“I’ve never heard anything about a family trust.” Suspicion drew his brows together.
“Really?” Aunt Guinevere adopted an innocent expression. “I can’t imagine my sister wasn’t aware of it.”
“She never said anything to me about a trust.” His eyes narrowed. “Why is it up to you to decide where Celia lives?”
Aunt Guinevere shrugged as if the answer was obvious. “I am the oldest surviving daughter.”
Father glared. “And if Celia doesn’t live where you wish, she won’t get her share?”
“I believe that’s what I just said.” Aunt Guinevere smiled pleasantly.
“Very well, apparently I have no choice,” he said sharply. “And I suppose it’s one less female underfoot. Celia.” He turned to his daughter. “I hope you know I have always cared for you. I’m simply inept when it comes to any number of relatively important matters. I do apologize for that.”
Celia’s throat tightened. “There’s nothing to apologize for.”
“Thank you, my dear. I shall try to get to London to visit you on occasion and you will always have a place at the abbey.” Father cast her an affectionate smile. “And I do expect you to write.”
“I will.” Celia nodded.
Father turned to Louise. “Come along, then. We should be off.”
Louise favored Celia with a surprisingly genuine smile and started out the door.
Father followed after Louise, pausing as he passed Aunt Guinevere. “I don’t trust you for a moment, you bloody witch. Take care of my girl.” He nodded at Celia then took his leave, Henry and Edward escorting him out the door.
Celia stared at the open doorway and blinked away what might possibly have been a tear. What on earth was happening to her? This was at least the second time this week that tears had filled her eyes.
She inclined her head to the side and lowered her voice. “There is no family trust, is there, Aunt Guinevere?”
“Oh, if only there was, dear.” She paused. “I’m quite proud of you, you know.”
“I’m rather proud of myself,” Celia said with a shaky smile. “That was far more difficult than I had imagined.”
“That, my dear girl, was easy compared to this.” Her aunt nodded toward Henry and Edward coming back into the house. A footman closed the doors behind them. “Men are not as intelligent as we allow them to think they are. However, the right man is worth a great deal of trouble.”
“I told him I never wanted to see him again.” Right after he kissed me. Right after I kissed him back. Right after I knew I would never be the same again. “I was quite adamant about it.”
“You thought you were doing the right thing—the noble thing. No one can fault you for that. I daresay men change their minds as much if not more than we do. But one of the benefits of being female is that, as a woman, you are practically expected to change your mind.” Aunt Guinevere glanced at Henry. “After a proper amount of heartfelt persuasion, of course.”
“Celia.” Henry stepped toward her. Her heart sped up. “Might I have a moment?”
Celia hesitated. She had no idea what to say to him. “Henry, I—”
“As much as I hate to interrupt,” Edward said, “you should know, none of this was Henry’s idea. He had nothing to do with any of it.”
It occurred to Celia to ask “Any of what?” but at the moment she didn’t care. She met Henry’s gaze. “Go on.”
“It appears I am not to be married to Katherine, after all.” His gaze bored into hers, intense and determined, and something very much like joy swept through her.
“It does appear that way.” She was almost afraid to breathe.
“So it strikes me that I now have the opportunity for an extraordinary adventure.” He held out his hand to her. “Will you join me?”
“For an extraordinary adventure?” She placed her hand in his. “I would be a fool to miss it.”
“For God’s sake, Henry.” Edward groaned. “Kiss the girl.”
Henry grinned, pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. And any doubt, any misgivings, any hesitation was dashed aside by the warmth of his lips on hers and the delight of his arms around her and the bliss of knowing she was where she belonged. This was right and perfect and exactly as it should be.
Celia barely noticed Aunt Guinevere’s voice. “I think this ended well.”
“And I must say I enjoyed it,” Mrs. Higginbotham added. “It’s very nearly as much fun to separate a couple that shouldn’t be together as it is to match a couple that should.”
“We should keep that in mind,” Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore said.
“Should we ever find ourselves in this sort of situation again. Not that we would...”
Dimly, in what sounded like a vast distance away, she heard her aunt and the other ladies agree Celia and Henry should head for Scotland immediately, where they could marry without delay. And she heard Edward say something that sounded like he was coming as well and it was mentioned that there were guests expecting a wedding tomorrow to be dealt with...
And none of it mattered.
This was just the beginning of the adventure of walking a road together hand in hand.
And it would indeed be extraordinary.
The End
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ISBN-13: 9781488022708
The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels & Other Gentlemen
Copyright © 2017 by Cheryl Griffin
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holder of the additional work:
The Proper Way to Stop a Wedding (in Seven Days or Less)
Copyright © 2017 by Cheryl Griffin
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The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen Page 45
