“Then I will help with her reputation as much as I am able to.”
“Thank you. That is precisely what I hoped you’d say.”
His mother grew silent. “May I ask how Sam Burkard saved your life?”
Colin rose and walked over to the drink cart. As he picked up the decanter, he revealed, “We were assigned to fetch some documents from the enemy, but we were not as discreet as we had hoped.” He poured himself a drink and replaced the decanter. “The alarm was sounded as we fled for our lives, but the French were right behind us.”
He took a sip of his drink, then continued. “Sam sacrificed himself to the enemy to ensure I was able to escape.”
His mother had tears in her eyes as she said, “I find myself immensely grateful to that man for allowing you to come home.”
“I have a new purpose now,” he shared. “I will care for Sam’s family as if they were my own.”
“I shall strive to do the same.”
Colin placed his drink down on the tray. “For so long, I was angry that I was forced to come home, but now I am grateful that I was.”
“Sometimes it may feel that the world is crashing down around us, but really it is just the pieces realigning themselves for our good.”
Dickson stepped into the room and announced, “Mrs. Burkard and her son, Peter, have arrived, and are waiting in the drawing room.”
“Wonderful,” Colin replied. “Please remind the staff that they are to be treated with the utmost respect. If anyone fails to do so, they will be dismissed.”
The butler tipped his head. “As you wish.”
Colin assisted his mother in rising and said, “Mrs. Burkard will need a whole new wardrobe.”
“I assumed as much.”
They made their way towards the drawing room and stepped inside. Mrs. Burkard was now dressed in a faded yellow gown with a straw hat on her head. He assumed that she was wearing her finest dress for the occasion.
Mrs. Burkard curtsied, but her movements seemed stiff and awkward.
To his surprise, his mother approached Mrs. Burkard and embraced her warmly. “We are pleased to have you here,” she said, leaning back.
Mrs. Burkard blinked. “Truly?”
His mother nodded. “My son told me about what your husband did, and I find him to be an honorable man.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Burkard murmured, her eyes moist with tears.
Turning towards Peter, his mother said, “I assume this is your son.”
“It is.”
“We shall have to arrange riding lessons for him at once,” his mother said.
Peter perked up. “I get to ride a horse?”
“That is, assuming you would like to.”
With a bob of his head, Peter replied, “I would love to. I have been mucking up after them, but I haven’t ever been able to ride one.”
Colin interjected, “You will be able to ride as long as it does not interfere with your schooling.”
“I get to go to school?” Peter asked in amazement.
“You do,” Colin confirmed. “If your mother is agreeable, I intend to send you to a boarding school to prepare you for a life as a gentleman.”
