Page 99 of Finding Lord Landry

Nan only knew my father wasn’t safe in his bed because she’d woken up to find him missing. She’d been sleeping in his bed. Intheirbed.

Maybe part of me hadn’t wanted to see it before, but suddenly, I not only knew, but I also realized it had been going on for a long time.

I hurried to intercept her, gently gripping her upper arms. “He’s okay. Just getting a glass of water and a sweet treat,” I said in a low voice.

She shifted from foot to foot, glancing toward the kitchen. “I happened to pass by his room and…”

I didn’t let her finish the lie. Instead, I threw my arms around her and hugged her tighter than I had in twenty years.

Emotion clogged my throat. “I love you,” I croaked. “I love you so much, and I didn’t know. I’m so fucking sorry.”

Her arms tightened around me. She even smelled familiar, and I realized she’d been a part of my life as long as I could remember. She was as steady, if not steadier, than my own parents.

She was the rock of my family. And she’d loved me just as much as they had.

Nan pulled back, her eyelashes wet and her eyes bright. “I love you more than you can know, Everett Landry. And I know you love me. Still have a drawer full of your little treasures to prove it. Handprint cards, horrendous jokes written in your little-boy handwriting, salt-dough ornaments, and even the four-leaf clover charm that used to hang on my keyring.”

After leading her to the kitchen and throwing back a large glass of water, the four of us returned upstairs. Kenji continued to laugh and swap stories with Dad until we stopped at the doorway to my father’s suite. My father turned and smiled at Kenji. “You make a good viscount consort, Kenji. I’m proud to call you a Davencourt.”

Kenji looked taken aback. “Thank you, sir, but we’re not actually…” His voice trailed off as if unsure whether correcting him would only add to the confusion.

But my father reached up and softly tapped the center of Kenji’s chest.

“You are where it counts, son. Good night.”

Nan passed me, dropping a quick kiss on my cheek, then doing the same to Kenji before disappearing into my father’s suite.

I stared at the closed door. “What the fuck.”

Kenji reached for my hand and pulled me back to our room. Once we were settled in bed, with Kenji exactly where he belonged in my arms and Turkey shoving up between us, Kenji asked if I wanted to talk about it.

I told him what had happened in the hallway with Nan.

He didn’t seem surprised.

“She’s already running everything, Kenji!” I said. “The house, the staff, Dad’s office staff, his social calendar. She makes sure I stay on top of the estate business and that Cora has everything she needs for the Foundation. She arranges the accountants, the solicitors, and…”

I stopped and took in a shaky breath. “And now she has to manage this, too? And the man she loves—who she didn’t get to have foryears, by the way—is…” My throat tightened. “It’s not fair, Kenj. How can we ask this of her? It’s too much.”

For a long time, Kenji’s fingers brushed through my hair, his nails dragging lightly over my scalp, causing me to fall into the in-between space of wakefulness and sleep. His voice was laced with warm, quiet amusement. “When it’s someone you love, taking on their troubles isn’t a burden. It’s a blessing. You want to make their life easier. Fix their problems. Shoulder their worries. Lighten their load so they can live happy and free.”

His voice soothed me. The rhythm and cadence lulled me further into sleep as his reassurance helped me let go of my stress about Nan.

It wasn’t until the next morning, when I was on my way to an early breakfast meeting with Teddy Baines, that I fully processed the words Kenji had said.

And realized he hadn’t been talking about Nan at all.

TWENTY-ONE

KENJI

After the tumultuous night, I slept in later than usual. But when I woke up, I felt like I’d stepped into a goddamned Julie Andrews movie. The hills were alive, and I might as well have had clothes made out of curtains for how joyful I felt.

“Oh dear god,” Cora groaned when I swept into the kitchen and called out a cheery good morning. She dropped her head on the arms she had bent on the table. “He’s one ofthose. Can we call a quorum to have him booted from the family?”

Nan looked up, amused. “Good morning, Kenji. Landry wanted me to remind you he had an early morning meeting at Downing Street. He said to let you have a lie-in, and I’m happy to see you got it.”

I remembered Teddy’s breakfast meeting—a chance to introduce Landry to a few key MPs. While I was disappointed not to see him, I understood this was his job now.

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