Sniffing, Mary brushed the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand, only to find herself crying harder. A sob lodged itself in her throat, struggling against the lump that had formed. She’d dreamed of this moment five years ago, of them coming to their senses and realizing just how greatly they’d wronged her. She’d dreamt of them missing her so much they’d hire investigators to find her, but then the weeks had turned into months, and the months had turned into years, and she’d lost hope.
Her body shook, not from cold but from violent emotion. She’d thought she’d stopped caring, but the letter had brought it all back, and the words…the words went straight to her heart, melting it as easily as the sun would melt butter. Inhaling deeply, she reread the letter and cried a bit more before managing to regain her composure.
Caleb had done this. He’d gone to her parents and told them everything, and now they wanted to see her. She inhaled deeply. He was trying to make things right between them by clearing her of any wrongdoing with his brother. But as much as she appreciated the gesture, it didn’t change the fact that he’d deliberately played her for a fool.
She knew she probably looked a fright when she returned to the dining room, and Cassandra’s and Emily’s concerned expressions confirmed this. “What has happened?” Cassandra asked.
Emily set her spoon aside. “Is everything all right?”
Peter slurped and Eliot belched, sending all the children into a fit of laughter which earned them a sharp reprimand from Cassandra.
Mary nodded. “Yes. We have all been invited to spend Christmas in London with my parents.”
“Really?” Cassandra asked with some surprise.
Mary nodded. She bit her lip. “I’m not so sure it’s a good idea,” she said. Hurt from their ill-treatment still clung to her like a heavy wool cloak.
“May I?” Cassandra asked. She held out her hand, and Mary reluctantly handed her the letter. After reading it, she met Mary’s gaze with bewildered curiosity. “Is this not what you have been waiting for, Mary? For your parents to apologize and beg your forgiveness?”
“I no longer know,” Mary confessed. “It has been so long. I do not feel the same desire to see them again as I once did.”
“They are your parents,” Emily reminded her. “And what of your sisters? You said you used to be close.”
Mary winced. She’d missed Sarah, Lilly, and Edith most of all after leaving London. It was her own fault she hadn’t stayed in touch with them, because she’d feared they would tell their parents where she was hiding. “True,” she muttered. “I have to admit I long to see them again.”
“Then let us accept your parents’ offer,” Cassandra implored. “Besides, the children will have a better Christmas there than they’re bound to have here. We cannot deny them that for any reason.”
A small smile tugged at Mary’s lips. “You are too manipulative, Emily.”
“So it’s settled?” Emily asked while everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath.
“Indeed,” Mary said. “We are going to London for Christmas.”
The children whooped in response, their happiness cementing the rightness of Mary’s decision in her mind. It would likely be a strained reunion, but she’d do it for them. As for Caleb… She wasn’t sure how she’d respond if she saw him during her visit to London and could only hope the attraction she felt for the man would not cloud her judgment in any way.
They arrived three days later, exactly one week before Christmas Eve. After descending from the carriage, Mary had started helping the children down when the front door opened and a flurry of silk and lace launched itself in her direction. Before she knew what was happening, she was being embraced by her mother, who seemed stronger now than ever before, her arms squeezing Mary as if she meant to crush her.
“Thank God you are finally here,” her mother exclaimed, heedless of who might happen to see. “You cannot imagine how much I have missed you.”
“It cannot be more than I,” another feminine voice said. “Or I,” someone else remarked.
With barely a chance to catch her breath, Mary was helplessly pulled from her mother’s arms into her sister, Edith’s, embrace and then into her father’s. It was overwhelming and much more frantic than she would have expected. It also banished the indifferent demeanor with which she’d intended to greet her parents and filled her heart with warmth instead.
“This is Miss Howard and Lady Cassandra,” she said, introducing her friends as soon as she had the chance to. She gestured to each of the children in turn, “And here’s Daphne, Bridget, Penelope, Peter, and Eliot.”
“How delightful,” Mrs. Clemens said. She leaned forward and smiled. “It is a pleasure to meet all of you.”
“Come,” Edith said, motioning for the children to join her. “Cook has prepared cream puff pastries and hot chocolate for you to enjoy.”
Wide-eyed and full of wonder, the children followed her up the front steps and into the house while Mr. Clemens paid the driver, who helped two footmen retrieve the luggage from on top of the carriage.
“Let us go in as well,” Mrs. Clemens said. She gestured for Emily and Cassandra to precede her and Mary.
“Where are Sarah and Lilly?” Mary asked her mother as they followed Emily and Cassandra into the foyer where Faulkner, the butler, stood waiting. He produced a rare smile as he welcomed Mary.
“Oh heavens,” her mother exclaimed, “your sister, Sarah, married four years ago, and Lilly made a match of her own a couple of years later. They’ve both got homes to run and children to look after.”
“Children?” Mary could scarcely believe it although she knew she ought to. After all, it had been five years, but Sarah and Lilly were both younger than she, so the idea just hadn’t occurred.
