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J ames Mortimer had never believed in miracles.
The succession of tragic events in his life had made it very hard for him to believe in a benevolent god watching over mortals with the tender care of a father. He was more inclined to think the god in question cruel and intent on spreading misery for his twisted amusement. Why else would he have taken the people he’d loved from him, and left him to deal with the awful pain alone? No, miracles didn’t exist, he’d known it for years. But today, he was forced to see that the god could, on occasion, at least show some compassion.
Brow arched, he reread the letter in his hand.
I will be home at the end of the month with my bride, Branwen ferch Gethin, her sister, Eirwen, and her mother, Carys. My father, Richard, will also be with us. From now on, he will live at Sheridan Manor. Please get everything ready for us.
Well, James thought ruefully, if that wasn’t a miracle, he didn’t know what was. Or rather, two miracles. Not only had Matthew Hunter been reunited with his long-lost father, a man he had hated all his life for abandoning his mother—or so he’d thought—but he was now married. To a Welsh woman no less. Not a man easily given to mirth, James afforded a chuckle. This, he would have to see for himself.
How had the woman managed to ensnare him in so little time? He had made no secret of his animosity toward the Welsh when he’d been forced to leave England a little over a year ago to follow his brother. When Connor had agreed to marry a Welsh woman on the king’s orders, Matthew had urged him to refuse.
It seemed that, unlike what he’d feared at first, the Welsh weren’t all savages. At least, the women weren’t. So much so that he’d married one of them when James had started to wonder if the man he’d long considered as a son would ever settle down.
Tucking the missive into his tunic, he gave his orders to the servants. Matthew’s bedchamber was to be given a good airing, the rushes replaced throughout the castle, the tapestries dusted. The bride’s mother and sister would share a bedchamber in the east wing, which was the most comfortable, and Richard would be allocated a room in the west wing. It would be good to have people at Sheridan Manor again, it had been rather lonely since the two brothers’ departure.
A few days later, everything was ready. Just as he was thanking the servants for their hard work, a rider cantered through the gate, heralding the imminent arrival of the travelers. Later that day, a small retinue was spotted on the road from Wales. Perfect timing.
James walked over to the gate to welcome everyone.