Page 85 of My Darling Mr. Darling
She patted his bristly cheek fondly. “Not for too terribly long,” she said. “We hope to hire some new tutors in the coming months, as Serena will need time to acquaint herself with motherhood. You’ll have new ladies to look after soon enough, and I have every confidence that you’ll take care of them just as well as you have done me.”
“It was my pleasure, miss.” He gave a clean, respectful bow. “You tell that husband of yours to take care of you, or he’ll answer to me.”
Violet laughed, delighted. “I’ll tell him.”
He offered her his arm and escorted her out the door to the waiting carriage, which had been packed with the last of her things. She breathed in the clean, sweet air, and sighed as Davis handed her into the carriage. This wasit, she realized—the beginning of a new journey. Perhaps that journey might take her just a few streets away, but it was worlds away from where she had once been.Whoshe had once been.
The carriage rattled down the busy streets, carrying her home at last, and she realized that John had been right. Every choice she had made, every experience she had had—they had all led her tonow. To coming home to her husband for the first time. To the life she had built for herself, and the one they would build together.
To friends. To family. Toherself—and she found that she liked very much the person she had become.
The carriage had barely slowed in the street before the house when the door burst open and John came rushing out to meet her. He threw open the carriage door, helping her out as the footmen rushed to collect the last of her trunks and take them inside.
“I wanted to catch you for a moment in private,” he said, drawing her into the circle of his arms.
“In private? Who is inside?” she asked, lifting herself onto her toes to peer over his shoulder. A curtain twitched back into place in the front window, but she was certain she’d seen Serena peering out of it for just a moment.
“Everyone,” he said on a groan. “Just—everyone. We never got a wedding breakfast, so the duchess has taken it upon herself to give us a weddingsupperinstead.”
An irrepressible laugh escaped her. “That sounds delightful.”
“But first—I told you some time ago I had a surprise for you. It’s ready at last.” He pressed a small box into her hand, and she lifted the lid to find—
A locket. Larger than the one she had lost so many years ago, decorated with beautiful gold filigree and set with tiny sapphires to form the shape of forget-me-nots in bloom across the front. She eased the clasp open to reveal the interior—and there, pressed into each side were tiny canvas miniatures of her mother and father. He’d stolen—borrowed—her mother’s portrait to have itcopied, she realized. Her fingers closed around it, this precious memento that he had made for her, her heart overflowing.
“Oh, John,” she said, and swiped at her eyes.
“It can’t replace the one you lost,” he said, “but I thought it would help. To carry them with you.Bothof them, this time.”
“It’sperfect. Thank you.” She turned to let him fasten the clasp around her neck, and tucked the locket into the bodice of her gown. The weight of it around her throat felt solid, comforting. Like the grip of John’s hand on hers as they proceeded up the steps and into the house.
“Welcome home, Violet!” the chorus rose up around her in a deafening wave as she found herself surrounded by a proper avalanche of people—old friends and new; beloved staff and the family that had found her and enfolded her into their circle.
John’s arm found its way around her waist, and he pulled her close to his side. “Welcome home at last, Vi.”
She rose onto her toes to kiss him. “It is so good tobehome at last,” she said. “And I have you to thank—my darling Mr. Darling.”
John’s gaze sheared to the duchess, his face falling into incredulity. “Youtoldher about that tedious appellation?”
With a Gallic shrug, the duchess declared, “It’snottedious, it’sprecious.”
“What self-respecting man wants to beprecious!”
“Oh, come now,” Grey said, as, at his side, Serena smothered her laughter into her palm. “It was only witnessed by—what—three or four dozen people? That’s practically no one.”
It was practicallyeveryone, and it would certainly be all over town by morning. Violet snickered into her palm. “Actually, the duchess didn’t tell me—but the dukedid.”
“Telltale,” Alex accused, without much heat. “I see how faryoucan be trusted with a secret.” He folded his arms across his chest, lifting his chin at John in supercilious rebuke. “That’s your penance for denying me the opportunity to stand up with you at your wedding.Nowwe’re even.”
John relinquished Violet’s hand with a gentle pat and pressed a kiss high on her cheek. “Can you manage on your own for a bit? I think I ought to have a chat with the duchess about her son’s imminent marriage. Which I shall be arrangingposthaste.” This, with an accusatory glance at the duke.
“Of course. I’m among friends.” She fluttered her fingers as John took the duchess’ arm and led her off toward the drawing room. Then she turned to greet Cecily, Julia, and Samantha, who had all arrived with husbands in tow.
“He’s joking,” the duke said, rather desperately, from somewhere over her right shoulder.
Violet shrugged.
“Hemustbe joking.” And without awaiting another response, either confirmation or denial, the duke barreled after his mother and John, shoving his way through the amassed crowd, shouting, “John! You wouldn’tdare!”
“He wouldn’treally,” Serena said, as she arrived at Violet’s side. “Would he?”
“Do you know, I’m not sure,” Violet replied, accepting a motherly embrace from the housekeeper, and a fond pat from one of the upstairs maids. Her gaze traveled up the steps to the landing, where her father’s portrait hung, next to her mother’s, both awash in the peachy glow of the setting sun.
Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but she thought they looked rather…approving.
Serena linked her arm through Violet’s, following her gaze. “They would be so proud of you,” she whispered, nudging Violet’s shoulder with her own. “I’m certain of it.”
“Yes,” Violet said, blinking back the joyful tears that stung her eyes. “So am I.”