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Hugh pulled back and held her face in his hands. “I cannot believe you said yes.”
“I cannot believe you are staying.”
“I could never leave you, even if it means I must join the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, which, by the way, needs a better name.”
“The League of the Yellow Daisy?”
“I was thinking something that doesn’t reference flowers.”
“Really? I rather like it.”
He sighed. “You are in charge.”
“That’s right. I am.” And she kissed him again.
Thirteen
Thomas wrinkled hisbrow and sat back in the chair across from his father. At some point during the tale, Thomas had poured himself a drink, but he hadn’t consumed much—except when his father went on about how beautiful his mother had been or that sappy story of how he’d proposed marriage. He’d needed a large swallow then.
“I don’t think I quite understand,” Thomas said. “You knew Sir Percy, and he began the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, but he was not the person in charge of the league.”
His father removed his spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked almost like a man emerging from a dream. “That’s correct. He took the credit and the fall, when necessary, but in truth, he was only one of the members of the league. Granted, he was quite important. As was Ffoulkes, of course.”
“Then were you the Scarlet Pimpernel?” Thomas asked. “You seemed to be saying...that is, in the story it sounded as though...”
“As though your mother was the Scarlet Pimpernel?”
Thomas couldn’t even manage to nod.
“I’d say that was correct. Wouldn’t you agree,mon ange?”
Thomas jumped to his feet as his mother moved across the room. He wasn’t certain when she’d entered the library. He certainly hadn’t heard the door open or her skirts rustle. She stopped to give Thomas a kiss on the cheek, smelling of apples and the countryside as she always had. Her dark hair had a bit of gray in it now and a few wrinkles appeared at the creases of her eyes and mouth. She was almost always smiling. The viscountess looked up at him. “How lovely of you to visit, Thomas. You’re not in some sort of trouble, are you?”
Thomas sighed. “Why does everyone assume I am in trouble? I only wished to speak with Father.”
She turned to smile at her husband. “About the Scarlet Pimpernel of all things? That’s ancient history.”
