Page 111 of The School Mistress (Emerson Pass Historicals 1)

She laughed. “What about my mother and sister? If I marry without them here, they’ll never forgive me.”

“All right, then. As soon as we can get them out here, we’ll marry. Can you promise me that?”

“Oh, Alexander, I love you so.”

“Let’s go back to the house. Jasper’s opening champagne.”

We drove back to the house, laughing and kissing as the bells chimed merrily, and the horses shook their manes as if celebrating with us.

In the foyer, I helped Quinn out of her coat. The sounds of chatter and laughter came from the library.

“It sounds like they’ve started without us,” she said.

“We’re back,” I called out. The room hushed.

Quinn’s brow furrowed. “Why’d they get so quiet?”

“Come with me,” I said. “You’ll see.” I tucked her arm against me and opened the door to the library. Her mother and sister stood together by the window.

She went rigid with shock at the sight of them. “Mother? Annabelle?”

Mrs. Cooper came forward with her arms out. “Come here, my girl, and hug me.”

Quinn, crying, ran to her mother. Her sister joined them, and they all hugged and laughed and cried at the same time. When they parted, Quinn looked over at me. “How did you do this?”

“They took the train,” I said. “Surprise.”

She turned to the children, who were huddled together on the couch, watching the entire affair with big eyes. “Children, were you in on this?”

“Just Josephine,” Cymbeline said, sounding put out. “Until a few minutes ago.”

Quinn went to the couch and knelt down next to them. “Do you know happy I am that now all the people I love will be under one roof?”

“Do you love us as much as Papa?” Cymbeline asked.

“I love you as much,” she said.

“I love you too,” Cymbeline said.

“And you won’t ever leave us?” Fiona asked.

“I’ll never leave you,” Quinn said.

I looked over at Josephine. “I told you it was meant to be,” she said. “We knew it from the start.”

“You knew it and told us,” Flynn said. “I’m glad you were right.”

“We have a grandmother and an aunt now,” Fiona said as if this were new information. “They’re going to live here with us.”

“And a mother,” Theo said softly.

“Yeah, a mother.” Flynn grinned. “The best, toughest mother in the whole world.”

Jasper popped a bottle of champagne and poured a glass for the adults and cider for the children.

We gathered in a circle and lifted our glasses. “To the happy couple,” Jasper said. We all toasted, and there were more congratulations and happy tears from the female members of my family.

“Tomorrow there will be a wedding,” I said. “A Christmas Eve wedding.”