Page 4 of A Sense of Paradise
‘Congratulations, Luke,’ Flora said, standing on her toes to kiss Luke’s cheek. ‘I hope you will be very happy.’
‘I am sure I shall be,’ he replied, fixing Flora with an intense look and letting out the smallest of sighs that only she could have heard.
Flora gave Violet a cautious hug, careful not to squash their gowns, but there was little time for words since the rest of the wedding party was close on their heels, as was the throng of guests who had been invited to partake of the wedding breakfast.
‘Come on, Archie,’ Flora said. ‘Luke and Violet don’t need us to help them greet their guests, but you do need to take the weight off that leg.’
‘What would I do without you to take care of me?’
‘I am sure you’d manage.’
As Flora and Archie walked away, it occurred to her that Luke must have overheard their spirited exchange. She felt his gaze boring into her back and turned to look over her shoulder at him. The pathos in his eyes made her quickly look away again.
It’s too late for regrets, Luke. Violet is a treasure. Count your blessings.
Was it unworthy of Archie to feel relieved that his oldest friend had finally tied the knot? Very likely, since his pleasure was not for Luke and was entirely selfish in nature. A part of him had worried, right up until he heard Luke and Violet exchange vows, that Luke would have a change of heart because…well, because his heart wasn’t in it. Not really. Not while he still hankered after Flora.
When the bishop had asked if anyone knew of any reason or impediment, Archie found himself holding his breath, worried that fate would intervene at that final hurdle—punishment for his youthful recklessness coming back to haunt him. It had not, but the lingering glances that Luke had bestowed upon Flora all day had not gone unnoticed by Archie. He was still in love with her and Archie fully understood the attraction.
He himself had been drawn to her when he first returned from the dead. Well, from the half-dead. In fact he had endured a secret ten-year exile in France following his accident. He had not been expected to survive but when he showed signs of obstinately hanging around, it had been necessary to avoid England in order to prevent scandal crashing down on the honourable Felsham name as hard as Archie’s body had crashed to the ground from his mistress’s chamber two floors above.
Archie’s father had overlooked Archie’s many indiscretions, waving them aside as a rite of passage. He even confessed to having been a hard act to follow in that regard. His one insistence was the protection of the family’s good name, which was sacrosanct.
‘A man is nothing if his name and reputation are not sound, boy. Always remember that.’
Archie hadalways remembered that the slightest suggestion of dishonour attaching to the proud Felsham name was anathema to the ordinarily tolerant marquess; a man whom Archie had respected above all others. His greatest regret—greater even than his resulting disabilities—was creating that very threat through his own irresponsibility.
Archie hadn’t been able to tell Luke, or Paul and Alvin—his other close friends during their university days—that he was still alive, at least after a fashion. For ten years they had mourned his death and so it seemed highly inappropriate to hanker after the countess’s spritely companion who had caught Archie’s eye the moment he stepped over the threshold at Beranger Court upon his return to English soil.
It was only when Archie had satisfied himself that Flora had no intention of marrying Luke that he set about trying to make a favourable impression upon her. Without her prior knowledge, he made a cottage available to her in Lyneham, a stone’s throw away from Felsham Hall, after the countess’s death when Flora had decided to leave Beranger Court. For all his wealth and consequence, Archie couldn’t be absolutely sure that Flora would accept an old cripple like him. Or more to the point, if she would do so for the right reasons. His considerable fortune and title would mean little to her, he knew, but she might feel obliged to accept him out of a sense of pity, which would be intolerable.
Yet one way or the other shehadaccepted him, which was all that signified, and Archie was the happiest man on earth. When he thought back to those long days of convalescence when every move was agony, he had never imagined knowing happiness or true peace of mind ever again. Then Flora had breezed into his life with her outspokenness and disregard for formality, turning said life on its head. He wasn’t sure that he believed in the God that her father put so much stock by but was now absolutely sure that there was a deity somewhere, testing him but ultimately looking out for his best interests.
His suffering had been for a reason.
It had all been leading up to this moment. He glanced up at Flora as she smiled at something Melanie had just said to her. Laughter highlighted her lively expression and he knew that he would go through all the agony again without hesitation or complaint if he could be sure that Flora would be waiting for him when he came out the opposite end.
He had never known that such complete and absolute love was possible, and the intensity of his feelings sometimes worried him. If anything were to happen to her, if she was harmed because his incapacity prevented him from protecting her, then his life really would cease to have any meaning.
Today had been defining. Flora had insisted that they wait until Luke and Violet were married before making their own announcement. Now he could justifiably put pressure on her to name the day. His patience was fast running out. He wanted her on his estate and, more specifically, in his bed, where she belonged and where he could ensure her safety.
Damn it all! Why had Eloise chosen today of all days to show herself in England? Why was she here at all for that matter? Archie had pretended not to be perturbed by her appearance outside the church, but he knew Flora hadn’t been deceived and that he could look forward to being questioned about her when they were next alone.
Flora’s second sight was what had prevented Luke from marrying her, Archie knew, and his prejudice in that regard had worked to Archie’s advantage. It was very narrowminded to assume that theirs was the only life on this world or in the next, and that nothing came afterwards other than the accepted Christian teachings, which were highly suspect in Archie’s view. There were things, many things, that defied human understanding and remained beyond explanation.
Returning his mind to Eloise, he knew that her appearance had not been a coincidence. Luke’s forthcoming nuptials had been widely reported in the newspapers, with Archie named as his best man. She had been there for a reason, had wanted him to see her and know it. She had written to him twice but he hadn’t replied, not wanting to encourage a renewal of their friendship, for want of a better word. Perhaps that had been a miscalculation and a response might have been sufficient to preclude her coming to England to seek him out.
Eloise had saved his sanity during those long and pain filled days in France. The daughter of the man who managed his uncle’s vast vineyards, she had acted as his nurse and companion, eventually becoming an eager bedfellow as she took personal responsibility forallaspects of Archie’s recovery. He had sensed her growing dependency upon him, her expectations, and so rewarded her generously when the time came for him to return to England. He had no desire to marry her and had never misled her in that regard, so had no reason to feel guilty. It was she who had come to him one night, offering herself to him, impossible to resist. She had not been a virgin and knew precisely what she wanted. Archie had not seduced her that first time.
It had been the opposite way around.
He sighed, imagining that he would receive a visit from her which he would not be able to decline, if only to get to the bottom of her reasons for being in England. It worried him. He didn’t want to give Flora any cause to doubt his constancy, especially before they were married, but he couldn’t be with her to reassure her every moment of every day. The chit was endearingly low on self-esteem, which wasn’t altogether surprising, given her father’s domineering proclivities. Once they were man and wife, she could depend upon a more personal form of comfort on an hourly basis, as well as the freedom to express herself in whatever way she wished. Archie had no intention of clipping her wings.
‘Is that better?’
Flora’s voice recalled his wandering attention. She had disregarded the custom, as always, and insisted that he seat himself. He felt awkward doing so when everyone else, including her, remained standing, but he realised that if he didn’t take the weight off of his leg soon then it might well give way beneath him. He was so much stronger nowadays that he sometimes forgot his limitations.
‘It would be, if you would sit with me.’
