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“Abram,” he said, heading for the desk and taking a seat behind it. The thick wood creaked beneath his weight. “It has been too long since you have seen our shores. Dia is Muire duit.”

“And may God and Mary bless you, too, Da. Aye, has been a long time. Nothing here has changed, and you look well.”

“I don’t feel it. I am sorry to bury my eldest,” he said, swiping at his face. There was pain in his voice, as Abram had anticipated.

“I am sorry for my part in it.”

“I have found the boy,” Da said. “Granted him our name, and I shall expect he is treated with all the respect that comes with being a McQueen. I’ve even deeded him some lands at the age of majority. Your brother longed for power. More money. But never integrity. I had known this to be true even when he was a lad. And he would not have settled for anything he deemed less than. The rejection from his intended would have been the final blow. I only regret my inability to keep him from harming so many. Rowan did not deserve his end.”

“Yes, sir,” Abram said. “And for what? I thought Dahl was mistaken that his intended would disavow him.”

“He was not. Her family would have. They’re connected to old German royalty and they pride themselves on their connections.”

Abram had never met the woman, so he had not known. He’d spent far too long away from his homeland. “I suppose it doesn’t matter now. But… I wondered if you might have told people Dahl had married Leandra before the child’s birth, to make their son the new Earl of Hartinton.”

The duke shook his head. “No. That is your title.”

Abram would hardly believe what his father was saying to him. “No, Da. I’m… I’m the spare.”

“Yes, and now… you are the heir. I have petitioned to transfer all his belongings to you.” Da stood and walked over to the window. “I did not do well by you, boy. When your mother died, God help me, I blamed you for her loss. And when I saw the way Dahl treated you, I did not intervene. I thought you were both just being boys. It was not until you left that I saw the error in my ways.”

“Da, you were hurt by the loss of our mother. I do not hold—” Abram started, hoping to assuage some of his father’s guilt.

“Do not. When you left, I saw the way your brother treated the servants, the tenants. They were no better than the rats to him. Everything that happened was brought on by Dahl’s malfeasance. None of this is your fault.”

“He begged me to return home,” Abram admitted. “He told me we needed to speak with you in person. I was too hurt—too angry to abide by your request. I shall carry the regret for the rest of my days.”

His father stood and turned away from Abram. “Regret is a funny thing. It can eat away at your conscience. You shall know no peace from it. No, it is best you make your peace with it, learn from your mistakes, and try your best to become a better man. It is the only way.”

Abram watched as his father silently approached the window and leaned against the sill. “I can make you a promise. I have let go of any misgivings I may have had, but I do not expect your forgiveness. I only asked that you allow me to be a part of your life moving forward. And I swear I will never harm you again. Not by my will.”

Abram stared at his father, the tall, dark-skinned man whom he had wanted his entire life to emulate. At his word, the years of pain and despair drained away.

Abram had been too foolish to see. Pride and hubris had kept him from seeing any other resolution than the one he had set up in his imagination.

Abram nodded, his soul full. “I understand now how it would be to lose a wife. There are no words to explain how my Orris has shown me what a love so pure means. If I were to lose her, there would be no more to me. Thank you for explaining to me. I will do my best to be the man you raised me to be.”

“She is here with you, is she not?”

“Yes. She and her mother, Mrs. Gray. They are at the inn. I did not know what state you would be in, so I thought it best to take them there.”

“Please, boy. Go get her. And her mother. I have waited for so long to meet them. Since your letter. It is time our family grew. I need more grandchildren to fill these old halls with laughter.” Da chuckled, a sound that Abram cherished more than ever.

“I agree, Da. I shall bring them now,” Abram said.

As he walked back over to the inn, he thought back on his father’s apology. He would not have believed it had he not heard it with his own ears. There was love there. Not love that he had always seen, but thinking back, there had been glimpses. In the way he had been allowed to go away to learn more about painting. In the quiet times when his father had told him of their customs and traditions.

Yes, his father had loved him, after all. And now Abram would be able to one day share the same with his own children.

*

The wedding, at the end of summer, was scheduled in Newcastle. The entire family came over for the ceremony, and Orris was happier than she had ever been.

There in her room at the historic castle, she stared out over the rolling greens of Ireland. “Do you think rain on your wedding day is really good luck?” she asked the room full of people.

Her mama, Violetta, Gladys, and Myrtle looked to her, all pieces of her family that made her feel comforted, even though she was not sure if she could spend so much time away from them. Orris realized the unplanned move to Ireland so soon would be challenging, but they would spend winters in Ireland and return to London for the social season. There would be intermittent trips for holidays, as well. Since Abram’s father had bestowed the title of the Earl of Hartinton upon him once Dahl had been buried, both of them would have responsibilities to the tenants and household. At least she would have her horse. A piece of home to help when she would inevitably miss her family.

“I do not believe in luck,” Violetta said.