“It is true what they say about good luck coming in threes,” said Daisy, as she leafed through some samples of fabric the dressmaker had delivered for clothes for the baby. Daisy’s confinement was fast approaching, and with every passing day she grew more serene, more composed, as though focusing all her energies on the task ahead. “First Alexander and I married, then Anthea and darling George, and now Edith, too!” She glanced up at Isobel, Selina, and Aunt Ursula with a mischievous smile. “And three Balfour ladies remaining. I wonder who shall be next?”
“Heaven forbid!” Aunt Ursula rammed her cane into the carpet with such force that it seemed she was determined to pierce the floorboards. “Spare me from this plague of eligible men! I have kept my fortune to myself these past eighty years, and I’ll be hanged if I let anybody at it now!” She turned her frown from Isobel to Selina. “If you have any sense, girls, you’ll do as I do. Men are not worth the trouble.”
“I quite agree, Auntie,” said Selina, taking out the pin she was holding between her teeth as she completed a tricky piece of embroidery. “I intend to expend my efforts on worthier pursuits. You know I have never thought much of love.”
“Ah! Love!” Aunt Ursula sat back in her armchair with a heavy sigh. “Love is a different matter entirely! Girls, I encourage you to fall in love as often as possible. Nothing is more beneficial for the body and mind than a little amour. Only refrain from marriage, and all will be well.”
“Your advice has come too late for me, I fear,” said Daisy, catching Isobel’s eye with a grin.
“Well, you were lucky to be caught by my nephew. He is far better than other men.” Ursula seized the arms of her chair and pushed herself up with a heavy groan. “And that is all the wisdom I care to dispense today. It is time for my nap.”
Isobel hurried to assist her. She bore the old lady’s litany of complaints with her usual calm smile as they shuffled out of the drawing room. Selina often wondered what lay beneath Isobel’s endless patience. Surely no one could really be as content and tranquil as she seemed to be.
Selina picked up her embroidery again but could not settle to it. It had not escaped her that Daisy kept glancing her way, a frown creasing her brow, and opening her mouth as if to speak, only to think better of it and return to her fabric samples.
Selina set the embroidery aside. “Is something the matter, Daisy?”
“Oh, no. Not the matter, exactly. It’s only…” Daisy rubbed her thumb anxiously over a square of soft white cotton. She swallowed, evidently summoning up a great deal of courage. “Selina, I don’t want you to think that Alexander and I are not happy to have you here. If you stayed with us forever, we would be glad of it. But at the same time, it pains me to hear you speak as though you will never have a family of your own.”
“Well, I am sorry to cause you pain. Would it reassure you to know that I do not suffer over it at all?”
“No,” said Daisy. “No, it would not. Partly because it would be a shame to think you had given up all hope, and partly because I don’t quite believe that you have.” She glanced behind her to check that there was no one to overhear them. Selina realised, with a sinking heart, that Daisy was about to allude to a secret that only three people in all the world knew – Selina, Alexander, and now Daisy, as Alex’s wife. “You have loved before,” Daisy said quietly. “Why should you not hope to love again?”
“It is not a question of hope.” Selina sighed, wondering how she could persuade a younger woman so much in love that romance was not as essential as the air they breathed. “Yes, it’s true that if Jeffrey had lived, I would have married him and been happy. But all that was such a long time ago now. In the years since his death, I have learned that there is a much better sort of contentment to aim for. My greatest joy in life comes from seeing the happiness of my siblings. You have made Alexander happy, George has made Anthea happy, and now Edith is finally married to the man I always thought would suit her best. With any luck, Isobel will soon be equally well settled, and I can turn my attention to being the maiden aunt I have long dreamed of being.” She smiled. “I’m afraid I will spoil your children terribly.”
Daisy looked down at her own round stomach. “Is that truly enough for you, Selina?”
“Enough? It is plenty! I already have more blessings than I ever dreamed of.” Selina returned her attention to the embroidery. “I am very pleased that I was once in love. It means I have no need to sigh over missed experiences. But Jeffrey died, I shed my tears for him, and now I am quite content as I am. I truly have no wish to risk my heart again. And, thank goodness, I have no need to marry where I do not love.”
“No,” said Daisy, with a strange, almost guilty expression. “But you may yet find there are reasons to consider it.” She withdrew a letter from beneath her pile of fabric. “A letter has arrived for you. It was delivered by a footman wearing the Duke of Caversham’s livery.”
Selina almost stabbed herself with the needle. “The Duke of Caversham?”
“I haven’t read it,” said Daisy quickly. “It seems ridiculous that I should be your chaperone simply because I am married and you are not, especially since I look to you for guidance in so many things. I admit I was surprised. You have never mentioned any partiality between you.”
Selina glared at the letter as though it was a
