After a moment’s silence, Philip continued, “I had planned to visit Brighton today. If you are so inclined, you may accompany me there. The journey will take a few hours—we should arrive by noon—and there are matters I must see to alone in town. Sister, you are likely too weary from your journey?—”
“Nonsense,” Elinor barked, dashing Anna’s hope for some alone time with her new husband. “I slept like a log in the carriage and am perfectly restored. It will be my honor to explore Brighton with Anna. I have such fond memories of the town and am determined to make more with her by my side.”
“Do not let me stand in your way,” Philip said, beginning to walk away. “I shall call for you both anon.”
“As direct as ever,” Elinor remarked once he was out of earshot. “Evidently, you can take the colonel out of the army, but not the army out of the colonel…”
* * *
“Over there is the fishmonger most preferred by Mr. and Mrs. Granville,” Elinor declared, pointing toward a small stall on the coastal promenade. “He owns a shop in the center of town that sells the freshest cockles and crabs on this side of England. He’s won awards and everything. It’s quite impressive.”
She cast her gaze in the direction of Philip, who was walking a few paces behind them. “Philip used to come to Brighton with his summer tutors all the time, while I was forced to remain home and labor over needlework. He would return to Cotoneaster smelling like fish and vinegar and make a point of teasing me about the treats he had received.”
She tutted. “Those tutors were soft touches, the lot of them, following in Mother and Father’s footsteps. No one ever bothered to discipline Philip properly. Isn’t that right, darling?”
Darling Philip refused to take the bait.
They had left the parked carriage further along the promenade, presently headed in the direction of the town square.
Philip hadn’t said more than two words to Elinor on the drive to Brighton. Not for lack of trying. He hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise while his sister talked her right ear off, and he treated the left to an uncomfortable silence.
Elinor was visibly displeased with him, excluding him petulantly from their conversations. He had seen them talking when he had returned from his walk, the way Anna’s cheeks had turned red at the sight of him, as if he had been the subject of their conversation.
What had his new wife said about their first night together—spent apart—to turn his sister hostile? He and Elinor had made decent progress on his wedding day by exchanging Graham’s ring.
Had it all been undone so quickly?
“What was I saying before the fish?” Elinor asked.
Anna took a moment to respond, leaving Philip to wonder what she had been thinking. “The dinner party at Cotoneaster.”
“That’s it.” Elinor pulled her closer, rubbing her shoulder. “We’ll gather all the notable families in the area and reach out to some London friends too. Sussex is gorgeous this time of year. I have big plans for Cotoneaster this spring—and what better way to kick off the season than with a party to celebrate your marriage the Wilmington way?”
“The Wilmington way?” Philip parroted in disbelief, causing the women to stop. “Our parents were the most atrocious hosts, relying on their titles alone to impress their guests. You were reminiscing earlier. Surely you remember watching their parties from the landing beside me, waiting for the moment the evening would descend into madness? Mother assaulting the staff when the slightest thing went awry? Father belittling his highest-ranking guest, just to get a rise out of someone who might dare to call himself his equal?”
“Alright,” Elinor relented, after a punishing beat. “Not the Wilmington way, but my way. Before Graham died, we hosted the most wonderful parties. I will teach you everything I know, Anna. How to select your decorations to match the tone of the event. How to memorize the names of every guest and make them feel special. How to dress in a way that does not make them feel inferior. You’ll be the talk of the ton before you know it—for all the right reasons this time.”
She shot Philip a damning look. He pretended not to see, distracting himself with the view.
The promenade was bursting at the seams on that warm spring day, the air thick with the smell of brine and food. Every respectable family in Brighton was strolling along the shore, pausing to admire the Channel, or otherwise socializing. A few had taken their bathing machines into the water, screeching at the frigid temperature of the sea.
His sister would have the means to entertain Anna for hours, making introductions and visiting the shops, and would probably welcome a break from Philip while he went about his business.
Just like he would welcome a break from her.
“Elinor,” he said, interrupting her latest story.
His sister turned back with a dark glower. Anna turned too, her white lace parasol casting a shadow over her features.
“I’ll take my leave of you for now.” Philip gestured vaguely in the direction of the square. It was only a short walk from the pier where they now stood. “I expect to be gone an hour, perhaps a little longer. You will wait for me by the carriage. Don’t be late.”
His sister nodded, rolling her eyes when she thought he couldn’t see. He was relieved, although he shouldn’t have been, to see Anna hesitate when Elinor pulled her away.
“Are you certain we shouldn’t come with you?” Anna called.
“Absolutely,” Philip replied, even though the thought of being separated from her for an hour made his chest clench uncomfortably. “Elinor will prove a much better companion than me.”
His wife didn’t look convinced.
