She had the right to turn it down.
She was almost done talking, so she made up an excuse to escape. When she left, she saw Nathaniel and Matthew standing together, so she waved to them then turned and left.
Hesper couldn’t be sure she would be able to maintain her smile if she kept getting asked about her marriage.
Everyone split after Hesper walked away and Arthur saw Nathaniel there. That was when Matthew and Simon went over.
“Happy birthday, Uncle.”
Simon wasn’t interested in blending in with the crowd, so he only walked over with the present for Arthur when that happened. It was a tea set, nothing too lavish. Arthur didn’t really like the tea set he had before this, so this gift was just perfect.
He didn’t say if he was happy or unhappy about the gift but instead just placed it on the table and asked, “Are you going to stay here for a while, or are you leaving soon?”
“I came back for your birthday,” Simon said. “You know that I don’t have much going on here, and I have
