“Thank you,” she whispered. “That is all I ever wished for.”
Her mother took her hands. “And Lilianna… if the day ever comes when you wish to return home, no matter what your father says, you will find my door open.”
Lilianna leaned in, touching her forehead gently to her mother’s.
“And mine will always be open to you,” she whispered back.
The countess’s carriagewaited at the drive, horses shifting impatiently. Marcus and Henry stood beside Lilianna as she walked her mother to the steps.
The countess embraced her daughter once more, kissed her cheek, then cupped Marcus’s hand briefly.
“Take care of her,” she said.
Marcus’s answer was simple, steady, and absolute. “With my life.”
Henry waved enthusiastically.
The countess settled into the carriage, offering one final soft smile through the window.
Lilianna lifted her hand.
Her mother lifted hers in answer.
The carriage rolled away, wheels crunching softly over the gravel.
Lilianna stood between Marcus and Henry, sunlight catching in her hair, watching until the carriage disappeared around the bend.
Only then did she draw a deep breath.
Marcus slipped his hand into hers.
Henry slipped his hand into her other.
And Lilianna smiled, full and luminous, because for the first time in years, every door around her was open.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Early evening drapedWolfton Hall in soft gold, the kind of light that made the world briefly suspended. The front lawn lay quiet now, the countess’s carriage long gone, the household settling back into its gentle rhythm.
Inside, Henry slept on the music-room rug, cheek pressed to his wooden soldier, the final notes of his lullaby still lingering in the air like a held breath.
Lilianna stood in the doorway watching him, fingers resting lightly against the frame. Marcus joined her without a sound, not touching her at first, only standing close enough that she felt his steadiness beside her.
“He’s peaceful,” she whispered.
“He is,” Marcus murmured.
She shook her head. “Because of all of us.”
Marcus looked at her then, really looked, his expression softening in a way that still caught her breath.
“You brought music back to this house.”
“No,” Lilianna said gently. “Henry brought it back. I only helped him find it again.”
Marcus stepped closer, sliding his hand around her waist, drawing her into the quiet shelter of his body. She leaned into him without thinking.
“He’ll want you nearby when he wakes,” he said.