Page 56 of Rescuing Lord Inglewood

“Where is he?” a feminine voice demanded. “For Heaven’s sake, Bailey.”

“Hope, have a care,” another answered.

“I apologize, Bailey, but we just received the notes.” The last voice was Jacob Barnes’s.

Hope, Grace, and Jacob. Of course they would come the moment they knew Isaac lived. Esther took a steadying breath and looked to her husband. Silas stood frozen, his eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline, and Isaac was pushing himself back to his feet from the chair he had barely begun to occupy.

It seemed catching up with her brother would have to wait. His friends had come to rejoice with him at his return. Esther tipped her chin up and glided out of the room.

“Good afternoon,” she called to the group, sweeping into the entryway. Poor Bailey had his arms full of their wraps, gloves, a hat, and bonnets. It appeared they would be staying for a while.

“Esther,” Hope called out, moving with such speed that for a moment Esther worried she would be run over. “Your brother—he is here?” She stared at Esther, her gaze somewhat wild. The other two approached more calmly.

Taking Hope’s hands and removing them gently, Esther spoke the harsh news as gently as she was able. “He is. But there is something you should know, so it is not a shock.” She looked to Jacob and Grace, thankful for their calmer natures. “He is not whole. Isaac lost his left arm in battle.”

They stilled, even Hope, faces turned pale.

Esther forced a smile. “Isaac is alive, and he is in the study, should you wish to see him. Please, be gentle in your welcomes. He is still recovering.”

“Of course.” Jacob answered for the group, his eyes shining while he bowed. “And congratulations, my lady, on his return.”

What could she do other than lead them to the study? They were Isaac’s dearest and oldest friends. They knew him intimately, had shed tears over his supposed death. It was right that they come and share in the miracle of Isaac’s survival as well. He had likely missed them terribly. The whole neighborhood would learn of this event soon enough. Perhaps she ought to arrange some sort of gathering to celebrate.

She opened the study door and entered the room, then gestured for her guests to do the same. Hope and Grace held hands, Jacob strode in with confidence.

There could be no more wonderful thing, Esther decided, than to see a man greeted by his friends as Isaac was. The love the group shared was unmistakable. There were embraces, not handshakes and bows. The twins kissed her brother upon his cheeks. Jacob dashed at his eyes. Silas stood stalwart and tall, overseeing it all with a smile and his marble mask nowhere to be seen. They laughed while they cried, and Esther watched it all from the doorway, her arms wrapped about her middle.

“You gave us a fright, Isaac,” Hope said.

“Thank the good Lord you are well.” Jacob’s voice sounded choked with his emotion. “I have missed you.”

Grace remained quiet, but Esther did not miss the way she reached out to take Isaac’s hand.

Isaac looked about him at their faces and she saw, for the first time since their mother’s death, tears in his eyes. “My dear friends. Now I am at home, at last.”

The words were bittersweet for Esther. Her heart burst for her brother’s joy, yet ached to hear that, once again, she had not been enough.

Silas moved across the room to her side, causing her to blink out of her thoughts. He took her hand in his, evidence of tears upon his cheeks. “I think we had better take our guests to the parlor. My study does not have enough seating for all of us.”

“Of course.” She cleared her throat. “Pardon me,” she said, loudly enough to draw attention to herself. “Let us go across the hall to the parlor. I think we shall be more comfortable speaking there.”

Isaac’s eyes narrowed at her, and one corner of his mouth crept upward. “You are a fine hostess, Lady Inglewood.” He offered Hope his arm, Jacob quickly mirrored the gesture for Grace, and then their little procession went from one room to the next. Everyone kept talking, kept exclaiming over how good it was to be together again.

Except Silas. He pulled Esther closer than his escort necessitated and whispered near her ear. “Thank you for sharing him with us.”

Though she could have retorted that she had little choice, Esther took in a deep breath and nodded. How could she be selfish at this moment? Her brother was alive, though he had not remained unharmed. The joy radiating from him and his friends was right and good, exactly what he needed after the trials and battles he had faced.

Never, ever would she resent his friendships again. The people who surrounded him at present had been the first to see to her care when they thought him lost. Their love for him meant they extended compassion and their friendship to her. Though she could not be part of what the five of them had together, she might find contentment in being given their consideration and concern.

They were soon seated in the parlor, refreshment brought in by the servants and more food sent for. Isaac took a large chair and the others hastily moved about so their chosen seats faced his. The couch was moved for the twins, two chairs drawn closer for Isaac and Silas, and the last chair for Esther put at Isaac’s right hand side. Silas did that for her, smiling over the back of the furniture as he moved it. “Esther, the place of honor. The right hand of our Lazarus.”

“Lazarus?” Isaac asked with a chuckle. “Am I that much of a miracle?”

“The vicar was prepared to eulogize you with a text from the raising of Lazarus,” Silas answered. “He told me about it this very morning.”

Esther shook her head, the irony of the moment nearly making her laugh. “The story is even more appropriate now.”

Jacob chuckled and sat back in his chair. “I do hope someone told the vicar about the reversal in the situation.”