Page 104 of Snapdragons
“I have been telling youfor years,” Niles said. “But no one in this family would listen.”
Footsteps sounded behind them. They both turned. Penelope crossed to Niles but watched Grandfather. “If I had known that the letters exchanged between you and my brother hadn’t so much as been shown to Niles through the entire negotiation, I would never have agreed to it. Arranged marriages are difficult enough without leaving one half of the would-be couple entirely in the dark. He ought to have had a voice in so enormous a decision.”
“Is that why you went to Yorkshire?” Grandfather asked her. “To give him a voice?”
“I went to meet him, to find out who he was, to discover if there was a chance of moving forward.”
“And what did you discover?”
“That you have a remarkable grandson, Mr. Greenberry. Any lady would count herself fortunate to know him.”
To Niles, Grandfather asked, “And what didyoudiscover?”
“That you chose well. She and I have similar interests. We get on well. Every time I’m with her, I like her even more. I love her.”
“Sounds to me like you could have skipped the theatrics of the past weeks and gone ahead with the match,” Grandfathergrumbled.
“No, sir,” Penelope said. “The choosing is important. Crucial. If you have any doubts on that score, simply contemplate the lengths he has gone to in order to have that choice.”
For the first time since Niles’s arrival, Grandfather looked a little less sure of himself, even a little humbled.
“Miss Seymour and I were able to come to know each other in Yorkshire,” Niles said. “Which is more or less what I’d been asking for all these years: a chance to know someone beforedecidingwhether we could happily build a life together.”
“And what am I to do with the rest of this family?” Grandfather asked. “There is dissension in the ranks, Niles. The tranquility we have known is under threat.”
“I can tell you this: I haven’t experienced the least tranquility on this matter for twenty years. I know I am not the only Greenberry who has felt that way. What you have seen as familial tranquility has, in truth, been silent misery. I would hope this family would want to beactuallyhappy rather than simply pretending to be.”
Penelope took Niles’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. She had come to know him well enough to, it seemed, sense that speaking so bluntly to his grandfather was not an easy thing.
“I really have worked exceptionally hard to make good matches for my children and grandchildren,” Grandfather said. “I have given that far greater consideration than most heads of family do.”
“Perhaps,” Niles said, “instead of abandoning your efforts altogether to appease those who object, you might consider allowing them the opportunity to meet their potential spouses before anything is decided upon, to make your grandchildren’s ability to have a choice a crucial part of the process.”
“I will give it some thought.” It was an enormous concession, truth be told. Niles couldn’t manage a response.
Aldric spoke from the doorway. “Pardon the interruption, but I think Miss Seymour would appreciate knowing that her brother has joined everyone in the drawing room.”
Penelope took a tense breath. Her shoulders squared. “If you will excuse me.” She turned and, chin at a determined angle, walked out of the room.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Penelope had known she wouldbe uneasy when the time came to face Liam again. But she hadn’t expected to be shaking.
The drawing room was still and quiet when she entered. Liam stood facing the door. Both Mrs. Greenberrys watched him. Nicolette and Henri didn’t seem to know who to watch.
“What are you doing here?” Liam asked.
’Twasn’t the most loving of greetings. “I’d hoped to see you before you continued on to Ireland.”
That obviously surprised him. “Did you miss me that much?”
“I have missed you, and I was deeply disappointed not to have been given the chance to say goodbye in Yorkshire.” She chose not to point out in that moment thathehad prevented that farewell.
“You knew what inn I was at,” he said. “Would it have been so difficult to have followed me there?”
“I sent a letter to the inn Iguessedyou had stopped at,” she corrected. “And the response you sent back indicated you were not overly keen to see me, not merely at that inn but ever again.”
Liam’s eyes darted about the room. “I would never be so dismissive of my own sister. I cannot imagine why you are maligning me this way.”
