He’d made her believe in herself.
With a deep breath, Lyra stood and walked downstairs. She ran her hand down the smooth wood of the balustrade as she made her descent. But when she spied Alister below, she felt her breath catch. It didn’t matter how many times she was with him, he still made her heart pound with anticipation of the next time they might meet.
He walked over and gave her a light kiss on the lips before offering his arm. “You look beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.
It was such a simple statement, yet it warmed her all over.
Tonight he was dressed in a pair of black breeches and jacket, and a white cambric shirt, although his waistcoat was a lovely emerald green. A ruby stickpin was tucked into the folds of his snowy white cravat, and that single stone managed to bring out the reddish highlights in his hair. He looked every inch a duke of the realm, and although he didn’t boast of his power and standing in society, he was a remarkable man who never failed to take her breath away.
* * *
Alister couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from Lyra’s enchanting face. But when he opened his mouth to say those three important words, Mara intruded on their solitude. “There you two are! We’ve been waiting for you. Come on!”
With that, she ushered them inside, and the moment was gone.
He escorted Lyra into the dining hall where everyone was already seated around the grand table—Mara, Roarke, Lavinia, and even Big B. Even though the latter technically classified as a servant, he had been fiercely loyal to Mara over the years. He was considered a part of the family, but it was only on special occasions that Mara could persuade him to dine with the rest of them. At well over six feet, with bulging muscles, dark skin, and a shaved head, he looked rather out of place in such a demure English setting, especially since he was a former pugilist. Roarke, as well as Alister, had nothing but respect for the man, and Alister greeted him with a polite nod as he sat across from him, which was returned, albeit gruffly.
Mara clapped her hands together as she stood near her husband at the head of the table. “I know that the last few hours have taken their toll, but at the same time, we have much to be thankful for.” She glanced at each of them in turn. “I know I speak for all of us when I say last year was vastly different. We were all in difficult places in our lives, so that’s why tonight’s celebration is so important. It signifies new beginnings.”
Mara gestured to a footman who brought forth six glasses of wine, which he set in front of each of them. Holding hers up, she said, “May the New Year hold even greater things for all of us. Cheers!”
With that, they all drank from their flutes. Alister set his down slowly. His gaze was drawn to Lyra, as usual.
“Now,” Mara was saying, “Shall we eat?”
With that, a veritable feast was brought out and served. Lady Eversleigh had certainly spared no expense for this Christmas to outshine all others.
Following the festive meal, they all retired to the front parlor.
It was the first time that Lyra had caught a glimpse of the massive tree, and her gasp of delight made Alister temporarily forget his concern about Sheerness and how Drayven and Talon might be faring. He had yet to hear anything about them, but he was confident that he would soon. He put an arm around his wife and had to admit the large yew tree was rather an impressive sight. It was bare before, but now it was decorated with small, ornamental treats. Candles had also been lit on various branches and were shining merrily for the occasion.
It was hard to believe that not even twenty-four hours ago, things had been infinitely more strained, so for the rest of the day, at least, his only mission was to make Lyra happy and help her to forget all the ugliness that had transpired.
As they settled about the room, Lyra walked over and picked up a brown package from under the tree. She returned and thrust the gift at him. “This is for you,” Lyra said, biting her lip with an adorable, childlike excitement that touched his heart.
With a twitch of his lips, he accepted it from her and tore open the paper. For a moment, all he could do was stare at the aged calfskin cover before he flipped through a few of the pages. He recognized that this wasn’t any ordinary present, but a very special cipher. More importantly, it was the best thing he’d ever received.
“Do you like it?”
He pulled her to him for a soft kiss. “It’s amazing,” he said huskily. “Thank you.”
And he meant every, single word.
“Now, I believe it’s my turn.” Standing, he walked over and plucked a small box from one of the higher branches of the tree. He returned, bent on one knee, and handed it to her. Lyra blushed as she tentatively opened the lid.
“I know I said that you could pick out your own ring once we returned to London, but I thought perhaps you might like a family heirloom—”
Lyra gasped at the ruby ring, encircled with diamonds, inside the small box. He didn’t know if that was a good sign or not, but when he reached out and removed the ring from the box, she put a hand to her chest, covering her heart.
He slid it onto the third finger of her left hand. “What do you know? It’s a perfect fit,” he murmured before clearing his throat. “This was my mother’s betrothal ring, but if you want to pick one out for yourself—”
“No,” she stated firmly, moving her hand around so that the cut of the stone caught the light and sparkled brilliantly. “It’s perfect.” She glanced up at him with tears shimmering in her gaze and whispered, “It’s an honor to wear her ring, but more than that, it’s an honor to be your wife.”
Alister felt his chest swell at her words. But just when he would have leaned in for a kiss, they were interrupted by the butler’s arrival. “Begging your pardon, Your Grace,” he said evenly. “But there’s a gentleman here who wishes to speak with you. He says it’s a matter of urgency.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
As Alister excused himself and followed the butler out of the room, Lyra couldn’t help but voice her concerns in the silence that followed. “I hope it’s not bad news about Talon and Lord Sussex.”
