Winnie Griggs (16 page)

“Except for your bedchamber.”

“Abigail, must you be so indelicate?”

The girl’s only answer was an unrepentant grin. Then she continued on as if he hadn’t interrupted. “It wouldn’t take much to accomplish the changes, and I think you really should take care of it all before the wedding.”

“Do you, now? And how do you propose I pay for all these grand plans of yours?”

“You can use the money you’d set aside for Miss Haversham’s fees to take care of it. And we need to get new furnishings, as well. If we order a few essential items right away, they may have time to arrive before the wedding.”

“I daresay we’ll disagree on our notions of what constitutes essential.”

Daisy set the meal on the table then, effectively silencing the siblings for the moment. But once they were seated and the blessing had been said, Everett turned to Daisy. “What do
you
think of my little sister’s grand plans?”

Daisy tried to keep her tone noncommittal. “It sounds rather ambitious.”

“That’s my sister—she dreams on a grand scale.”

Abigail pointed her fork from one to the other of them. “I can hear you, you know. And why would anyone want to limit their dreams to the mediocre?”

Daisy couldn’t argue with that philosophy. Her own dreams of opening a restaurant might seem overly ambitious to some.

Everett still kept his gaze on Daisy. “Even so, perhaps we can do some of what she suggested.”

That capitulation, the second from him in less than thirty minutes, caught Daisy by surprise. “Oh?”

Abigail’s response was much more vocal and enthusiastic. “You mean it? Oh, Everett, that’s marvelous. I do believe love has softened you a bit.”

Daisy started. Love? Abigail couldn’t be more wrong.

But Everett held up a hand. “I said we’d see about doing
some
of it. It would obviously be inappropriate for us to remove the wall between the two living quarters before the wedding.”

“But—”

“That’s not negotiable,” he said firmly. “But, assuming Miss Johnson is amenable, perhaps we can move you over to her side of the building and work on enlarging the bedchamber over here.”

Both looked to her for approval.

“Oh, Daisy, please say yes.”

Daisy was still trying to figure out what he might be thinking. But she quickly nodded. “Of course. But I warn you, the bedchambers on my side are not nearly as nice as the ones over here. For one thing, there’s no furniture in the extra bedroom.”

Abigail dismissed Daisy’s concern. “That’s not a problem. I can move my things over there. In fact, I’ll need to clear the room out, anyway, so the walls can come down.”

Everett passed the bread platter to Daisy. “As for the rest, I suppose we can see about ordering a few more furnishings, as long as we agree on a budget and you stick to it.”

Abigail clapped her hands. “This’ll be so much fun. I have some fabulous ideas for what we can do.”

Everett gave his sister a pointed look. “I think it would be more appropriate to let Daisy take the lead.”

Abigail cast a chastened look Daisy’s way. “Oh, of course, I only meant—”

“We can do it together,” Daisy interjected quickly. “I would love to hear your ideas.”

“You may live to regret that statement,” Everett said dryly. “But I shall leave the specifics to you ladies. I’ll work out a budget for you this afternoon.”

Abigail turned to Daisy. “The wedding is in less than three weeks, so we should start planning right away. How quickly can I move in with you?”

The girl certainly didn’t waste time. “As soon as you like, I suppose. It’s clean, but like I said, there aren’t any furnishings to speak of.”

“As soon as we’re done with lunch, let’s go look it over and figure out how we want to arrange things.”

Everett frowned at his sister. “Don’t nag at Daisy—it isn’t ladylike. And your wrist hasn’t healed yet, so don’t try moving any furniture yourself. You two figure out what you want moved, and I’ll either take care of it or hire someone who will.”

Abigail apparently knew when to give in gracefully, so she merely nodded and turned her attention to her meal.

Later, just about the time Daisy finished the dishes, Constance topped the stairs.

“Oh, hello,” Abigail greeted her friend. “Have you heard about Daisy and Everett’s engagement? Isn’t it wonderful?”

“It certainly is.” The girl smiled shyly Daisy’s way. “I offer my best wishes, Miss Johnson.”

“Why, thank you, Constance.” Daisy dried her hands on her apron. “If you girls don’t mind keeping an eye on Kip, I need to speak to Abigail’s brother.”

“You mean your fiancé,” Abigail corrected archly.

Daisy controlled the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes, him.”

“While we’re watching Kip, Constance can help me plan my move.”

Constance gave Abigail a frown. “You’re moving?”

“Not far...”

Daisy left the two girls chattering as she removed her apron and headed down the stairs. She was relieved to find that Everett was alone.

She cleared her throat, and he looked up questioningly. “Yes? Have you already finished planning my sister’s move?”

“I left Abigail and Constance to it. Your sister seems quite excited about it, though I’m not sure I understand why.”

“Abigail is always up for an adventure, no matter how small.”

Daisy smiled, then quickly remembered her mission. “I was wondering if I could discuss something with you?”

He set his pen down and gave her his full attention. “Of course. What is it?”

She took to fiddling with her collar. “I’d prefer to discuss this somewhere we’re less likely to be interrupted, especially by the two girls upstairs.” Her cheeks warmed. “It’s of a personal nature.”

It was all she could do not to squirm under the look he gave her.

But he nodded and stood. “I see. And where would you suggest we have this discussion?”

“I thought perhaps we could take a walk.” She hated the nervous tentativeness. “But if now is not a good time for you to get away, we can—”

“No, no. I can spare whatever time you need.” He crossed the room to retrieve his coat. “Have you let Abigail know we’re going out?”

Daisy nodded.

“Very well.” He held open the door. “Shall we?”

As they stepped onto the sidewalk, he paused. “I’ll let you decide on the direction this time.”

She pointed south. “This way, I think.” As they set out, she explained her choice just to make conversation. “There’s an open field past the schoolhouse where Kip and I take a lot of our walks. It’s also where I gather berries.”

“I know the place.”

“There’s an old log near one of the trees that makes for a nice bench, and we could sit comfortably while we talk.” It would also allow them to be openly visible, as propriety dictated, without worrying about interruptions.

They strolled along in a not uncomfortable silence, for all appearances just enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. And after a moment or two, Daisy managed to relax.

When they reached the spot she’d described, however, all that peace fled, leaving her edgy and uncertain.

Everett handed her down, but remained standing. “Now, what is this matter you wanted to discuss?”

She wasn’t quite sure how to start. “It’s rather indelicate.”

That earned her an amused look. “Thanks for the warning. Now that I am suitably prepared, you may continue.”

She cleared her throat, then decided it would be best to dive right in. “Based on our earlier discussion, it’s obvious Abigail assumes you and I will be sharing a bedchamber after we’re married.” Her cheeks were on fire, but she was determined to keep her voice steady. “It’s something we haven’t discussed, though. I mean, I’d like to know if that’s what you want.”

There was no flash of shock or surprise in his expression, which indicated he’d probably anticipated her question. “I have no objections.”

His tone held that amused edge she was coming to really dislike. And she wasn’t about to let him off that easy. “That wasn’t my question.”

He spread his hands. “I suppose my expectation is that we treat it as any other marriage.” He raised a brow. “However, if you are averse to that, or need time—”

“No.” That had come out more emphatically than she’d intended, and her cheeks burned hotter at the look he gave her. “I mean, I’ve always wanted a large family, but I don’t, I mean, if you don’t—”

He touched her shoulder. “Daisy, it’s okay.”

This was the first time he’d called her by her first name. She rather liked the sound of it.

But then, as if coming to himself, he pulled his hand back and tugged on his cuff. “To be more precise, I believe that our sharing a room would be the best course of action, for a number of reasons.”

Dare she ask him to list those reasons?

“However,” he continued, “if that makes you uncomfortable—”

“No.” This time her tone was more assured. “I agree that it makes sense to keep up appearances since that’s the whole reason we’re going through with this.” Is that what she really meant? “I just didn’t want you to feel as if you’d been backed into a corner. At least, not any more than you already had by circumstances.”

“It’s quite considerate of you to concern yourself with my feelings, but, my dear Miss Johnson, when have you ever known me to do anything I did not want to do?”

Far from an endearment, the
my dear Miss Johnson
made him sound more distant than ever. Not that she was looking for endearments.

She shook off that thought and went back to the conversation at hand. It seemed he’d already forgotten he’d been forced to propose to her. But, since he was being particularly pleasant, she wouldn’t bring that up.

He tugged at his sleeve. “I understand we haven’t known each other long and that this is not a union either of us desired.”

She hoped her mental wince didn’t show on her face. At least now she knew for certain how he felt.

“So I understand that you may need time to become comfortable with the idea of our marriage. If I may be somewhat indelicate, as well, if you were obliquely referring to our sharing more than a room, you can rest assured that I am willing to give you some time in that arena, too.”

Now what did he mean by that? Was he offering to sleep on the floor? She was mighty tempted to ask him to elaborate, but then chickened out. “Very well.” She stood. “Thank you for your time. I think I know where you stand.” But did she really?

“There is one more thing,” she said impulsively.

“And that is?”

“Do you think it would be okay to use first names when we are addressing each other?”

She saw something flash in his expression, but couldn’t identify it before it disappeared. Had she overstepped some line of propriety again?

Then he smiled. “I think that would be quite acceptable.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we, Daisy?”

* * *

As they headed back to town, Everett replayed their conversation, and her expressions, in his mind. He knew he hadn’t handled that as well as he should have, but he wasn’t quite certain where he’d gone off track.

Of course he wanted her in his bed. He was a man, and she would be his wife. And if he were being totally honest with himself, somehow, over the time he’d spent with her, she’d gone from being an annoyance to something much dearer. He didn’t love her in the romantic sense; it wasn’t in his nature to do so. But without him really noticing how or when it had happened, he’d begun to enjoy her company, to feel the need to protect her, to want to gain her trust and more.

And that thought scared him more than anything else in his life had up until now. And he wasn’t ready to examine just why.

He should have known she’d tackle that particular issue head-on, the way she did every problem she faced in life. Daisy wasn’t one to shy away from something just because it was uncomfortable or difficult. It could be a trying trait for those around her, but he was coming to admire her for it, as well.

Was he as honest and courageous when facing his own trials? He didn’t like the answer to that question.

Because the fact that he was determined to hide his newly discovered feelings for Daisy was proof that he did not.

Chapter Seventeen

T
he next morning, Abigail ventured out for a walk. When she returned, she had a large parcel with her.

Daisy cast a stern eye her way. “You’re not supposed to be carrying anything heavy.”

“Now you sound like Everett. Don’t worry. This isn’t very heavy, and besides, a nice young man carried it all the way from the mercantile to our front door for me.”

Not surprising. Daisy wondered if Everett was prepared for the fact that his nearly grown little sister would be attracting more and more attention from the youths of her acquaintance.

“Anyway,” Abigail said with an airy wave of her hand, “look what I found at the mercantile.” She quickly unwrapped her parcel and lifted out two colorful lengths of fabric. She draped each over a kitchen chair, then stepped back to give Daisy a better view.

Daisy wiped her hands on her apron and moved closer. One of the fabrics was exactly what she would expect Abigail to select. It was a sapphire-blue with thin, yellow, vertical stripes—very soft and pretty. The other, which drew her interest more strongly, was a bright, sunshiny-yellow with sprigs of vivid red, blue and purple flowers scattered across it. “They’re beautiful,” Daisy said, stroking the yellow print. “Are you planning to make some new dresses?”

“No, silly, this is for curtains.” Abigail touched the blue-striped fabric. “This one is for my room. Blue is my favorite color.” She gave it one last pat and looked up. “Now that I’m moving into a room that’s not cluttered with Everett’s miscellany, I wanted to do something to make it my own.”

Daisy pointed to the more colorful fabric. “And this one?”

“That one’s for your room,” Abigail said with a very pleased-with-herself smile. “I couldn’t resist. It was so bright and cheery that it reminded me of you. I hope you don’t think it was too presumptuous.”

Daisy was touched by the gesture. No one had done such a thoughtful thing for her since her mother passed away. “Not at all. The fabric is exactly what I would have picked myself. Thank you.”

Abigail grinned. “You might want to wait to thank me until we have them up in your room. I still have to do the sewing. And with this bandaged wrist, I won’t be at my best. Too bad we don’t have a sewing machine here like the one at Miss Haversham’s.”

Daisy pulled her hand away from the fabric. “If it’s too much trouble—”

Abigail waved her protests away. “Not at all. It just means I’ll be slower and not able to do any fancy stitchery. But I’ll just forgo the ruffles and pleating and make these curtains straight and plain for expediency’s sake.”

“I’m sure they’ll look lovely.”

“The only thing I’ll promise is that they’ll look better than those dull window shades we’re using right now.” She straightened. “I won’t keep you from your cooking any longer. I have some measuring and cutting to do.”

She gathered up the fabric. “By the way, I didn’t see Everett downstairs when I walked through. Do you know where he went?”

Daisy shook her head, aware of how little she knew of her husband-to-be’s daily routine. “Out running some errands, no doubt. I’m sure he’ll be back in time for lunch.”

* * *

Everett sat quietly at the kitchen table as his sister and Daisy discussed cosmetic changes to his home. He was trying to come to terms with the fact that that’s how things would be for him from now on. So much for the peaceful bachelor life he’d enjoyed all these years.

But for all of that, he was glad to see the two had developed a close relationship. Perhaps Daisy wasn’t as refined as the girls his sister was accustomed to, but there were some things Abigail would do well to learn from his future wife.

Future wife. He was still having trouble getting used to that concept.

A sudden lull in the conversation gave him the opportunity to change the subject. He cleared his throat to grab their attention before they could launch into something else. “I’m glad you found something to keep you occupied, Abigail. It might interest you to know that I have prepared another pastime for you, as well.”

“Oh?”

Why did she look so apprehensive? “I finally unloaded the boxes of books I had in the storeroom. They are now all neatly stacked in your library area next door. So, sister of mine,” he said with mock formality, “once you are done with your curtains, if you want to spend some of your abundant spare time cataloging and preparing those volumes for use in your library, you have my permission.”

Abigail popped up from her seat and gave Everett’s neck a hug. “Oh, thank you! Does this mean you approve of my idea now?”

“It means I’m resigned to the fact that you’re not going to give up on it. And that you need some way to occupy your time so you won’t get into further mischief.”

She grinned unrepentantly. “So true. I’ll start bringing my own books down, as well. I’ll have the library ready for business in no time.”

Everett gave her his sternest look. “You’ll do nothing of the kind. Set whichever of your books you want to add to the library over there.” He indicated a small table near the sofa. “I’ll carry them to the bottom of the stairs for you as I have the time.”

“That seems a bit—”

He didn’t let her finish. “I don’t want to catch you carrying anything down either set of stairs. Not until your wrist heals completely—do you understand?”

She huffed. “I understand my brother is a worrier.”

He wouldn’t reward her flippancy with a smile. “Abigail.”

She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Yes, yes, I understand.”

He didn’t have a lot of confidence that she would follow his rules, but he planned to keep his eye on her.

“Another thing—I don’t want you to take this as a sign that I’m resigned to having you stay here indefinitely. After the wedding, we will revisit the discussion of your return to Miss Haversham’s.”

Abigail lifted her chin defiantly. “Discussion, of course, is always an option.”

He decided to let that remark go. When the time came, they both knew she would do as he instructed.

Then Abigail changed the subject. “I’m going to work on the new curtains this afternoon, but tomorrow I’ll walk over to Constance’s and see if she still wants to help with the library.”

Was his little sister finally learning patience? There was a time when she’d have hopped up right then and there to recruit her friend to help with her latest scheme. Perhaps Daisy really was having a positive influence on her.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Abigail drifted downstairs and sat in the chair in front of Everett’s desk. With a sigh, he set down his pen. Between Abigail and Daisy, he was hard-pressed to find two uninterrupted hours back-to-back. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“I think I should go ahead and move over to Daisy’s quarters today. You can’t get started tearing down that wall until I’m out of there,” she explained. “And the sooner you do that, the sooner we can get it ready for after the wedding.”

Everett still wasn’t certain how he felt about having workmen invade his home, much less letting Daisy and Abigail loose to decorate it. With Daisy’s flamboyant sense of color and Abigail’s adventurous spirit, he could imagine the havoc they would wreak in his orderly inner sanctum.

But the die had been cast, and he couldn’t turn back now. “That’s all very well,” he told Abigail. “But you can’t start carting things over to Daisy’s place without her permission. You can talk to her in the morning.”

“Why don’t I go talk to her now?”

“Because she spent the day cooking and cleaning up after us. It seems reasonable to think she would want some time to herself right now.”

“Pish-posh, Everett. Why must you always try to be reasonable? I’m certain Daisy is like me and enjoys having people around her. Besides, she’s practically one of the family now. She won’t mind. And if now is not a good time for my move, I’m sure she’ll say so.”

“Don’t try to cajole her, Abigail.”

“I won’t.” Abigail gave one of her customary airy waves as she popped out of her chair. In a heartbeat, she was out the door.

Everett stood and headed for the stairs. He had no doubt that Daisy would agree to his sister’s plans—it didn’t seem to be in her nature to refuse such a request. Which meant he was in for several hours of moving Abigail’s furnishings and belongings.