She grinned. "I didn't really expect you to."

"Do I have my answer?"

"Well," she said consideringly, "I suppose it would save us eight hundred pounds- No...no, Gideon."

She danced away from him as he came after her with a look in his eye that she wasn't at all sure about.

"I'll call Jenkins."

"Call him." He grabbed her arm, swinging her to his body. "You are a wasp and the most impossible woman I've ever met."

"Yes," she agreed. "And I dislike you intensely too."

"Then that seems like an equitable agreement."

It was an hour later whenConstanceand Chast.i.ty met on the steps of the house. "Well met,"Constance greeted her sister. "Did you see Mrs. Beedle?"

"Yes, and a whole stack of letters. Did you write your article?"

Constancesmiled. "Just wait until you read it."

"But you didn't hold Father up to ridicule?" Chast.i.ty asked with a worried frown.

"Chas!"

"No, of course you didn't. I'm sorry. I'm just so anxious."

"Prue? Did she see him alone?"

Chast.i.ty nodded. "I imagine he's gone by now. But you know how she tries to hide how she feels...if she's hurt, I mean. I really thought that . . ."

Constanceput an arm around her. "So did I. But they aren't compatible, Chas. Prue knows that."

Chast.i.ty nodded as she put her key in the door. The hall was deserted when they went in, and they looked at each other in puzzlement. It was unheard of for Jenkins not to respond to the turn of a key, wherever he was in the house.

"I expect she's in the parlor," Chast.i.ty said, heading for the stairs. She stopped halfway across the hall as the stealthy figure of Jenkins suddenly appeared in the shadows of the stairs. He put a finger to his lips and beckoned with the other hand. Fascinated, the sisters followed him into the kitchen.

"Miss Prue is in the drawing room with Sir Gideon," Jenkins informed them.

"Still?" Chast.i.ty exclaimed. "He was supposed to come two hours ago."

"Yes, Miss Chas. But Miss Prue hasn't rung for anything."

"And you're certain Sir Gideon didn't leave...when you weren't looking maybe? Oh, of course he

didn't,"Constancecorrected herself when she saw his outraged expression. "How could he have slipped past you?"

Jenkins nodded, appeased. "I thought it best not to inquire if they needed anything," he stated.

"Yes," Chast.i.ty said. "I would have done the same thing." She looked at her sister. "What do you think, Con? Shall we go in?"

"And risk in flagrante delicto?"

"Oh, don't be absurd, Con. It's the drawing room."

"Well, I think we'd better make a great deal of noise,"Constancesaid. "Kettle drums. We need kettle

drums." "We don't have any," Chast.i.ty said through her reluctant laughter. "But we could try banging a couple of Mrs. Hudson's pans together." "Oh, give over, Miss Chas, do," Mrs. Hudson said, although she, like Jenkins, was trying to stifle a smile. "I suggest you knock upon the door, Miss Con," Jenkins said, once more his stately self. "And maybe wait a few minutes before you open it."

"Of course, Jenkins, the perfect solution,"Constancesaid. She winked at him and he turned discreetly to one side, not quite managing to hide his smile. The sisters returned to the hall. They walked around heavily for a few minutes, opened and shut the front door several times, and then approached the drawing room.Constanceraised her hand to knock, but the door opened before she could do so.

"I could hear you from ten miles away," Prudence said. "Come in. We need your advice."

"Oh." That was unexpected,Constancereflected. "Good morning, Gideon. Are you still finishing up business?"

"No, I believe we're only beginning," Gideon said, coming forward with outstretched hand. "Good morning, Constance...Chast.i.ty."

They shook his hand and then turned as one to their sister. "Prue?"

"It seems," she said, "that Gideon has decided to take up the alternative to our bargain."

"Oh," Chast.i.ty said with a smile. "And did we find him a bride?"

"It would seem so," Prudence said. She moved her hand into the light. A circlet of emeralds threw green fire against the ray of sun piercing the window.

"The stones seemed appropriate...matched your sister's eyes," Gideon said, waving his hands in a slightly uncertain manner. He hadn't realized that he would think he needed the sisters' approval of his choice of gems. But he realized he needn't have worried. They were not in the least interested in the ring. They brushed their sister's hand aside as they embraced her in a hug so fierce, so all-encompa.s.sing, he couldn't help the slightest p.r.i.c.k of jealousy.

And then they broke apart, and he found himself embraced byConstanceand Chast.i.ty, and the p.r.i.c.k of jealousy disappeared. He thought that perhaps it would be a good idea to talk to his soon-to-be brother-in-law about what he should expect of a life married to one of theDuncansisters.

"You said you wanted our advice,"Constancereminded them when the hugging was over.

"Oh, yes. I was thinking we should elope," Prudence said.

"The anvil atGretna Greenis not my idea of a wedding," Gideon said.

"But just think, we could take the overnight train toEdinburgh, it's wonderfully romantic, and then-"

Prudence stopped. "You really hate the idea."

"I see no reason why we should hide in corners. Haven't you been doing enough of that?"

Prudence knew this was no ambush. He was facing her with such a question when she had her sisters around her. She could only commend his courage. "Yes," she said. "But something feels wrong about a grand spectacle at this moment.Constance's wedding was magnificent, but that wouldn't feel right now. We're all too raw." She looked at her sister for confirmation.

Constancesaid, "This is your wedding, love. Whatever you want to do, Chas and I will be here to support you. We'll leave you to talk it through." She nodded at Chast.i.ty, who nodded back and followed her to the door.

With her hand on the k.n.o.b, Chast.i.ty turned back. "I do thinkGretna Greenis a really terrible idea, Prue." Then they left.

"If we could wait a year," Prudence began. "No, I don't want to either. How small...?"

"As small as you like. Your family, Sarah, you and me."

"You don't have any family?"

"My parents are dead and I was an only child. If you wanted a big wedding, then I could produce a reasonable showing on my side, but only Sarah really needs to be there."

"And Mary Winston?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Mary needs to be there."

"Then we're agreed."

He took her in his arms again. "Sweetheart, we are going to agree some of the time, and disagree much of the time."

"Yes," she said against his mouth. "It won't be too difficult to remind myself that I dislike you intensely."

He moved his mouth from hers, brushed his lips along the line of her jaw, and then raised his head. "I'll get a special license. We can be married within the week."

"Yes," Prudence said. "Best to do it before I change my mind." Her smile gave the lie to her words.

"Wasp," he accused again, pinching the end of her nose. "I had better talk to your father now."

Prudence grimaced. "He's in the library. But bear in mind he's had more than his fair share of shocks in the last two days. He might not be exactly . . ." She shrugged.

"I can manage your father, if you can manage Sarah," he said.

Prudence nodded, all gravity now. "I'll do my best, Gideon."

"She's a little uncertain about things at the moment...after Harriet, you understand."

"I understand."

He nodded, ran his hands through his hair again, then kissed her quickly and left.

Epilogue.

Chas, are you ready?" Constance stuck her head around the door of her youngest sister's bedroom.

"Prue and Father are leaving in five minutes."

"Yes, I'm quite ready." Chast.i.ty put down the letter she was reading. "I was only running through the last batch of mail for the Go-Between."

"Oh?" Constance gave her a rather quizzical look. "Strange thing to be doing on Prue's wedding morning."

"No, it's not." Chast.i.ty got up from the dresser chair. "You know how Mother used to say that a minute wasted was a minute lost forever. I'm ready, and I had a minute."

"Yes, of course," Constance said agreeably. "You look lovely."

"As do you," Chast.i.ty returned. "And Prue looks sensational. Let's give her the finishing touches." Constance nodded and left. Chast.i.ty hesitated for a minute before following. She picked up the letter she'd discarded on her dresser and looked again at the signature.

Dr. Douglas Farrell.

It seemed that the good doctor was in search of a wife. A helpmeet. A woman who would want to be involved in his work. Was it the same Dr. Farrell she'd seen at Mrs. Beedle's?

A question for another day. She grabbed her handbag, took a quick look in the mirror to make sure her hat was straight, and hurried to Prudence's bedroom.

"I don't know if I want this veil," Prudence was saying as Chast.i.ty came in. "It seems too bridal. I'm not walking down the aisle to the wedding march."

"Then wear it up," Constance suggested. "Lift it and put it back. Like so...then it frames your face."

"And you are a bride," Chast.i.ty chimed in. "It may not be the most conventional wedding, but it still has a bride and groom."

"I know. But I wish we'd gone to Gretna Green," Prudence said. She turned in front of the mirror. She could find no fault with her oyster-colored silk dress that had been refashioned from one of their mother's afternoon gowns. Something old. No fault with the mink pillow thatConstancehad lent her as a hat. Something borrowed. No fault with the diamond bracelet that Gideon had given her. Something new. And no fault with the turquoise earrings that her father had given her that morning. Something blue.

"You forgot the sixpence," Chast.i.ty said, dropping the shiny coin onto the dresser.

"Oh, yes." Prudence laughed, and much of her tension dissipated. She sat down, slipped off her ivory silk slipper, and slid the coin into the toe.

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe," Chast.i.ty recited. "And now you're ready to get married."

"Oh, but am I?" Prudence asked, standing up, curling her toes around the sixpence. "Am I?"

"As ready as you'll ever be,"Constancedeclared. "Gideon is the only man you could ever marry, Prue. If you don't know that by now, then nothing Chas and I can say will persuade you."

"Of course I know it." She smiled a little dreamily. "I love him, but sometimes I could pour boiling oil on him."

"That's normal,"Constancesaid from the benefit of experience. "I don't see any way thatDuncanwomen can marry men strong enough for them without accepting boiling oil and cannon fire as part of the bargain."

"I'm ready," Prudence declared. "Let's get married." She paused in the doorway and said with a slightly tremulous smile, "At least Gideon has Max to stand up with him. I'm sure he's as scared as I am."

Chast.i.ty looked at her anxiously. "No regrets, Prue?"

Prudence took a deep breath. "No...none. Let's go."