Evan contributed his traveling coach for the comfort of Mrs. Richards, Arianne, Melanie, and Lucinda. Galen’s landau suffered under the bouncing of three young boys and the Richardses’ lone maid, Meg. A hired wagon carried a large quantity of luggage and two small, hairy dogs which alternately snarled and sniffed at one another, and a further, smaller carriage was engaged to carry various other maids, valets, and pets. Galen and Mr. Richards sensibly chose to ride alongside the entourage. Arianne hid her agitation at her mother’s awed acceptance of her daughter’s eligible suitor. The invalid’s coughing spell had passed after a heavy rain, and she was up and about again, but her pale face had gained a new radiance with every mile they traveled into the country. It was enough to keep Arianne silent, even beyond Melanie’s questioning looks. Melanie’s acceptance of her cousin’s prospective betrothal to her own suitor caused Arianne even more concern. She had tried to explain that Locke and her father were simply upholding their equal prides by this foolish arrangement, but Melanie seemed more interested in returning to an area considerably closer to Rhys’s home than London.
