“Ah, yes,” Henrietta said with a laugh, turning towards her husband.“Strawberries are my favorite fruit.”
“And here I thought they weremine.”Trem smiled back.
It was not the first innuendo Leith had heard regarding strawberries between Trem and Henrietta—but he was choosing to remain ignorant of their intimations.He didnotwant to know.The many passing years had not changed that, at the very least.
“Unfortunately, they don’t cook withmyfavorite sweet.I’ve even been known to suck it from my wife’s fingers.”
“John!”Catherine objected.“You are really too bad.”
“What!”he said.“I meantink.Because your fingers always have ink on them.”
Monty, Leith, and Trem rolled their eyes in unison, but Catherine merely laughed and snuggled closer to her husband.
The other guests had gathered around the table.Trem was, apparently, going to say a few words in honor of the July birthdays.
Leith looked at all the faces in the crowd.Some were mere acquaintances to him and were his own family.But it warmed him to know that each person here loved someone he loved deeply.
There were the members of Monty’s family who had managed to make it: his younger sister, Petunia, and her husband, Edgar, and their little girls; his mother and her new husband, a man she had met many years ago in France; and one of his other sisters, Willa, and her wife, Lily.Monty’s brother, Percy, was in attendance as well, with his wife Natasha, who was the daughter of Olivia’s oldest friend, Eloisa.Eloisa watched the children eye the desserts with her husband and her son, Nathanial, and his wife, Althea.
And still yet there were more people that Leith knew and had fondness for.Henrietta’s best friend, Mrs.Burnbridge, and her husband, were here, as was Catherine’s former guardian, Mrs.Edersby, and her son, Ariel, and his new wife.
Even Lord Stratton and Mr.Pennington had come up for the occasion.Long gone were the days when he had regarded the two men as unpleasant reminders of his own advancing age.Especially since it had been quite some years since he had understood that the two men were in love themselves—at some point, the two one-time rakes had gone from hunting courtesans to pursuing each other.
In short, it was a wonderful collection of people.It wasn’t everyone who was important, but it was close.
Of course, Leith reflected, without Beatrice here, true perfection—true happiness—would always remain impossible.
“Papa!”he heard his daughter cry, and then felt arms twining around his waist.He looked down to find Eleanora embracing him.She was shortly joined by Lavinia.
“Good afternoon to you, my darlings,” he said, hugging his daughters back.Soon, Luke joined his siblings and all of his children embraced him at once.
Yes, he thought, his eyes filling with tears, itwasalmost perfect.
“Thank you,” Trem began, “to all who traveled to be here for this party held in honor of our children.We are here to celebrate them, but we are also here to celebrate more than three decades of friendship between myself and my best friends—John, Monty, and Leith.Life is long and friendships can break easily.But we have all of us an uncommon bond.And for their friendship, I am forever grateful.”
Now, tears really threatened.He managed, underneath the embrace of his children, to tip his glass back in Trem’s direction.
“Now, please,” Trem said.“Enjoy this frankly terrifying selection of puddings.”
The children, including his own, needed no further encouragement.They pounced on the puddings.
“My, I would have regretted missing that sight.”
Leith whirred around.
There she was.
It was really her.
His Beatrice.
His love.
His unusual, radiant darling.
She had managed, somehow, to arrive in time.
She was still in her traveling clothes, but she looked as beautifully touch-me-not and imperious as the first day that he had met her.
