to recruit first. If they went to Violet together, there would be a better chance of success. Mending that sororal relationship was probably still too much to hope for. At least they’d be free of Holden; that would be a bonus for everyone.
TWENTY-ONE
The guys were gone by the time Poppy got out the shower. As she dressed and got ready for the day, she considered how best to approach Primrose. Locating her sister on the large estate might be difficult. If she was already with their mom or Violet, getting her alone without raising suspicions would be near impossible.
Those issues were dominant in Poppy’s thoughts as she approached the rear terrace intending to go inside.
Except Primrose was there. Alone. Seated on a bench.
When they spotted each other, Poppy stopped.
Primrose leaped to her feet and came a few steps closer. “Hi,” she said, her nerves as frayed as her tension was tight. “I thought maybe we should… talk.”
Whether Preston had relayed their morning conversation or Primrose only knew he intended to have one, her sister was on edge.
Poppy began to walk again. “Preston? Really?”
“What?” Primrose asked on a modest half shrug. “He’s cute… and successful… I’ve been going crazy in this house and he was sweet to me.”
After the way Poppy had reacted that morning, she really hoped Primrose hadn’t been the user in the couple’s dynamic.
“He’s a good guy and he means a lot to Turner, and to me,” Poppy said, taking both of Primrose’s hands when they met.
“He told you what Vi told me?” Poppy nodded. “He seems to think it will help, but I don’t think Violet will want it used against Holden. What if Daddy finds out about her and Trey?”
“He’s going to find out either way. Why were the Hanovers here on Monday night? Do you think his parents know? The more people who know, the more likely it is to get out. Wouldn’t it be better if Daddy heard it from her?”
“Oh, yeah, because that’s a conversation you’d want to have with our father,” Primrose said, looking up at the house surrounding them or, more accurately, the windows overlooking them. “We shouldn’t talk out here in the open like this.”
If a window was open and someone was nearby, they might overhear the conversation. One of those rooms belonged to Grammie, who’d take the news of an illicit affair better than the Granger Girls’ parents whose room overlooked the terrace too. Their father’s commitment to work was the only potential saving grace; he’d likely already be gone for the day.
“I have to talk to Grammie,” Poppy said.
Her sister was shocked. “She’ll never be able to keep her mouth shut about this.”
“With all the whispering and sneaking around, Grammie will know something is going on. If I don’t talk to her about it, she’ll ask her questions in the most direct and embarrassing way. Grammie doesn’t share Violet’s aversion to infamy.”
After breakfast and before lunch, Poppy almost always spent some time with her Grammie. The woman would expect her. Given everything that was going on with Turner, avoiding Grammie could lead the matriarch to all sorts of inaccurate conclusions.
“Violet won’t want her to know.”
“I assume that, in an ideal world, Violet wouldn’t want anyone to know.” Who would want the world to know they’d done something immoral? “But we have to support her. What’s done is done. Grammie never judges us for taking risks. It’s what she wants us to do. The only thing she might be mad about is Violet going down the aisle knowing she didn’t love Holden. Love is important to Grammie, you must have noticed that.”
Primrose sighed. “I wish none of this had ever happened.”
“Which part? Violet’s engagement to Holden or her affair?”
Stepping closer, Primrose lowered her voice. “If Violet had just married Trey when he asked her, none of this would’ve happened.”
“I didn’t know Trey proposed.”
“Years ago. Before Holden. Before everything.”
“She said no for a reason.”
Though figuring it out wasn’t easy. If Violet didn’t love Trey enough to marry him, it seemed sort of crazy that she’d risk her relationship with Holden for a brief thrill. The only conclusion Poppy could reach was that her sister didn’t love either man. That in itself was sad. As a woman in love, she wanted everyone she cared about to experience the same security and elation.
“You know what Violet’s like,” Primrose said. “Always looking around the corner for something bigger and better.”
That was true. Whatever fad was current, Violet liked to be at the forefront