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“I know. I was so afraid I’d never see you again, too.”
He cupped her cheek, gently turning her to look at him. “I love you, Kathleen Calvert. And I would be most happy if we never lost each other for the rest of our lives.”
She smiled up at him, her gaze now gleaming like a thousand silvery stars. “I love you, and I promise that I will never lose you again, no matter what.”
As Grant pressed his lips to hers, he knew that all the shadows and doubts were a thing of the past. Their promises would hold for life.
Epilogue
Glasgow
January 1824
Kathleen gazed at the neglected mess of a garden. Flowerbeds were full of weeds, hedges were in need of trimming, and an ornamental pond was choked with lily pads. The lawns surrounding the house were in better form, but barely.
In a word, the garden was a mess.
“It’s rather grim,” said her husband. “Might be a bit too much work, love.”
Kathleen shook her head. “No, it’sperfect.”
Plans for the property were already taking shape in her head. Kathleen was certain she could restore the grounds to their former beauty. It was the sort of challenge she most enjoyed—starting from scratch and creating something beautiful and enduring.
“How did you find it on such short notice?” she asked. “We only returned from Ireland a week ago.”
Grant led her down a few shallow stone steps to a gravel path that wandered toward the manor’s greenhouse. “I started looking before we left for Ireland, but this property became available only a few days ago. The owner hasn’t stayed here in years and wants to sell the place.”
After they returned to Glasgow from Lochnagar in November, their wedding preparations had begun. Every other Kendrick wedding had been a rushed affair, according to Grant, so Vicky and the rest of the family insisted on a grand celebration for him and Kathleen. Since everyone, especially Angus, was terribly excited, Kathleen hadn’t been able to refuse. The preparations had also served as an excellent distraction for Jeannie, who still brooded about her misadventures in Lochnagar. Vicky, wise as always, had drafted the girl as her assistant in planning the festivities.
“I’m determined to impress your family,” Vicky had said. “If we’re going to make them travel to Scotland, we’d best put on a good show.”
While Kathleen and the Kendricks had busied themselves with preparations, Grant spent long days at the office. Kathleen had fretted that he was working too hard, but he’d insisted it was in a good cause.
“I want a month with my bride in Ireland,” he’d said, “with no distractions. If that means long days and a few nights at the office until our wedding, I’m happy to make the sacrifice.”
Any subsequent worries had been silenced with activities guaranteed to assure Kathleen that her virile betrothed had energy to spare.
The wedding ceremony had been performed in Glasgow Cathedral by the archbishop, and had been magisterial enough to impress even Helen. A lavish wedding breakfast had followed, and a grand ball at Kendrick House had been held the next evening. Helen had subsequently proclaimed the celebrations most impressive, and Papa pronounced everything first rate.
One of the happiest outcomes was the reunion of Jeannie and her mother. Kathleen had been dreading Helen’s reaction to their misadventures in Lochnagar, especially for Jeannie’s sake. She and Grant had minimized some of the more alarming details, giving Papa and Helen little more than a basic summary. But anything involving the Kendricks was sure to attract notice, and the trial and subsequent deportation of Captain Brown and his gang had been thoroughly covered in the Scottish papers, as well as in a number of London gazettes.
Jeannie had bravely and honestly owned up to her actions, a sign of the girl’s growing maturity. While Kathleen had been both proud and worried for her, the expected explosion of temper from Helen never occurred. Whileshocked to the very fiber of her being, as she’d dramatically put it, Helen had also expressed admiration for Jeannie’s courage.
“After all, Jeanette takes entirely after me,” Helen had explained. “I would expect nothing less from my daughter than to stand up to a dastardly poltroon like Captain Brown.”
In truth, Kathleen suspected that Helen had greatly missed Jeannie and was relieved to be reunited with her youngest child. Jeannie also admitted that she’d missed her parents and was happy to return with them to London.
And although she and Jeannie had shed more than a few tears when her family departed for home, Kathleen had been thrilled to see her sister reconciled with her mother, and in much better spirits.
All in all, it had been a splendid two weeks of family visits and wedding festivities. It had been even more splendid when Kathleen and Grant had finally left on their wedding trip. They’d spent several enjoyable days in Dublin, visiting with Kathleen’s former governess and her family and taking in the sights.
Then they’d finally set out for Greystone Manor, Kathleen’s beloved home. By themselves at last for three wonderful weeks, Grant had focused all his attentions on her. They’d spent the days wandering and riding about the estate and the countryside as Kathleen showed her new husband all her childhood haunts. Evenings had been given over to quiet dinners and chats by the fireside, and then delicious lovemaking until the early hours of the morning. It had been nothing short of blissful, and Kathleen had found herself falling more deeply in love with Grant every day.
That she’d made the right decision for her life was made abundantly clear by those weeks in Ireland. Even though she loved Greystone and would always wish to visit, Ireland was now her past. Her future lay with Grant, the Kendricks, and Scotland, and she was excited for the adventures that loomed over this new horizon. Like finding their own home, where they could settle and start a family.
“Of course,” Grant said as they strolled toward the greenhouse, “we can keep looking at other houses, if you like. We can even build one, if you prefer.”
Kathleen smiled up at him. “No, this property seems exactly right. That should not surprise me, since you’re the most terrifyingly efficient man in Scotland. Of course you would find the perfect place.”
