He smiled when she came over to sit on his lap.
He had taken off all but his trousers and shirt that was now unbuttoned down the front to expose much of his chest. She settled cozily against him, resting a hand atop the light spray of hair across his chest.
The silver of his eyes captured the golden glow of firelight so that he looked devilishly handsome as he welcomed her into his embrace. “The note is done and will be delivered to my mother in the morning. We’ll see if she responds.”
“I’m proud of you, love.”
She sighed. “I would reserve judgement, if I were you. YourSassenachwitch of a wife might still make a mess of the reconciliation.”
He gave a deep, rumbling chuckle. “First of all, my wife is a gem and not a witch. She is also exceptionally clever. She can do anything she puts her mind to doing.”
“I am sure you are referring to a wife you may have had in a prior lifetime,” she said with a light laugh. “You cannot possibly be referring to me.” But she paused a moment to kiss him, loving the warmth of his lips as they covered hers. She tasted the wine he had been drinking, just a hint of its full-bodied, fruitiness. “Thank you, Octavian. You always have a kind word for me.”
“Because you are that special, Syd.”
“I’m not sure my mother will agree. I don’t think she will be all that thrilled to see me. She never is. But one can only hope her opinion of me will improve now that I am married to you and you have a lot of money.”
He kissed her on the nose. “Aha,” he teased, “I knew you only married me for my wealth. The truth finally comes out. You went about it very cleverly, too. Never asking me for so much as a shilling. Never complaining about our accommodations as we traveled throughout Scotland. Berating me for insisting on acquiringfivegowns for you when you only wanted two.”
“Dare I point out that you spent a fortune on my father.”
“But I got you in the bargain, and it is the best bargain I have ever made. I love you, Syd.”
A pang tore through her.
She loved him, too.
She loved him so much, she ached with it. But the feeling of dread once again seized her and would not let go of her now. Something was going to happen when she saw her parents, something awful that would have her losing this man she loved with all her being.
This fear sent prickling sensations up her spine.
Was this real? Or was she simply going mad?
Three days later, she walked up the steps of the Harcourt townhouse, her legs feeling as heavy as blocks of granite. Her father’s reception would be warm because Octavian had since taken care of the vowels owed to Sir Henry. He had paid them over to that villain’s brother who turned out not to be a villain at all and agreed to cancel the debt upon repayment of a mere thirty percent of it. “Henry had no moral scruples,” the brother had told Octavian. “I do not know who was cheated and who was not, but I suspect not all of these vowels were honestly acquired. I have no way of knowing which were and which were not. I expect he cheated most, for this is the manipulative, evil man he was. I would forgive every last debt if I could. But there is a cost to cleaning up his affairs and putting the Maxwell businesses back in legitimate order. So, I must ask for a thirty percent settlement. I think this is fair.”
Octavian had agreed and settled the account.
Syd knew he intended to set aside the remaining seventy percent and use it to assist her parents when her father ran up more debts, which he inevitably would. The only question was how soon and how much?
Her mother ought to have been pleased by the outcome, but Syd knew that she would not be. It was not in her nature ever tobe satisfied. She would find a reason to ignore the fact they had been saved from ruin by Octavian’s generosity.
“Good afternoon, Stanford,” she said with a smile when the Harcourt butler opened the door of her former residence to find her standing on the other side of it.
“Lady Sydney!” His stoic expression melted away as he cast her a beaming smile in return. “What a joy it is to see you again.”
That he appeared genuinely surprised only meant her parents had neglected to inform the staff of her visit. “Typical,” she muttered under her breath, for there was nothing prepared to receive a guest, even though the arrangements had been made several days ago. Her mother was aware of the date and time agreed upon for her visit.
Had she bothered to tell her father?
Syd began to doubt herself, and now wondered whether she ought to have sent a note off to him, too.
She should have done so, she realized.
Those two moved about the household like two wraiths passing in the night. They rarely spoke to each other. Rarely acknowledged the other was there. Mostly, it was her mother who ignored them all. Her father often tried to be affable.
This meeting would be their first after she had married, but her mother would not care, nor would she rejoice in her daughter’s happiness. Her mother had never viewed her role as one of bringing the family together.
Syd chided herself again.
