face those dragons unprotected.â
âI wonât be unprotected,â I said. âBess will be with me.â I caught his hand in mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. âIâll be fine, Bill, and Amelia will be a lot less nervous without you there, huffing and puffing and muttering death threats under your breath. I could be wrong, but I donât think her wedding plans include a double homicide at Fairworth House.â
Bill laughed in spite of himself.
âLetâs hope she doesnât ask you to come over,â he said. The clock on the mantel shelf chimed softly and he bent to kiss Bess and me. âIâd better be on my way or the boys will start making beds for themselves in the hayloft.â
He kissed me a second time, then left the study. Heâd closed the front door behind him before it dawned on me that Iâd failed to do the one thing Iâd set out to do when Iâd entered the study. Although Iâd been closeted with Aunt Dimity for nearly an hour, I hadnât asked her a single question about Arthur Hargreaves.
âIâll ask the villagers about him after church tomorrow,â I murmured complacently. âYou donât know it yet, baby girl, but weâre surrounded by the most comprehensive spy network on the planet.â
Chuckling softly, I settled in to savor another moment of private bliss with Bess.
Five
A moderately alarming telephone call from my father-in-lawâs fiancée interrupted our pre-church readiness drill the following morning. I picked up the phone in the kitchen, leaving Bill to run a wet comb through Robâs hair, make sure Willâs socks matched, place Bess in her car seat cum carry cot, and replenish the diaper bagâs ever-diminishing contents.
âIâm afraid William and I wonât attend church today, Lori,â Amelia began. âAnd Iâm very sorry to say it, but weâve canceled brunch as well.â
I blinked in surprise. My father-in-law seldom altered his routines. On Sundays, as regular as clockwork, he attended the morning service at St. Georgeâs, then hosted a family brunch at Fairworth House. He seemed to regard each activity as a sacred duty, so it came as something of a shock to hear that he was backing out of both. Since the weather was flawless, I could think of only one reason for his defection.
âIs William ill?â I asked.
âNot in the least,â Amelia replied. âHeâs in fine fettle at the moment, but I thinkâand he agrees with meâthat he should conserve his strength before his sisters arrive tomorrow.â
âHow right you are,â I said feelingly. âWilliam will need all the rest he can get before Honoria and Charlotte invade Fairworth House because he wonât get much while theyâre there. What time do you expect them?â
âNoon or thereabouts,â said Amelia. âI plan to be here by nine, to oversee last-minute preparations. Not that there will be much for me to oversee. As you know, Deirdre Donovan is an excellent housekeeper.â She hesitated, then went on more quietly, as if she didnât wish to be overheard. âTo tell you the truth, Lori, Iâm a bit apprehensive about meeting Williamâs sisters. I gather they can be somewhat . . . overwhelming.â
âOverwhelming is one way to describe them,â I said dryly. âI can think of a few others. But donât worry, Amelia. Bess and I will be there to soften them up for you. Weâll go straight to Fairworth House after we drop Will and Rob off at school.â
âAnd Bill?â she asked.
âHeâs swamped with work,â I replied, resisting the temptation to inform Amelia that Bill had swamped himself with work for the express purpose of avoiding his aunts. âHeâll be chained to his desk all weekâthereâs no avoiding itâbut he and I will come to Williamâs dinner