The Return of Lord Conistone
Page 26
In the silent house, somewhere, a clock chimed two. But Lucas, holding her tightly, did not want to sleep yet. Not now this woman who was the centre of his world was back in his arms.
And it seemed she felt the same, for she nestled close to him with a little sigh of contentment, her clouds of hair like a rich curtain across his chest and shoulders. She breathed, ‘Tell me. Tell me all your news, my love’.
So he told her, making light of all the hardships and dangers. But she knew. She knew what this man had been through, out of honour, out of duty. Her heart filled with emotion as she listened to his terse account of the long siege of Lisbon. She knew, as she stroked his tired face, that as Wellington’s aide Mr Patterson he’d done his utmost for his country, and more.
When he’d finished, he gathered her in his arms so her cheek was cushioned by his shoulder and murmured, ‘Now tell me about home’.
Gladly, she told him the things she knew he’d want to hear. How the Wycherley and Stancliffe estates were prospering, and how the villagers had drunk to his health on New Year’s Eve.
‘And how are you finding life as the grand Lady Stancliffe, my love?’ He touched the tip of her nose teasingly.
‘Oh, I fulfil my duties exceedingly well!’ she declared archly. Then she laughed, and proceeded to tell him how she’d helped David with the birthing of a foal one night in February, and how she’d only last week made a dozen huge Simnel cakes with Pippa and Cook ready for Eastertide. ‘And in short,’ she concluded, ‘I carry on just as before. Mama is quite appalled!’
‘And I am delighted,’ he told her softly, kissing her forehead, her eyelids, her lips.
This was more than lust—this was true love. Fulfilment. Happiness. Home was wherever Verena was.
At first Verena had been anxious that Stancliffe Manor would be shadowed for her, by painful memories. But then she realised that with Lucas at her side, everything was different. It had also been decided that David and Pippa and their growing family—Pippa was expecting another baby—would move from their farm into Wycherley Hall, for Lady Sheldon, Izzy and Deb much preferred London.
‘Deb and dear Izzy,’ Verena informed Lucas as she nestled closer in his arms, ‘have so many suitors, Lucas, that Mama is near to fainting for joy at every ball they attend!’
‘Are you quite sure you, too, don’t want to enjoy a month or two of London parties, like your sisters, and order endless new gowns?’
She pretended to shudder. ‘Oh, absolutely sure!’
He gave a sigh. ‘I know. You want to get back in time for the spring sowings, is that it?’ he teased.
‘Naturally’. She laughed, taking his hands in hers, caressing those long fine fingers, then looked up at him from under downcast lashes, almost shyly. ‘Lucas, I just want to be with you. Home is wherever you are’.
He enfolded her in his arms and kissed her. ‘I love you so much, Verena. You’ll have to get used to hearing that, again and again. You won’t grow tired of it, will you?’
‘Never,’ she said, laying her head contentedly against his chest and feeling his strong, steady heartbeat. ‘Never, Lucas, my love’.
She curled against him with a little sigh.
Home was indeed being in this man’s arms. The candle had gone out, leaving the room in darkness, but she knew that, at long last, the brightest of futures beckoned, for both of them.
ISBN-13: 9781460349601
THE RETURN OF LORD CONISTONE
© Lucy Ashford 2011
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com