If the truth were known—they were all grumpy. Six days of rain confined to a small cottage had soured everyone—even the sanguine Anna.
Fortunately, the ride back to the Stewart’s was uneventful, although almost no one spoke more than a few words during the entire trip.
* * *
The four returned travelers spent the next day alone in their rooms—except for Louisa, who easily shook off the trauma of the rain, and was chatting breezily with Florence and Thomas from the moment she returned.
Anna, after gaining some equilibrium, sought out her sister later in the afternoon.
“How are you faring?” she asked Dorothy as she entered her room.
“Somewhat better. But what a horror that was.Please, remind me never to go to the seashore again.”
“Oh, my dear, that was a fluke. It is not always like that. It is mostly quite wonderful.”
“If you say so. But how would you know? This was your first trip to the shore too.”
That set them both laughing, for the first time since they left the Stewart’s house on their journey to the shore.
Anna sat in a chair opposite her sister. “You know we are to be heading home quite soon. I really think we need to meet with Christopher’s family. There are details that need to be discussed about the marriage—that is, if you still want to marry him.”
“I could wring his neck, but, yes, I still love him.”
“I think that pretty well describes most marriages,” Anna added.
“How cynical you are, dearest,” Dorothy said with a smile.
“I think realistic best fits the description. You were too young to remember some of mother and father’s epic brawls.”
“Really?” Dorothy asked, a little shocked.
“In any case, we really need to think about what we want to ask, know about, and address, when we meet with Christopher and his parents.”
Dorothy sighed. “Oh, Anna, everything is always so much more complicated than one imagines it will be.”
* * *
The meeting with the parents had been scheduled for after lunch on the day before Anna and Dorothy were to return to Wiltshire. Of all the participants, Christopher seemed to be the most nervous.
Theodore sat at his desk in his study with his wife next to him in a straight-backed chair. Christopher stood with his back to the window behind the desk and to the side. Anna and Dorothy sat in chairs in front of the desk.
“I expect the first order of business should be setting the date and place for the wedding,” Theodore said as he lifted his monocle to his eye and studied his notes. Then he looked up at the sisters and asked, “Any thoughts from your end?”
“I think it should be at Repington Hall,” Dorothy said. “It is quite large and can accommodate a great many more guests than your house can. Also, it is the tradition for the bride’s family to pay for the wedding and, as such, we will be organizing the wedding. It will be much easier if we can do it at home, rather than from a long distance.”
Theodore turned to his wife. “Do you have any objections to that, my sweet?”
“Takes a load off my back if they do the work. But would we be able to bring our whole family to the wedding?” she asked the sisters.
“By whole family do you mean your immediate family or would there be others?” Anna asked.
Claribel roared with laughter. “Oh, no my dear. We mean thewholefamily. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, nephews—the whole lot.”
“And how many would that be?” Dorothy asked apprehensively.
Claribel turned to her husband. “Oh, I do not know—twenty… thirty. Somewhere in that neighborhood.”
Anna spoke up. “We would be happy to accommodate all your family. As we have said, we have a large house.”
