The carriage rolled to a stop,and Travell alighted with a spring to his step. He forced himself not to run up the stepsanddashthrough the house shouting Alyssa’s name until she appeared, butheld out a hand to his mother instead.
He heard the door openbehind him, butbelieving it to be Holmes, he didn’t think anything of it until his father stepped to the ground. With a wide grin on the earl’s face, he looked at something over Travell’s left shoulder.
When he turned and spied the vision before him, he found it difficult to do more than stare. Alyssa was standing on the bottom step with a light smile on her full lips. “Welcome home, my lord.”
“Yes.” He wasn’t sure what he was agreeing to, but whatever she wanted, he would find a way to provide it.
She shifted her gaze to encompass the rest of the occupants. “Lord and Lady Trenton, Dr. Perimore. I trust your journey was without incident?”
The earl gestured to Travell. “Other than that pup’s incessant impatience, it was rather fine indeed.” As he walked past her, Travell saw him give her a wink. “But then, a lovely woman has a way of occupying a man’s full attention.”
Alyssa blushed a charming shade of rose as the trio continued on into the house, leaving him alone with her.
Once they were gone, Alyssa took hold of her skirts and did a slight pirouette on the sidewalk in front of him.“What do you think of my dress?”
He thought it was something of an odd thing for her to say, but he replied huskily, “I can’t wait to peel it off of you later.”
Again, her face reddened. “I meant thecolor.”
Taken aback, he finally looked at the actual garment, instead of just the woman who was wearing it. “It’s…”He cleared his throat. “Rather orange.”
She laughed. “It was a gift from Triana.”
“In that case,” he murmured,“it doesn’t surprise me in the least.” He reached out and drew her close. He allowed his gaze to roam over every bit of her face, from her dark, mahogany hair pulled up into a sweeping chignon with a few curls left to dangle about her graceful neck, her green eyes filled with a certain measure of amusement and adoration. Everything combined, she presented a rather heart stopping picture.
He reached out and ran a finger along her delicate jaw. “I love you, Alyssa Breyton. Have I told you that yet?”
“No,”she whispered. “But I knew you did. I was just waiting for you to tell me.”
He threw back his head and laughed, and then took her lips in a kiss that left them both wanting more. When he drew back, he said, “Please tell me that we can get married in the morning, even if we have to drag JosiahAdamsall the way from Basildon.”
It was her turn to laugh. “I should like that very much, my lord.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, heedless of any of the onlookers that might be passing by or drawing back their curtains to look out their windows. “Because I love you too, Travell Abernathy. With all of my heart.”
After they kissed again, he lifted a brow and said, “You know, we could sneak out to the gardens for a quick tryst this evening. We could even pretend it’s your debut ball all over again.”
She blinked at him. “I wasn’t sure you even remembered that night.”
“Of course,” he returned softly. “I remember everything about you. But that was the moment you stopped being ‘little’ Alyssa Breyton and I realized you were a woman grown. It wasquiteterrifying.”
She tilted her head to the side, her lips twitching. “And now? Am I still so fearsome?”
He tugged on one of her curls, smiling as it bounced back into place. “No.” He shook his head. “Now you’re just mine.”
Epilogue
Once the guests started to arrivefor the ball, Alyssa and Travell, the Duke and Duchess of Chiltern, and Lord and Lady Trentonwere greeted with a steadystreamof well wishes and congratulations. The earl’s resurgence into societyhadcaused quite a stir with many choosing to discount his shadypast in honor of his healthy return. And while there were moments that he still appeared confused at times, Alyssa was glad to see that, with the support of his wife and the continued care of the mesmerist, both ofwhomstood by his side, his violent outbursts had ceased and each day progressed with further doses of reality.
“Lady Alyssa.” She turned to see Mr. Talon Lyridon in front of her. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Of course,” she returned graciously. “It was kind of you to assist Lord Trenton during his time of need. And Dr. Perimore has been a wonderful replacement.”
“I’m relieved to hear it,” he returned with a delighted twinkle in his silver eyes. Alyssa knew that someday that handsome glint would catch some lady’s eye and she would be lost. “I have some good news I’d like to impart as well.” He paused to make sure he had her full attention. “I convinced my colleague at the Horticultural Society to examine your Blue Ladies, if you’reamenable, of course.”
Her mouth fell slack. “Yes! That would be wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Lyridon.”
He bowed slightly. “You deserve the honor. You’ve accomplished a scientific marvel with your roses, and it should be recognized. I’ll send you a message with all the details in a day or two.”
As he moved away, Alyssa couldn’t quite believe her recent good fortune. First, she gained Travell’s love, and now her Blue Ladies would finally have a voice.
