Page 43 of Let Me Be Your Hero
“Another vase of them over here on the mantelpiece, Phillip!” his mother said to a footman struggling to lift a large urn of white flowers while gasping for breath.
“Better yet,” his father said, “let’s havetwovases on the mantelpiece. One on each side!”
“Oh, yes, my dove!” his mother exclaimed. “You always have thebestideas! Oh, good morning, Archie.”
“There’s the bridegroom!” his father said, jogging over. “What do you think, Archie, my boy? Aren’t they marvelous?”
He made a sweeping gesture to the twenty-some-odd urns of white flowers that covered every available surface. The smell was sweet but so potent it made Archibald’s eyes water.
“They’re called gardenias,” his mother said. “They come from the Far East.”
“Veryexpensive,” his father added, sounding inordinately pleased about it. “But of course, we wanted to do something spectacular for our only son’s wedding!”
Archibald could scarcely breathe. “They’re lovely. But is the smell not a bit strong?”
“Not at all!” his father crowed. “We want everyone to notice them, after all.”
“Yes,” his mother agreed. “It’s important that we make a statement, especially with the Duke of Trevissick coming!”
Predictably, his parents had been over the moon last night when they learned that the Duke and Duchess of Trevissick would be in attendance at the wedding ceremony.
“That’s just it,” Archibald improvised. “It’s about… the duchess.”
His mother’s gaze snapped to him, her eyes keen. “What about the duchess?”
“It’s, uh… it’s not an allergy, precisely. But strong smells give her, a, um… a headache.”
This, of course, was a lie. But Archibald knew Ceci would go along with it, and he figured the Good Lord would forgive him for trying to spare his mother’s feelings.
“Oh, dear!” his mother cried. “Whatever are we to do? We cannot risk offending the duchess!”
“I have an idea,” Archibald said. “We will have two urns of flowers here in the room. That will be enough for everyone to… enjoy. We’ll move the rest of them to the back garden, and then after the wedding breakfast, we can give them out as gifts to each of our guests.”
“By Jove, Archie!” his father exclaimed. “That’s a splendid idea!”
“Our guests will be so impressed to receive such an expensive gift,” his mother added, beaming.
Phillip the footman cast him a grateful look. “I’ll just start moving a few of these to the back garden, shall I, Mrs. Nettlethorpe-Ogilvy?”
Archibald fled the pungent parlor and headed toward the breakfast room. As he crossed through the foyer, he was surprised to see Izzie coming down the stairs.
Her eyes were red, and her cheeks were blotchy.
She had been crying. Panic flared in his chest. Hehatedthe fact that she was upset and anxious that he might be unable to mend whatever was causing her distress. He rushed across the room and took her hand. “Izzie, what’s wrong?”
She looked at him, and her face crumpled. “I’m so sorry, Archibald. But I cannot marry you.”
CHAPTER 22
Archibald led Izzie into the library, the one full of expensive books that no one read. At least here they would be able to speak in private.
He should have known this would happen, should have known thathewould never get to marry the likes ofIsabella Astley, even for one night. He wondered what it was that had given him away? A stray word from a servant, perhaps, about their master’s strange fervor for making screws?
He shut the door behind them and seated her on the gold satin chaise longue. He wanted to comfort her, but considering what she had just said, he could only assume she would not welcome his touch.
“I’m so, so sorry,” Izzie said tearfully. “I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me sooner. But if we marry, I’m likely to find myself… you know. In the family way.”
That did seem exceedingly likely, given what Archibald had in mind. He was far too devastated to form actual words, but he made what he hoped was a soothing sound.
