epilogue
One year later
Samuel had seen many people with odd or extraordinary skills during his years with the circus. But Lady Huntington’s ability to keep an eye on twenty…maybe twenty-three children all at once was something he’d never thought possible.
Hell, he wasn’t even sure how many children were scattered around the garden, running, playing, and yelling. Every time he counted them, he found someone new. Vivienne’s brothers and sisters were visiting their parents and had brought all their children, he laughed, and maybe even their neighbours’ children.
It wasn’t the first complete reunion of the family in years, but he and Vivienne had been so busy travelling around the Mediterranean Sea, he hadn’t had many opportunities to meet her brothers and sisters and their families.
One of the children—John, James?—did cartwheels across the garden.
“Did you see that, Grandmama?” the child asked enthusiastically.
Lady Huntington laughed, her green gown complementing her fair complexion. “That was wonderful, Liam.”
Liam? He signed slowly because his mother-in-law had recently learnt sign language. “Is that Liam? I thought it was John.”
“No, darling.” She touched his arm. “We have two children named John, actually. The eldest John is twelve. He’s Eleanor’s son. The other one we call Johnny, and he’s ten and Albert’s son. This one is Liam, Charlotte and Oliver’s son.”
Who the hell were Charlotte and Oliver? He scrubbed the back of his neck.
“Charlotte is my niece,” Lady Huntington said.
Oh, right.
Lady Huntington laughed again as Liam performed another cartwheel. He’d never realised how similar the countess’s laughter was to Vivienne’s. Watching Lady Huntington laughing and smiling, her face rosy and full, was a pleasure after the years she’d spent grieving.
Vivienne walked over to them, smiling. Her body had flourished fully in the past year, and no trace of her ordeal had remained in her beautiful soul and body.
“We need to go, darling.”
“Come tomorrow.” Lady Huntington kissed Vivienne’s cheek. “The children are organising a play for us.”
There were so many of them they could set up an entire production plus the audience.
“We will,” he signed.
They hugged and kissed countless children on their way out; some of them had hands sticky with obscure substances.
Lord Huntington surveyed the small army of children with a proud smile.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Father.” Vivienne hugged him.
Lord Huntington hugged Samuel. “Thank you for being here. There’s nothing I love more than my house filled with children and grandchildren.”
Yes, Samuel too would love to have such a big family.
As he climbed into the carriage, he paused to look at the oak tree under Vivienne’s window. It’d grown to its former glory, its leafy branches thick and strong with life.
When he arrived home, Captain Jackson waved an envelope in front of Vivienne. “We must talk.”
“About what?” Samuel signed.
“I’ll tell you later.” Vivienne kissed him on the lips before following the captain to the sitting room.
Samuel retired to his study, but he couldn’t focus on reading as constant chatter came from the corridor.
Murdock’s conviction had triggered a series of formal complaints from people who had been swindled by him to finance his non-existent clinic.
