by Lori Wick
Then Sunny thought about the feet that someone you love must die in order for that to happen. It was the same in Darhabar. Ahmad Khan would need to die before his oldest son could take the throne. The thought gave Sunny mixed emotions. A feeling of despondency stole upon her and lingered for most of the afternoon.
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brandon watched the motionless face of his grandfather and thought of the precious years he had known him. He let his mind retrace the years to his first remembrance of this man. Brandon had been four at the time, lively and precocious, a trial to nurse and nanny alike. He’d just escaped his nanny, making a clean getaway from the nursery only to charge into the hall and run directly into the long, darkly clad legs of the man now lying in the bed.
Brandon remembered looking up into his face, expecting to see anger and seeing only unspeakable delight. Brandon’s face mirrored the joy when he was then scooped up into his grandfather’s great arms and carried into the library.
An hour of pure bliss followed as Brandon was able to ask all the questions he wanted and touch everything within his reach. But the memories he savored most from that hour so many years ago were his grandfather’s eyes and the love he had seen there.
Those eyes still held love when they looked at Brandon, but now Brandon couldn’t see them. Three days had passed since Brandon had been summoned to Bracken, his grandfather’s home-three days of not seeing the love in his grandfather’s eyes. The sudden thought of never seeing those loving eyes again was so painful that Brandon felt tears fill his own. Brandon prayed as the pain squeezed around his heart.
Tour timing is perfect, Lord, and if You’re taking him today; You’ll give me strength. Ithank You for the years we’ve had and that he
knows Tou. Give each of us the comfort we need to face the days and hours ahead.
Brandon finished his prayer by petitioning God on his mother’s behalf. His mother, Lady Andrea, was in a chair by the window. She was closer to the duke than anyone else on earth, and losing him was going to affect her deeply. As she stared out the second story window at the winterscape below, her eyes were dry but sober at the thought of losing this man who had been more like a father to her than a father-in-law.
With his chin resting on his steepled fingers, Brandon let his gaze roam the room. It was a beautiful suite, not depressing like so many masculine rooms, but manly nonetheless with its heavy, carved furniture and deep green decor. Brandon’s eyes had just taken in the white marble fireplace when something made him look back at his grandfather. The old man was staring at him, his eyes tired but filled with the unwavering love that Brandon had missed so desperately. When Brandon could speak, he did so softly.
“Welcome back.”
“Thank you, Hawk.” The elderly voice was low.
Brandon looked at him for a moment, and then asked the question he knew would be understood.
“Are you slipping away from us, Papa?”
Milton Hawkesbury moved his head on the pillow. “I don’t think so. I don’t feel the pain as much now, and in fact I’d like some water.”
Having heard the voices, Brandon’s mother joined them. She bent low over the bed to assist her father-in-law with a cup. A few more words were exchanged, and then the old man slept again. After he’d dropped off, Brandon and his mother recognized their need for a rest from his bedside. They left him in the care of his nurse and went downstairs for lunch.
Dexter was just getting in from a trip to the north and wanted to go straight to the sickroom.
“I think he might pull through.” This came from Brandon as the three stood close and spoke softly.
“I’d like to see him.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” his mother said. “He just went back to sleep, but as Brandon said, he’ll probably come through, and you’ll be there when he wakes.”
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“Right. I’ll sit with him for a while. Has Chelsea been here?” “Yesterday,” his brother answered. “Both she and Holly.” Dexter nodded before turning for the stairs and taking the flight
two steps at a time. After his departure his mother had a lunch tray
sent up to him in the duke’s room.
Two days later the duke was sitting in a chair by the window. He was still very weak, and shouldn’t have been out of bed, but his color was good and his eyes sparkled with humor as he teased his great-granddaughter.
“What do you mean you’re not married?”
“But Grandpa,” Holly told him, her eyes wide with pleasure and suppressed laughter, “I’m only 15.”
“I’ll bet you’ve got a string of young men chasing you. She has, hasn’t she, Chelsea?”
“Not quite a string, but she is rarely without companionship.” Chelsea watched her daughter dimple on these words.
“Just as I thought,” the old man stated, his loving eyes on Holly’s smiling face.
Brandon caught a look of fatigue at that moment and suggested his grandfather return to bed.
This earned him a scowl, but the duke’s voice was not angry, just matter-of-fact. “I am a bit tired, but if I go to bed, you’ll all leave.”
“I’ll stay and talk with you,” Andrea offered, and Brandon, Chelsea, Dexter, and Holly exited the room.
“Everyone is going to be at Rand and Chelsea’s for Christmas this year and then here for Boxing Day. You’ll probably have more company than you’ll know what to do with.”
Andrea made light conversation until the eldest Hawkesbury was settled once again under the bedclothes, halfway hoping he wouldn’t remember that everyone had originally planned to spend Christmas there. He looked drained, but his color was still good and his eyes alert. Andrea desperately wanted to see him improve.
“I’ve got to get better so Hawk can leave.”
“I’m sure he’s in no hurry to be away.” Andrea’s voice was gentle as she adjusted the pillows.
“Maybe not, but I won’t see his son if he doesn’t marry soon.”
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**I wouldn’t be too sure about that. This is the fourth scare you’ve given us this year, and here you are, as sassy as the day you were born.”
The old man ignored the impertinent remark. “And what about you, Andrea? Were you not tied here, you could marry again.”
Andrea regarded him soberly from her chair by the bed. “IVe buried two husbands, Milton. I’m not sure I could do it again.”
The duke reached for her hand, their understanding going deeper than words. They sat together without talking until the old man fell asleep.
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Q/wntw~
sunny sat on her bed, looking into the wardrobes in her room. Her clothes had been delivered, and even though her face showed disinterest, her mind raced. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined such a wardrobe. As the emir’s daughter, she had everything her heart could desire, but this,thiswas more than she could fathom.
Madam Angelica had produced dozens of sketches for examination, but Sunny never understood that she was to have so many things. There were at least three dozen dresses, five riding habits, more than a half-dozen evening gowns, four fur-trimmed cloaks, and underclothes. More than Sunny cared to have in a lifetime.
The clothes she’d had on ship, the ones she had been so proud of before they landed, had vanished. Only the burgundy velvet with the pink satin collar and cuffs remained. Sunny had been wearing it when Sally cleared away her other clothes that morning to make room for the new arrivals. The twins had come in after the new wardrobe was delivered and insisted she put on something new.
Sunny looked at her closed bedroom door and then slid off the bed and onto the floor to lie on her stomach. She reached beneath the bed and pulled the hidden dress toward her. She hated herself for the tears, brought on from just the feel of the fabric.
Could it really be just a few weeks past that she’d worn this dress to her birthday celebration with Brandon? At the moment it all seemed like a long-ago dream. With the dress held under her a
rm she
went to her high dresser and pulled out the star Kyle had made her. She was fingering the delicate rope with sweet remembrance when someone knocked on the door. Before Sunny could stop her, Sally entered and spotted her with the dress.
“I came to fix your hair for supper, my lady, but I see I’ve missed one of your dresses. Would you like me to take it now?” Sally had started to move toward her, but stopped abruptly when Sunny’s chin rose in what Sally affectionately thought of as Sunny’s princess stance.
“I wish to keep this dress.” Sunny’s voice matched her pose.
“I think that’s very smart, my lady,” said the wise Sally. “Here, let me hang it at the end of your wardrobe.” Sally’s smile was genuine, but Sunny hesitated.
“No one will touch it without your permission,’* Sally told her softly, and Sunny relinquished her hold.
A few moments later Sunny was seated before the large mirror that hung above the dressing table, and Sally was drawing the brush through her glorious chestnut hair. Sally loved doing Sunny’s hair because the girl was not so self-absorbed that she never took her eyes from her own reflection.
This evening Sunny was reading her history book. It was not an easy task while having her hair brushed, but the young woman was captivated. She looked up only when someone else knocked on her door. Heather entered without waiting for an answer, and behind her was a footman carrying a large trunk.
“If there’s anything special you want packed, Sunny, be sure to tell Sally.”
Sunny only stared at her sister.
“Sunny,” Heather spoke with uncertainty. “You did realize we’re leaving for Rand and Chelsea’s in the morning?”
“I thought we were going for Christmas.”
“Christmas is three days away, Sunny. Today is the twenty-second.”
Heather did not linger, and Sunny was glad. She laid her history book down, and for the first time since Sally started her hair, she stared at herself in the mirror.
* $ *
The drive to Willows’ End, as Rand and Chelsea’s home was called, was a complete surprise to Sunny. After leaving the busy
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London streets, the carriage soon moved out into the country. The land was somewhat barren in the winter months; still, Sunny found it beautiful and very tranquil. The countryside rolled and dipped with hollows and hills, and everywhere she looked the land was crisscrossed with low stone walls.
Cattle and sheep grazed contentedly, and the twins could not stop talking or pointing them out. They carried on about their Uncle Rand’s lands and stables, the main house, cottages, and carriage house. Sunny listened with only half an ear. She was going to meet Randolph and his family. What would they be like? Would they like her?
Up to this time, the news that she had a niece and nephew older than herself had made little difference to her. Suddenly she was nervous over the feet. And what about Rand himself? He was her brother. Heather had been glad to see her, but what if she was just a nuisance to Rand? He hadn’t come to see her when she was in London. She was, after all, young enough to be his daughter. Perhaps he would just as soon she had stayed in Oarhabar.
The thought was so unsettling that Sunny did not hear Foster addressing her. He stopped when he realized her mind was elsewhere, and after exchanging a glance with Heather, left her to her thoughts for the remainder of the journey.
Randolph Gallagher, Marquess of Woodburn, stood at the library window and let his eyes study the long, willow-lined drive. It had been wet lately, and he wondered if his family had been delayed by the roads or a late departure from London. When the door opened behind him, he glanced over his shoulder and saw that Chelsea had entered. With an outstretched hand, he welcomed her into the curve of his arm.
“Are you wishing them here?” Chelsea asked.
“I think maybe I am. I fear she won’t understand why I didn’t come to London as soon as she arrived.’*
“You can explain it to her.”
“True,” Rand said. His mind was already back on his youngest sister and what she must be like. He’d talked to Brandon at length, and where most people would be shocked at Sunny’s independent
behavior on ship, Rand had admired her courage and spunk. She sounded a lot like his own dear wife, and Rand couldn’t imagine life without her. His arm tightened around Chelsea for just a minute, and then they both spotted it-the Jamieson coach was coming up61the drive.
“What are you doing in here?” Miles asked his sister Holly when he found her practically hiding in the upstairs salon.
“Nothing,” she said a bit defensively.
“Didn’t you hear Binks say that Heather and Foster are here?”
“I heard,” the young woman said softly, and Miles came in and shut the door. Holly went on just as softly after Miles sat down across from her.
“Doesn’t it bother you a little bit that she’s our aunt, but we’re older?”
Miles shrugged, clearly not at all concerned. “I guess it might seem a little funny, but I assumed we’d act more like cousins to each other, since she’s just 14 to our 15 and 16. I don’t really think there’s going to be a problem.”
“What if none of us likes the other?”
Again Miles shrugged. “There’s probably nothing to like or dislike one way or the other. And if there is, then we’ll all be thankful she’s just here for Christmas.”
Miles was so logical that Holly nodded reluctantly and rose when he did. He led her to the door and then held it with gentlemanly ease so she could precede him into the hall.
Sunny stared into the fire that danced merrily in one of the vast fireplaces in Rand and Chelsea’s large parlor. She felt so cold she wished she could crawl in with the flames. The coldness, the same type she had experienced when she met Heather, was now seeping into her bones as she waited for her brother to arrive. The twins had been ushered away by their mother, and now she and Foster waited alone.
“Why don’t you sit down, Sunny,” Foster suggested.
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She tried to smile at him. He was always so kind, but at the moment she didn’t think she could move to do as he’d suggested.
“They’re not going to bite you,” he remarked with a teasing glint in his eye. This did wring a slight smile from Sunny, but just then the door opened. Without delay the smile and all traces of strain left Sunny’s features, and as composed as ever, she turned with stately ease to meet her family.
Rand was not sure what he had been expecting, but this slim, beautiful girl who stood looking more poised than many adult women he had known was decidedly not it. He sent up a prayer of silent thanks that Brandon had warned him of her self-control. She was indeed hard to gauge with her collected features and proper stance.
“Sunny,” Foster said, wanting to break the ice and start things on the right foot. “This is Rand and his wife, Chelsea.”
“Hello,” Sunny said, nodding her head just slightly but not smiling or showing warmth of any kind.
Rand and Chelsea both greeted her, but the strain in the room was evident. Rand felt miserable, but he didn’t have a due as to how to help the situation. Chelsea, usually able to jump in and save the most awkward situation, was clearly at a loss also.
Sunny was soperfect.She had just traveled by coach for hours, but every hair was in place and her dress was flawless. She had done no developing of any kind in her 14 years, so her manners did not fit the young body clothed by the dark blue traveling suit, but Rand’s heart turned over at how unsure she must be feeling inside, and he decided to act as normally as he could.
“Please, Sunny, sit down. We’re glad to have you here at Willows* End. If there’s anything you need, just ask.”
“Thank you,” Sunny told him and sat like a statue on the edge of the settee.
**How was the trip?” Chelsea interjected as she also sat.
“Fine, thank you.” Sunny had decided that these people were not
going to like her, so she was going to be on her best behavior until she could leave this place. She actually preferred what she had seen of Willows’ End over Heather’s house in London, but she was certain she must be an intruder here, so she told herself not to relax.
The strained silence that followed those few words was broken by Sinks, who was head of housekeeping in this vast home. Nearly all the servants answered to him. His wife, Mrs. Sinks, was the Gallaghers’ cook.
“Lady Heather is asking for you, my lord,” he said to Foster. “Shall I tell her you are indisposed?”
“No, Sinks, I’ll come. Tell her I’ll be right there.” He turned to Sunny and smiled. Til see you later,” he told her kindly and left, thinking this might be the best thing to have happened.
Chelsea was thinking the same thing and stood with Foster. “I can’t think what has become of Miles and Holly. Til see what’s keeping them.” Sunny watched her leave and began to feel so cold again she rose and went back to the fire.
Rand watched as she held her hands to the flames, and knew an ache to put his arms around her so deep that he thought he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself. Sunny turned to find him watching her and, for just a moment, couldn’t take her eyes from his. Sunny decided to tell him that she knew she wasn’t welcome in his home.
“I’m sure it’s not very easy for me to come here like this, but I’ll not be any bother to you while I’m here, and Heather tells me we’ll be gone in a few days* time.”
“Is that what you think, Sunny?” Rand’s voice was deep. “That I don’t want you here; that you’re going to be an inconvenience?”
Sunny’s chin rose. Rand saw this move and knew that there was way too much space between them. He rose and came to stand next to her by the fire. When she didn’t turn to face him, but instead turned back to look at the fire, he took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him.
“The day you were born I already had two children of my own. You would have thought it was my wife and not my mother who’d had a baby, so great was my joy. I first saw you when you were six hours old. On that day when I first held you, I watched as you opened your eyes and in so doing, walked straight into my heart.
