She was pleased when he laughed. His past did not trouble her. Olympia understood the darkness he had been caught up in and understood the often unacceptable ways a man of his class tried to deal with emotional turmoil. It pleased her that he had cleaned his house just for her, but what pleased her even more was that he had so accepted her gift that he had thought of how coming here, where he had misbehaved so thoroughly, might affect her. Brant would not run away when their child revealed whatever gift he or she had. He accepted her family so fully she had to blink back tears. He would probably never fully understand how deeply important that was to anyone in her family.
“So, all is well?”
“All is well.” She walked to the window and looked out at his gardens. A young man was there directing several workers. “You have a new gardener.”
“That is Faith’s brother Peter. He loves the work. As a vicar’s son it might be a little lowly for him, but he leapt at the chance. Since the congregation is more than willing to accept his younger brother as their vicar once his father finishes dying, he did not wait a day past learning that to pack and come here to work.”
“If he does a good job with your gardens, you might lose him when others ask him to come and make theirs as beautiful.”
“Then he will go. I somehow doubt he will rush into that or do nothing but design others’ gardens. He was too pleased to come here and now has a nice cottage of his own. I will not hold him back, however.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “If it bothers you that one of Faith’s family is here . . .”
“No, it does not. It is perfect. It is right that you be the one to help him achieve what he wants in life. And, I think I shall go out there and see what it is he is planning.”
“Are you sure you want to do that work after such a long trip?”
Olympia waved a hand in his direction as she went out the door. “I need to make certain the garden is a perfect place for our child to get a little sun.”
“What?” Brant had to shake his head but her words fell into the same order in his mind, and held the same meaning. “Olympia!” He heard her laughter peel from somewhere down the hall. “Damn woman,” he muttered and hurried after her.
He took one step out the door and listened to Agatha and Ilar laughing. The sweet sound of Olympia’s laughter still lingered in his mind. He realized it had been a very long time since such sounds had echoed off the walls of this house. His childhood was not filled with memories of a family playing together or laughing together. It had been an unsettling mix of cold anger and a complete lack of parenting. Even the nannies and tutors had been aloof. There had been no joy in the house, only sadness and a cold anger. Olympia said it was all gone, that it was as if the house was new.
Brant looked down to see Lure and Dinner waiting patiently for him to lead them into the garden. He could hear Ilar and Agatha amiably arguing over who would get which little cake just as all young people would do. His laughing wife had just told him they would soon have a child and was going out into the garden to make certain it would be perfect for their child. He suspected it would also be arranged to endure the presence of a vast array of rescued animals.
Suddenly he grinned, put his hands in his pockets, and strolled after his wife. The house was more than cleansed. It was alive now with the happiness of his family and it was perfect.
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2013 by Hannah Howell
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-1880-3
eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-3098-0
eISBN-10: 1-4201-3098-6
First Electronic Edition: April 2013
If He's Tempted Page 28
