“Pardon me,” a voice said, and Juliet turned to see Daniel join her. “I wanted to ask a lady of the ton a question.”
Juliet giggled. “You may ask,” she replied. “What guidance might I be able to give you?”
“Would my cap impress a lady as beautiful as yourself?” he asked with a grin.
Juliet reached up and grabbed his cap from his head. “It is a lovely cap made of the finest fabric. However, I believe your handsomeness does not come from what you wear.” She replaced the hat as if to punctuate her words.
He wrapped an arm around her. “Our future’s out there waiting for us,” he said, waving his hand to encompass the entire east. “And I’ve never been more excited. But whether we are in France or Spain or Scotland, it doesn’t matter to me. As long as the woman I love is with me, then that is where my future lies.”
She smiled at him and snuggled in close. “You are right. It is not where one goes but rather with whom a person goes that matters.”
They kissed, and what a wonderful kiss it was! The tale of the lady of the ton and her handsome stable boy was a strange one. A couple separated at first by class and then again by jealousy came together again, creating a force so great that either would do anything to save the other. And now they had been given a chance to begin anew.
And as her mother had said, the fire they shared raged between them, growing brighter as their hearts filled with love for one another.
A love that would last a lifetime. Or even longer.
Epilogue
Scarlett Hall 1810
For over two years, peace had settled upon Scarlett Hall, even if the cost of that peace had been great. Gone was Juliet, and although Eleanor received several letters, they had all been signed as Mrs. Parkinson, the name Daniel had taken after being pronounced dead by the magistrates.
No one had come searching for information concerning Mr. Josiah Parker, for none but the servants at Caprice Hill Estates knew he had been in Rumsbury the night of the terrible fire that had killed Lord Rowe. The last anyone knew, Mr. Parker had left the estate the week prior after concluding his business with Lord Rowe and several of his business partners.
Eleanor turned and smiled as her daughters sat with their husbands and their children in the drawing room. Hannah – her husband John beside her – held their daughter, Madalene, who had just turned one year. Like her mother, the girl enjoyed books, evident by the tiny children’s tome she had clutched in her small hands.
Annabel sat beside her husband Edward. Each held one of their twin daughters, Barbara and Bridget, on his or her lap. Both girls had their mother’s blond hair as well as her sweet spirit, but in their eyes was the twinkle of mischievousness that they inherited from their father.
Then there was Isabel, who sat beside Laurence and Elly, who was now four and as prim and proper as her mother. In Isabel’s arms was Thomas. The tiny babe, who would grow to take over the dukedom years from now, was an exact likeness of his father with his dark hair and eyes.
There were two empty chairs – one meant for Daniel and the other for Juliet, who Eleanor missed dearly. It was Juliet who twice had saved their home, paying the price each time for doing so. Now she was forced to live abroad until the day she would be able to return without the anxiety of someone learning that Daniel still lived.
Yet, as sadness threatened to take away her joy, Eleanor’s smile widened as her son, Nathaniel, walked toward her. The boy was now a man, tall at seventeen, and soon he would take his rightful place as Baron Lambert of Scarlett Hall.
“Mother, are you well?” he asked, concern etching his features. “Do you need to rest? Can I get you something to eat or a glass of wine?” With his dark hair and kind blue eyes, he was the image of his father. “It is Juliet you miss, is it not?”
“I do miss her,” Eleanor replied. “It is difficult to think it has been so long since I last saw her, and I have no idea when I will again.”
“Well, when the day comes and she returns, we shall hold the greatest and biggest celebration Scarlett Hall has ever seen!” Then he leaned forward and whispered, “Now come, Mother, and watch as I tease Hannah!”
“Nathaniel!” Eleanor admonished, but the boy had already hurried over to his sister. A few moments later, Hannah gasped and a chorus of laughter echoed in the room.
Eleanor set her teacup on a nearby table and went to join her daughters. Soon, one baby was placed in her arms, removed, and replaced by another child. For hours, the Lambert family enjoyed one another’s company, the love of her children and grandchildren taking away much – yet not all – of her pain.
When everyone went to change for dinner, Nathaniel remained behind. “There is something that I have been wanting to discuss with you,” he said, his cheeks reddening. “When I return to finish my final courses this summer, I hope to gain more than an education.”
Eleanor raised her brows. “Oh? Do you hope to buy some property or invest in some venture you learned about in your studies?”
Nathaniel gave her a sheepish grin. “No, Mother. It is not property or even a new coat. It is a young lady who has caught my eye. Her name is Harmony.”
As Eleanor listened to her son share the wonderful merits of the girl in whom he had a great interest, it occurred to Eleanor just how much time had truly passed. She was no longer the young woman who first arrived at Scarlett Hall all those years ago. Her hair was now more silver than blond and the lines around her eyes were more apparent. She was growing tired and her body ached. And now, her youngest child, her Nathaniel, had found an interest in a young woman.
“I have no doubt you will succeed in your endeavor,” she assured him.
“I do hope so,” he replied. “She is everything I wish a wife to be, and she says I am the same for her.”
As they made their way to the dining room, the sounds of laughter - and more than one admonishment for behavior - came to Eleanor’s ears. She took her seat at the head of the table and looked at all of her children and their children. A new generation had come to Scarlett Hall, and one day, when Nathaniel was married, new voices would fill its rooms once more.
And perhaps, finally, the Secrets long buried within the walls of the grand home would remain there. Forever.
That was what she hoped.
Author's Note
I hope you have enjoyed the Secrets of Scarlett Hall thus far, beginning with Isabel’s Story in Whispers of Light, followed by that of Hannah, Echoes of the Heart. Then we learn more about Juliet in Voices of Shadows Past and Annabel in Silent Dreams. A new character, Miss Rose Skylark is introduced in Songs of Yesterday. We then learn more about Amelia Parker, daughter of Eleanor’s sister, in Vows of Honor. Next, Juliet returns to Scarlett Hall in Ballad of the Innocents.
More secrets are revealed in the next installment of the Secrets of Scarlett Hall Series, Harmony of the Soul, which will recount Nathaniel and Harmony’s story of finding love.
And don’t forget the prelude, A Lady’s Promise, which is Eleanor’s story. You can download it for free from my website: www.jennifermonroeromance.com
Jennifer Monroe lives part time in the state of New York and part time in Colorado and dedicates her time to her writing and her husband and two daughters.
She writes Regency romances with heart! Stories of second chances with dashing dukes and ladies in distress, each turn of the page promises an adventure in love.
Not sure where to begin? Download her free ebook, A Lady’s Promise, from her website and have it delivered to your inbox today!
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Ballad of the Innocents Page 22
