Legacy Redeemed (Redeemed, Restored, Reclaimed Book 1)

by Aubrey Grayson

  Tears welled in Gabriel’s eyes, and he threw himself into her again, clinging to her. Nick started toward him.

  “Susannah!” Hector said. “Get rid of that brat! I told you I have business. I’ve already wasted too much time in this shabby little town.”

  Nick scooped up his son, who transferred his sobs onto Nick’s shoulder, and exchanged another long look with Susannah. His heart broke once again as she turned and walked away.

  When Hector gave Susannah his arm and she took it, a wave of nausea crested in Nick.

  She looked back over her shoulder, and an urge to pummel her guardian arose, and Nick used every last ounce of energy to fight it back.

  So much so that when they reached the carriage and the grooms opened the door, Nick barely noticed the rider arrive in the square.

  That was, of course, until the rider let out a hearty bellow. “Stop! I am the Viscount of Camberly, and that woman is my ward!”

  Chapter 31

  Susannah had just lifted her foot to step into the carriage when the man on the horse began shouting. He was a bit too far away for her to hear, but nevertheless, she planted that foot back on the ground and turned to watch the commotion. Midspin, she caught a glimpse of Hector, who was staring slack jawed at the newcomer, his face having turned a rather awful shade of white. Susannah’s brows rose at this, and she continued her turn to the man on the horse, who had apparently said something so shocking that the townspeople all gasped, rather as they had when Hector had cast that awful accusation against Nick.

  Speaking of Nick, he was smiling. In fact, one might characterize it as a grin—a far cry from the expression he’d had on his face only moments ago, when she hadn’t been able to restrain herself from taking one last look at his beautiful face. What she’d seen then had broken her heart, but now…now he looked almost joyous!

  And then her brain finally made sense of what the man was saying.

  “That woman is my ward!” And he was pointing at her. She risked another glance at Hector. He still stood transfixed by the man who was nearing them every second.

  When the man stopped in front of them, he looked at Hector and smiled, the kind of smile a man gave to someone he knew wouldn’t be happy to see him.

  “Hello, brother.”

  Hector’s eyes closed, and he swallowed visibly. Then he opened them and returned the smile, an answering one that pretended he was happy. “Alex. You’re home.”

  “Indeed.” Now he slid from his mount and handed the horse off to a waiting groom. Once he had settled himself firmly on the ground and straightened his riding coat, he smiled at Susannah. “Hector, won’t you introduce me to Miss Blackmon?”

  Hector’s reluctance gleamed in his eyes in the long moment it took him to respond to the command. But finally, he cleared his throat and spoke. “Susannah, please allow me to introduce you to my elder brother, Lord Camberly, who is apparently…not dead.”

  Susannah’s head spun. Could it be true? Was she rescued? If Hector was not the true viscount… But she had no confirmation that this man was not cut from the same cloth as his younger brother.

  No sooner had the thought arrived than it was proven erroneous by the great whoop that Nick, who had by this time caught up to them, let out. He let Gabriel slide from his arms and embraced her newly returned guardian.

  “Alex! I am so glad to see you! We had given you up! Where have you been?”

  Gabriel, released from his father, returned to wrapping himself about Susannah’s knee.

  Lord Camberly chuckled. “Get off me, you great beast!” he said, even as he returned Nick’s embrace. Camberly’s eyes slid to Hector, a great deal of suspicion in them. “It’s too long a tale for a moment such as this. And even I don’t know all the details of my capture. Suffice it to say, it involves Barbary pirates and an elaborate escape plan, depending heavily on my wits and strength.”

  The men were now slapping one another on the back. They gave every appearance of being dear friends, if Susannah’s memory of male shows of affection were correct.

  With the distraction, Hector had had eased himself nearer to the carriage door.

  “Brother, don’t! It will go much worse for you!” Camberly said as Hector hurled himself inside the carriage, banging on the top as he swung in.

  As he closed the door, Hector shouted, “I’ll take my chances!” and the carriage started down the road.

  Camberly pursed his lips and shook his head in disgust as he watched his brother depart. “Don’t think we’re done, brother. Don’t think we’re done,” he muttered.

  Susannah cleared her throat, and Camberly returned his attention to the little crowd gathered before him. He took Susannah’s hand and bowed low before her. “Miss Blackmon, I am concerned that my brother has not treated you with the care that your kind parents would have wished. I hope to make up for my absence, and I beg your forgiveness for failing to protect you. As soon as we return to London, I will begin an earnest pursuit of a happy match for you.”

  Nick cleared his throat. “Er, Camberly…” he said. “You might not need to return to London.”

  Susannah beamed. Moments ago, her future was filled with doom. And now…

  “That is…” Nick was saying, flustered about explaining the situation to Camberly, who had been missing all these years. “That is, well, I have been a widower these last four years. I should like to request your blessing to marry your ward, Susannah Blackmon.”

  Camberly’s eyes shot up. Grief at Nick’s loss warred with happiness on his face at this bit of information. He met Susannah’s eye. “What do you say to this, Susannah?”

  “Yes! I say yes! Please, please give us your blessing!”

  Gabriel piped up. “Yes! Please let Susannah be my mama!”

  She reached down and picked the boy up, nuzzling her face into his hair and breathing him in.

  Camberly rocked back on his heels. “Well, how can I deny a request like that? If you both wish it, then yes, I give my blessing!”

  Nick met her eye, then closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around them, mother and son, and for the first time, they stood together as a family.

  Susannah’s family.

  Epilogue

  Nick paced, as every expectant father did, the floor of his study at Poppledown Park while waiting for news of a new babe. He wished he could be as carefree as Gabriel, who was at this moment on the lawn, scooping up his sister into his arms. She had given him a good chase, as good as her two-year-old legs could manage, and she cackled with glee that her brother had caught her. Clare threw back her white-blond curls and laughed until he set her free, and she began to chase him back.

  His daughter had brought so much joy to their family, and it mattered not a whit that she didn’t share his blood.

  Nick’s eyes filled with tears at what might have been. Or rather, at what might not have been. Any number of things could have prevented this scene from ever happening. This family from ever happening.

  God setteth the solitary in families.

  He and Gabriel had been together, yes, but definitely solitary. How they had needed Susannah and Clare. So much more than he had known.

  Through the window, he heard a whoop, and a new player came onto the field. Stanhope, Letitia’s son, ran onto the lawn, and Nick knew that Terence had been successful in retrieving Letitia from the vicarage.

  “How is she?” she said a moment later, swooping Nick into a quick embrace of greeting. Terence and Mr. Powell entered just behind her.

  Nick shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, since they won’t let me in. Alice and the midwife are with her. I’m sure she’ll want you there as well.”

  Letitia squeezed his arm. “I’ll just run up then. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” She gestured at her husband and Terence. “And now you have company.”

  But just as she turned to leave, they heard Alice calling as she ran down the stairs. “Nick! Nick! You’re wanted upstairs! And somebody call in the children!
”

  Nick’s eyes rose. That had happened rather quicker than the last time.

  He excused himself and ran upstairs to his bedchamber, to find his glowing wife propped up holding a squirming red babe wrapped in a white blanket.

  “He’s sturdy and already rather rambunctious,” Susannah said to him, smiling.

  Nick walked to the bed and sat down, a sense of awe filling him, just as it had when Gabriel and Clare had been born. It never ceased to amaze him.

  Susannah handed his son to him, and Nick gratefully took him. “What shall we call him?”

  Just then Gabriel and Clare knocked at the door, poking their heads in. “May we come see the baby, Papa?”

  “Yes, of course. Come and meet your new brother.”

  “A brother? Hear that, Clare? It’s a brother!”

  Clare’s eyes were full of the same wonder that Nick felt. Susannah showed her how to hold a finger out for the baby to grasp, and she laughed.

  “What will we call him, Papa?” Gabriel asked.

  But it was Clare who answered. “We should name him after Uncle Alex.”

  Gabriel agreed. “Good idea, Clare. If it weren’t for Uncle Alex, Mama could never have married Papa, and we wouldn’t be a family today.”

  Nick looked at Susannah. “What do you think? Alexander Daventry?”

  Susannah smiled. “Little Alex, I think we’ll call him.”

  Nick liked the idea of honoring his friend.

  But to tell the truth, Nick didn’t really care what they called his new son.

  It just mattered that he was here, a part of him and of Susannah and of Gabriel and Clare too.

  A family.

  His family.

  ***

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  Thank you!

  A huge thank you to Leslie Wagner, who made me start writing so I could go with her to RWA chapter meetings. I would literally not be doing this if it weren’t for you. Nor would the book be as strong, were it not for your critique. Thank you to Dori Harrell, with Breakout Editing. I really appreciate your patience and advice. Thanks to Jenny Quinn at Historical Editorial for the cover art. And thank you to Jenny Thomas for the portrait session. You are fabulous!

  Author Bio

  Photo © Jenny Thomas

  From a young age, Aubrey Grayson devoured books with alarming alacrity. Ignoring her mother’s pleas of “Come and watch TV with us!”, her most frequently uttered response was “Just let me finish this chapter!” She dreamed that one day, she could write stories just as entertaining as the ones she found at her local library. When a middle school teacher informed her that her writing suffered in comparison, little Aubrey gave up on the dream of living a life full of words, and found solace in something she discovered she liked just as much – numbers! As she grew, she eventually embarked on a career in corporate finance, complete with a shiny, expensive MBA. But as God is wont to do, He pulled her off this path a few years in, and gave her back her dream of writing. She hopes you enjoy reading her work at least as much as she enjoyed writing it, which is to say – a lot! Aubrey Grayson lives in Texas with her own Prince Charming, and three not-so-little children.

  Please visit her online at https://www.facebook.com/AubreyGraysonWrites/