The Silver Blade (37 page)
It was a very humble and truthful letter and had moved Henry deeply.
The last one had again been from Sido.
My dear aunt and uncle,I am sure by now you have been told that I am well and happier than I have ever been. Yann, I know, has written to ask for your blessing and I hope with all my heart that you will be able to give it.No doubt, Aunt, you are upset, and wish I was marrying someone of my own rank, but the man I am betrothed to is of noble birth. He was born to be King of the Gypsies.We will go to America to start our married life, to begin again. I truly believe this is for the best. Tetu is coming with us, as is Monsieur Aulard, with a view to opening a theatre for magic.Always your affectionate niece,Sido
Henry was greatly relieved. In his heart of hearts he knew the young lovers would do well. Putting down his glasses, he looked up to see that tea was being served in the garden and felt somewhat sheepish. If he had been honest with Juliette, and told her Yann hadn’t gone back to Paris to be an actor, if he had told her who the Silver Blade was, would she have fewer objections to the marriage?
Vane came into the room. ‘Mrs Laxton is asking that you join her, sir.’
Henry stood up and, walking out into the garden, prepared to tell his wife an extraordinary story.
Epilogue
I
was on a mellow September afternoon, as the mist once more clung like a lady’s mantle to the earth and the air was filled with the smell of a passing summer, that the wedding of Yann Margoza and Sidonie de Villeduval took place in Normandy at the chateau of the Duchesse de Bourcy.
was on a mellow September afternoon, as the mist once more clung like a lady’s mantle to the earth and the air was filled with the smell of a passing summer, that the wedding of Yann Margoza and Sidonie de Villeduval took place in Normandy at the chateau of the Duchesse de Bourcy.
The long table in the dining room had been laid with the best silver and plate, and the candelabras lit so that the chamber had the quality of sun-filled honey as the guests filtered in.
Henry Laxton had chartered a private boat from Brighton to bring over Juliette, Mr Trippen, the Duc de Bourcy and his two sons. It had been an emotional reunion for everyone, each for different reasons.
Juliette, who had decided to put aside all her objections to the marriage, found herself humbled by the change in her niece and bewildered by her beauty.
Cordell had arranged for the actors from the Circus of Follies to be brought from Paris. Monsieur Aulard, sitting next to Tetu, was excited by the future. In two days’ time, he, Tetu, and Monsieur and Madame Margoza would be sailing for New York. Oh, he thought, how the world has tumbled upside down to land on its feet again.
Didier was sitting with Dufort and the monkey, the Viscount, who was remarkably well behaved and well dressed. Basco was in his element talking to Juliette. Tetu, silently observing the proceedings, could see in the flickering light of the candles that the spirits were watching them. Anis, with Manouche by her side, was there to give her blessing.
The champagne flowed and, as the great doors opened and the little collection of musicans began to play, everyone stood, glasses raised.
‘To Monsieur and Madame Margoza!’
Yann saw the threads of light spinning around them, all silvery, diamond, ruby bright, and knew that shadows were but passing clouds. Putting his hands to Sido’s face he kissed her.
She said softly, ‘We are birds …’
Yann smiled. ‘We are the children of the Revolution, we are free.’
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Judith Elliott for her help in finishing the first draft. Thanks too, to the wonderful Jacky Bateman, who puts up with the vilest spelling mistakes and still manages to laugh, for her long-suffering patience during the many rewrites. There are, as she says, three ghost books from which this one has emerged.
My grateful thanks to Fiona Kennedy who helped shape the novel, pulling all the strands of the story together and weaving a better book; to Lauri Hornik at Dial Books for her continuing support; to my agent Rosemary Sandberg; and last but not least to the girl I met on a school visit who shyly asked, ‘Please Miss, when will you write more romance - like Mr Rochester in
Jane Eyre
?’
Jane Eyre
?’
I hope I understood the question. This book is my answer.
SG.
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