Ross had every intention of hying himself off to Hadley Springs to discuss wedding arrangements with Sara’s father. It went against his grain to ask for her hand in marriage, because in his mind there wasn’t any other option.
She was his.
She was living in his house.
She’d agreed to marry him.
To him, the deal was finished.
But he knew how much her father meant to her, and proprieties must be met.
The morning Ross was set to leave for Hadley Springs, Lord Grandview walked through the front door of Rossmoyne House, much to Ross’s surprise. However, he was more than relieved, because he hadn’t wanted to leave Sara alone for a moment, let alone an entire day.
“Lord Grandview,” Ross said as he strode into the drawing room, which was thankfully empty of callers. His mother had let it be known that, due to recent events, the Rossmoynes were not accepting callers.
Sara’s abduction and the subsequent death of a peer of the realm, coupled with the news that Ross was involved in yet another death, had caused quite a stir. Journalists were camped out in front of Rossmoyne House. Elizabeth had wanted to sneak everyone out in the middle of the night and take them to one of their country estates, but Ross and Sara had agreed to stay. Sara was still recovering from her shoulder injury, and they both feared that extended traveling would hamper her recovery and be excessively uncomfortable for her. So they stayed sequestered inside his house, and neither minded.
“Your Grace.” Lord Grandview bowed.
Listening to Sara, Ross had surmised that Grandview’s health and mental well-being had declined after Meredith’s death, but standing before him was a hearty and hale person. His complexion was darkened by the sun. His hair was white, and there were lines and wrinkles about his face, but his eyes were alert and he appeared strong.
“I owe you my gratitude for saving Sara’s life, but I fear my gratitude is not enough to repay what you have done for my daughter.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Ross said sincerely. “I love Sara and would have done anything to save her.”
Grandview looked at Ross with a shrewdness that put him off guard; he definitely needed to reassess his approach. Grandview wasn’t nearly as feeble-minded as Ross had been led to believe.
“I hear you want to wed her,” Grandview said, coming straight to the point.
“I do.”
“And does she love you?”
“She says she does.”
Grandview grinned. “Sara doesn’t say anything she doesn’t mean. This is a strange situation, considering you were betrothed to Meredith.”
“I understand.” Ross would not say more on that subject. He and Sara had come to terms with his past relationship. He now knew that he’d not really loved Meredith. He’d loved the idea of her. He’d loved parts of her. But he’d never loved her like he loved Sara.
“People will talk,” Grandview said.
“They’re talking now. They’ve talked before, and soon they will find someone else to talk about.”
Grandview chuckled. “Agreed. Society is fickle and can have a short or long memory, depending on the circumstances. I think in your instance their memory will be short.”
Ross inclined his head in agreement. “I was preparing to leave for Hadley Springs so I could speak to you about our marriage.” He hesitated, then decided to speak his mind. “Sara indicated that you were not in the best of health.”
Grandview looked around before indicating a chair. “May I?”
“Of course. Forgive me for making you stand.”
Grandview settled himself into the chair while Ross sat across from him. “I’ve never been in better health, and I’m not feeble-minded, no matter what Sara seems to think.”
Ross was taken aback by Grandview’s straightforward manner, although he appreciated and admired it.
“Our lives fell apart after Meredith’s death,” Grandview said. “There’s no disputing that. But I’ve never liked society or London much. I prefer the country. Carolina prefers a more active life. After Meredith’s death, there didn’t seem to be a reason to pretend anymore. I understand that Sara was put in the middle of that, and it’s my one regret. I enjoy my life as it is. Carolina enjoys hers.” Grandview eyed Ross. “Sara is like me. She’s not much for balls and such.”
Ross knew where this was heading and silently cursed. Would he never be free of that reputation? Had two years of good conduct and service to the queen not been enough? “I can assure you that part of my life is behind me.”
“So I’ve been told. You were in India, correct?”
“I was.”
“Terrible things going on there. Bloody uprisings.”
Lord Grandview had not just been studying the stars, as Sara believed. He’d also been keeping up on politics.
“We were making strides, but it wasn’t enough, I’m afraid.”
“You take your duties seriously,” Lord Grandview said.
“I do.”
After a brief pause when Ross wished he knew what the older man was thinking, Grandview said, “My brother, Sara’s father, and your father were good friends.”
“They were?” Ross had never known this. Ross had been away at school when his father died, and had been abruptly called back. His father had been a good father, although not easily approachable. He’d made sure Ross received an education and training in his responsibilities as the future duke, but Ross knew little about his father’s social life.
“They were very good friends,” Grandview said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t know your father well. I wasn’t in the same set as my brother, and neither did I want to be. In all honesty, I didn’t want the marquessate and was happy to leave all of that to Sara’s father. But things don’t always work out as we want them to.” Grandview went silent for a moment. He shifted in his chair. He seemed to be a man who valued his introspection.
“Things don’t always work out as we want them to,” he repeated. “But I’m finding they work out the way they are supposed to. Your father would be very proud of you, Rossmoyne.”
Ross considered himself a jaded man who had run the Rossmoyne dukedom for more years than he should have at his age. He hadn’t had a father in a long time, but Grandview’s words choked him up. “Thank you,” he managed to say. “That means a lot to me.”
Grandview nodded once. “Both Sara’s father and your father would be pleased by this union. Not just for the merging of two great families but because you and Sara make each other happy.”
Ross had to blink the wetness from his eyes. He could not care two rots about the merging of the families, but he did care that he was making Sara happy.
“However.” Grandview stood, nearly springing to his feet. No frail body was this man. “Before I give my consent, I will speak to Sara first.”
“Father!” Sara rushed into her father’s arms, wincing when he crushed her injured arm but not really caring because her father was here. She pulled away and looked him over. “I can’t believe you came all the way to London.”
Her father held her at arm’s length and looked her up and down with a critical eye. “You needed me. Of course I came. Besides, you’re in a load of trouble for not telling me about the letters in the first place.” He glared at her and she looked away.
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
He huffed out a breath. “Do you think receiving the news that my daughter was abducted by a killer didn’t worry me?”
Her shoulders slumped, and her throat worked to keep from crying. “Forgive me,” she whispered.
“Ah, sweeting, there’s nothing to forgive.” He pulled her in for another hug, and she stood for a long moment in the safety of her father’s arms. Though she’d been so young when her real father had passed away, she had vague recollections of sitting on her new father’s lap, the only time she didn’t feel empty. He’d sit for hours every night, just holding her, until her new life became the only life she remembered.
“I’m just glad you’re safe,” he whispered in a choked voice.
He pulled away and led her into the closest sitting room. It was one of several that were rarely used, but now the drapes were open and the sun was streaming through.
He sat beside her and took her good hand in his. “How is your shoulder?”
“Sore. But it will heal.”
“I won’t ask you what happened. I got a good accounting of it from Montgomery, and I won’t put you through that again.”
“I’m just glad it’s over. I’m glad we know who killed Meredith, and I’m glad he’s dead.” She lifted her chin, refusing to feel bad for being glad that a person was dead.
Her father squeezed her hand. “As am I.” He cleared his throat. “Rossmoyne says he wants to marry you.”
She couldn’t help her smile. There were times when she still couldn’t believe how happy she was. Despite everything that had happened in the last few days and even the last few weeks, she was deliriously happy and refused to feel guilty about it. Meredith would have understood, and Sara liked to believe that Meredith would have been happy for her.
“I love him, Father.”
He looked deep into her eyes. “I worry about you.”
“There’s no reason to worry. Truly, there’s not. He’s not the same person he was when he was betrothed to Meredith, and he loves me, too. He makes me happy.”
He seemed to think about that for a bit. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. You have my blessing. I will tell Rossmoyne the same.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. Lately, she cried more than she had in a long while. Every time she had a nightmare, Ross was there for her. He woke her in the middle of the night from the memories she couldn’t control. He walked with her through his gardens and listened to her talk out her fears. He’d even cried with her a few times, although he swore her to secrecy about that.
“Thank you, Father.”
“How’s your mother been?” he asked.
Sara drew in a deep breath. “Quiet.”
Ever since Ross had dressed her mother down for sacking James, Carolina had been very quiet. Ross had found James and rehired him himself. Jenny had found her way back to Carolina after losing Sara and Newport that fateful day. The poor woman had been beside herself with guilt but Ross had finally persuaded her that Sara’s abduction had not been her fault. Ross had settled a good sum of money on Jenny and allowed her to retire. She was now residing in the country with her daughter.
“I really don’t like this,” Sara said.
“Just a few more minutes, I promise.” Ross kissed her on the lips. She jumped when their lips touched, then smiled.
“I’ve decided I don’t like surprises.”
“I can tell.”
She turned her head toward his voice, biting back her laugh at the sardonic tone. “I’m being ungrateful,” she said.
“No, you’re not.”
“I am.” She adjusted the blindfold covering her eyes.
Ross took her hands and held them in his. “You’re fidgeting.”
“I can’t see.”
“I know. I’m the one who put the blindfold on you.”
She sighed and leaned in to his strength, trusting him to get her safely to wherever they were going. Earlier in the day he’d said he had a surprise for her, but she’d never imagined something as elaborate as a blindfold and everyone riding in two carriages for a long drive.
Since then Ross had been tightlipped about the surprise, and that frustrated her. She hadn’t realized just how much she didn’t like surprises until now.
Her father, her mother, and Elizabeth were in the carriage behind them. James rode on top of Ross and Sara’s carriage. James had been rehired by Ross after the incident with Newport. Sara managed to suppress her shiver at the thought of Newport. If Ross knew she was thinking about that, he would be concerned, and she’d caused him enough grief.
It had been three months, and the nightmares were slowly dwindling, although sometimes memories of Newport and that night overtook her. Ross was so patient and kind.
The wedding was set for two days from now, and she couldn’t wait. All of her reservations disappeared in the face of her overwhelming love for Ross. They would make it work. They would survive. They’d already proved they were survivors.
The carriage slowed to a stop and Sara sat up. “Where are we?”
“Relax, love. We are where we’re supposed to be.”
She turned her head toward the sound of his voice. “I like that,” she said softly. “We are where we’re supposed to be.”
He kissed her, a quick peck on the lips. “If we’re together, we are where we’re supposed to be.”
She heard the carriage door open. The carriage dipped as Ross got out, then he took her hands to guide her down the steps. She felt the cool air on her cheeks and the warm sun on the top of her head.
“We’re in the country,” she said. “I don’t hear the normal city noises, and it smells different. Cleaner.”
“You’re remarkably astute.”
She could hear her mother and father and the duchess behind them. Her parents seemed to be getting along well, which was a relief, although she had her doubts that they would get back together. But that was their choice, and she’d learned over the past few days that their choices were not her problem anymore. She had her own life to live.
“Are you ready?” Ross asked, unable to quell the excitement in his voice.
“I’m more than ready,” she said. Her heart was thudding. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what Ross had in store for her.
He moved behind her. She could tell by the sound of his boots. His fingers worked the knot on her blindfold, and there was bright light. Sara blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted.
She was facing a house. A rather large house. A mansion that stretched and stretched to her right and left. It was made of white stone with a set of stone steps that fanned out from the massive front door. The windows gleamed in the sunlight, and a profusion of potted flowers marched down the sides of the steps.
She turned to Ross in confusion. “Is this one of your homes?” He’d said he owned many.
“Not mine.”
She frowned. “Then whose home is this?”
“Yours.”
Her frown deepened. “Mine?”
Ross’s smile seemed to stretch from ear to ear. She’d never seen him look so pleased with himself. It was quite the contrast from the first time she’d seen him that day in his drawing room, with his wet hair and scruffy beard.
“I confess that it was mine until a few days ago. I have turned it over to you. It is completely in your name and your name alone. The dowry your father gave me is in an account under your name only. My hope is that you will start your school for orphaned children.”
Sara stared at him, dumbfounded, then turned back to the house with new eyes. Except she couldn’t see it through her tears. She’d never owned anything like this in her life. And to think that it was all hers was beyond her comprehension.
Slowly, her hand came up to cover her trembling lips. Her parents stood to her side, her father smiling and nodding at her. Even her mother looked a little less severe, and Elizabeth beamed.
Sara swallowed and looked at Ross again. Then, unable to contain her excitement, she threw herself at him. She hugged him tightly as the tears broke through.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
“So do you like it?” he asked as he pulled away to look down at her.
“I love it. It couldn’t be a more perfect gift. I can’t wait to fill it with teachers and students and…” It was all so overwhelming. “I want to find her,” she said softly. “I want to find that girl we saw the first time we visited Mrs. Kettles. I want her to be one of my first students.”
“I will set Montgomery on it as soon as we return to London.” Ross gently turned her toward him. “Sara Ferguson, you know I love you, don’t you?”
She nodded, too overcome to speak.
“But I want you to know that I also admire you. You are courageous and kind, and you have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. I think I fell in love with that big heart the moment I found you sitting in my drawing room, looking more scared than a cornered rabbit but determined to find out who was writing those letters. I love that you don’t take no for an answer and that you have the courage to stand up to me. I love most that you’re willing to put aside your fears to spend the rest of your life with me. You will be a beautiful, elegant duchess, but more important, you will be a success with this school because you’re stubborn. You’re also brave. I couldn’t be more proud to have you as my wife.”
Speechless, she touched his cheek as her tears overflowed. “I’m only brave and courageous because your love makes me brave and courageous. Thank you for loving me.”
He swept her up in a fierce hug. Behind them, Carolina and Elizabeth sniffed, and her father surreptitiously wiped his wet eyes.
Ross set her down and she turned to look at the house, envisioning what it would take to make it a great school for children who thought life had given up on them.
She searched for and found Ross’s hand and squeezed his fingers tight.
“We are where we are supposed to be,” she whispered.