Epilogue
Kemptown Brighton, Eight months later
“This way, Lottie. We’re nearly… No, keep your eyes closed, but mind the curb. That’s it. Just a little farther.”
“This is all quite mysterious, Armitage.” Lottie stumbled along gamely, clinging to her husband’s arm. “I can’t imagine a tiny peek will spoil the surprise.”
“Patience, my love. We’re nearly there. Eyes closed, if you please, Mrs. Hart.”
“I can’t imagine what it could be.”
“Of course not.” Armitage chuckled. “If you could, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
“You know, you’re a great deal trickier than I ever imagined.”
“Nonsense. I haven’t got a single trick up this sleeve, I assure you.”
“Hmmm.” Whatever the surprise was, Armitage had been working on it for months, all without dropping even a hint about what it might be. All he would say was that the idea had come from her, and he hoped she’d be pleased with it.
She would be. That went without saying. Everything he did pleased her.
Percy and Jenny knew what the surprise was. Neither of them could keep a secret to save their lives, but they’d both been uncharacteristically cagey about this. Their only reply was she’d find out in due time, and that she should be ashamed of herself for trying to spoil the surprise.
In other words, there were utterly useless.
Between the three of them and their whispering and secrets they’d been driving her mad for months.
“There are four steps in front of you.” Armitage guided her toward a short staircase, his hand resting on the curve of her waist to keep her steady.
“Can I open my eyes yet?” If she didn’t find out soon she was going to burst!
“Not quite yet.” He pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “A few more steps.”
Wooden floorboards thumped underneath their feet, followed by the click of a doorknob turning then the muted whoosh of a door opening.
And then…silence.
But not the usual sort of silence. It was the silence of a held breath, that moment of fleeting stillness just before the breath was released in a deafening sneeze or a raucous laugh.
There were people inside. All of them were doing their utmost to keep quiet, but the air around her was positively throbbing with anticipation.
“Can’t I look now? Please, Armitage? I’ve been ever so patient.”
There was a muffled snort from somewhere to her left, then Armitage’s voice in her ear, warm with laughter. “My dearest girl, you haven’t been patient in the least. On the contrary, you’ve been teasing me for months now. You’ve been a perfect menace.”
“A menace! I have no idea what you mean. I never teased—”
“Did you, or did you not try and follow me here on at least six different occasions?”
He’d caught her every time anyway, so it really didn’t count, did it? “Those were coincidences!”
“Six coincidences?”
“I just happened to be in the same place at the same time as you, that’s all.”
There was a second snort, and she turned on the offender with a huff. “If you think I don’t know that’s you, Percy, you’re sadly mistaken. I’d know your snort anywhere.”
“Never mind.” Armitage smothered another chuckle. “Another three steps, and all shall be revealed.”
Three steps later the floorboards gave way to a carpet so lush and thick the heels of her shoes sank an inch into it, and there was a flicker behind her eyes that hinted a lamp was burning nearby.
“There, here we are. Now you may open your eyes.”
At last! Her eyelids sprang open, and the first thing she saw was Percy, Jenny, and Duncan standing before her, their faces wreathed with beaming smiles.
“Welcome to Hart’s Lodging House!” Jenny cried, unable to hold her tongue a minute longer.
Hart’s Lodging House? What in the world? “We have a lodging house?”
“We do now!” Jenny waved her hand around the room, her face alight with excitement. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“I… Yes, indeed! It’s lovely.”
And it was lovely. The sun was on the verge of sinking beneath the horizon, but a half-dozen lamps were lit, casting a warm glow around the room, and the pleasing scent of beeswax permeated the room.
They were standing in what appeared to be an entry hall, but it was an unusually spacious one with large windows that looked out onto St. James’s Street.
They weren’t right on the channel, but from one corner of the left window she caught a glimpse of the sunset playing on the waves.
The walls had been freshly painted in a soothing sage green, and the trim a soft white.
“You must come and see the drawing room, Lottie.” Percy grabbed her hand and led her into the adjacent room, the others following them. “Just look at the fireplace! Isn’t it magnificent?”
She gasped. “Oh, my goodness.”
It was a massive, floor-to-ceiling affair that might have been out of place in a smaller room, but this room ran the entire length of the house. Why, it must have been three times the size of the entryway.
And the stone… She smoothed her palm over the carved mantelpiece. It was all one piece, done in the same pale gold stone as Hart’s Ace. Goodness, it must have cost a fortune, but it would certainly keep the lodging house guests warm on the cool fall evenings.
“It was the boss’s idea.” Duncan cast an admiring glance at Armitage. “It looks just right, eh?”
Lottie glanced at him, dazed. “I—yes, indeed. It’s beautiful.”
“There are eight bedchambers.” Percy ran to the back of the house, pausing at the bottom of a grand staircase led to the second and third floors. “I’ve tested the beds in every one of them. You won’t believe how comfortable they are. Come and see, Lottie.”
“Perhaps in a moment, Percy.” Armitage was watching her, reading every shift of her emotions as easily as words on a page. It was staggering how well he knew her after only a year.
“You three go on upstairs. We’ll follow in a moment.” He gave Percy a hearty pat on the back. “I believe your sister is a bit overwhelmed.”
“Just a bit, yes.” A lodging house was the last thing she’d expected, and she hardly knew where to look first.
It was wonderful, of course! It was just… Well, it didn’t make much sense.
Armitage had never said a word about wanting to open a boarding house, but lately he hadn’t been spending as much time at Hart’s Ace as he used to. Oh, he was still the face of the club, but he left Percy and Duncan to manage the day-to-day business.
Perhaps he’d grown bored and wanted another challenge.
Still, a boarding house? What did Brighton need with another boarding house? One couldn’t swing a dead cat in Kemptown without hitting the proprietor of some lodging house or other.
She’d never say so, of course. She wouldn’t hurt Armitage’s feelings for the world.
He’d been working on this surprise for months, ever since she, Percy and Jenny had left Brighton at the end of February.
It had broken her heart to leave him behind after their allotted two weeks were done. She’d known she loved him even then. They spent every moment of those two weeks together, but she’d made herself return to Bethnal Green as they’d planned, because…well, what else could she do?
He was handsome, wealthy and brilliant, and she was a tart-tongued seamstress with a history of thievery and without two pence to rub together. What possible future could the two of them have?
Rather a lovely one, as it turned out.
Not two days after they’d returned to their tiny cottage in Bethnal Green, Armitage had appeared on their doorstep and solemnly asked Percy for his permission to court her.
They’d been married six months ago. Brighton was their permanent home now, and she was happier than she ever imagined she could be. Jenny had chosen to come with them, and Percy was well again, and she had nothing left to wish for.
“There’s one more thing you should know.” Armitage settled onto the settee beside her and took her hand. “This isn’t the usual sort of lodging house. It’s not like the others in Brighton.”
“It’s not?”
“No. That is, it is a lodging house, but I don’t wish people to pay for staying here.”
“Not pay?” She’d never heard of such a thing. “I don’t understand. How will you ever turn a profit if you don’t charge your guests?”
“This isn’t a business, Lottie. It’s for those whose health depends on the cure who otherwise couldn’t afford to come to Brighton.
The vast improvement in Percy’s health just during those two weeks in February was…
” He trailed off, shaking his head. “One’s health shouldn’t depend on the weight of the coins in your purse. ”
Oh, the dear, dear man! A thousand words rushed to her lips—words of love, of thanks, of gratitude—but only one made it past her lips.
Yet it was the only word that mattered.
“Armitage,” she whispered, her eyes burning with tears.
What could she say in the face of such a love as this? It wasn’t even that he knew her so well. That was part of it, of course, but what touched her so deeply was that the things that mattered to her, the things she cherished and held closest to her heart, now mattered to him, too.
Her dreams and hopes and joys were now his, just as his were now hers.
“None of that, sweet.” He stroked his thumb under her left eye, catching a tear there. “I’d hoped this would make you happy.”
“You make me happy.” She brought his hand to her lips and pressed a fervent kiss to his knuckles. “So happy, Armitage.”
“My love,” he whispered back, cradling her face in his hands. “Your happiness matters more to me than anything else.”
She eased closer to him, her fingertips tracing his lips. Such full, firm lips and as soft as rose petals. Who could ever have guessed such a stern gentleman could have such soft lips?
But he’d never been stern with her, had he?
He buried his hands in her hair with a groan, his tongue slipping between her lips to tangle with hers. She opened to him at once, just as she always did, her breath quickening and her head dizzy with love and desire.
It was always like this with him. He had only to look at her, and she was ready to melt into a puddle at his feet.
And his hands! The touch of his big, gentle hands on her skin made her ache.
It might have been a touch embarrassing to love her husband as much as she did if he hadn’t been equally besotted with her, but his every look, his every touch spoke of the deep love he had for her.
How had she ever gotten so lucky?
“September is a lovely time in Brighton.” She rested her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh. “Do you suppose we can secure any guests before fall is over?”
“Indeed, it’s already taken care of. We have two guests arriving tomorrow, and four more next week.”
“Two guests arriving tomorrow! So soon as that?” She leapt to her feet. “Why, we’ve a thousand things to do! We’ll need linens and teacups and saucers and… Goodness, what will we feed them?”
“Everything’s been done already, from the teacups and saucers to the fresh currant scones for breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“Jenny’s idea?”
“Yes. She’s a marvel, isn’t she? She’ll make a wonderful proprietress.”
“Jenny’s to be the proprietress?” Lottie clapped her hands, delighted. “It’s perfect! Why, there’s not a single person in all of England who knows better how to take care of others than Jenny.”
“No, indeed. It’s as if she was made for it. She has her own private quarters upstairs and may come and go just as she pleases. Her rooms overlook the sea.” He frowned. “Did Percy just say he tested every bed? I do hope he didn’t roll about on Jenny’s.”
“I daresay he did. Shall we go upstairs?” She held out her hand to him.
His large, warm fingers curled around hers. He rose to his feet, pulling her close. “You do know how much I love you, do you not, Mrs. Hart?”
She gazed into his soft gray eyes, her heart nearly too full for words. “No more than I love you.”
He caught a lock of her hair in his hand. “How do you know?”
“Oh well, that’s simple.” She laid her palm against his cheek, losing herself in those deep gray eyes. “No one could possibly love anyone more than I love you. You’re my heart, Armitage.”
His eyes were soft as he smiled down at her. “Then I have nothing else to wish for.”