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Once inside, they were met by Lady Greenleigh, Lady Neelsham, and Mrs Withercombe, all fussing about and overjoyed to see them. The house felt different, Iris realised, as if any lingering echoes of the pain of the past were gone. The three women all looked bright and healthy too. It was as if the shadows had been brushed away from everything.
Lady Neelsham regarded her quietly as Leon greeted his mother. Those sharp, intelligent eyes missed nothing, and a small, pleased smile curved the old woman’s lips.
“Well then girl, increasing, are you? About time. This house needs new children to brighten it up.”
Mrs Withercombe and Lady Greenleigh spun to face her, their expressions hopeful, and she laughed at the sight.
“Yes, I am increasing, I believe. Lady Neelsham, you are as astute as ever. But I strictly forbid any coordinated fussing over me, or I shall go quite spare.” Everyone laughed, but she could see that Mrs Withercombe struggled to prevent herself from dragging Iris directly to the nursery. “Mrs Withercombe, I promise that tomorrow, after I have finished retching for the morning, we can set to work on preparing the nursery.”
Mrs Withercombe smiled broadly, and they managed to move forward out of the foyer, and into the parlour. They ate the food that was pressed upon them, and drank the tea gratefully, but then, claiming tiredness after travelling, chose to retire.
When they neared their door, Iris took Leon’s hand, and tugged him on, towards the rooms which had once been Maggie’s. He allowed himself to be led, and soon they stood in those rooms, which were lit only by the rising moon.
“Leon, does it feel right to you? Now that we have changed it?”
“It does, but…” he walked around what had been her bedchamber, his fingers trailing over the new pale wood wainscotting, then back into the little parlour where the smaller pianoforte still stood. The sheets which had covered it while the work had been done had been removed, and the inlaid wood of its surface gleamed in the moonlight. He sat on the bench, raised the lid, and traced his fingers over the keys. “…play with me?”
Iris went to him, and settled beside him as she had done so often before. Yet this time was different. As she sat, she felt watched – it was not a threatening feeling, more one of curiosity.
Leon began to play – one of the pieces that Maggie had most loved – and she meshed her movements with his, and joined him playing a gentle melodic counterpoint to his rendition of the main piece. The music filled her, and joined them as it always did. But there was something more.
It was as if fingers brushed her cheek gently, then trailed down her arm to her hand. She kept playing, but turned startled eyes to Leon.
“Did you…”
“I felt it too.”
“Do you think…?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps it’s a blessing. Or a goodbye.”
“Then I will speak as if it is, despite that some might think me unhinged for doing so. Maggie, if what I feel is you, know that I bear no ill-will towards you. Go in peace to whatever is next. I am glad that your pain is over. I wish that I had known you, before…”
They kept playing, both so well practiced that they could separate the act of doing so from what they thought or said. The sensation of being touched came again, and Leon spoke, as softly as Iris had.
“Farewell sister. I did the best that I knew how, and it was not enough. Forgive me.”
There was no sound but the pianoforte, but somehow, they each heard words in their minds – only later would they, speaking of it, discover that they had both heard ‘I forgive you’.
The piece they were playing came to an end, and silence filled the room. Then, ever so gently, the keys of the pianoforte moved, a light glissando of barely-there sound. Then the sense of presence was gone, and the rooms around them were truly empty of all but moonlight.
Outside, an owl called, and the sound shattered the peculiar stillness. Leon took her hand, and stood, pulling her to her feet, and into his arms. The kiss was deep, and full of so many things unspoken, full of life, and love, and the possibilities of the future. They drew apart in the end, slightly breathless.
He released her, and twined his fingers with hers.
“Come, my love, we should go to bed. That was a necessary ending, but now, it is our time for a new beginning.”
“I love you Leon, I always have.”
The End.
I hope that you enjoyed ‘A Maiden for a Marquess’.
You’ll find a preview of the next book in the series ‘A Heart for an Heir’, after the About the Author section of this book.
Author’s Note
In this book, as in many of my others, there are things which were real, things which really happened, although not, perhaps, in exactly the way that I have portrayed them. In this book, the following things are things that really happened / existed:
