by Adele Clee
“They are wise words, indeed.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Thank you, for taking care of my son. Thank you for loving my brother in the way he deserves.”
A sudden well of emotion rushed to the fore. She dabbed at the corner of her eye for fear the tears would fall. “Come,” she said walking back towards the door. “It is time to meet your son.”
They entered the room to find Alexander lying in the middle of the bed. The children sat around him staring at Evelyn seated in the chair eagerly reciting her story. They all looked so happy, so carefree, and Ivana’s heart swelled.
Alexander shot up as soon as his gaze met Elliot’s. “You’re awake.” He clambered from the bed, rushed over and drew him into an embrace. “Good Lord, you had us all worried.”
Elliot grabbed him by the shoulders. “Thankfully, I was oblivious to the event,” he said with a smile.
Evelyn came over and threw her arms around him. She looked up into his eyes. “I am so pleased to see you.” Her voice sounded croaky. The emotion of the last few days had been too much for all of them.
Elliot placed a brotherly hand to her cheek. “I hear we are to increase our numbers. Grace said we need two carriages to take our brood home.”
Alexander’s mouth curled up into an amused grin. “It seems I had no need to worry about spending my life alone.”
Ivana touched him on the shoulder. “Come and meet the children.”
She led him over to the bed, to the five pairs of wide eyes all staring at him with a look of wonder. Ivana introduced them, starting with the girls. Frederick and Edwin jumped down from the bed and offered the lord their most regal bow, just as she had taught them to do.
“Thank you, my lord,” Frederick began, “for considering that we might come to England to live with Christoph. We do not want to be parted from our brother.”
Ivana noted Elliot’s gaze shift to the little boy on the bed, and he inhaled deeply before turning to the older boys. “I understand completely. You are both more than welcome to come and live with us if that is what you want.”
“We do,” Edwin said, blinking rapidly.
“Then I wish to welcome you both.” Elliot opened his arms. Both boys hesitated, looked at each other and smiled before stepping forward to embrace him.
Ivana’s throat hurt from suppressing a wealth of emotion. She moved to the bed and hauled Christoph up into her arms.
“Come, children,” Evelyn said, “let us all go to my chamber and continue with our story.”
There were cheers and chuckles and soon only Ivana, Elliot and Christoph were left in the room.
Elliot stared at the boy she held close. “I see a definite similarity in the eyes.”
“And the hair, and the lips and ears by all accounts.” She stroked Christoph’s mop of ebony locks. “Do you wish to tell him the nature of your relationship or would you prefer to wait until the sun rises?”
He remained silent for a moment. “I shall explain the connection once we are home.”
Ivana nodded. “Of course.” She cuddled the boy, knowing it would be a long time before she got the chance to do so again. “You will be going to England, Christoph,” she said as she kissed the child on the cheek. “You will live in a grand house with Lord and Lady Markham. Would you like that?”
Christoph’s emerald eyes lit up, but he did not answer. Instead, he held his arms out to Elliot, who scooped the boy to his chest and held him there for the longest time. Guilt threatened to flare again, for the pain she had caused him, but she stamped it down knowing her intervention had served to lead him to his destined path.
“Would you like to come and live with me in England?” Elliot’s voice sounded fractured, the pitch unusually high. When Christoph nodded, Elliot kissed him on his head, closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
Grace appeared at the door. “I hope I am not disturbing you.”
Elliot shook his head. “Not at all. This moment would not be the same without you.”
She rushed over to him, and he draped his arm around her shoulder.
“I shall leave you all in peace.” Ivana inclined her head. She had achieved all she had set out to do for the children. The Bruhns were part of her family, and she would continue to give them her support. But now it was time to be selfish. “I shall go and find Leo. There is something important I must ask him.”
Elliot stared at her, his gratitude reflected in his eyes. “Thank you,” he said quietly, “for everything.”
“Take care of my beautiful boys.” She had confidence in their ability to provide a good and loving home. “Raise them to be honest men, to appreciate all that they have, to give to those who are not as fortunate.”
Grace smiled. “We will continue the work you have begun. We promise you that.”
Ivana knew if she spoke the tears would fall, and she had shed a lifetime’s worth of tears in the space of a few days. Offering them a smile, she left the room and went in search of Leo.
She found him sitting against the wall on the floor in the crypt. His eyes were closed. Had he been human she would have assumed he was asleep.
“What are you doing down here?” she asked as she came to sit at his side. She put her head on his shoulder, threw her arm around his waist.
“It has been a wild few days,” he said rubbing her arm in soothing strokes. “I wanted to take a moment to gather my thoughts.”
Ivana could feel the strange mixture of emotions swirling around in his chest. She looked up at him. “While you are happy that your brothers no longer suffer from the affliction, I sense that you do not want them to leave.” She would not want him to stay with her out of obligation. “If you want to go home with them, you know I would understand.” She would be devastated; the pain would be unbearable.
Leo jerked his head in surprise. His frantic gaze searched her face. “Do you want me to go?”
How could he even think such a thing?
“Leo, I am in love with you. I never want to be without you. But I want you to be happy, and I can see what your family mean to you.”
He tugged her arm, pulled her to sit astride him. “Yes, I will miss them. But you are the most important person in my life.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, gave a sinful smile as they drifted down to caress her breasts. “I love you and never want to be without you.”
Unable to suppress the surge of desire, she rubbed against him. “Perhaps you should show me how much you want to stay. As creatures of the night, we will have to find something to occupy us during the day.”
He raised a sinful brow as his hand skirted beneath the hem of her dress to massage her bare thigh. “Only during the day?”
She sucked in a breath as his fingers crept higher. “At night, we will behave like other humans. We will play cards in the tavern. I will watch you while you drink Herr Bruhn’s ale. We will walk back through the forest. You can love me beneath the canopy of stars.”
“And during the day, we will lock ourselves in a dark chamber, indulge our deepest desires.”
“Yes,” she breathed softly, as he stroked the place throbbing for his touch.
“But it is night now, Ivana. There are no stars in here and yet I so desperately want to be deep inside you.” His nimble fingers mimicked the action he spoke of. “Does that mean we must wait until morning?”
Shamelessly, she pressed against his wicked hand. Her body ached for him. “No,” she said, her mind becoming hazy, “but you must be quick before someone finds us.”
She did not have to repeat the request. Within a few seconds, he’d unbuttoned his breeches and had anchored her to his hard body. With her palms placed flat on the wall behind his head, she rode him to completion.
“Now you’re a widow, I suggest we marry,” he said as his hands settled on her hips to hold her in place. He was still buried inside her, and she was reluctant to move.
“Are you suggesting it, or are you asking me?” She’d had every intention of broaching th
e subject, had even considered asking him. Besides, she was not a widow. According to Nikolai they had never married.
He held onto her while he raised his hips and pushed deeper inside. The sensation caused a ripple of desire. “Marry me, Ivana. Say you will be my wife.”
She smiled, bent her head and kissed him. “I love you. I can barely breathe when I think of a life without you. Of course I’ll marry you. It would be an honour to take your name, Leo.”
“Perhaps we should mark the occasion with a toast.” By the glint in his eye, she knew he had salacious thoughts. His gaze fell to her neck. “Perhaps you should lock the door as we wouldn’t want anyone to witness the event.”
The thought of drinking from him caused the muscles in her core to grip his growing manhood. “I would love to quench my thirst but may not stop at just a mouthful.”
He raised an arrogant brow. “You won’t hear me complain.”
After a blissful, lust-fuelled hour spent in the crypt, Ivana and Leo joined the rest of the party in the Great Hall. Ivana was interested to hear the stories of how both brothers had met their wives. Understanding the nature of Grace’s sister’s plight explained why she had readily accepted Elliot’s illegitimate son. Ivana did not tell them about the night Nikolai robbed her of her innocence. She had no desire to speak of him again. Instead, she listened to Leo tell of the night they had stood opposite each other in the rain, when he had threatened her with his mighty sword to avenge his friends.
As soon as the sun peeked up above the horizon, Elliot ventured outside. Based on the quantity of food he had eaten at dinner, Ivana had no doubt the cure had worked. Indeed, Julia informed her that the lord was lying sprawled out on the cobblestoned courtyard, staring up at the blue sky and wearing a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
While Elliot, Alexander, and their wives took the children to play outside, Ivana and Leo hid themselves away in their chamber and played a few games of their own that lasted until sunset.
For obvious reasons, the party chose to depart for England in the evening. Herr Bruhn came out wave them off.
“I cannot feel sad this night,” he said to Ivana. “They all look so happy and will have the security of a loving family.”
Ivana put her arm around his shoulder as she watched Leo hug his brothers. “It is all we ever wanted for them. I have spoken to Leo, and we would like you to think about coming to live in the castle.” It meant she would have to compel them to forget certain things. Julia and Sylvester would care for the old couple during the day, and she could spend time with them in the evening.
“Well, I do not know what to say. Surely when you are married, you will not want to be lumbered with guests.”
“You are like family, and you would have a wing of the castle to yourselves. Julia and Sylvester would relish the company. Oh, say you will consider it.”
The old man nodded numerous times. “Of course, of course.”
After they had all hugged each other too many times to count, Leo came to stand at Ivana’s side. “Now, look after Chambers,” Leo said to Alexander in reference to his coachman. “He is not used to taking instruction from a grumpy lord.”
Alexander smirked. “Have no fear. I am far more content of late and not nearly as irritable.” He inclined his head, but his cheerful countenance became more sorrowful. “We will find a way to be together soon. That is if I can stand to spend another three weeks confined to a carriage.”
Ivana could feel Leo’s pain as they watched the carriages rumble out of the village. She took his hand and held it tight.
Leo gave a heavy sigh. “We shall escort you home, Herr Bruhn.”
Ivana glanced up as she felt the first drop of rain land on her skin. “Quick. You must get inside before you get wet and catch a chill.”
Herr Bruhn’s eyes widened. “But what of you? You cannot walk back to the castle in this terrible weather.”
Leo glanced at her, a sinful smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “We enjoy walking out at night. Come. We will see you inside and then be on our way.”
Herr Bruhn did not object. Perhaps he sensed their need to be alone. By the time they had reached the path leading up through the forest, their clothes were soaked through.
Leo held her hand tight. “Walking home like this rouses similar feelings of a night spent together.”
“Do you mean the night I lured a licentious rake from the tavern or the night you wanted to kill me?”
“Neither of those,” he said thoughtfully. “I speak of another place, another lifetime. I feel as though I have travelled this path with you before. This is not the first time we have been hopelessly in love. I feel as though this was destined to be.”
Ivana smiled. She, too, felt infinitely part of something much bigger than anything either of them could comprehend. “I have always felt that way. I have no doubt we would have found each other eventually.”
“Having witnessed how all our lives have changed in the last few months, I truly believe that now.” He sighed. “I just wish my brothers did not live so far away.”
Her heart ached for him. “I know. Despite the distance, we must hope that they will come and visit.”
“I have been thinking that perhaps we could go to London. Not now, of course, but in the future. I know our affliction would make the journey difficult, but Elliot and Alexander managed it without incident.”
Ivana did not want to disappoint him. “Perhaps, but we must accept that it might not be possible.”
“No one knows what the future holds. You told me that.” Leo stopped walking and turned to face her. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly, his heated gaze locking with hers. “I am not a man who gives up easily.”
His rich tone caused a tingle down the length of her spine. The rain trickled down their faces; their clothes clung to their skin, but she had not a single care in the world. Her heart was full, her soul sated. Her one true love stood with her, and she would do anything to make him happy.
“I don’t doubt that when you set your mind to something you will not stop until you succeed,” she said. “And you know I will support you in whatever you decide to do.” She glanced up at the canopy of trees, at the thick black clouds peeking through gaps in the foliage, and smiled. “But now it seems that the stars have chosen to shine brightly down upon us.”
A sinful smile touched his lips, but he did not look to the heavens. “Standing beneath such a brilliant blanket can mean only one thing. We might not have played cards in the tavern or supped on Herr Bruhn’s ale, but I think I can manage the other activity you suggested.”
“You do not mind loving me in the rain?”
He glanced back over his shoulder at the sturdy tree trunk. “I’m surprised you even need to ask.”
Epilogue
London, 1822
“Good Lord. How much longer must we stay here?” Alexander complained, exhaling loudly.
Elliot chuckled as he scanned the crowded ballroom. “Have you forgotten that this is your house? As you’re the host and are supposed to be celebrating Aunt Beatrice’s return from India, I estimate all night.”
“Bloody hell,” Alexander muttered. “Remind me to be a little firmer with Evelyn in future.”
Elliot shrugged. “Well, there is one consolation.”
“What is it? I cannot think of any reward great enough to compensate for an evening spent having meaningless conversations with dim-wits.”
“Is not Evelyn’s gratitude reward in itself? I would wager you’re not half as annoyed as you make yourself out to be.”
The corners of Alexander’s mouth twitched in amusement. “Evelyn finds it immensely satisfying to know she has the power to soothe my tortured soul.”
Elliot scanned the sea of heads gracing the dance floor. “I would have a care. That is the second dance she has shared with Mr. Hartwood’s nephew.” Elliot enjoyed teasing his friend. “Perhaps the gentleman is as besotted as you are.”
; Alexander’s expression darkened. “It will be the last dance he shares with anyone if he so much as looks at her in an inappropriate way.”
Elliot spotted Grace waltzing with Lord Walton. A dazzling smile illuminated her face; a few fiery red curls brushed against the smooth column of her neck. Damn. Would there ever be a day when he would not be consumed with thoughts of bedding his own wife?
“I’m afraid we’ve no option but to dance with our wives,” Elliot said feeling a desperate need to hold Grace in his arms. “I once overheard a gentleman telling his partner that dancing is a prelude to seduction. I suggest you use the opportunity to brush up your skills.”
Alexander raised an arrogant brow. “There is nothing wrong with—”
A commotion at the far end of the room captured their attention, the excited chatter audible above the music filling the air.
Elliot tutted. “There is always someone who deliberately arrives late in a bid to command attention.” He patted Alexander on the upper arm. “As the host, you should go and greet them.”
“Shush,” Alexander said with an irate glare. “I’ve no desire to spend another moment feigning interest in feathers and fripperies.”
Elliot craned his neck, hoping to direct the new arrivals his way. Well, he had to find some way to amuse himself. Watching Alexander squirm always proved entertaining.
As he watched an array of heads part to make a pathway through the throng, a strange feeling of familiarity flooded his chest. As soon as he caught a glimpse of the lady’s golden locks and the gentleman’s brown hair, his heart skipped a beat.
Elliot narrowed his gaze.
Leo?
His friend’s face filled his field of vision. Elliot’s mind told him it was impossible, that his eyes were seeing a glittering mirage concocted by his wild imagination.
“Good Lord,” he gasped, blinking rapidly out of fear he had made a mistake. “Leo is here.”
“Don’t be absurd,” Alexander said, turning to scan the room. “They’d not travel all the way—”