“We wouldn’t dream of encroaching on your wedding,” she told Patricia quickly. “That is your special day, the day everyone caters to your every whim, the day when you look your prettiest. You wouldn’t want to share that day with another woman, would you?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Patricia protested.

“Of course you would mind! You wouldn’t want your husband-to-be comparing you to another woman, and seeing you in a lesser light, would you?”

“David would never—”

“That would be a terrible cavity!”

“Calamity,” Dare offered.

Charlotte pointedly ignored him. “Your brother ought to be ashamed of himself for even suggesting the idea to you. How dare he try to ruin your happy marriage?”

“No, Lady Charlotte, I suggested it to him—”

“How could you face the rest of your life with a man who thought you were second best?”

“But, but—”

“It simply is not tolerable! No woman should be asked to sacrifice herself thusly, not even for me. No, no, protest no more, dearest sister-to-be. It’s quite clear to me that you must not have your day tainted by such unhappy opportunities as your husband seeing me looking particularly stunning in my wedding finery.”

“Unhappy opportun…Lady Charlotte, I assure you that David—”

Charlotte turned on Dare, feeling confident that she had squashed the sweet, but sadly rather bossy, plan to cheat her of the momentous event she had envisioned ever since she put up her hair. She had been done out of a glorious wedding once, and she had no intentions of allowing that to happen again. “You really should apologize to your sister for trying to ruin her most important day, Alasdair.”

The frown gracing Dare’s manly brow deepened to something bearing an uncanny resemblance to a scowl. “I have nothing to apologize for, and stop calling me Alasdair. I’ve told you to use Dare instead.”

Charlotte brushed a miniscule bit of thread from her lemon-colored gown. “I’d prefer not to. It sounds silly.”

“I’d prefer you would, and it does not sound silly.” Dare rose from the chair next to his sister and went to stare moodily out the window.

“It does. You have a perfectly good name. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t use it.”

He turned around to glare at Charlotte. “It’s my name and I’ll use it any way I want.”

“You’re acting childish!”

“And you’re unreasonably obstinate!”

“Oh!” Charlotte matched his glare and raised it a notch. “I am not unreasonable or obstinate, you take that back! I’m simply pointing out how ridiculous you sound nattering on about a childhood nickname when you’re an earl and an important person and about to become a married man!”

“As the name in question is mine, I’ll be called whatever I bloody well want!”

“You’re shouting at me. I don’t think that’s called for in the least!” Charlotte marched over to the window until she was toe to toe with him. She poked him in the chest. “First you try to destroy your sister’s sole chance at happiness, no matter how slight that might be when you consider that she’s planning on tying herself to a man who is ready to spurn her at her own wedding for a lovelier woman, and then you’re trying to make me cry by being beastly and cruel. Well, I won’t do it!”