“I still wonder whether we ought to have invited your father,” Norman mused.
Susan shook her head. “That’s not a good idea,” she said. “Not while Leah is in town. Father would likely try to make her go back to her husband.”
“That monster?”
“He believes she has a duty to try to set things right. Of course, Marina and I will do whatever we can to prevent that. So we can’t let Father find out that Leah is here. Once she’s safely back in Scotland, we can let him know that she came. There will be nothing he can do then. But no, he shouldn’t have dinner with us tonight.”
“That makes sense to me,” Norman said. “And you’re right—the guests are about to arrive. But before they do…”
He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply and passionately.
Susan gave in to the kiss, as she always did when he reached for her these last few days. The kisses had been frequent and delicious, as if they had finally given themselves permission to do something they had both ached to do for a very long time. If Susan had had her way, they would have spent all their time, every day, in one another’s arms.
She reveled in the strength of him, the firmness of his grip, and the way his hands cradled her. The musky male scent of him, so foreign to her at first, now becoming familiar and comforting.
When they pulled apart, they were both smiling giddily. “Are you sure you don’t want to cancel the dinner?” he asked her. “You look so lovely. I know you dressed up for company, but we could stay up here and spend time together, just the two of us. I appreciate that gown much more than my aunt or my cousin will.” He smiled at her.
Susan smiled back, but something he had said had sparked her nerves. “Your aunt doesn’t like me.”
“Oh, that isn’t true.”
“It is true. That’s why she wanted us to annul the marriage.”
“No, that isn’t why. She thought we were in it for the wrong reasons. She wanted us to have a marriage based on love.”
“And she didn’t believe that we had that.”
“Well, we didn’t,” Norman pointed out. “She saw through our deception. But now there will be no deception. What she’ll see from us now will be the truth, and she will believe it, because she’s always seen through our lies. Now will be no different. She’ll see us together today, and she’ll know that what’s between us is true. She’ll be on our side.”
Susan bit her lip and nodded slowly. She wasn’t sure exactly why Aunt Tabitha’s approval meant so much to her. Maybe it was because the conflict between her and Norman had begun when she had heard Aunt Tabitha talking about her. It was hard to get past that moment.
Norman put an arm around her. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll face her together.”
And Susan recovered her courage. “You’re right,” she agreed. “We’ll face this together, just as we face everything elsetogether.” She smiled at her husband, and he smiled back, and she was filled with confidence. Whatever came tonight—whatever came for the rest of their lives—they would manage as long as they were side by side.
“You’re looking so well,” Marina enthused, flinging her arms around Susan. “One would never know you had been ill at all!”
“Norman has been taking very good care of me,” Susan said with a smile.
Marina laughed. “I knew you two were going to fall in love. Haven’t I said it right from the start?”
“I can’t deny that you have,” Susan said. “You know a great deal more about my life than I do sometimes, Marina. Perhaps I ought to listen to you more often.”
“I’ve been saying that for years,” Marina grinned.
Leah hugged her next. “It’s so good to see you, Sue. I knew you would recover quickly, but even so, you did have us worried.”
“I’m sorry I let it all get to me,” Susan said. “I know I should have been stronger.”
“No, that’s not true at all,” Leah said. “Matters of the heart can be one of the most difficult things in the world to navigate, andit is no surprise to me that you were struggling. I’m only glad that you and Norman were able to work things out and to find your way back to one another, because you deserve to have love in your life.”
“Perhaps a trip to Scotland will be in order soon,” Susan mused as the sisters went into the dining room. “I’d like to meet your Lachlan.”
Leah laughed. “He’s notmyLachlan.”
“Not yet,” Marina trilled. “But once you’ve gotten your divorce… who knows? Anything is possible. And if he is as wonderful as you’ve made him out to be, it’s difficult to imagine that anyone could be more worthy of our eldest sister!”
They sat down at the table and were joined by Norman, Lady Keethroad, and Michael, who had been conversing together before coming in to dinner.
