enough to worry about without being concerned about my own part in the investigation? Or have you already learned enough about Lady Norley’s whereabouts to vouch for her?”
Just as Sheridan had thought he might, Thorn didn’t like it when the shoe was on the other foot. “I . . . um . . . asked Olivia to question her mother.”
I know. “And has she?”
“Not yet.” A flush stained his cheeks. “It’s hard to find the right time, you understand.”
Sheridan smirked at his brother. “Oh, I understand very well.”
“Fine. Fine!” Thorn said. “I’ll stay out of it. Though I still say Vanessa could probably handle whatever you throw at her.”
Sheridan wished he could be sure of that. Especially when it came to their wedding night. Damn, why couldn’t he stop thinking about that?
He heard some giggling and looked over to see a group of girls dressed in white with flower crowns on their heads. One little girl stood in awe of the gentlemen passing by, wearing their finest. Sheridan tipped his hat to her, and she got shy, turning and running for her mother who was coming up the walkway. All of them bore baskets decorated with ribbons.
“What was that all about?” Thorn asked.
“This is how it is in a local village, especially if the ceremony and the bridal feast don’t occur in the same place. No matter how few the wedding guests, when they leave the church the entire village turns out to cheer and throw rice. They’ll follow us nearly all the way home after the wedding is over.”
“If you have a special license, why aren’t you simply marrying at Armitage Hall?”
“Because I need these people, and they need me. I don’t want some private ceremony that they’re not a part of. And Vanessa agreed.”
“I’ll bet her mother didn’t.”
“No, indeed.” He glanced back to see Sir Noah approaching. “Lady Eustace would have preferred the ceremony be performed at Windsor Castle.”
“He’s only half joking,” Sir Noah put in. “My sister would happily have kicked the king out of his lodgings if it meant Vanessa could have the wedding of the century.”
“And not a mere ‘village wedding,’” Sheridan said. “Fortunately, Vanessa and I prevailed.”
“Just so you know, Armitage,” Sir Noah said, “I reassured Lord Heywood that every t was crossed and every i dotted as far as legalities were concerned. I told him our respective solicitors hashed out a mutually suitable settlement for my niece, so no need to worry there.”
Sheridan gaped at his little brother. “What the hell, Heywood? Did you think I didn’t know well enough to have a settlement negotiated for my future wife?”
“I-I had to do one myself,” Heywood said while at the same time glaring at Sir Noah, “so I thought perhaps with the wedding being so hasty—not that there’s anything wrong with that—but I thought the settlement might have been . . . well . . . overlooked.”
“And you thought the best time to mention it was on the way to the church?” Sheridan shook his head. “If you’d been right—and by the way, I find it terribly insulting that you thought I would have ‘overlooked’ such a thing—but even if you had been, what could I have done about it now? Pulled Sir Noah aside for a quick settlement discussion? Then commandeered Bonham to draw it up in the back of the church while my bride and everyone else waited?”
When Thorn laughed at that, Sheridan turned on him. “What do you think is so funny? You’re no better, trying to give me marital advice before I even sign the church register.” He included Heywood in his frown. “Both of you need to mind your own business. It’s my marriage, my estate, and my soon-to-be wife. Stay out of it, understand?”
Thorn scowled at Heywood as they were walking. “See what you started?”
“Hey!” their baby brother answered. “You were the one giving him marital advice.”
“At least I had the good sense not to question Sir Noah about Sheridan’s settlement. You forget that our brother was trained in the art of diplomatic negotiation practically from birth. He was very good at it, as I recall.”
It was Sir Noah’s turn to laugh. “I must confess this is making me glad I never had a brother.” He paused. “Wait, who is Bonham again?”
“Man of affairs to the last three dukes of Armitage, including my half brother there,” Thorn said before turning back to Sheridan. “Bonham will be at your wedding? Does Mother know?”
Sir Noah’s amusement vanished. “Why does it matter if the duchess knows?”
“It doesn’t,” Sheridan said, sparing a warning look for his half brother and little brother. “And yes, she knows. She’s the one who insisted on inviting him, precisely because he’s been man of affairs to the last three dukes of Armitage.”
They’d reached Sanforth, but none of the brothers noticed until Sir Noah said, “Should I assume that this is the church?”