“Then whosewedding?”
Lydia just stood and smiled atJenny.
Then Jenny enquired, “Not you andDaniel?”
Lydia shookherhead.
“Then…?”
Again Lydia saidnothing.
Then Jenny asked hesitantly, “No-o-o… you andEdwin?”
Lydianodded.
She gave the loudest shriek Lydia had ever heard and threw herself intoLydia’sarms.
The maid appeared atthedoor.
“Is everything all right, madam? Iheard…”
“Champagne. Find us some champagne. And run over to the Doctor and have him come homestraightaway.”
“Yes, ma’am,rightaway.”
“How in the world did you land the big fish?” Jenny asked, as she took Lydia by the arm and led her to thesittingroom.
Lydia was telling Jenny the whole story when Doctor Cooke burst into thesittingroom.
“Is everything all right? Are you ill? Is the baby…?” Then he saw Lydia andstopped.
Lydia turned back to Jenny, andasked, “Baby?”
Jennynodded.
Now it was Lydia’s turn to shriek. “Jenny… Reginald…congratulations.”
Jenny turned to her husband. “And Lydia is marryingtheDuke.”
“Our Duke?” the Doctor said in astonishment? “I thought… MissBeaufort…”
“Broken off. Finished. Done,” Lydiarejoiced.
“I can’tbelieveit.”
The maid appeared at the door. “Champagne,madam.”
* * *
Lydia and Ellenwere in the china room off the dining room. They were selecting china, silver, and crystal patterns for thewedding.
It had been decided to keep it as a small affair with families only—except for close friends like Jenny and the Doctor. But as there were to be two weddings at the same time, the guest list was still quitelarge.
Lydia’s sisters were to come with their husbands for the event. Bartley’s family was large, and accommodations for them would take up all the free rooms in Upton Magna, and they would need to find other rooms in neighboringcommunities.
Lydia and Ellen were in complete agreement as which dinnerware to select and they had completed their taskswiftly.
Neither Lydia nor Edwin had had an opportunity to discuss their plans for the estate with Ellen yet. And as they were coming out of the china room, Edwin waylaid them and asked, “Ellen, Lydia and I would like to talk to you about our plans for the future of Honeyfield that also include issues whichaffectyou.
