Authors: Shirley Wine
And that admission filled her with sorrow.
What with him destroying Keir’s letter, then discovering he’d had her lie under oath—it didn’t favor implicit trust.
"And I’d made it impossible to confide in me," he admitted as he tucked his shirt in his pants. "Ellison went with you to see Smales?"
"And threatened to tear him limb from limb if he spread the story, he was great." Victoria chuckled at the memory. "Garth forced him to hand over every bit of incriminating evidence he had. Then we dumped it all on Strathmore’s desk. Your stepfather was in great form. He leaned across the desk and eyeballed that old goat and told him to leave us alone or he’d personally print copies of those incriminating photos in a national daily."
She chuckled at the memory.
"He asked him if he was prepared to appear front page of his own scandal rags," she said grinning. "Then he added the clincher. He told him I was only an amateur and had discovered this much; just imagine what an investigative reporter would uncover. The man blanched a pasty white so I guess there are heaps of skeletons in the Strathmore closet."
"You’re probably right there. I’ve heard rumors but have never taken a lot of notice." Keir stroked his chin and eyed her with wry appreciation. "That’s why we don’t have those goons camped at the gates. You wanted that money for Smales?"
Victoria nodded, her heart racing again although she was relieved to have this issue cleared up. She walked across to the dresser and picked up a comb and ran it through her short hair.
The sensation still felt quite strange.
Keir came up behind her and held her shoulders meeting her eyes in the mirror. "I don’t approve of paying blackmail but I’m not sorry he’s got the press off our case. Where were you going?"
"Your mother invited us to stay with her."
"I see."
"Do you?"
Keir sighed softly. "I went to see Dad and finally got to ask the right questions."
Victoria gripped his hand. This too was very painful territory.
"When your mother left him, he refused to allow you to visit her," she said, grateful now that she’d had a very enlightening conversation with Elizabeth. "She never knew you’d been told she was dead."
"So I discovered. The courts were far more brutal in awarding custody back then. Muriel pressured Dad into having Mother declared an unfit parent. They claimed she hated me and I was in grave danger of serious physical harm, producing trumped up witnesses and so called specialists. They were so successful the court denied her visitation rights."
Victoria winced hurting for him. "Most probably Muriel was the reason you were told such a heinous lie."
He put his hands on her shoulders meeting her eyes steadily in the mirror. "Dad admitted as much. He apologized. He knew years ago he should never have agreed to it, but was at a loss to know how to rectify the situation."
"And now?"
His expression grew very troubled. "You realize there’s bound to be a hell of a lot of fallout from this latest scandal. There’s little chance it won’t be picked up even though you’ve shut Smales up."
Victoria reached up and covered his hand with hers, her smile serene. Even knowing he was right failed to dim her happiness.
"Maybe," she said softly. "But we’ll deal with it together."
Their gazes met and held in silent communion.
"I like the sound of that, sweetheart," he murmured bending down to kiss her neck. "We’ll deal with whatever comes our way. Together."
Chapter Twenty-Two
T
ogether!
Victoria never realized the power or the promise in one small word until two hours ago when she’d stood before the minister, her hand in Keir’s as they promised to love and cherish each other forever in front of their families and a few very close friends.
He’d looked down at her, his eyes filled with equal parts love, humor and gratitude and seen
home
and
togetherness
there.
For the first time, since the summer of her mother’s death, she was filled with the simple but profound feeling :
Yes this is good, this is right.
Time and other people’s expectations had created a chasm between them. And the unrelenting glare of publicity had bred mistrust.
Now, standing in the conservatory of Dunstan
,
where they’d opted to be married in a private ceremony away from the prying eyes.
Victoria toyed with the simple yellow diamond studded wedding band, the outward symbol of their commitment to each other.
Keir came up behind her and slipped his hands around her waist.
"It was a lovely wedding," he said softly, his deep voice vibrating through her.
She melted looking at him, suddenly shy. "I’m glad we decided to have it here. Is today the first time your parents have been together in the one room since they separated?"
She was so close, she felt the tension her question generated.
He sighed softly his hands tightening.
She chewed her lower lip nervously. At her insistence, they’d invited his mother, stepfather and his sisters as well as his father.
Keir had been ambivalent.
He hadn't wanted any tension to spoil her day.
She was equally adamant. "Weddings are a time of healing. And there’s a lot of healing needed in your family."
"I guess it must be." He nuzzled her neck. "It was a stroke of genius to ask Beth to be your Matron of Honor."
Victoria chuckled. "Self-preservation, more like. I knew she wouldn’t sell us out to the press."
Keir chuckled. His sister proved feisty when approached by scandal rags to dish the dirt on her brother.
Victoria, his sisters and his mother were fast becoming friends.
Beth and Elizabeth helped her shop for her wedding gown.
Slim and elegant, it had a satin sheath, guipure lace bodice and a short scalloped train.
"You are beautiful, Victoria, inside and out. Have I told you how much I love you?"
"Not in the past thirty minutes."
Caine came to find them, Connor at his side talking a mile a minute.
"We’re off now," Caine said, holding firm to his grandson’s hand.
Victoria moved out of Keir’s embrace and crouched down in front of her son, taking his hands in hers.
"You be good for Poppa, Connor. No climbing into high cupboards or places you shouldn’t be? No flying off sheds in Superman capes, okay?"
His lower lip protruded and dark brows descended in a frown. "You know I won’t."
"And how would I know that?" she asked on a bubble of amusement.
Keir crouched bedside her and put a finger under his son’s chin making him meet his eyes.
"You heard your mother, Connor?" His tone made the child’s eyes widen. He nodded, brown eyes solemn. "Your mother doesn’t want to spend the week worrying about you, okay?"
"I’ll try and be good," he said, his heavy sigh making everyone smile.
Caine chuckled softly. "He’s a pistol but don’t worry, mama, I have his measure. He comes by his dare devil nature honestly."
Keir grinned as he exchanged looks with his father.
"Remind me to tell you about some of your dad’s escapades, Connor," Caine chuckled. "About the time he sat up all night waiting to trap Santa as he came down the chimney."
Keir groaned and Victoria giggled. "Now that I have to hear."
"Say goodbye now, Connor," Caine said chuckling again as with a flurry of goodbyes they were gone.
And the house was
theirs.
"He’ll be okay," Keir reassured her. "Dad’s great with kids. And Connor is good for Dad. He’s taken Logan’s disappearance hard"
This was the only sad spot in her day.
Victoria sighed softly.
Without warning, or a word to anyone, and with no apparent reason, Logan Sinclair had packed a duffle and walked away from Darkhaven,
and the stud he’d helped build
without a backward glance.
"I wonder why he left?" She worried her lower lip. "And where he went?"
"I have a team working on it," Keir said softly as he bent to nuzzle a kiss on her neck. "I have a gift for you."
"Another one?"
"This one's special." He lifted his head from where he was nibbling her neck. "I wasn't sure if it would be finished so soon."
Intrigued, she pulled away from him. "What have you bought now?"
He was always showering her and Connor with little gifts.
"Come with me." He caught her hand and led her down to his home office. In the center of his desk was a small oblong box. He picked it up and handed it to her. "Careful, it's fragile."
Curious, she rested against his desk, put the box on it and opened the lid. The breath left her lungs in a resounding whoosh as she stared at the contents.
"Keir? Is this—"
"Mandy? Yes. I had the packers search for every piece of her and sent her away to be repaired."
Tenderly, with reverent fingers, Victoria lifted the doll from the box. "She looks like she's new?"
"As good as, her clothes were beyond repair, so I commissioned the restorers to source replicas of the original clothes she would have worn, when she was given to you."
"My mother gave her to me when I was five." Victoria smoothed a trembling finger over the doll's hair. "I never thought I'd see her again."
She looked up him, her vision blurred with tears. "Thank you so much."
"It was my fault. I should have acted on instinct, and had all your things packed and put in storage immediately. I, better than anyone, should have anticipated a break-in at your flat." He gripped her shoulders tightly. "We'll never be able to replace all your beautiful china. And for that, I'm sorry."
Victoria laid the doll on the desk and lifted a hand and laid it on her husband's cheek. "They were only things, Keir, and not important. Now Connor and I?" She shook her head. "We're safe, it could have been so much worse."
"I'll always try to keep you safe."
"I know." A little smile played around her mouth. "And I have a present for you."
She picked up Keir's hand and splayed it over her belly, her hand on top of his. "In about seven months Connor's going to have a baby sister or brother."
"You're pregnant?" Keir's expression was thunderstruck.
Victoria nodded.
Shock, surprise and then pure delight crossed his face.
"You're sure?"
"We're going to have a baby," she said, just for the sheer joy of being able to say the words again.
Keir let out a wild whoop, picked her up and whirled her around in a circle. "We're going to have a baby?"
"Let me go, you clown."
"Never." He set her feet on the ground and with surprising dexterity he began to undo the many, many buttons on the back of her gown.
"Haven’t we a flight to catch?"
"It can wait," he murmured as the gown whooshed down around her feet. "I can’t wait to introduce our child to its father."
He gathered her in his arms and joy shuddered through her. "I love you."
"And I love you," she murmured melting into his kiss.
Together!
After the long lonely years, Victoria knew she would never take Keir’s love for granted.
The End
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About the author
I am a New Zealander born and bred.
Most of my stories are set in our wonderful country in the antipodes. I've always written, freelancing for local and National newspapers, but Romance is my true love.
I've been a reader of romance from the moment my sister introduced me to The English Women's Weekly and their wonderful serialized romances. I fell in love with the genre.
I know the world is full of heroes. I have my own hero right here at home to prove it. We fell in love when we were young teenagers. And believe me we heard all the old chestnuts. You're too young to know your own minds. Young love never lasts. It gives me great pleasure half a century on to thumb my nose and say, "You know what? You were all wrong!"