Chapter Twenty-two
Lady Fleur sighed as she watched her daughter sleep. She’d sat by her daughter’s side as she napped. Selena had been sleeping on and off since Gerald had rescued her. It would take a few days for her to regain her strength, and until then, Fleur would be by her side.
“I should have taken better care of you,”
she whispered, smoothing back Selena’s hair. “I should have known that he was an imposter from the beginning and had Ben go for help.”
“ Maman ?”
Selena’s eyelids fluttered open.
“My darling girl. How are you feeling?”
“Better. It’s good to be home.”
“It’s good to have you home.”
“ Maman , please don’t blame yourself.”
“You heard what I said? I thought you were still asleep.”
“Yes, I was just waking up and heard you. None of this was your fault. How were you to know? How were any of us to know that Vern was an imposter. But it’s over now and we can get on with our lives.”
“You are such a brave young woman,”
her mother said, blinking back tears. “I’m so proud of you. So very proud.”
“Oh Maman, I’m proud of you too. He tried to poison you and you survived. If it wasn’t for you insisting that I escape, I still might have stayed there. I guess we proved to ourselves how strong we truly are.”
“Now we’re both crying ma chérie ,”
she said, reaching for a handkerchief and gently wiping her daughter’s tears.
Selena shared with her everything that had happened from the moment she was in the stables to when Gerald and the others rescued her.
“I don’t remember much after that. I think I slept the entire way home.”
“Are you happy here, my darling? Are you happy to be with Gerald?”
“Oh, Maman , I love him so much. I can’t wait to marry him.”
“Good. That fills my heart with joy. I can see how much Gerald adores you too.”
Selena blushed as she beamed at her mother. “He’s everything that I hoped he’d be and more.”
“I’m so happy for you, chérie .”
“Thank you, Maman . Thank you for being such a wonderful mother to me.”
“It has been the greatest joy and privilege of my life, my dear daughter.”
They reminisced for a while sharing happy memories from Selena’s childhood when Phillip was alive and still a strong and vibrant man. Such happy memories.”
“Your papa loved you so much, chérie,”
she said, caressing her daughter’s cheek.
“I know Maman . I loved him too.”
“I remember when you were a little girl, you used to look at him like he’d hung the moon and stars.”
“He did,”
she whispered. “For me, he did. He always will.”
“My darling, there is something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Once you are feeling stronger, and once we have settled Paul and Kat into their new routine here, I’d like to go back to Rose Point to help Percival put the estate back in order. He expressly invited me to help. He said he doesn’t know the first thing about managing an estate and has asked for my assistance.”
Fleur had felt pulled in several directions—should she live here or in London or move back to Rose Point. But Rose Point was her home, and with Selena now safe and in the care of her fiancé, she felt compelled to see to her own circumstances. Of all their properties, Rose Point had always been the one nearest and dearest to her heart. It was the place she and Phillip had claimed as their home. And it was where Selena had been born and raised. “How do you feel about that?”
“I want you to live with us, of course, but I know you will be able to help Cousin Percival, although from what I know of him thus far, I’m certain it would not take long for him to learn all that he needs to know. Then you can come back here and live with us.”
“Well, Percival also has plans to expand the dowager home on the estate to make it more comfortable. I would live at the manor house and help guide him and then when the dowager home is renovated, I decided to move in there.”
“But, Maman , what about when I become enceinte …”
“Darling, nothing could keep from your side with each child you bring into this world. I will come here and stay with you as long as you like.”
She leaned over and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I promise you, my darling, I will always be there for you when you need me. But I know how important it is to have privacy when you are a young married couple. And you will have a ready-made family. Paul and Kat need you and Gerald. And trust me, you will cherish those first years of your marriage, more so without relatives around every day,” she chuckled.
“I have only just met the children, but I am already in love with them. When Gerald told me about them, I wanted to meet them immediately. I cannot believe their mother abandoned them. It is beyond cruel.”
“Darling, not every woman has the love and ability to be a mother. Giving birth to a child does not make you a mother. Raising a child does.”
“But I will always need your guidance.”
“And you will always have it. But I have seen you with those children, so patient and kind. You have that gift, my darling.”
Fleur and Anna had brought the children to visit with Selena as she recuperated. Selena had read to them and taught them songs from her own childhood. The children had been instantly drawn to Selena. Kat had laid her little hand on Selena’s cheek and asked her if she was a fairy princess. And Paul, who had been so stalwart and stoic when they first arrived, had gazed at Selena with such adoration. It had warmed Fleur’s heart.
Selena sighed, “But what about Connery? I thought that you were becoming close friends…”
Fleur felt the heat of a blush stain her cheeks. “Indeed, we have become close. Connery has spoken to Gerald about going to Rose Point as well. He has offered to help guide Percival in estate management. Gerald readily agreed.
From the start, Fleur had been drawn to his Angus — to his strength and sense of honor. Every time she looked at the tall, ruggedly handsome Scotsman, she felt like a young woman, in the first throes of love. At first, she felt a wave of guilt at her growing attachment to Angus. But then she remembered how her late husband had encouraged her to embrace her life after he was gone. They’d had many conversations in those final days after he’d had his heart attack on a hunting trip. She had been so lucky to have been able to say goodbye to her beloved husband. And she had been moved by his wish that she find love again. “We have had a good life, and I have loved you with my heart and soul for all the years we’ve been married,”
Phillip had told her, “But after I’m gone, I want you to keep living...” Fleur had tried to stop him from saying what she knew he was going to say but Phillip had placed a finger on her lips. “Hush, my darling and listen to me. You are a vibrant woman with so much to give. Please do not waste the life God has given you, grieving me for the rest of your days. I want you to find a man who will give you the happiness you deserve.” Fleur had sobbed as she’d lain next to Phillip in those last days. At the time, she could not see a future without him, so embedded was she in her grief, but after Phillip’s passing, as time marched on, she felt the warmth of blessing and wisdom, urging her to live and be happy.
“ Maman , I know how much you loved Papa,”
Selena said bringing Fleur back from her memories, “But I want you to know, that I am so happy for you. Connery is a fine man and I know he makes you happy.”
“Thank you, my darling girl. My heart feels a little lighter to hear you say those words.”
Fleur hugged her daughter and told her she would be back later. Connery had asked her to go for a walk and her heart was aflutter at the thought of spending private with him.
Connery stepped out of the stables and saw her standing a few feet away. Fleur was kneeling as she warmly greeted Dutch. The dog wagged his tail in excitement. “I know just how you feel Dutch,”
he sighed. Fleur looked as pretty as a spring morning. She was wearing a blue gown that made her beautiful eyes sparkle like sapphires. She fairly took his breath away. Now that the worst was behind them, her smiles came more easily, and whenever he heard her tinkling laughter, he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Hell, he’d been attracted to her from the start. The fact that she seemed to enjoy his company left him a little in awe.
“Good afternoon, Fleur,”
he said as he approached her.
“Angus,”
she breathed. A pretty blush stained her cheek s— Ach, but she is beauty.
“You look lovely this afternoon.”
“Thank you.”
“Shall we go for our walk?”
He offered her his arm and they began their stroll, Dutch trotting behind them. Connery wanted to take her to the winter garden that Gerald had planted. Located behind the manor, the garden was visible from Gerald’s study. He claimed he’d wanted something peaceful to look at when he needed a break from tending to his estate ledgers, but Connery knew Gerald wanted to be able to gaze at Selena as she enjoyed the garden. Gerald had begun work on the garden well before Selena arrived but his attention had meandered, with no real direction, but after that fateful night when Selena arrived in the rainstorm, Gerald had thrown himself into finishing the garden. Connery had offered to help the young man, sensing Gerald’s determination to finish it for Selena. Connery had marveled that they’d completed it in record time. Then again, a man could move a mountain if he had to for the woman he loved. Connery felt the same way as he led Fleur to the white bench beneath a jasmine-covered pergola, facing the garden.
“How beautiful! I didn’t realize you had a gardener,”
Fleur said, leaning down and smelling the bounty of white rose-like flowers. “Camellias are one of my favorites.”
Connery grinned. “We do have one, thanks to one of the tenants. But the gardener didn’t do this. Your soon-to-be son-in-law did. He painstakingly searched for flowers that would thrive in winter, including those snowdrops you see over there. (insert what snow drops look like), but it may be a few more weeks before they make their presence known. He had planned to put in pansies before Selena went missing. According to Gerald, he’s recreated a design that his grandfather had created for his grandmother. Gerald told me, he’d spent many days as a young boy learning how to garden from his grandfather.”
“I can see how much love he put into it. The garden is beautiful.”
“I see it as a sign of hope,”
he said in a gruff voice. “Winter brings harsh weather and cold days, but knowing this garden is here makes you realize that life goes on, that no matter how dark and dreary it is, there is still beauty in the world.”
“What a beautiful sentiment,”
she whispered. “You are a man of poetry, Angus Connery.”
He chuckled, “Well, I’m not sure about that, but I thank ye for the compliment.”
“I am in awe of this garden,”
she said. “It seems my son-in-law has an abundance of talents. Is that winter jasmine covering the stone border? We have it growing at Rose Point.” She took a deep breath, inhaling slowly. “This garden is a breathtaking sight with the most glorious scent. And with vibrant pansies and delicate snowdrops, I can only imagine the beauty when it’s all in bloom.”
“Yes, it is jasmine. Except for the pansies, the rest are perennials and will return year after year. I’ll only have the pansies to find,”
he said, laughing. “While admittedly, I helped a wee bit, I do enjoy coming here and I wanted you to see it.”
“Thank you for bringing me,”
she said softly. “Angus, I just want you to know that I am so happy you’re going to be at Rose Point to help guide Percival.”
“As am I. Not because I don’t have faith that the young Bowles is not capable. I’ve only known him a short while, but he seems to be as capable as Gerald. And with everything he’s been through, I am glad to help.”
“But that’s not the only reason why I’m happy you’re going to Rose Point,”
she continued. “I’m happy because I’ll get to spend more time with you.”
Connery reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. He touched his lips to the pulse point on her wrist and felt its fast flutter like the wings of a bird. “That is my fondest wish as well.”
“I spoke with Selena about moving back. I told her you were going as well.”
“And what did she say?”
“She is happy for me. I no longer have to worry about my daughter. She is stronger than I thought, and she has Gerald and now Paul and Kat. They are creating their own little family.”
“Are you saddened that she no longer needs in the way that she used to?”
he asked in a gentle voice.
A tear squeezed out of the corner of her eye, and he caught it with his thumb.
“I was at first. What mother doesn’t grieve when her child grows up and leaves the nest so to speak? But these are tears of joy as well. I know my daughter is happy and in love. And I know that Gerald returns that love. He will make a fine husband.”
“I agree, they are an exceptional couple.”
“I also spoke with Selena about you.”
“Oh…?”
he asked, trying to sound nonchalant, even though his heart was hammering in his chest.
“Yes, do you want to know what we talked about?”
“Do you want to tell me?”
“Angus, you can be quite stubborn sometimes,”
she giggled.
“Is that what you talked about? My stubbornness?”
he chuckled.
“No, I told Selena, how happy I was that you were also going to be moving to Rose Point to help with the estate.”
“Ah, I see.”
“But that’s not all. I also told my daughter how much I cared about you.”
Connery shifted on the bench to look into her eyes. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me to hear you say that. Because I care a great deal for you as well.”
He tipped up her chin and slowly he bent down to claim her lips in a kiss.
“Lady Fleur Bowles?”
he said in a raspy voice after their kiss.
“Yes, Mister Angus Connery,”
she whispered.
“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.”
And then he bent and kissed her again.