“Which if you recall, we weren’t at the time.” As casually as she could manage, she softly asked, “Are we now, Thomas?”
He gave her a look so warm and compelling, so full of longing, it dispelled all doubts. “Of course we are.”
She felt instant joy at Thomas’s words, yet was suddenly beset with all the reasons why such a union would never work. “But your father disapproves of me.”
“Not for long. Amanda is going to speak to him, if she hasn’t already, and tell him the complete truth about Montague’s death, and that it was in no way your fault. My father will come ‘round. If he does not, it’s his loss, not ours. By the way, I’m amazed at the change in Amanda. Thanks to you, the girl has developed a backbone.”
“That’s all very well and good,” she said, “But I hate to think of facing the Trevlyns again. You know how they dislike me.”
“You will be happy to hear Walter and his family will soon be leaving Aldershire Manor. Before I left, I spoke to Lord Trevlyn. It seems he’s booting them out. They’ll be living on that small piece of land Walter owns. There’s a small cottage there with a nicely thatched roof. With a servant, possibly two, they should be quite comfortable.”
“Lydia Trevlyn in a cottage?” She could hardly picture such a thing. “She’ll be miserable.”
He gave her his lopsided grin. “Do you care?”
She grinned in return. “Of course not, except for Amanda.”
“Never fear, Lord Trevlyn is giving Amanda her Season. The way she’s changed, I’m sure the dandies will be swarming about.”
Evleen was delighted. “Amanda will find her true love in no time.” In the distance, she saw Patrick and was reminded of yet another problem. “But then there’s Patrick and his behavior—”
“Not a problem,” Thomas interrupted firmly. “Lord Trevlyn has told me of the boy’s arrogant conduct. It’s quite normal, under the circumstances. All he needs is a firm hand.”
“Which Lord Trevlyn will never give, I’m afraid.”
“Nor should he. Grandfathers are meant to indulge their grandchildren, not mete out the discipline. The firm hand will come from me.” He gazed fondly at Patrick, playing in the distance. “We’ll get along just fine.” He swung his gaze back to Evleen. “All right, anything else? Or have we covered all your objections?”
She considered a moment. “I can’t think of anything.”
“In that case, it appears it’s time to follow the old tradition.” Thomas leaned a flattened palm against the arch, jammed his other hand into his hip, and jauntily crossed one boot over the other. He lowered his voice to just above a whisper and lightly said, “My dear Miss O’Fallon, in all my life I have never met a woman as beautiful, charming, witty, and entertaining as you, nor one as independent, if not downright obstinate. I love everything about you—the way your face lights when you smile, the sound of your voice and that Irish brogue of yours which, the madder you are, the thicker it gets. I want to hear it all the rest of my life. In fact, ‘love’ is hardly the word, I am mad for you. Will you marry me?” He took a deep breath and stared intensely, waiting for her answer.
“Must I whisper it?” she asked from four feet away, her heart racing.
“Tradition be dammed.” He stepped across the archway and swept her into his arms. “Say it as loud as you like.”
“Yes, I will marry you,” she cried, and would have said more but he crushed her lips with an eager, grateful kiss. Finally she pulled back enough to say, “I thought of something else.”
“And what might that be?”
“I want a long, long visit with my mother.”
“If you like, we shall post the banns in Galway and be married in Ireland.”
“Mama would like that.”
“Really? Didn’t she tell you, never love an Englishman?”
Evleen smiled as she reached to kiss him again. “Mothers can be wrong.”
The end
About the Author
Shirley Kennedy has been writing Regency romances for several years. She is a graduate of the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada with a BSc in Computer Sciences, and she worked for many years as a computer programmer/analyst.
Shirley lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Watch for her latest, a Regency romance titled, The Last of Lady Lansdown, published by Camel Press. Her western romance, Heartbreak Trail, is a historical best seller. Her newest book, a paranormal romance titled Deadly Gamble is about a haunted casino in Las Vegas. It will be released by Inkspell Publishers in June, 2013.