Epilogue
October, 1818
“L ook out!” a boy called out in warning as he raced toward Chase, leather ball firmly tucked beneath his arm. A gaggle of boys ran after in pursuit to keep him from reaching the goal and earning a prize.
Chase easily side-stepped out of the way and laughed as the children raced past, his chest swelling with pride as Thomas ran along with them, not afraid to keep pace with the older boys.
He stopped on the lawn to survey the party spread out across the castle’s lower gardens and was unable to keep from grinning at the sight. Every inch of the grounds teemed with families and children, villagers and tenants, and well-wishers from Weymouth, all there to celebrate the opening of the Cuillin Boys Academy.
Everyone on the estate had gone all out for the celebration, hosting an autumn fair and open house to which it seemed they’d invited half of England. Good. Because he wanted the new military school for foundling and orphaned boys to garner a solid reputation from the very start, and he couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate its first year than by throwing open wide the castle’s doors. He wanted everyone to know this was a special place, where boys who seemingly had no future could be given a foundational education before finding good positions with the army and navy. Here, they would earn a chance at new lives.
Based on the amount of laughter and smiles from the visitors, they agreed. Tables lined the lawn, covered with white cloths and plates of sandwiches of all kinds, little cakes, biscuits, and sugared fruits. Groups of children and brave adults had gathered on the grass to form games, and a string quartet played on the terrace. All the doors of the castle had been opened wide to let in both fresh air and curious guests, who were encouraged to tour the new classrooms, dining hall, and dormitories formed from the castle’s old rooms, most of which had sat empty and unused for far too many years.
Now, instead of thoughts of ghosts and devils prowling the castle, children’s shouts and laughter rang through its stone halls. Exactly as it should be.
Today also marked his first wedding anniversary with Tessa.
His gaze found her in the crowd, chatting near the terrace with the Duchesses of Dartmoor and Crewe. His chest filled with love at the sight of her.
Since their wedding last year, she had come to fill the hole in his life, being both support and counsel and helping to carve out a new future together. It hadn’t all been easy. Thomas had taken longer to adjust to being away from the Fishers than Chase had hoped, and although Thomas saw Tessa as taking on the role of his mother, she had been hesitant in her devotion to Eleanor’s memory to step completely into that role. Only recently had she stopped feeling guilty whenever Thomas called her Mama. Oh, she would always be careful to not let the world think she’d usurped Eleanor’s life, but the love Chase and Thomas both held for her—and the love and devotion she gave them in return—made her life here easier by the day, their futures even brighter.
Tessa looked up and met his gaze across the lawn, and a slow, almost devilish smile tugged at her lips. She tried to hide it by taking a sip of champagne, but he saw it and gave her a lazy grin in return that made her cheeks flush in a lovely pink.
“Congratulations,” Devlin told him as he came up beside him.
Chase nodded and snatched a glass from the tray of a passing footman. “The academy will be a big success. I’ve heard from friends in London that even people there are speaking approvingly of it.”
“I didn’t mean the school, although it’s a wonderful thing you’ve done with it. All the hard work and money you’ve put into it during the past year truly shows your commitment.” He gestured his glass toward Tessa. “I meant the duchess. Marrying her was the best decision you’ve ever made.”
Chase let out a long breath. “I almost never let it happen.”
“The same with all of us,” Lucien interjected as he and Shay approached and inserted themselves into the conversation, as they were always welcome to do. The four of them weren’t friends. They were brothers. Always would be.
“Speak for yourself,” Shay corrected as nodded toward his wife as she waved ribbons on sticks in the air, drawing invisible pictures on the breeze with a group of young girls whom the boys wouldn’t let play in their ball game. Certain turns tightened her dress against body and revealed a growing belly beneath, showing she was with child, as if her glowing countenance wasn’t enough by itself to give the good news away. “I wanted to marry Sophie more than anything in the world.”
“So she almost never let it happen.” Lucien slapped Shay on the back. “I always knew she was brilliant.”
“In my defense,” Devlin spoke up, “Peyton introduced herself by pointing a pistol at my chest.”
The men laughed, each one gazing lovingly at his own wife.
Chase let his eyes drift around the lawn to take in the sight. All the Cuillin employees he trusted to keep the estate and now the school running smoothly and all the estate villagers who had come to pay their respects intermingled well, including with Weymouth’s upper crust who further peppered the crowd. Lord and Lady Bentley fluttered about the party, speaking to as many people as possible and stirring up donations for the academy wherever they could. Winnie led the smaller children on pony rides around the garden, thrilled to have escaped the lessons of Mrs. Clutchfeld, her new governess and tutor. Although, if truth be told, Winnie had already corrupted the woman, showing her how much fun fighting, shooting, and racing horses could be—all the things proper ladies shouldn’t do. Chase simply couldn’t care that she had. He loved her like a sister and would always forgive her anything.
His eyes rested on Mr. and Mrs. Fisher. Chase had invited them to come work for the academy, overseeing the boys and making them feel both welcomed and loved. Chase and Tessa had already helped the couple to adopt two boys to raise as their own, but they had more than enough love to go around. In the past year, the couple had come to accept that Thomas had a new life here, one that would be far different from the one he would have had with them, yet they continued to love him just the same. And for that, Chase and Tessa loved both of them.
But it was a very special guest who kept drawing his attention.
On the far end of the lawn, stood Anthony Titus. The former ma?tre d’armes who had trained Devlin, Lucien, Shay, and Chase at Eton was giving instructions to the group of schoolboys on how to play their game, and the boys nodded respectfully, absorbing all he told them. He had returned to England at Chase’s behest to direct all the physical activities for the academy and to train the boys just as he had once done for the four old friends who now stood shoulder to shoulder, happily reflecting on their own lives and what had become of them. Chase had persuaded Titus that he needed the man’s help with the boys, but the truth was that he simply wanted his mentor near. The man who had been a true father to him was needed here, if only to be part of Chase’s family.
Just as his best friends were. Together, they had come through the fires of hell and war, and they had survived.
Their pasts could no longer haunt them.