Page 59 of A Sight to Behold
Nick turned to her, concerned for her well-being. And when his eyes found hers, she beamed at him. Her warm, intelligent eyes were miles ahead of him; she’d understood his feelings before he could see the words. And he knew right away that the world had changed. With Pippa by his side, everything would be different. And he felt whole.
“This is Lady Pippa Pemberton.” Nick pulled her closer to him. “My fiancée.”
Wendy gasped. Her eyes darted from his to Pippa and back.
Pippa let the scrutiny of the onlookers wash over her and lowered her gaze for a moment. But then she did her usual adorable thing: pushed the bridge of her glasses up, crinkled her nose, and smiled.
And the group burst into loud congratulations. Hugs came from all directions, and even Lance welcomed Pippa into the group.
Later that evening, over a whisky that had been a thank you gift from the Marquis of Chelmsford last year, Nick found himself alone in the kitchen with Lance. Alfie and Felix had gone to bed after the last piece of cake had been eaten, apparently a special order from thePatisserie de la Loireon Nick’s birthday. Wendy led Pippa and Lady Ellington upstairs to see the guests’ room.
Lance, despite his blindness, had found a way to live, to move forward. But Nick was stuck in the past, shackled by guilt and regret. He was more a prisoner of the dark than Lance ever was.
With a determined sigh, Nick realized that it was time to face Lance, not out of obligation, but to seek redemption—not for Lance, but for himself. He realized that the first step to helping Lance was to free himself from his own darkness. Only then could he hope to be the friend Lance needed.
As fear gave way to resolution, Nick felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps this visit was not a specter from the past, but a chance for healing, a beacon guiding them both out of the darkness and into the light.
Odd, last night, Nick had been a guest, and his life had changed so profoundly. Tonight, he was the host and perhaps his life was going to change again.
“I hope you like her,” Lance said with a lost gaze, twirling the amber liquid in his glass. But weren’t any of his gazes lost? It seemed that his heart wasn’t, but he was missing something else, a profound knowledge that had to do with his wife.
“She’s lovely,” Nick said.
Lance’s eyes darted to his as if he could see into his soul far more deeply than a seeing person might. “She saved my life, Nick. She really did.”
“How? Were you sick?”
“Yes and no. I’m blind, I don’t need to tell you. To my parents, it’s an incurable flaw. I was cast aside and sent off into the country house.”
“Yes, where I sent your letters?”
“Right. And they hired a nurse for me.”
“Who looked after your correspondence, too?”
“She wasn’t a nurse, Nick. It was Isabel.” He paused. “Apparently, she has some skin color flaw.” He waved as if it were naught. For him, it was.
Nick’s chest was constricted with the realization. Lance had never seen her, and yet he loved her. It was plain to see when he spoke about her.
“I finally wanted you to meet her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me in the letters?” Nick couldn’t quite put it all together.
“She penned them for me; how could I? There were no words, Nick. She was already there when my parents locked me up in the country estate.”
“Why was she there? How did she factor into your condition?”
“She’s the daughter of a duke and couldn’t make her debut. When my mother spoke to hers, they thought a service life was a suitable fate for a woman like her.”
“Because of the hypopigmentation?”
“Yes.”
“They sent her away with you to hide you both from society?”
“Yes.”
Nick plopped back in his chair and set the whiskey on the table with a clang. No matter how low his expectations were, the evil in this world never ceased to surprise him. “But you’re both healthy. Neither of you has—”
