Epilogue
Happy by Design
Hetty blinked, her fingers tightening on the thick, expensive paper. She refused to cry. Silently, she folded the letter and tucked it away. It didn’t matter. She had known it would come to this.
If she could make her choices again and do any of it differently, she would not change a thing.
She had won the man she loved, a man who adored her, and if her father could not esteem Gideon because he had no title, no power, and the audacity to work for his own future, then he was the fool.
He had disowned her, cut her off, and she regretted nothing.
“You were right, of course. I ought to have burned it,” she said, giving a rueful sniff.
Cilly put her arm about her shoulders and hugged her.
“What do you care, love? You have a wonderful husband who looks at you as though you are a star fallen to earth just for him, your future is bright, the ballroom will be finished on schedule, and everyone will see how fabulously talented he is. You have everything before you that you ever wanted, and all our father has is his wretched title and that great empty palace.”
Hetty gave a choked laugh and leaned into Cilly. “You always know the exact right thing to say.”
“Well, that’s because I am perfectly perfect,” Cilly replied with a little sniff.
“Yes, I do believe you are,” Hetty said, gazing at Cilly with admiration. The realisation that Cilly’s time was running out made it impossible to smile for long, though. “Cilly—”
Cilly held up a hand. “No. Don’t. I don’t wish to speak of it.
Getting to her feet, Cilly brushed the sand from her skirts and began walking back up the beach towards the little dog cart.
Hetty hurried after her. Gideon was hard at work getting everything ready so that the ballroom and foyer were ready in time for Mrs King and Hetty and the army of staff they had hired to set up for the grand opening.
Between the joy of married life with Gideon and the rush to help however she could to ready everything for the grand ball, Hetty had seen little of her sister, but she realised now that Cilly would be gone from her life soon.
Not dead, not overseas, but snatched away all the same, to live what was likely to be a wretched existence somewhere in the wilds of Cumbria.
“Cilly! I can’t let you marry that horrid old man,” she called after her sister. “Gideon and I have discussed it, love, and once we are settled, you can come and live with us. You have mama’s money, and I’m sure—”
“Hetty!” Cilly turned on her, hands on hips, irritation and exasperation glinting in her eyes.
Hetty stopped in her tracks. Cilly rarely lost her temper and was always such a peaceful presence in Hetty’s life that when she did, Hetty found it rather daunting.
Cilly let out a breath and looked up at the sky for a moment, either praying for deliverance or trying to decide what to say. Hetty suspected the first option until Cilly turned to her with a smile. She walked closer and settled her hands lightly on Hetty’s shoulders.
“Do you trust me, love?”
“Of course!” Hetty exclaimed, wondering how she could think otherwise.
“And do you think me witless, or weak?”
“No! Cilly, how can you—”
Cilly pressed a finger to her lips. “Then do me the courtesy of leaving me to arrange my fate as I see fit. I am not helpless, I promise you. You and Gideon are so very kind, but you do not want to begin your lives together with your spinster sister underfoot and I do not wish to be there.”
Hetty gazed at her. There was that steely glint in her sister’s eye again, the one that made Hetty’s heart skip with anxiety.
Yet she was a woman grown, she knew her own mind, and was neither witless nor weak.
All the same, it was hard to leave her gentle sister to her fate and do nothing to help her.
“If you need me,” she blurted.
“Oh, Hetty.” Cilly pulled her into a hug. “If I need you, I know you will drop everything and come running, and that is the greatest blessing. But you have a husband now, a life of your own, and I… well, I might just surprise you one of these days.”
Hetty pulled back, looking into Cilly’s unusual golden eyes. “Oh?”
Cilly let her go with a secretive smile. “Come along, Hetty. We’ve things to do.” With that, she left Hetty standing with an ominous sensation of impending trouble building in her chest.
“What does that mean?” Hetty demanded, hurrying after her. “Cilly! What does that mean?”
But Cilly would not speak another word about it.
The Grand Hotel Ballroom, Little Valentine, East Sussex, 3rd September 1816
Gideon looked around the elegant ballroom, pride swelling in his chest.
“That’s it, Sir, we’re all done,” Mr Ludlow called across the enormous space, his voice echoing.
Gideon turned and strode to meet him.
Ludlow swiped off his hat, beaming at him. “All clean and shipshape it is. We’ve screened off the areas still under construction and boarded off the top of the stairs like you said, so no drunken lords can go exploring and break their necks on the unfinished floors.”
“Good man, Ludlow. You’ve done me proud, you and all the men.
I’ve spoken to Mr King, and he’s agreed everyone will get a bonus for the fine work you’ve done, especially in these last weeks.
Do you know how rare it is for any building job to come in on time and on budget, let alone one of this size and complexity? ”
Ludlow laughed, rubbing a hand through his hair.
“Aye, Sir. I’ve been in this trade, man and boy, I have, and I know it well.
If I might say so, too, it’s your triumph.
I’ve worked with a lot of architects in my time, and I know a good one from a bad one.
You’re one of the best, if I might remark it, and that ain’t no pretty lie to endear myself, for you know I don’t hold with that.
I’ll look forward to continuing to work with you and that’s the truth. ”
Gideon blinked, rather stunned by such praise from a man who was never shy about complaining or telling him he was talking out of his arse. “Thank you, Mr Ludlow, that’s… well, that’s a fine compliment and I appreciate it.”
Ludlow grinned and shook his hand. “That being the case, Sir, mind if we knock off now. It’s almost close of day and the boys are fair gasping for a pint.”
Gideon laughed, slapping Ludlow on the back. “Indeed. Away with you and have the first one on me. You may get the proprietress to send me the bill.”
Ludlow grinned at him. “Very decent of you. I will do.”
Gideon nodded and returned to contemplating the great space as Ludlow’s footsteps faded, only to be replaced a moment later.
“It’s everything you promised it would be.” The deep voice reverberated around the room and Gideon turned with a relieved smile.
“Good afternoon, Mr King,” he said, hurrying to shake his employer’s hand.
King nodded, his grip firm as they shook, but not overly so. This man was perfectly confident of his own power and his reputation preceded him. He did not need to make his point with a bruising handshake.
“You’re pleased, then?”
Mr King laughed. “More to the point, my wife is delighted, so yes. I am extremely pleased. Though seeing this only makes me increasingly impatient to see the rest of the building complete, and the worker’s village too.”
Gideon let out a huff of amusement. “Can we just enjoy this moment of success for a few seconds longer?”
King slanted him a wicked grin that Gideon suspected had caused many a man nightmares in years past. “For a few seconds,” he allowed.
They walked around the space in silence for a little while before Gideon decided he needed to know what fate had in mind for their thieves. “What have you decided to do, about Ridley and Mark?”
“Why have them tossed into the sea, tied and bound to a large rock,” he said lightly, and then snorted at the look in Gideon’s eyes, which must have been one of profound horror.
Gideon swallowed an oath as he realised the devil was winding him up. “Funny, Mr King. Most amusing,” he said dryly.
King chuckled. “Forgive me. I could not resist, and I believe you may call me Jasper. For your information, Mr Ridley had been handed over to the authorities. Mark, however, shows signs that he is not a complete pillock, only an arrogant young devil who made some wrong decisions. I have put him in the hands of men I believe will teach him that stealing from me is not advisable—don’t look so shocked, they’ll not hurt him.
They will also continue to teach him his trade, however, and he will be the better for it.
You’ll see him again one of these days, have no fear. ”
Gideon let out a breath. “That’s very decent of you. I’m glad.”
King nodded. “The hotel is my wife’s dream, but I wanted to do something for those people who no one else seems to give a damn about, to give them opportunities, chances to thrive, not just survive.
I’d be a bloody hypocrite to condemn Mark when I was far worse at his age.
Ridley, however, is a man grown, a liar and conniving little shit, and moreover, I didn’t like him. ”
“Neither did I,” Gideon replied with a shrug.
King nodded.
“Mr King—Jasper, the men are all going to the Dog and Duck for a pint? Do you fancy—”
Jasper grinned, his eyes glinting. “I thought you’d never ask.”
The Mermaid Hotel, Little Valentine, East Sussex, 3rd September 1816
Hetty looked around the beautiful terrace with delight before turning to Mrs King.
“Oh, what a lovely surprise!” she said, regarding the tables laid with plates of delectable food and champagne chilling in ice buckets.
“I thought we had all earned a little celebration of our own before the grand ball. There’s a lot of work still to do but everyone is ready to go, so I thought an evening to catch our breaths was just the thing.
Supposing that my husband remembers he is supposed to bring Mr Bramwell back here before seven. ”
“You might be lucky. I saw them over an hour ago, went into the Dog and Duck, they did,” Mrs Fairway said with a sniff of disapproval.