Chapter Twenty-one
When Luke arrived at Adrian and Vanessa’s house for dinner later that evening, Morgan and the children came with him for moral support. Adrian and Vanessa were thrilled to see Morgan, and for nearly an hour, they all caught up on everything that had been happening the last few weeks.
Luke enjoyed this time spent with his entire family very much, but his gaze constantly tracked Gabriel, and he was very aware of the lack of Serenity by his side. If only she were here, he felt that his life truly would be complete.
At last, when the children were playing raucously on the other side of the large room, Luke took a deep breath and turned toward where Adrian and Vanessa sat on the sofa side by side. “I have something I need to speak to you about,” he said hesitantly.
Vanessa and Adrian shared a look, and Vanessa gave him a sad smile. “Before you say whatever you’re going to say, there is something I need to tell you, all right?”
He nodded numbly, thrown off balance by his sister-in-law’s request.
She glanced over at Gabriel, eyes shining with pride and love. “Adrian told me that you suspected that Gabriel is your child. We know you’ve been trying to prove that, and I suspect that you’ve come here tonight because you have.” She turned her gaze back to Luke. “It makes so much sense. He looks exactly like you, Luke. I am surprised we didn’t realize it before.”
“You’re not upset?” he asked cautiously, tentative hope blooming within him.
“Of course not,” she said softly, blinking away a sheen of tears. “I love him, Luke. I love him with all my heart. Which is why I want what is best for him, and I think it is best for him to be with his true parents. He wonders about you, you know. He’s asked me what I think happened to him, why he was left at that place. He said he wishes he knew his mother and father. And though we have absolutely loved having him as our child, we will love him just as much as our nephew. I am so happy for you, and for Serenity as well.”
Luke took a deep breath and turned his gaze to his brother. “What about you, Adrian? What do you think?”
Adrian smiled. “We discussed this nearly all night. We cried, I admit. But in the end, we both decided that this was the right thing to do.”
Luke bowed his head, absolutely overwhelmed by their generosity of spirit. “Thank you,” he breathed. “I can never thank you enough for rescuing Gabriel, for giving him a home and love.”
“It has been our absolute pleasure,” Vanessa murmured, blinking away tears.
Morgan squeezed his shoulder. “See, I told you they might surprise you.”
“You’ve been taking care of us all your life, Luke,” Adrian said, his voice a bit choked. “You always put everybody’s needs in front of your own. You hold us all together, even though I know sometimes that tears you apart. But I still can’t believe you were considering letting us keep your child, just so you wouldn’t hurt us.”
Luke swallowed thickly. “I was also worried about Gabriel. I didn’t want to rip him away from your happy home.”
“He will be just as happy in your home,” Vanessa assured him. “Serenity is wonderful, Luke. I know she’ll be a great mother. And we don’t doubt your ability to be a wonderful father either. You’ve been doing it for the twins ever since your father died.”
He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I only hope I can get Serenity back. I’ve never given her the security I should have. I know she thinks it’s because of her background, that I never asked her to marry me because she was the gamekeeper’s daughter, but none of that ever mattered to me. I’ve hesitated only because I was afraid. Afraid that if I gave my whole heart to her, I’d lose her.” He shared a sad smile with Morgan. “Now I realize what a fool I was for not cherishing every moment I have with her.”
Morgan nodded. “I don’t regret having loved Anne. Even if I’d known I’d only have her for a little while, I’d still have married her. The joy she gave me was worth this pain.”
Luke swept the little group with his gaze, overwhelmed by love and gratitude. “No matter what happens, we’ll always have each other, right? Together we can do anything.”
“Together we can do anything,” Morgan and Adrian echoed.
* * *
After dinner, all three brothers went up to the nursery, where the children had been served their dinner and were now playing with Gabriel’s toys. After giving him another pep talk, the twins took Hannah and William back downstairs in order to give him and Gabriel some time alone.
“Hello, Gabriel,” Luke said, sinking down on the floor near the boy, who was playing with a wooden train.
Gabriel looked up, his blue eyes serious. “Hello, Uncle Luke.”
Luke swallowed. “I need to tell you something very important,” he said, praying that the boy took the news well. “It’s about your real parents.”
“You know who my real parents are?” Gabriel asked, undeniable excitement in his eyes.
Nodding, Luke reached out and pulled the boy in his lap, even though he was a little big for such treatment. He hugged him tightly and pressed his lips to the boy’s temple. “A long time ago, I fell in love with a beautiful girl. Her name was Serenity. Do you remember Serenity? She has been visiting with Vanessa lately.”
Gabriel nodded jerkily, obviously a little taken aback by Luke’s sudden show of affection. Luke regretted mightily that he hadn’t taken more time to get to know him from the first, but he’d been so overwhelmed by everything else that he hadn’t had the time. “She’s a nice lady.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Luke said, squeezing the boy tighter. “In any event, although we loved each other very much, my mother did not want me to marry someone who was not an aristocrat. Do you know what an aristocrat is?”
“Yes,” Gabriel answered. “Someone rich like you.”
“Something like that.” Luke chuckled, then sobered. “My mother told Serenity I didn’t love her anymore, and then she sent her away. I never knew that she was going to have a baby, and I never saw her again until the day after your Aunt Anne died.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened as he obviously realized where the conversation was going.
“When Serenity had her baby, my mother and my stepbrother Roger took the baby away and told Serenity that he died. She has been very sad all these years, thinking that her baby did not survive.”
“Am I that baby?” Gabriel asked, his voice trembling. “Are you my father?”
“Yes,” Luke breathed. “I am. And when I found out that Roger had taken my child to Lady Hawley’s, I began dressing up as Prometheus and going out to speak to the people who ran that place. I would not rest until I found out what happened to you. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that you had been right under my nose all along.”
Gabriel’s large blue eyes filled with tears, and he suddenly hugged Luke back, pressing his little face against Luke’s neck. “I am so glad,” he whispered. “I love Vanessa and Adrian, but I have wanted so much to know where I really came from.”
The boy’s easy acceptance of his change in circumstances healed something deep inside of Luke. He held his son tight, feeling so blessed. “I’m so sorry that we weren’t there for you, son. We would have been if we had known. And now I want to make it up to you. You can still see Vanessa and Adrian whenever you want, but will you come home with me? Will you give me a chance to be the father I always wanted to be?”
Gabriel pulled back and nodded solemnly. “You and me and my mother… We can be a family?”
“Yes,” Luke breathed, hoping Serenity would give him the chance to make this first promise true. “Let’s go get your mother and tell her the good news.”
* * *
Morgan knocked on Brookhaven’s door, his heart thundering in his chest. He’d put this off for far too long, yet he still didn’t feel ready.
All too soon, the door opened, and a lovely redhead stood staring at him, her face puckering in surprise and then displeasure. “Morgan Strathmore, I presume?”
He nodded stiffly. “I’ve come for my daughter… Hope.”
“It’s about time,” she said, her voice heavy with censure. “I’m Fiona Bohannan. Please, come in.” So, this was the headmistress that Adrian had told him so much about. Strange, he’d had a very different image in his head. He’d expected her to be older. Not so… redheaded.
Entering the house, he found to his relief that it had a homey, happy feel to it. The wide foyer had gleaming wood and smelled fresh and clean.
“Right this way,” Mrs. Bohannan said, leading him up a sturdy staircase to the second floor. At the end of the hall, she stopped before a closed door and turned to him.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this? Hope is doing fine here with me.”
He flushed, guilt and anger overwhelming him. “I know that I’ve been…” He shook his head, not sure what he was even going to say. Was there a word even bad enough for a man who’d abandoned his own daughter when she needed him the most?
She frowned, her manner suddenly gentling. “Why don’t you come meet her?”
Pushing open the door, she led him to a crib in the corner, where a tiny baby slept peacefully. Morgan stared down at her, his chest seizing with pain and love. “She looks just like Anne,” he whispered. “God, she’s so beautiful.”
“She’s a good baby,” Mrs. Bohannan said fiercely, proving that Luke had been right to take Hope here. “She hardly ever cries. We’ve hired a wet nurse, and we take turns holding her when she’s awake. I was just on my way up here when you knocked.”
He cleared his throat, blinking away the sting of tears, and met her sharp gaze. “Thank you for all you’ve done. I hope you know… I didn’t leave her here because I didn’t love her. If anything… I love her too much. And my grief… it’s been a monstrous thing. All consuming. I didn’t want her to see me like that.”
“You must have loved her mother very much,” she said, his words seeming to banish some of her anger.
“I do… did, I mean,” he answered truthfully.
“Do is just fine,” she said softly. “Anne was lucky to have you, and little Hope here is too.”
He bowed his head, feeling he didn’t deserve her forgiveness. “Can I hold her?”
“Of course,” she answered, scooping the little girl up and depositing her in his arms.
The tears he’d been struggling to contain suddenly escaped him, along with a choked sob as he cradled his daughter to his chest and she blinked up at him for the very first time.
“Hope,” he whispered, thinking Anne had done so well with naming her because, for the first time since she’d died, a little spark of it flared within him.