Turned out, it wasn’t just Luke and Lydia who made their way to the gardens that night. Richard insisted on coming as well, and then Miss Farthington demanded that she be allowed to join as Lydia’s protection against ruination.
A very thin line of defense there, Luke was certain they all agreed. But it was the ‘modicum of decorum’ Miss Farthington insisted upon as Lydia’s chaperone, and in the end she won out.
“She’s a surprisingly forceful one, isn’t she?” Luke murmured to Lydia as he helped her into his carriage.
She smiled up at him, and with the moonlight gleaming in her hair, she’d never looked more beautiful. “Oh yes, she’s much stronger than she looks.”
Luke wondered if Richard realized that as the man was doting over the petite headmistress like she was made of glass. He held her arm gently as he led her to the carriage.
For a moment Luke could have believed they were all heading off to the opera, or for some picnic. But no, he was heading to a clandestine rendezvous with his soon-to-be fiancée, her chaperone, and a scientist.
He said a silent prayer that God was on their side tonight. For they might very well require a miracle to get the best of Wendell that evening.
They arrived at the destination early, and while the carriage circled, the foursome found a place to hide.
“This is cozy, is it not?” Miss Farthington whispered.
She and Lydia shared a grin. “It is rather,” Lydia murmured.
They were all so close, one wrong move from Luke and they’d all topple in a heap in the bushes.
And then...they waited.
And waited some more.
“Maybe we’ve scared them off,” Lydia whispered. “If one of them saw us as we approached...”
Luke nodded, but it soon became apparent that only one of the cohorts had been scared off...that, or the actress was running late for their rendezvous. Because Wendell was there. On the far side of the clearing, but his fair hair caught the moonlight and made him stick out like a beacon.
“He’s not very good at this, is he?” Richard mused.
“Even I knew to cover my hair with a hood,” Lydia agreed.
“Yes, but he has no reason to believe anyone is waiting and watching,” Miss Farthington pointed out.
At Luke’s pointed look, Lydia shrugged. “I couldn’t exactly keep her in the dark.”
Miss Farthington looked ready to laugh. “Not after I caught you two in the dark.”
Richard’s brows rose as Luke flashed Lydia a wolfish grin that made her blush, which was apparent even in the dark of night.
“I feel like I’ve missed a part of this story,” Richard muttered.
“I’ll fill you in on everything,” Miss Farthington assured him. She shivered slightly. “Just as soon as this is over.”
“Here, allow me.” Richard was so quick to shed his coat to assist Miss Farthington, that the bushes around them shook with the movement.
They all stilled as one, but from his vantage point, Luke saw Wendell tense and look over.
“He knows someone’s over here,” Lydia said.
Luke’s jaw clenched. This whole thing was a mistake. He’d been too impatient to have this over and done with. He hadn’t used his head.
“He’s expecting the redhead,” Lydia murmured.
“I don’t think she’s coming,” Miss Farthington whispered.
Luke opened his mouth to chime in. He meant to tell them to abort the plan, to take what little evidence they had a bring it to Sir Cedric, but then—
“Lydia!” Miss Farthington hissed.
Luke nearly caught her, but his fingers skimmed her cape and then she was gone, slipping out from behind the brush and heading straight toward Wendell.
“What is she doing?” Miss Farthington breathed. She sounded as horrified as Luke felt.
Richard wrapped an arm around her shoulders, but it was Luke who spoke.
Luke who understood.
And much as his protective instincts despised it—some part of him was awed by her bravery. “She’s going to pretend to be her,” he said.
“What?” Miss Farthington’s tone was breathy and high. “But he’ll—”
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” he promised.
He tensed as he watched and waited. To come bursting out now would ruin whatever haphazard plan she’d concocted.
As Wendell moved toward her his expression was easier to read. “I thought you’d forgotten.”
She kept moving closer, her head down and her collar up so all Wendell would see was her red hair in the moonlight.
Luke’s heart hammered as Miss Farthington clutched his arm as if willing him to intercede. But to do so now was even riskier than what Lydia was doing.
“I don’t have all night,” Wendell said, his gaze was darting around, not on her at all. “Be a good girl and take this to my man at the tavern. You know the one.”
Lydia nodded and reached a hand out. It was then Luke saw the file Wendell held out.
The proof they needed to put Wendell in prison for life.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Wendell said. “Scared of the Home Office, are you? Well, I’ll tell you—”
“You have every right to be.” Sir Cedric’s voice boomed through the clearing, and Lydia was so startled she stumbled backward until she landed on her bottom. Luke rushed toward her as their friends followed right behind.
Chaos broke out all at once.
Wendell tried to run, but one of Sir Cedric’s men caught him easily as Sir Cedric headed toward Lydia with a fierce scowl that faded quickly into a wide-eyed look of shock. “Lydia!”
“I-I can explain,” she said.
“No, I can explain.” Luke was beside her, helping her to her feet and brushing off her cloak—a poor excuse to touch her, to reassure his racing heart that she was all right.
His Lydia was unharmed.
She smiled up at him in triumph as she held up the file. “Got it.”
He let out a shocked laugh as he drew her close, entirely forgetting for a minute that her father and a whole host of others were watching as he kissed her forehead. “You were amazing.”
Sir Cedric stepped between them sputtering. “Somebody had better explain what’s going on.” His face darkened a mottled red in the midst.
Luke flinched, but Lydia...
She laughed.
“I’ll explain everything, Father,” she assured the older man, patting the poor, astonished fellow on the arm consolingly. “But rest assured, Luke has already promised to marry me.”
Sir Cedric sputtered. Then he sputtered some more. “Luke?” he echoed.
Apparently, that was the most shocking part of the speech. Or at least the first part he clung to. “You call him Luke?”
He narrowed his eyes and Luke hastened to explain. “It’s not what you think...”
And then he drew a blank. He was speechless in the face of how to explain that he’d mistaken his daughter for a spy, and then a mistress, and then...
Well, then he’d gone and courted her in the most audacious way ever.
“I told you I’ll explain everything,” Lydia said, her tone so reassuring, even her father seemed to relax slightly.
Luke too looked at her with a new sense of wonder.
She looked so bold, so confident. And he suspected she’d only grow more so each day.
He rubbed at his chest. Had he truly thought it was so very important to hide in the shadows and seek out adventure.
That all paled in comparison to being the man to witness Lydia’s brilliance.
“I still don’t see how this came about, or what you’re doing here,” Sir Cedric said to Lydia.
“What’s important right now is that Lord Galena caught the man responsible for leaking sensitive information.” She leaned in and lowered her voice, but Luke heard her add, “The man you’d wanted me to marry.”
Her father paled. “I didn’t know.” He turned to Luke, still clearly irritated, but his gaze even and serious. “I didn’t believe...at first. And I’m sorry.”
At first. Luke didn’t miss that. “Did you have a change of heart?”
Sir Cedric sighed and nodded as he watched a babbling, irate Wendell be taken away. “I let sentiment get in the way, and it’s a mistake I’ll never forget or forgive. I got to thinking about your allegations, and while I’ll admit, I still didn’t believe it—or, I didn’t want to believe it. I’ve never known your instincts to be wrong before.”
Lydia’s smile was filled with such pride, he felt himself lighten with happiness beneath her adoring gaze. He moved toward her, but Sir Cedric stepped between them. “You,” he said to Luke. “I am grateful for what you did. But you still have a lot of explaining to do.” He turned to Lydia. “And you,” he added.
She smiled up at him.
Sir Cedric softened once more. “It seems you and I have a lot of catching up to do.”
She gave her father a hug. “This was my fault, you know. He didn’t want me to come here tonight. No one did.” She pulled back to look up at her father.
Sir Cedric shook his head. “I hardly recognize you right now.”
She laughed. “I hardly recognize myself.”
“All right, let me give my men orders and then I’m taking you home,” he said to Lydia. She nodded, and the moment he walked away she threw herself into Luke’s waiting arms.
“I’ll follow you home—”
“No.” She shook her head. “Let’s let him get a good night’s sleep and think about the fact that you were right and he was wrong...and if it wasn’t for you I might have married that coward.”
Luke growled, the thought alone making him angry.
She grinned and went up on tiptoe to kiss him soundly. “My thoughts exactly.”
“I’ll come by tomorrow then,” he said. “And Lydia...you know this means you’re mine now, don’t you?”
Her smile was brighter than the sun and the moon combined. “I’m counting on it.” She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Just so long as you’re mine in return.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist, ignoring Sir Cedric’s exasperated shout to be proper for once in his life. “Partners,” he said. “Together. Forever.”
She sighed and melted into him. “I can’t wait for our new life to begin.”
Thank you for reading! Up next, Miss Farthington finally finds her happily ever after in The Misfortunate Miss Farthington.
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