Page 65 of Duke of Fyre

Lost in her thoughts, Lydia almost missed the soft knock at the drawing room door. She turned to find Peter hovering uncertainly in the doorway, Mug at his heels.

"Lydia?" His voice was small. "Are you alright? I heard raised voices, and then my aunts looked worried, and..."

Her heart melted at his concern. "Come here, darling." She held out her arms, and he rushed into them without hesitation. "I'm perfectly fine. Just a little family disagreement."

"Like when Father and I disagree about proper dignity versus pirate adventures?" Peter asked, making her laugh despite herself.

"Something like that." She pressed a kiss to his curls. "Though speaking of adventures, shouldn't you be at your lessons?"

"Miss Nancy said I could take a break." He pulled back slightly, his face earnest. "I thought... maybe you'd like to see how the herb garden is growing? The lavender you brought from London is starting to sprout!"

How could she resist such sweet determination to cheer her? "I would love that. Though perhaps we should collect your aunts as well? I'm sure they'd be fascinated by your botanical expertise."

Peter beamed. "Oh yes! And I can show them the special medicinal section! Thomas taught me all about fever-reducing plants yesterday, and..."

As they made their way to the garden, Peter chattering excitedly about his latest horticultural discoveries, Lydia felt the tension from her earlier confrontation slowly melting away. Her sistersjoined them eagerly, and soon the air was filled with laughter as Peter demonstrated his knowledge.

"See?" he explained seriously to a wide-eyed Diana. "The chamomile goes here because it needs afternoon shade, but the thyme likes full sun so it goes along this border..."

"He's quite the scholar," Marian observed quietly to Lydia. "You've done wonders with him, you know."

Lydia watched as Peter proudly showed Jane how to check the soil moisture. "He's done wonders with me too," she admitted softly.

After thoroughly touring the herb garden, they settled in the library. Peter pulled out his drawing materials while Lydia's sisters clustered around to watch him work. Even Mug seemed to understand the peaceful mood, curling up contentedly at Peter's feet instead of trying to steal his crayons.

"Could you read to us, Lydia?" Peter asked, not looking up from his sketch. "Like you used to do with your sisters?"

"Oh yes!" Jane clapped her hands. "Do you remember how you used to make up voices for all the characters?"

"And sounds, too !" Diana added. "Remember the time you got so excited during the storm scene that you knocked over Mother's favorite vase?"

Lydia laughed, reaching for Peter's new adventure book. "Very well, but let's try to keep the property damage to a minimum this time."

As she began to read, her voice bringing pirates and sea monsters to life, she watched Peter's hands move confidently across the paper. He was drawing the herb garden, she realized, but with fantastic additions – massive flowers in impossible colors, tiny fairies tending the plants, what looked suspiciously like a friendly dragon curled protectively around the lavender bed.

"Is that how it really looks?" she teased gently, pausing in her reading.

Peter grinned up at her. "Only if you know how to look properly. Thomas says every garden has magic in it, if you pay attention."

"Wise words," Marian nodded seriously. "Though I'm not sure your father would approve of dragons in his herb garden."

"Oh, Father's getting better about such things," Peter said confidently. "Lydia's teaching him how to see the magic too."

The simple faith in his voice made Lydia's throat tight. Setting aside the book, she pulled him close for a quick hug. "And you're teaching me, darling. We're all learning together."

As the afternoon light softened into evening, Lydia found herself treasuring each moment – Jane's dramatic recreation of herfavorite scenes from the book, Diana's quiet giggles as Mug performed his own interpretation of a sea monster, Marian's thoughtful questions about Peter's garden plans. This, she realized, was what truly mattered. Not her parents' disapproval or society's expectations, but these precious moments with the people she loved.

"Lydia?" Peter's voice drew her from her thoughts. "I made something for you." He held out his drawing, suddenly shy. "To cheer you up. See? The dragon is protecting all the things that make you happy – the herbs, and the books, and us..."

Lydia studied the picture, taking in every magical detail. There in the corner, she noticed, was a figure that looked remarkably like Elias, watching over them all with what might have been a smile.

"It's perfect," she whispered, hugging him close. "Absolutely perfect."

Later, after Peter had been called away to his evening lessons and her sisters had gone to dress for dinner, Lydia carefully tucked the drawing into her journal. Whatever challenges lay ahead – with her parents, with Elias, with her own doubts – she had this. This love, this family they were building, this magic they were discovering together.

Perhaps that was enough for now. Perhaps that was everything after all.

CHAPTER 26

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