O Night Divine A Holiday Collection of Spirited Christmas Tales - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,44

with the holiday upon them, the means to host a feast had been readily available and at least appeared to be somewhat more traditional than the nuptials had been.

Elizabeth stood beside her new husband in the drawing room of Number Ten South Audley Street, surrounded by her daughter, her son-in-law, the Dowager Duchess of Templeton, Lord Highcliff—who was apparently responsible for obtaining the special license which had allowed them to marry so hastily—and Miss Euphemia Darrow, the woman who had provided for Lillian all the things that Elizabeth herself had not been able to do.

But on that morning, the strange combination of gratitude and resentment that Elizabeth normally felt for Miss Darrow was not omnipresent. Instead, looking at the poor woman, Elizabeth felt a kind of sympathy for her. She recognized in Euphemia Darrow the very thing that had plagued her for so long. Loneliness. She could see it in Highcliff, as well. There was a history there between the two of them. It wasn’t revealed in the way they interacted with one another, but in the way they avoided one another. Cautious, no overt snubs, but there was an awareness in each of them of where the other was. It was as carefully choreographed as any dance, the way they stepped aside, excused themselves, and avoided any direct conversation with one another.

“You’re very deep in thought, my beautiful bride,” Oliver observed.

She felt a blush stealing over her cheeks. “I was only thinking what a terrible thing it is to be so mired in unhappiness that you’re unwilling to take a risk… to reach out and make your own happiness.”

“Not everyone has a guardian spirit to guide them to their fated love, Elizabeth,” Oliver reminded her. “We were especially blessed… perhaps because we were both alone for so very long.”

“You never told me about your unhappiness,” Elizabeth pointed out. He knew all the sordid details of her life and she knew nothing of his past, and yet, she still trusted him implicitly. As if she’d been guided to that.

He shrugged. “It’s a very old story. I thought I was in love. She professed to love me, but when a man with greater wealth and prestige appeared on her horizon, I was forgotten quickly enough.”

“And now you’re a marquess,” Elizabeth said. “I’m sure she has regrets.”

He smiled. “Then she can live with them. For I have none. Happy Christmas, Elizabeth.”

“Happy Christmas, Oliver,” Elizabeth said, ignoring the catch in her throat. “And to you, Burney, wherever you may be… Happy Christmas, indeed.”

Burney was leaning casually against a window, observing the happy gathering. He’d done it. It was Christmas Eve and they were far better than just engaged. They’d married! He’d succeeded in his assigned task.

“I’m ready,” he whispered. “I’m ready to show Thomas Danforth the error of his ways!” And exact a little vengeance for my sister. Wisely, Burney kept that bit to himself. While his ulterior motives were hardly a secret in the spirit world, especially among those very persnickety holiday spirits, shouting about them from the rooftops would hardly help his case.

And then he felt the call, that pull which was so similar to the feeling he’d had when given his first assignment to help Miss Burkhart. No, Elizabeth, Lady Whittendon, he corrected. He might not have had the purest motives, but he’d done good work. It was something, Burney reflected, that he should have done more of in life. If he had, he might not be having to make such restitution in the afterlife. With that final thought, Burney simply faded from the room, disappearing into nothingness.

Author’s Note

I hope you enjoyed this tale of Burney’s redemption and a happily ever after ending for Elizabeth Burkhart, Lillian’s mother in Barefoot in Hyde Park. She’d certainly had a very difficult life and deserved some happiness! Burney will be making another appearance later on in the Hellion Club Series as will his sister, Amelia. She might get a happy ending of her own, as well!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Additional Dragonblade books by Author Chasity Bowlin

The Lyon’s Den Connected World

Fall of the Lyon

The Hellion Club Series

A Rogue to Remember

Barefoot in Hyde Park

What Happens in Piccadilly

Sleepless in Southhampton

When an Earl Loves a Governess

The Duke’s Magnificent Obsession

The Governess Diaries

The Lost Lords Series

The Lost Lord of Castle Black

The Vanishing of Lord Vale

The Missing Marquess of Althorn

The Resurrection of Lady Ramsleigh

The Mystery of Miss Mason

The Awakening of Lord Ambrose

A Midnight Clear (A Novella)

Hyacinth

About the Author

Chasity Bowlin lives in central Kentucky with her husband and their menagerie of