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“Daddy, Don’t Marry Her!” — Three Triplets Crashed the Duke’s Wedding, and He Recognized Them

“Daddy, Don’t Marry Her!” — Three Triplets Crashed the Duke’s Wedding, and He Recognized Them

Chapter 4

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"Decisions have already been made for you!"Clarabel looked at her father. "Not by you." The room stilled. Lord Bramwell's eyes flashed. "Daughter...""I am not marrying a man who has just discovered three children in the aisle. I may be practical, but I am not upholstered."Aunt Lavinia whispered, "Upholstered?"Kit whispered back, "Like a chair."Aunt Lavinia looked offended and educated.Breakfast began badly. That was still an improvement over not beginning.Pippa asked whether dukes buttered their own toast; Rowan said yes and proved it. Milo asked whether a wedding could be reused; Clarabel said lace could, vows could not. Kit asked whether fathers were allowed to have two weddings if the first was interrupted; Evelyn dropped her spoon. Rowan closed his eyes.Clarabel answered before either could fail: "Fathers are allowed to answer easier questions first."Kit considered. "Can I have jam?""Yes.""Tiny accept."Rowan looked at Clarabel. "Thank you.""Do not thank me. I may still throw a muffin.""At whom?""I am deciding."The children admired her at once.After breakfast, Rowan asked Evelyn to speak with him in the morning room.Pippa objected: "Mama does not go alone with men who make bad plans."Rowan absorbed that. "Fair."Milo said, "He did not plan us."Kit said, "Nobody plans triplets. Mrs. Bell says triplets happen when God drops the basket."Evelyn pressed her hand over her mouth. Clarabel turned toward the window, her shoulders shaking.Rowan looked at Evelyn. "Mrs. Bell?""Our neighbor. She has opinions.""Many."Pippa folded her arms. "Mama can speak with you if the door stays open."Rowan said, "Agreed."Evelyn looked at her daughter. "Pippa, he is new."The word struck Rowan in the chest: new to his own children. He deserved that, too.The morning room door stayed open. Lady Clarabel sat in the breakfast room with the triplets, a plate of buns, and a look that warned every adult away.Rowan stood near the window. Evelyn stood by a chair and did not sit. For a long moment, neither spoke. Rain moved down the glass. It had rained the night he last saw her, too. Memory had poor manners; it entered without knocking.Rowan said, "I wrote."Evelyn's face tightened. "So did I. I received two letters, then nothing.""I sent seven. Then one came back unopened." He turned. "Unopened, with your seal broken and another hand on the outside."
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“Daddy, Don’t Marry Her!” — Three Triplets Crashed the Duke’s Wedding, and He Recognized Them

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