Chapter 7

The second Frederic entered the manor, his mother was in front of him, a letter clutched in her hand.

"Why didn't you tell me you were courting someone?" she demanded.

"What?"

"Don't play these games with me. Why am I learning of your engagement in a letter from your future mother-in-law?"

He paled. "Did Lady Cooke write to you?"

"As a matter of fact, she did."

"I see," he sighed. "I was coming home to tell you now, but it seems she beat me to it."

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

"Well, I-I was going to tell you."

She sighed. "I know I haven't been the most present since, well…" she trailed off for a moment before shaking her head. "But I want you to know, I am happy for you. You should invite your fiancée and her family for dinner tomorrow. I'd love to meet her."

He sighed. "Of course, Mother. I'll send a letter right away."

"Thank you. Now, could you at least tell me her name?"

"Lilian Cooke," he said.

"That's lovely. What is she like? How did the two of you meet?"

Frederic hesitated. He had hoped to be in his study by now. The time he spent at the Cookes' and turning in those forms had really set his schedule back, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her this happy.

"Why don't you go grab your gloves, I'll send a footman to let them know we're on our way. I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

"Truly? Do you have time for it?"

He shrugged. "I'll make time."

She grinned, following him outside.

A short carriage ride later, the pair found themselves on the Cookes' doorstep, and they were eagerly swept into the parlor, where they were met by Lilian and Lady Cooke.

Louisa stepped towards the young woman, a smile on her face. "I'm the Dowager Duchess of Pembroke. You must be Miss Cooke. A pleasure to meet you "

"You as well, and please, call me Lilian."

"It's strange," she continued as they took their seats. "Before the engagement, my son never mentioned you."

"Lilian hadn't mentioned anything to me either," Lady Cooke confessed.

"No harm was intended," Frederic cut in. "We simply wanted to be certain before we said anything."

"Quite right, Mother," Lilian agreed. "Given how many issues I had reaching this point, I didn't want Father to get his hopes up if it ended up not working out."

"Goodness! That sounds dire! Is Lord Cooke all right?" Louisa asked.

"He's doing much better than before," Rachel said. "About two years ago, he had a heart attack. We had to delay the start of Lilian's first Season to give him time to recover."

"How horrible. I'm so sorry."

"It's quite all right. He's doing much better now. Especially now that he has Lilian's upcoming wedding to look forward to."

"Is that why Freddy wanted to rush the wedding?"

"Well…" Frederic got to his feet. "… it sounds as though the three of you have much to discuss. Wedding planning and all that. I'll leave you to it."

"Oh, you must stay! I'm sure your input would be invaluable."

Frederic shot Lilian a look, but she just stared off. "I'm afraid I don't have many opinions on the matter. I'm sure whatever Lilian wants will be perfect."

"Oh, how sweet!" Lady Cooke cooed. "But I'm sure she would want you here for this. Go on and tell him, Lilian."

Lilian hesitated. "Of course, I do," she finally said, but it came out like a question.

He sighed, taking his seat. "I suppose I can at least listen if you like."

"Oh, how lovely! Now, even though we don't have a lot of time, I don't want to compromise on the quality of the celebration," Lady Cooke explained. "The first thing we need to decide on is the venue for the reception."

"Why not just use Pembroke House?" Louisa asked.

Lady Cooke hummed. "That would be rather convenient. Lilian, what do you think?"

"I think that sounds lovely."

"That settles it, then."

Frederic tried to pay attention to them as they figured out all the necessary details. It was good to see Lilian getting along well with his mother. It meant there was one less thing for him to worry about.

After a few hours of that, they stood up, and Lady Cooke spoke, "Dinner should be ready soon. Why don't we give the lovebirds a minute alone and go for a walk in the garden? I'm sure they have much to discuss."

The two women laughed, leaving Frederic alone with his betrothed. For a long time, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Lilian broke the silence. "Thank you for coming. My mother was quite disappointed when she didn't receive a reply."

"Yes, well, it took a minute because I had to explain to her that I was engaged."

Her face fell. "I didn't realize you hadn't told her! But why hadn't you told her before you asked me?"

"Well, I didn't know if you would agree, did I?"

She huffed. "I was hardly in a position to refuse."

"That still wasn't a guarantee you'd agree."

She nodded. "I suppose. Were you able to get the special license?"

He snorted. "I just applied for it. You know these things take time, don't you?"

"How long can it take?"

"We should know by next week."

"Next week! But if we wait until then, that would only give us a week to plan!"

"I didn't realize you cared that much."

"While this is hardly how I thought it would happen, that doesn't mean I don't intend to enjoy my wedding day."

Frederic couldn't help but laugh at the look of sheer indignation on her face. "Well, you don't need to worry. There's no reason for it to be denied."

"How can you know that?"

"Because I know how these things work. Why don't you just leave it to me to handle, and you can worry about the actual wedding."

"With pleasure."

He hesitated. "Only?—"

"Yes? Is there something you want me to make sure I include?"

"My mother. If you could possibly indulge her, let her help with the planning, I would appreciate it."

Lilian softened. "I'm honored that she wants to be involved."

"Good, because she very much wants to be involved. Please let me know if she starts to overstep."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Besides, I should get used to spending time with her. I imagine I'll be seeing quite a lot of her after…" she trailed off for a moment. "Well, after."

"Yes, she does live in Pembroke House."

She nodded. "I supposed I should ask to visit? Get a feel for the place before I live there."

"I'm sure your mother will be asking about it, or my mother will invite you both now that it is going to be our reception venue."

"And you're all right with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Before she could ask anything else, a servant stepped inside. "Dinner is about to be served."

"Well then, shall we?"

The pair joined the others in the dining room, where Frederic found himself seated between Lilian and his mother. Lord Cooke sat at the head of the table with a bright smile on his face.

"Your Grace, we're so happy to have you and your lovely mother for dinner. It is truly a wonderful surprise."

"We're glad you were able to have us. When I gave my mother the good news, she wanted to meet you all as soon as possible."

"You're going to be family soon. You are both always welcome here."

"Thank you, the same goes for all of you. You are welcome at Pembroke House any time."

"How lovely!" Louisa smiled. "Because I took the liberty of inviting Rachel and Lilian over later this week. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course, they are welcome. Even if I hadn't extended the invitation, you know you are free to invite anyone over whenever you like."

"I still like to check in. I don't want to risk interrupting your work." She turned to the rest of the table. "My Freddy spends most of his days at his desk, though he always promised me he would slow down when he got married and had a family." Then she turned back to him. "Once you make that vow, you will become the most important thing in each other's lives. You must not let yourself forget that, Freddy."

"This is not a decision I've made lightly, Mother," he tried to assure her.

He knew it wasn't quite what she wanted to hear. She wanted him to tell her how dedicated he was to Lilian. She wanted to know how drastically things were about to change.

Frederic didn't want to lie to her, but he needed to offer her something.

If Louisa read between his words, she hid it well. "I'm glad. You deserve a break."

The rest of the meal passed in pleasant conversation. Louisa was still smiling when they were riding the carriage back to their house.

"Lilian seems like a wonderful young lady," she said.

"I'm glad you approve. Truly. I was worried about that."

"Not worried enough to introduce us before you proposed, but don't worry, I understand. I remember what it was like to be young and in love. There isn't time for formal introductions in light of love. I do hope you make each other happy."

"I'm sure we will both do our best."

"That is often the most you can hope for in life."