Chapter 14

The house was in an uproar.   Several weeks had passed with no sign of Lance’s younger brother, Jason.  Vivian’s temper was at an all-time high over the fact that the rumors that he was somewhere on the plantation kept spreading, yet she was unable to present him to me.  A woman who was devoted to family and tradition, the mere thought that he would miss Lance’s and my wedding was sending her into a frenzy. 

My fiancé, on the other hand, was more than a little relieved.

“I was concerned that he would do something devious to try to stop us from getting married,” he said as he guided me to a nearby bench in the garden.  “My parents are sticklers for tradition.   If my birthday comes and goes without seeing me married and Jason manages to produce a wife, the inheritance goes to him.”

“Have you found any mischief started by him?” I asked with both curiosity and conce