“Morning, Mrs. Nye,” several voices chimed discordantly.
She nodded. “I trust you all slept well.”
“Aye, tolerable well,” said a Toome, she wasn’t sure which.
“Well enough,” concurred the other. “Though my head was fair ringing from the clout I received in the third. Fair cruel it were,” he said sadly and shot a meaning glance at Jeb who grinned.
“You’ll live,” he told him callously, but Mina could see they were all friends in here.
To her relief, she realized the overwhelming aroma in the room was coffee which meant they did have it. She never drank the stuff, but her father had used to be partial to a cup in the morning. She made for the range and poured a large cup for Dot.
Nye cleared his throat. “The boys have clubbed together,” he said. “To pay for us to spend a weekend at a fancy hotel,” he told her. “To celebrate our nuptials.” He scratched the back of his neck and Mina thought he reddened slightly.
“That is very kind of you all,” Mina marveled and meant it. “Only the other day, Nye said he would take me away for just such a weekend.”
“Seems the least we can do,” said Frank cheerfully. At least, Mina thought it was Frank.
“It was Nat’s idea,” admitted Jeb. “But we didn’t mark the occasion last time we were all here, so…”
Nat Jones came in from outside, and Mina noticed he was the only one dressed correctly in cravat and waistcoat. “Dear lady,” he cried. “Allow me to felicitate you. It is too bad of Nye not to have introduced us till now.”
Nye glowered. “This is my wife. Mina, this is Nat Jones who organizes the matches.”
Nat bowed gracefully over Mina’s hand.
“Quite the gent, ain’t he?” said a Toome brother, nudging Mina. “To look at ‘im, you’d never guess he was raised in a circus, would you?”
She didn’t say so, but to Mina, his manner did hold something of the theatricality of a ringmaster in a big top. His tailcoat this morning was of delicate lavender and his waistcoat of emerald green.
“I’m very happy to make your acquaintance, Mr. Jones,” she said aloud.
“I dare swear I have never seen such a change in a man,” he said, sweeping his glance over Nye. “Only look at him this morning. Well rested, shaven, dressed. I doubt more than a drop of liquor even touched his lips last night. Usually the next morning his eyes are blood-shot and his vocabulary mere monosyllables!” Nye’s frown deepened. “You have wrought a miracle, Mrs. Nye! A modern-day miracle!”
“Aye, well that’s enough said of that!” Nye grouched, folding his arms. “Let’s not get too carried away.”
“I must get back with Dot’s coffee,” Mina excused herself, leaving them to their ribald conversation to rejoin the others in the parlor.
They were deep in conversation when she entered the room and Mina looked around in surprise to find no sign of Amanda Vance.
“Did Lady Faris depart already?”
Dot gave a short laugh. “She only waited for you to disappear and made good her escape,” she said contemptuously.
“Feel sorry for the poor bugger what’s joined his lot wiv ‘ers in life,” said Effie.
Mina colored faintly as she set the coffee down in front of Dot. “She is married to my half-brother,” she admitted, returning to her seat.
“She never is!” Effie gasped. “And her making sheep’s eyes at my Jeb out the window, bold as you like!”
“I don’t think their union is a happy one,” Mina admitted.
“Fancy your brother being some posh nob, in these parts,” Dottie marveled, taking an appreciative sip of the dark fluid. Mina nodded, interested to see she took it black and bitter. Dot sighed when she set the cup down. “That’s better,” she said. “Well, wonders will never cease. ‘Course, I could tell you had something about you. We were just discussing it. I wish me and Nat had been here that weekend of your marriage now.”
Mina grimaced. “In truth, you did not miss much,” she assured her. “But that reminds me, I have your lace scarf,” she said, turning to Effie. “Which you were kind enough to lend me for a veil.”
“Oh no!” said Effie, looking shocked. “You’re not to return that. That’s to be kept in your top drawer along with your lucky silver sixpence and your dried blue bouquet.”
Mina started, remembering how she had pitched the delphiniums over a stone wall on her lonely march back to the inn. “That’s very kind of you,” she said, “But you see—”
“Wouldn’t hear of taking it back,” Effie said staunchly. “You can lend me something borrowed if I ever get Jeb up that aisle.”
“Very well, I will treasure it,” Mina said awkwardly. “I don’t precisely know what I did with the silver sixpence in truth and I’m afraid I threw away the flowers in a fit of temper. I wanted to strangle Nye at the time,” she admitted as Dot gave a gust of delighted laughter.
“You’re a dark horse and no mistake,” she said appreciatively. “When you asked that snooty piece of goods if she was comparing herself to a cow! I hardly knew where to look!”
Effie joined with a peal of mirth. “She didn’t know where to put herself!” Effie gasped, wiping her eyes. “I wouldn’t have missed that, not for a month of Sundays! Told you she was a rare ‘un,” she said to Dot.
“She’s certainly not in the usual style,” Dot agreed, though Mina was not sure this was precisely a compliment.
“I think the lads were disappointed to find that pretty Ivy up and gone,” Dot commented when their laughter subsided. “Whatever happened to her? Nye seemed to have no clue.” She shot a keen look at Mina. “If I’m not mistaken, you’ll know more about the matter, than he.” She tapped her nose. “Women always do.”
“A man, like as not,” Effie chimed in. “I hope the poor little devil found a better one than the last she hitched her cart to.”
Mina set her knife and fork down. “She did,” she said. “A widower with two small children, who wanted to marry her and set up house.”
“Well, I never!” Effie whistled.
“Good for her,” said Dot. “I only hope it may work out for her.”
“She seemed realistic about the life he offered,” Mina said, pouring another cup of tea. “And was entering into it with her eyes open.”
“Can’t ask for much more than that,” Dot opined, pulling a face. Effie agreed with a sad sigh. They passed the rest of their meal amicably and from the rumbling of wheels and the clip-clop of hooves in the courtyard outside Mina observed that people were already starting to drift away after last night’s excitement.
By lunchtime, most of the overnight guests had cleared out. They served what was left of the pasties cold to any that were desirous of lunchtime refreshment and to her surprise, Nye summoned her to the door to wave goodbye when the Nat, Dot, Clem, Jeb, and Effie departed in two coachloads. She hurried to his side and he wrapped an arm about her waist. A cart drew out behind them carrying the Toomes brothers and their disreputable toothless old mother, Ma Toomes.