The Wedding Affair Read Online Free

sight, came the sound of girlish giggles. A positive chorus of girlish giggles.
    Simon felt the color drain from his face. “They’re already invading? But the wedding is still almost a week away!”
    “The bridesmaids have all arrived, sir. Her Grace left plenty of time for final fittings of all the gowns, since there are precisely a dozen young ladies.”
    “Twelve? It takes twelve bridesmaids to get Daphne down the aisle?”
    “Also, a few members of the family have already made their appearance. Colonel Sir Tristan Huffington explained that since he did not wish to chance missing the festivities, he set out early in case travel conditions became difficult.”
    “Nonsense. The summer’s been fine, and the roads are in excellent condition. He set out early so he could enjoy Halstead’s amenities for an extra week.”
    “And Lady Daphne’s godmother is in residence as well, to offer her support to the bride.”
    “Now there’s a misnomer,” Simon muttered. “ Godmother , I mean. If that woman has ever been on nodding acquaintance with the Almighty, I’ll swallow my best hat. All right, Greeley, you’ve made your point. How many will be sitting down to dinner tonight?”
    “Twenty-two, sir.”
    “And if that’s only the vanguard…” Simon sighed. “Thanks for the warning, old chap.”
    But Greeley stood as still as if his toes had melted into the plush rug in front of the desk. “Just one more thing, sir. Mrs. Greeley observed to me as she was making the bedroom assignments that an unusually high proportion of the guests Her Grace has invited to stay here at Halstead are young, unmarried ladies.”
    “What’s strange about that? Most of my sister’s friends must be young, unmarried ladies.” But there had been a note in Greeley’s voice that sounded almost as though he was sounding an alarm.
    The butler bowed. “As you say, sir. The mixture of guests is quite coincidental—and that’s what I informed Mrs. Greeley.”
    Coincidental. The word seemed to hang in the quiet air of the library until another, closer ripple of feminine laughter pushed it aside.
    A shadow fell across the polished floor from the terrace outside, and Lady Daphne gave a shriek and burst into the library. “Simon—you’re home at last! Now the celebration can really begin. Come and make your curtsies to my brother, everyone. Simon, these are my bridesmaids.”
    As his sister threw her arms around him, Simon looked past her to a dozen young women in pastel muslin gowns, all of whom seemed to be curtseying at once. Tall, short, plump, thin. Light hair, dark hair, red hair, golden hair…
    As they milled around on the terrace, smiling and bobbing up and down, the group looked remarkably like decorative goldfish in a pond. Fish, Simon thought wryly, who had scented food. Fish who were churning the water to a froth as they battled to reach the center of the action, where they’d have the best chance of capturing the promised treat.
    Him.
    A dozen bridesmaids. Every last one of them, he’d wager, was absolutely eligible—from a good family and with an acceptable dowry. And this wasn’t even the full guest list.
    Greeley’s warning had been right on target. No wonder Simon had been feeling itchy; he’d been set up like a target on a pistol range.
    He didn’t blame Daphne, of course. The young women in question might be her friends, but he knew where to place the blame for this scheme. He looked over his sister’s upswept black hair to catch the butler’s eye. “Greeley, where will I find my mother? And send a message to the stables. I’ll need a groom to deliver some letters for me this afternoon.”
    Since he could hardly walk out on his sister’s wedding, he had no choice but to spend the next week playing the role of Prince Charming to a horde of potential Cinderellas. But he’d be damned if he’d do it alone. A wise man knew when to call for reinforcements.
    Daphne’s wedding , he thought grimly, is going to