Andrea Kane (49 page)

Anastasia dissolved into laughter. “The butterfly is already out of its cocoon,” she observed. “By the time Damen and I return, you’ll be soaring the skies like an eagle.” She took Breanna’s hand in hers. “We’ll be back before Christmas. Then, as soon as we return, we’ll hold a huge party at Medford Manor—to celebrate the holidays and both of our twenty-first birthdays. By that time we’ll both be of age.”

“Yes we will.” Breanna plucked a blade of grass, an air of gravity settling over her. “I’ll miss you, Stacie,” she said softly. “Not so much on your wedding trip, but after. We’re finally reunited after ten long years. Selfishly, I suppose I’m not ready to say good-bye. Even if you’re only off to London, where you and Damen will be living. It’s still not the same as having you here.”

Anastasia swallowed deeply, her grip on Breanna’s hand tightening. “I’ll miss you, too. Terribly. And I’ll miss Medford Manor.” Tears blurred her eyes as she gazed, once again, across the acres and acres of beloved grounds. “Part of my heart will always be here. Because you, Wells, Mrs. Rhodes—and everyone from Mrs. Charles to Lizzy—are my family. And family is the most precious gift life has to offer. No matter where I go, Medford Manor will always be home …” She broke off, a certain conversation she and Damen had shared on a moonlit balcony resurging like the tide.

Is it possible to miss home even when you’re right there in it?

Yes. When that home is no longer the same as the one you remember. And the one you remember is the one you miss.

And then the second conversation, the one they’d had in bed, after their long hours of lovemaking.

I think about that money often, about what Breanna and I can do with it that would ensure Grandfather’s wishes are carried out. I feel as if the answer is right here in our own backyard, only we have yet to see it. But whatever it is, it has to be something that would bind our family together, not only now but for generations—actually, forever, if I had my way … a uniting force, a means to entwine Breanna’s and my futures, and the futures of our children.

I think you’ve just begun to answer your own question. The rest will come with time. You and Breanna will see to it.

Once again, the brilliant Marquess of Sheldrake was right.

Anastasia jerked upright so abruptly that Breanna started. “That’s it!” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet, shading her eyes as she peered across the manicured grounds. “That’s absolutely it!”

“What’s it?” Breanna demanded, rising as well.

“Grandfather’s money.
That’s
what we’ll do with it.” Anastasia turned, gripped both Breanna’s hands in hers. “Damen said the answer would come with time, and it has. Breanna, let’s build another manor, several more manors, right here on these grounds. There are hundreds and hundreds of acres here, more than enough to accommodate a half-dozen houses. The first will be for Damen and me—our new home. Oh, I know his Town house is right near the bank, but this is one inconvenience I know he won’t mind suffering. Besides …” Her grin was impish. “… I have a feeling my soon-to-be husband will be spending a lot less time at his desk and a lot more time working at home. Building a home in Kent will ensure that.”

She paused, only to suck in her breath. “Anyway, after our new manor is complete, we can wait awhile, then begin construction of the others—the ones for our children and their families. Each manor will have plenty of privacy, yet be part of the growing Colby circle. What do you think?”

Breanna’s mouth finally snapped shut, and joy exploded across her face. “I think you’re more brilliant than Damen, after all.” She whirled about, surveying the grounds, then turned and hugged Anastasia fiercely. “Choose the spot for your manor,” she urged, drawing back to regard Stacie with spiraling exhilaration. “Now. Immediately. If we hire an architect right away, he can begin while you and Damen are on your wedding trip. You’ll be able to move in that much sooner.”

An emphatic nod. “Damen will be here in an hour. I’ll talk to him the minute he arrives.”

Anastasia fell silent, feeling a sense of lightness so profound it made her ache. Slowly, she raised her eyes to the heavens, sharing the feeling with the man who’d inspired it.

“He knows, Stacie,” Breanna whispered, following her cousin’s gaze. “Grandfather already knows. He’s sharing our joy, just as he always will.”

Breanna’s words sang inside Anastasia’s heart a week later when, on the arm of a proud, beaming Wells, she walked down the aisle and joined with the man she loved.

The chapel was filled, the approving murmurs and stares all directed at her as, clad in a shimmering gown of silver and white, Anastasia took Damen’s hand, declared her vows to him, and he to her.

The wedding breakfast, held in the very spot where Stacie and Breanna once climbed, and where they’d made their all-important decision last week, was a veritable paradise of flowers, an endless stretch of manicured greenery.

One that was theirs forever, Anastasia reflected joyously, separating herself from the throng of guests long enough to gaze across the grounds, to savor the fact that her future with Damen lay right here.

“Admiring the site of our new home?” Damen asked huskily, coming up behind his bride and wrapping his arms about her waist.

“Treasuring it,” Anastasia amended, leaning back against her new husband’s solid strength.

“I love you, Lady Sheldrake,” Damen murmured solemnly, burying his lips in her hair. “More than you’ll ever know.”

Anastasia turned, gazed up at him, all the love in the world shining in her eyes. “And I love you. More than I ever dreamed possible.”

A wicked gleam. “Enough to slip away from your own celebration?”

An impish grin. “Definitely enough.” She traced his lapel with her fingertip. “See? If our new manor were already completed, we wouldn’t even have to waste time riding to London.”

“If our manor was already completed, I would have whisked you into it an hour ago.”

Anastasia searched Damen’s face, a trace of anxiety clouding her own. “You really are pleased about the way Breanna and I are spending Grandfather’s inheritance, aren’t you?”

A look of fierce pride darkened Damen’s gaze. “I’m more than pleased. I’m so bloody proud of you I could burst. You picked the most fitting tribute, the most rewarding investment in yours and Breanna’s future that your grandfather could ever wish for. He was blessed to have you. And now, so am I.”

Tears dampened Anastasia’s lashes. “Damen …”

“Come, my beautiful bride,” he breathed, brushing her lips in a soft, poignant caress. “It’s time to seal our vows in the most magnificent way possible.” He glanced beyond her, at the very spot where their manor would soon stand. “Those workmen had best toil round the dock,” he muttered. “Because by the time we return from our wedding trip…” An insightful spark flickered in his eyes, and he drew Anastasia to him, his hands settling on her waist, his thumbs skimming the layers of her wedding gown that covered her now flat abdomen. “Let’s just say that my Town house is far too cramped for what I have in mind.”

A watery smile. “And what is that, my lord? A dividend from our joint venture?”

“Oh, more than one, Mrs. Lockewood,” Damen assured her. “This ultimate partnership we just committed ourselves to is going to reap more rewards than you can begin to imagine.” He held her stare, his expression profound, utterly certain. “In fact, my instincts tell me that we’re going to give your grandfather every bit of the extensive, loving family he prayed for.”

T
O GRYPHON BOOKS, FOR
their commitment, patience, and professionalism in digging up reference books for me on the 19
^th
-century English banking system. Many thanks— you’ve spared me more sleepless nights than I can count.

To my family, the true-to-life embodiment of what Anastasia and Breanna’s grandfather believed family ought to be. I love you.

Andrea Kane is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels—including fourteen historical and twelve contemporary novels—that have been published in sixteen countries and translated into more than twenty languages. Whether she’s writing about Regency England, America on the brink of civil war, or New York Police Department detectives caught up in mayhem and murder, Kane’s ability to create unforgettable stories has earned her a loyal worldwide following.

Kane published
My Heart’s Desire
, her first historical novel and the first book in the Barrett Family series, in 1991. Others quickly followed, including
Samantha
, the second book in that series;
Echoes in the Mist
and
Whispers in the Wind
(the Kingsley in Love series); and the acclaimed Black Diamond, Thornton-Bromleigh Family, and Colby Coin series. Stand-alone historic romances include
Dream Castle
(1992),
Masque of Betrayal
(1993),
Emerald Garden
(1996), and
The Music Box
(1998).

Kane’s groundbreaking romantic thriller
Run for Your Life
(2000) became an instant
New York Times
bestseller. This was followed by a series of suspense novels featuring NYPD detective-turned-private investigator Pete “Monty” Montgomery. Kane’s current contemporary series introduced FBI special agents Sloane Burbank and Derek Parker. Other thrillers include
No Way Out, Scent of Danger, Twisted, I’ll Be Watching You, The Girl Who Disappeared Twice,
and, most recently,
The Line Between Here and Gone.

Kane is a self-proclaimed “cerebral” type, and prides herself on her questioning, analytical mind, which has led to her passion for mysteries. She has spent many happy hours with the classic novels of Agatha Christie, trying to outsmart Hercule Poirot.

She is also a die-hard sentimentalist. She cries at old movies and believes in striving for happily-ever-after. In Kane’s words: “The idealist in me loves writing romance, and the pragmatist in me loves writing suspense. I feel very fortunate that I’m able to combine the two, and give you books that keep you at the edge of your seat, but at the same time, make you care.”

Kane lives in New Jersey with her family.

Andrea Kane as a little girl, with her first puppy, Inky, named for the black spots on his white back.

An eight-year-old Kane, a proud sleepaway camper for the first time.

A photo from Kane’s trip to the Thousand Islands (on the border of Canada and the United States) to research and write
My Heart’s Desire
. Kane toured the area by boat.