Page 37 of On a Midsummer Night
Beth chuckled as Oliver bumped his shoulder into hers. “Seeing each other again convinced us that we would make each other very happy.”
Lucy’s answering grin lit her from the inside out. “Oh, I’m thrilled. You deserve all the happiness in the world. Both of you.”
Uncle Charles cleared his throat, and the entire table paused. His blue gaze darted from Beth to Henry, his mien expressionless. Beth held her breath until her uncle slowly extended a hand to her fiancé. “Definitely not the Dalton miss I had expected, but a Dalton, nonetheless. And a stellar young woman at that. Congratulations, Ramsgate.”
Beth beamed at her uncle before her eyes met Henry’s across the table, a strand of relief and felicity stretching across their bond.
The occupant at the other end of the table was strangely quiet, though. Her aunt stared at a fixed point across the room, her mouth ever so slightly ajar.
While Lucy peppered Henry with questions about how he knew Beth was the one, Beth turned in her chair to face her aunt, considering her next words with care.
“Aunt Meredith,” she murmured, “I know this did not work out the way you had hoped, but Lucy is still quite young. She’s discovering who she is and who she wants to be, and I’m sure she would welcome your support. Any man who captures her heart will be very lucky indeed, for your daughter is an exceptional young woman.”
A short nod was her only response.
Licking her lips, Beth continued. “I hope you know that without your gracious invitation to spend the season with you here at Dalton House, I would not have reconnected with Henry, and we would not have had the chance to realize we love each other. So do you see? You did help me find a husband, even if you didn’t know it.”
The older woman looked at her then, a myriad of emotions flashing over her face. And when she finally spoke, it was with genuine sincerity. “I’ll write Annalise tonight, and between the two of us, we will plan a grand wedding for you and Mr. Ramsgate. One befitting a Dalton bride.”
With watery eyes and tears clogging her throat, Beth could only nod.
Epilogue
“They’re here.”
Henry’s voice was quiet, and she was certain that an outside observer would not be able to detect the hint of panic that soured the words. But Beth knew her future husband; thus, she knew he’d feared this meeting since she had assisted him in drafting a return letter to Andrew Ramsgate.
“Are you certain it’s them?” she asked, looking around his shoulder out the window. Two men strolled up the walk to the front door.
“The similarities are striking.” He released a long exhale. “The taller one has my father’s nose. The harsh set to his mouth.”
Her stomach dropped to see him so agitated. Knitting their hands together, she squeezed his fingers as she leaned into his side. “Let’s simply do as we discussed and greet them.”
“What if they’re intent on causing trouble?” Henry let the curtain slide back into place and turned to her, his eyes wide. “If they reveal my illegitimacy, the board of directors could strip away my promotion. We’re not married yet, and I would hate for you to be embarrassed—”
“Charles will not let the railway rescind your promotion,” Phillip, Beth’s father, said firmly. He sat next to her mother, Annalise, on a settee near the fireplace in the parlor of the small townhouse her parents had rented for the wedding. A glass of brandy dangled from his fingertips. “I will ensure it.”
Henry’s eyes closed at her father’s declaration, some color returning to his pale cheeks.
“All will be well, Henry,” Annalise murmured, a kind smile curving her lips. “And if they do make trouble, we’ll be here to help. You’re one of us now.”
“And we take care of our own,” her father added, raising his glass.
Love and affection for her parents scorched the back of her eyes, and Beth blinked away the tears. They had arrived in London the week after they received the letter announcing her engagement, eager to meet Henry and spend time with Beth before the wedding. Annalise had warmed to Henry again immediately, and he seemed to appreciate her gentle regard, no doubt thinking of his mother. But it was observing how Phillip’s stoic mask morph into an easy friendliness with her future husband that caused Beth’s heart to sing. They had enjoyed several dinners with her parents since then, and at each, Henry, Oliver, and her father had relaxed into a sort of rhythm full of banter, good-natured barbs, and laughter. Seeing the three most important men in her life so comfortable with each other made her beam.
And Beth was once again thankful that her parents were here to support Henry through this stressful moment.
A soft knock interrupted, and the door opened after a short pause. “Mr. Ramsgate, Mr. Aaron Ramsgate and Mr. Andrew Ramsgate are here to see you, sir,” the butler intoned.
Henry held her gaze, and then puffed a breath as two men appeared in the doorway.
“Welcome, gentlemen. I’m gratified you could join us.” Henry’s voice was steady and assured. “May I introduce you to my betrothed, Miss Elizabeth Dalton, and her parents, Captain and Mrs. Phillip Dalton?”
The group exchanged pleasantries, and while Henry’s brothers greeted her parents, she marveled over how alike they were in appearance. Henry possessed more of his mother’s rich Latin American coloring compared to Aaron and Andrew’s pale, ruddy complexions. But the three brothers shared similar facial features, similar cowlicks in their hair, and similar quirks in their mouths when they smiled. Beth sent up a silent prayer that such similarities endeared them to one another instead of driving them apart.
Soon after introductions were completed, Beth’s parents excused themselves so the brothers could speak in private, but not before Phillip clapped Henry on the shoulder and patted it affectionately.
Henry’s eldest brother observed the interaction with an expressionless mien, his gaze landing on Beth for only a moment before returning to Henry once again. Aaron Ramsgate was brooding and intense, but he seemed to be considering Henry with curiosity more than animosity, and Beth prayed that boded well for what was to come.
