Page 18 of Loving Lysander
Malvern House
Nottinghamshire
The sound ofwheels on gravel drew Lysander’s attention. Seated at his desk, he lifted his head from the ledger and looked out at Malvern’s great portico to see a carriage pulling into the columned entry. From where he sat, he couldn’t quite make out the crest on the carriage door, but the fact there was a crest implied a visit from a peer.
He heaved a sigh.
Since his appearance at Lady Pennington’s gathering, he’d been inundated with invitations of all sorts. And he’d refused every single one. Since he hadn’t invited anyone to Malvern, he could only assume the caller was hoping for some kind of personal audience. The sheer audacity of it forced a curse from his lips and lifted him to his feet.
As he watched, a lady descended from the carriage, her form partially obscured by one of the columns. Odd, that a lady would descend first. Where was her escort? Lysander waited, only to see the footman set a valise on the ground.
“What the devil?” he muttered.
In his mind, he went back eighteen years, to a cold winter afternoon, when another coach had arrived at Malvern. That coach, too, had transported only women. Through trickery and treachery, one of them had become his wife, and his future had been forever changed. Such a thing would never happen again.
“Whoever you are, you can get back in the bloody coach and leave,” he muttered, and returned to his seat.
It wasn’t long till he heard footsteps along the hallway. The door opened and Pinksen appeared, balancing a silver salver on his right hand.
“Your Grace, you have—”
“Tell her to bugger off, Pinksen.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Your Grace?”
“You heard me. Whoever she is, I’m not interested. Get rid of her.”
“Are you sure, Your Grace?”
“Positive.”
The servant stood there for moment, as if uncertain of what to do. “Your Grace, I really think—”
“Are you deaf, man?”
“No, Your Grace.”
“Then do as I say. Get rid of her.”
“Very well, Your Grace. Um, I wonder, though, if I might at least offer the lady some refreshment before sending her on her way.”
Lysander heaved a sigh. “If you must. But I willnotsee her. Is that clear?”
“Very clear, Your Grace.”
“Good.” He reached for his pen and bent over the ledger once more. It was only a matter of minutes before the butler returned. It was all Lysander could do not to hurl the inkwell at him. “What?” he snarled.
“Your Grace, I made it clear to the lady that you do not wish to see her, and she said she understands completely. She declined my offer of refreshment and is, as we speak, getting ready to depart. But she asked me to give you this, and I saw no reason to refuse.”
The man set something on the desk and stepped back. Frowning, Lysander leaned forward and picked up the item between finger and thumb.
A sprig of mistletoe.
He stared at it, hardly daring to believe what it implied. It couldn’t be. Not after what had occurred in the orangery.
But then Pinksen spoke. “The lady said to tell you it is a paradox, Your Grace. A contradiction. Not unlike what happened to her and to you. She said you would underst—”
“Out of the bloody way!” Lysander all but vaulted over the desk and ran out into the hallway. “She mustn’t leave. Cat, wait, please. I didn’t know it was you!”
He ran like the Devil was after him, slowing only when he approached the open door and saw the silhouette of the woman he loved, standing on the threshold. Breathless, he halted a stride away, but never said a word. To have done so would have meant giving freedom to the tears that welled in his eyes.
Instead, he lifted the sprig of mistletoe above his head. Catherine regarded it for a moment, her mouth curving into a smile. Then she stepped forward and into his arms.
Where she belonged.
Epilogue
Lysander and Catherinewere married on the 11thof April 1846, at Myddleton. As society weddings went, it was a small affair, with only family and close friends in attendance. There were those who questioned the union. Lysander, after all, had no direct heirs, and Catherine was considered perhaps a little old to be having children. But they loved each other deeply and had waited a lifetime to be together. Neither could imagine spending the rest of their lives with anyone else.
The End
