Page 61 of Pining for Lord Lockhart
Grace Standish should have been happy about Charity’s wedding. She should have been rejoicing with the others. But in truth, she had grown tired of all of it, the marriages, the seeking for marriage, the Seasons. With the time finally upon her to have a Season herself, she wanted nothing to do with it.
But Lord Lockhart and Charity were two of the happiest people she’d ever seen. They were perhaps the most suited of all the couples in her family. He not only understood her intelligence and her need to study every sort of topic and discuss it and all its intricacies for hours on end, he reveled in it. She’d never seen a man more proud than he was when she bested every man in the room with her knowledge of a particular battle in which Wellington had done some remarkable thing. Grace laughed. She was happy for her sister.
June came to stand beside Grace, her arm going around her shoulder. “And now you’re next.”
Grace didn’t know what to say. Except that she didn’t want to be courted. She didn’t want to be a part of a Season. That was just asking to get hurt in one way or another. She was just asking to be ruined, forced, or kidnapped. No one talked about it much, but she would never forget how easily she’d been fooled by Lord Kenworthy, how quickly he’d whisked her away and how closely she’d come to being miserable forever.
“Maybe you can choose him for me.” Her eyes widened in hope. She knew what June would say. That none of the sisters needed a marriage of convenience, they’d all at last had the opportunity and the means to marry for love, even Lucy, who’d chosen to marry their stable hand. But instead of all the typical reassurances she had heard June say before to all their other sisters, she squeezed Grace. “We can if you would like.”
And those words, that simple response had filled Grace with relief. She nodded. “Thank you.”
Charity and Lord Lockhart came running over, Charity’s dress flowing all around her, a white beauty like few had ever seen, Lord Lockhart looking about ready to burst with happiness. “I love you, little Grace.” Charity kissed her cheek. “June.”
“So happy for you!” Grace waved a hand as the two ran off to climb in their carriage ready to be happy for the rest of their lives.
Grace’s cheeks hurt from smiling. “We are blessed indeed.”
“Yes we are.” June wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Charity was going to live in London. Neither had much desire to return to the Lockhart estate. They were making plans to build their own new estate, but they hadn’t decided on the perfect location. Grace hoped it would end up in Brighton. But they had no need. If they came to Brighton, everyone could stay at the castle.
No matter what, Grace knew they would be happy, and that’s all that mattered, as long as she still got to see her sisters.
Charity blew kisses to everyone cheering them on for their departure in their new life together. And Lord Lockhart threw the contents of a bag of coins high into the air.
Everyone cheered even louder. Lucy and Kate joined Grace and June so that four Standish sisters stood in a line to wave farewell. Morley, Gerald and Amelia, Logan, and Conor stood nearby. Grace couldn’t help but feel that all she needed, all she would ever need was right there in her life.
“Goodbye!” She waved. The others cheered along with her.
And Lord and Lady Lockhart rode off into a real-life sunset.
