Page 105 of Miss Flibbertigibbet and the Barbarian
“I do.” Addie glanced at Dickie, and he nodded, and she returned her gaze to Phillip. “We do. You need to make your peace with Papa. After that, all else will fall into place easily enough.”
“Now Viola knows us”—Dickie smiled encouragingly at Viola—“and we know and approve of her, as we definitely do, she won’t be walking into a completely unknown situation or be without supporters on the ground, and in truth, everyone will welcome her with open arms.”
Phillip frowned. “I’m not sure it will be that easy.”
Addie heaved an exasperated sigh. “Phillip, Papa has been waiting all these long years for you to come to your senses.” She glanced at Viola, then returned her gaze to her half brother. “Now you’ve fallen in love yourself, you know what it’s like. The same compulsion that drives you to marry Viola is precisely the same force that drove Papa to marry our mama. You understand now, and you can’t pretend otherwise.”
“And if you think Papa—of all men—won’t understand why you want so very much to marry Viola…” Dickie shook his head. “That’s just nonsensical.”
When Phillip still looked unconvinced, Nicholas stirred and said, “They’re right, you know. I only met the earl and countess for one evening, but the connection between them?” He dipped his head to Viola and Phillip. “It’s exactly the same connection all of us can see between the pair of you.”
Addie considered saying more, but with Devenish present, decided against it. She would have her chance when they reached Styles Place. By then, she hoped to have her own future decided, and if she was to leave the Grange and live with Nicholas in Newmarket, her latest, brightest, and most-desired goal was to leave her family united, with Phillip and her parents reconciled and Viola welcomed as the future countess. Now that the chance to achieve that had arisen, she wasn’t about to let it slip through her fingers. The Sommerville family needed to come together to weather the difficulties that would inevitably arise from her father’s slow decline.
“Think about it.” She caught Viola’s gaze. “Both of you. This is the time to seize your future and craft it into the life you want to lead.”
Truer words…
She felt that reality resonate inside her.
Soon after, with the brandy glasses drained and the impact of their long days in the saddle making itself known, they rose from the table and, smothering yawns, made their way upstairs.
With her advice to Phillip and Viola still echoing in her ears, rather than make for her room, Addie walked to the end of the first-floor corridor, where an alcove looked out over the town’s gardens. Nicholas’s room was close, while her room was around the corner and down a further corridor.
She didn’t turn around but listened to doors softly close here and there, then footsteps neared. A second later, Nicholas joined her.
He settled beside her, looking out at the night. “You and Dickie seem to have buried your differences with Phillip.” She felt his gaze touch her face. “Was that because of Viola?”
She tipped her head. “Indirectly. Presumably due to his association with Viola, Phillip has changed, significantly and dramatically, and that raises the prospect of a reconciliation between him and Papa.” She drew breath and added, “And for everyone’s sake, that needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
After a second’s hesitation, he quietly asked, “Because of your father’s failing faculties?”
Startled, she looked at him. “Was that a guess or…?”
He met her gaze and raised one shoulder. “Mostly a guess, but I’ve seen the signs before, in other aging men. Physically, they’re hale and hearty, but their minds drift. Their focus meanders. After speaking with your father, I wondered.”
She grimaced and looked out once more. “Phillip learning of that is no longer the threat we once thought it would be. Based on his previous behavior, we all believed that he would seize the chance to take over the estate and get rid of…well, everyone. But now… Aside from all else, as Papa’s heir, he needs to know. He and Viola will need time to prepare for what’s to come. They’ll need to marry soon and take up residence at the Grange, so Phillip can properly learn the ropes and the staff can come to know Viola and she, them.”
Nicholas wholeheartedly agreed. Family dynamics, especially the changes brought about by the succession of the generations, was familiar territory for him. So many adjustments, some more easily made than others. He glanced at Adriana. “It helps if people know what they want of life.”
Do you know? Have you made up your mind?
Those questions prompted him, for once, to surrender to impulse. “This afternoon, when I found you thrown and lifeless on the ground…”
He didn’t know where the words were coming from, only that he needed to say them. That he had to utter them, and she had to hear them. “It felt as though my world had ended. I had no idea I would feel like that—that Icouldfeel like that. It was as if my heart had been torn from me, and only black nothingness remained.”
She turned to him, concern in her face, solace in her eyes. She put a hand on his arm. “I hadn’t left you.”
He nodded. “Realizing that, and that you needed my help, was all that kept me anchored.” Carefully, because he wasn’t sure he could control the forces he’d allowed to rise, he raised a hand and, with one finger, traced the curve of her luminous cheek. “I realized then—fully and completely—what it was I felt for you. I knew before, but only theoretically. In that moment, my feelings for you became entirely real. Manifest and undeniable.” His finger stilling, drowning in her blue gaze, he slowly shook his head. “I can’t walk away. If you deny me—”
She seized his finger. “I won’t.” She searched his eyes. “I don’t.”
To him, it felt as if the world stood still. “Are you sure?” It was all he could do to get the words out. He didn’t want to question her decision. He wanted to seize her and never let go.
She nodded. “I wasn’t certain until today. I’ve been waiting for signs, but today I realized that I don’t need any other signs. I know what I want”—she tapped her fist to her chest—“in here. And I’m not going to change my mind any more than you are.”
He felt his features ease, his expression lighten, as the weight of uncertainty lifted from his shoulders. “In that case, I suppose that, along with all else we’re celebrating, we should celebrate that, too.”
Her smile was radiant. “Yes, we should.” And with no more ado, she framed his face, stretched up, and kissed him.
