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T he coach turned up the lane, and excitement ran through Lady Drusilla Alington.

“Is it very far now?” she asked her brother.

Con, whose long legs were stretched out before him, his feet propped on the seat opposite them, smiled. “We should be at the main house in five minutes.”

She couldn’t wait to see her sister. Lucy had left Somerset last spring to make her come-out during the London Season, and she had wed the Marquess of Huntsberry in May.

Lucy had written Dru about her marriage, saying that while she had been caught in a compromising position with Huntsberry, she was still pleased with the result.

According to Lucy, she and Huntsberry were a love match.

Dru, a year younger than her sister and scheduled to make her own come-out next spring, couldn’t fathom being wed, much less being in love.

She had no interest in marriage or children and oftentimes, she preferred the company of animals to people.

Still, she was thrilled that Lucy was so happy and eager to meet the marquess who loved Lucy so much.

“Are you relieved to have escaped seeing Mama?” her brother asked.

Lady Charlotte Alington was a most particular woman, one with firm opinions on any given topic and ready to share those opinions whether a person wished to hear them or not.

Dru and Mama clashed often. Mama had a firm idea about how each of her children’s lives should play out.

While Con was her favorite, being the only male child, Mama paid little attention to Dru and Lucy—unless she was telling them what to do.

Thank goodness Lucy had finally escaped Mama’s clutches.

As a married woman and marchioness, Lucy actually outranked her own mother.

She was free to make all her own decisions now, something Dru envied.

It would be the only reason she would consider marriage, but she did not want to trade one jailer for another.

Dru wanted to be free to come and go as she pleased.

Pursue the things which interested her. Even wear what she wished, which usually meant breeches during the months Mama and Papa went to town for the Season.

If she could find a husband who would grant her such freedom, only then would she contemplate marriage.

More than anything, Dru wanted to avoid being paraded about on the Marriage Mart next spring.

She had no desire to wear new gowns and make small talk with people she did not know, with the goal of landing a husband.

Mama’s ideas of an eligible husband included one with a lofty title and a vast amount of wealth.

She couldn’t help but wonder what Huntsberry was like, and if Lucy had followed Mama’s instructions to obtain a suitable groom.

While Lucy had always been a good girl, meekly following Mama’s instructions and advice, Dru had constantly quarreled with her mother whenever they were in the same room together.

She couldn’t imagine living with Mama for months, with a parade of suitors coming in and out, Mama evaluating which ones Dru should consider, and which ones should be discarded.

“What is Huntsberry like?” she asked. “Did he measure up to Mama’s standards?”

Con chuckled. “Judson is quite wealthy, and you know he is a marquess, so that pleased Mama. He is an only child, however, so he does not have siblings who have married into other, socially acceptable families. You will learn when you make your own come-out next Season that social standing is a very important aspect when choosing a husband. Lucy is fortunate Judson compromised her, else Mama would most likely have seen to selecting a different husband.”

“Well, she will not choose a husband for me,” Dru declared. “I may not wed at all.”

“Truly?” Con asked, removing his feet from the opposite bench. “Isn’t that what all women want?”

“I have never wanted a husband. And the only babes I find the least bit tolerable are furry ones.” She stroked Toby, who sat in her lap, and the cat began purring. “I simply cannot picture myself giving birth, much less caring for a babe.”

“That is what a nursemaid and wet nurse are for,” he said matter-of-factly. “They handle the daily things a babe requires. But some parents actually like their children. You will see when you watch Ariadne and Julian with Penelope.”

Dru had met her cousin Ariadne years ago in town.

For some unknown reason, the ten cousins had all been brought to London and introduced to one another.

They had played together for a week and then went back to their homes.

The Alingtons lived in Somerset in the west. The Worthingtons resided in Kent.

The Fultons were far to the north in the Lake District.

Of course, Uncle George had passed on just after that week in town, and his son had become the new Earl of Traywick.

Dru wondered how ten-year-old Hadrian had felt, coming into his title at such a tender age after losing his father.

“I do look forward to seeing Ariadne again and meeting her husband and child.”

“Julian might scare you upon first sight. He is a large man with an unusual background. He was not brought up in Polite Society.”

“Ooh, I like him already.”

“I am certain, given time, he would be happy to share his story with you. It is almost comical, though, to see a man of his size handle a babe so tenderly.”

She frowned. “He holds his daughter?”

The thought seemed foreign to her. Dru and her siblings had rarely seen their parents when they were present at Marleyfield, and that did not count the spring and summer months Lord and Lady Marleyfield spent in town during the Season.

The Alington children had been brought up mostly by their governess and tutor, along with various servants.

Of course, Con had gone away to school and university, while she and Lucy had stayed home in Somerset.

“Julian is most unique. He spends time in the nursery and regularly brings Penelope to tea. She is the apple of his eye.”

She laughed. “Can you picture Papa holding any of us, much less bouncing a babe on his knee while at tea?”

Her brother joined in her laughter, then he grew serious.

“I think our generation will be different from that of our parents, Dru. Ariadne is the one who first brought it up with us. She also felt abandoned, as we did, every time her parents left the country for town and the Season. She deliberately brought Penelope to town with her this spring, and she and Julian have decided they will never leave their children at home. She has talked to Lucy, Val, and me about this. We have made a pact to, once we have wed and have children, to bring them with us to town each spring.”

The idea stunned her—but she quite liked it.

“Ariadne regrets not having known all her cousins. She believes while the Season is known for its many social affairs, it is a time family can come together. Think of how different things might have been if we had come to town each spring and were able to see our cousins on a daily basis. That is what Ariadne wishes, to make up for the time we lost in our childhoods not knowing one another, and to allow our children to be brought up with their cousins, forming strong bonds of family and friendship.”

“I think Ariadne is a very wise woman,” Dru declared. “That is a marvelous idea.”

“You will like her. Lucy and I do. And Julian and Judson have fast become good friends of mine.” Con paused.

“I only am sorry that Uncle Charles passed away last spring, preventing Lia and Tia from making their come-outs, and sending them and Val back to the country to mourn, along with Aunt Alice.”

She knew Val was Con’s closest friend. They were the only two of the ten cousins who had known one another since they went to school together. They had remained close throughout the years, even sharing rooms in university. With Uncle Charles’ passing, Val had come into the ducal title.

“Did you know Aunt Agnes went to Millvale?” Con asked.

Her brother spoke of their uncle George’s widow, mother to three of their cousins. “No. Why?”

“Apparently, she and Aunt Alice are very close friends and have always spent a great deal of time together each year during the Season. Aunt Agnes even sent for Verina and Justina, and they joined their mother in Kent. I am not certain how long they plan to stay, but I think it nice that Lia and Tia have spent time with two of their cousins, especially since they were so disappointed in not being able to make their come-outs.”

Con paused, glancing out the window. “We are here.”

“I am afraid you must go inside your basket, Toby,” she told the tabby, removing him from her lap and slipping him into the basket before closing the lid.

The cat wasn’t friendly to anyone but her.

He tolerated Lucy at times, but Toby hissed at anyone else who came near him.

While she had to leave all her other animals at Marleyfield, it went without saying that Toby had to make the journey to Surrey with her.

Setting the basket on the seat beside her, Dru gazed out the window, seeing Ariadne’s bright copper hair.

All the Worthington siblings had varying shades of red hair.

A tall man with dark hair and brows stood next to her, and Dru assumed it was Ariadne’s husband, the Marquess of Aldridge.

Her gaze turned to her sister, who smiled widely, waving at Dru.

A muscular man, even taller than Lord Aldridge, had his arm about Lucy’s waist. He was handsome, with dark brown hair, and as the vehicle stopped, even from the carriage, she could see his emerald eyes.

This man had to be the Marquess of Huntsberry, her sister’s new husband.

“Dru!” Lucy cried, slipping from her husband and running to the carriage.

The footman placed the set of stairs down and opened the carriage door. Con bounded out, handing Dru down, and she fell into her sister’s arms.

“Oh, how I have missed you,” Lucy told her.