London Loves - Book 3 - Love's Great Adventure Series (16 page)

“I won’t go hunting ever again. I promise.”

“Where will Aunt Penny live without Uncle Max?”

“I suppose she’ll stay at her house in Kensington.”

“Then we have to visit her a lot so she’s not lonely, Daddy.”

“I agree.”

Tess pushed a stray strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear. “Why don’t you take a nap before dinner, Mattie. I’ll come wake you up when it’s time.”

“Okay, Mummy.”

“Good girl,” Sebastian said as he took the book from her lap and placed it on the nightstand.

Tess removed Mattie’s shoes and kissed her on the cheek. “Sweet dreams.”

The child closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Sebastian and Tess quietly left the room. “She’s absolutely brilliant,” Sebastian whispered in awe. “That’s all from you, Tess.”

“She is the best of both of us, Bas.”

The doctor ordered Penny to bed rest after prescribing a sedative. Sebastian checked in on her to see that she was sleeping soundly. He didn’t knock, but slowly opened the door. The bedside lamp was on and Penny lay on her side, grasping Max’s pillow. She was still awake.

“May I come in?” he gently inquired.

“Yes.”

“Is the sedative helping?”

“I suppose.”

Sebastian walked over to Penny and sat on the edge of the bed. Clad in Maxwell’s cotton pajama top, she looked exhausted—dark circles under her eyes, her blonde mane pulled back in a messy ponytail.

“Tell me this isn’t real, Sebastian.”

“I’m so sorry, Pen. I would undo it all if I could.”

“I know,” she sniffled.

“Lily should be here soon. She wants to make the funeral arrangements. What do you want?”

“Let her do it. I just planned a wedding. How on earth am I going to plan a funeral?” she said, and then burst into tears.

Sebastian lay down on the bed next to her and took her in his arms. “We’ll take care of everything. You don’t have to worry about anything,” he reassured.

A moment later she started to laugh and cry simultaneously. Sebastian looked down at her with a quizzical expression. She must be losing her mind. Grief did do strange things to people, and no two people reacted the same to a tragedy. “It’s ironic, isn’t it?” she asked.

“What is ironic?”

“Lily kicked you out of the family and you’ve just become its patriarch. What on earth will she say about that?”

He let what she said sink in for minute. The thought hadn’t even occurred to him.
Bollocks, I’m now the Earl of Sutton.
Penny was right—it didn’t matter that Lily had disowned him. He’d now inherited an earldom, and it was the very last thing he’d ever wanted.

“Let’s not talk of this. You might be pregnant. If you are and have a son, he’ll be earl, not me.”

“I’m not pregnant. The doctor gave me test.”

“I’m so sorry, Pen.”

“The world is cruel to give you everything you ever wished for and then snatch it away just as quickly,” Penny sighed. “How am I going to go back to the townhouse and be alone? I can’t stay here anymore.”

“You can stay here as long as you like. This is your home.”

“It isn’t the same if Max isn’t here to share it with me.”

“You can stay with Tess and me, if you would like,” he said.

“You’re sweet to offer, but there isn’t enough room.” Penny was silent for a moment and then said, “Would you and Tess consider staying with me for a while?”

“Yes, we can do that—as long as you don’t mind a rambunctious four-year-old running about the place.”

“I welcome the distraction.”

Sebastian frowned. He wanted to help her in any way he could. She was his dearest friend. Yet he worried ‘the distraction’ would only prolong her grieving process. “You need to grieve. Maybe it’s not the best idea for us to stay with you.”

“You’re probably right, but I can’t do this alone. I can’t even believe this is really happening. I need your support, please,” she begged.

“Shh, I’m here for you. Close your eyes. There’s plenty of time to talk about this later,” Sebastian whispered while stoking her hair.

It took about fifteen minutes, but she finally fell off to sleep. Sebastian carefully maneuvered himself out from under her arm and left her, hopefully to sweet dreams.

When he entered the sitting room, Lily was there, surrounded by Victoria and Sigourney. Tess agreed to stay in their bedroom. He was being overprotective because he had no idea how the encounter would go.

Clearing his throat, he got the women’s attention. Lily looked up at him, grief displayed on her face. It was something he had never witnessed before: an emotional Lily.

“How’s Penny?” Sigourney asked, trying to keep peace between mother and son.

“She’s just fallen asleep.”

“We’ve explained what happened to Mother. Now we’re going over arrangements.”

Sebastian poured himself a scotch and took the furthest seat away from Lily he could find.

Lily cleared her throat and continued. “As I was saying, I’m make arrangements for funeral service at Westminster Abbey and interment here in the mausoleum.”

Sigourney looked over at Sebastian, who sat silently sipping his scotch. He gave a brief nod of the head to let her know he was on board with the plans. “When can we have the service?”

“I’ll find out tomorrow when I ring the Archbishop.”

“Do you think Penny will approve?” Sigourney asked Sebastian.

“Yes, I think it will be a wonderful way to celebrate Maxwell’s life.”

Lily gave him a curious look, almost as if she agreed with him. That unnerved Sebastian more than anything.

“I’d like to speak at the funeral,” he said.

Lily didn’t reply verbally, but gave a curt nod of her head.

Sebastian placed his empty glass on the side table. “You seem to have everything under control here. It’s been a very long day. I’m going to bed.” With that, he stood and left the room.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Sigourney said.

“Goodnight, Sebastian,” added Victoria.

Lily said nothing.

Sebastian wearily climbed the stairs and made his way to his and Tess’ bedroom. He exhaled a long, heavy breath as he closed the door.

She was waiting up for him, sitting in bed reading. “Well?”

He stepped out of his shoes, pulled off his sweater, and began to unzip his trousers. “This has been the day from hell,” he replied, slipping under the covers with Tess.

“And is Lily here?”

“Yes, making plans as we speak.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“No, not directly.”

“Are we leaving in the morning?”

“Yes, I’d like to leave in the morning.”

“What about Penny? I’m worried about her, Bas.”

“So am I. She asked if we would move into the townhouse with her. She doesn’t want to be alone.”

“I think you, of all people, should understand that,” Tess said. “If it will help her, then we should do it. I can’t imagine the pain she must be in. I can only imagine how I would feel if I lost you. I don’t think I could go on.” She closed her book and snuggled into his arms.

“Why is life so fragile?” he whispered to her as he closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her perfume.

“I don’t know.”

Off-the-cuff he asked, “How do you feel about being a countess?”

The question confused her and she started to chuckle until the realization hit her. “Oh, shit,” she said in a very un-Tess-like manner. “You’ve just become the Earl of Sutton.”

“Oh, shit,” he repeated, confirming her statement.

She sent out a barrage of questions. “What does this entail, exactly? Do you have to serve in Parliament? Do I have to give up my job at the AP? Do we have to live here?”

He answered the easy questions first. “No, I don’t have to get into politics, thank God. No, you don’t have to give up your job. No, we don’t have to live here, but it is mine now, so it’s really up to you. As for what this entails, that’s a little more complicated, and a question I don’t have the energy to answer right now, okay?”

“Okay.”

With that, he turned off the light and pondered how quickly his life had changed in twenty-four hours as Tess drifted off to sleep in his arms.

In the morning Sebastian and Tess persuaded Penny to join them for breakfast. She had managed to shower and dress in jeans and a camel-colored cashmere sweater, but wore no makeup and looked drawn and tired. Mattie held her hand and escorted her to a seat at the table.

Lily, Sigourney, and Victoria were already present, eating their meal. Sebastian made Penny a cup of tea and placed a slice of toast with jam on a china plate for her. Penny nodded her thanks.

Mattie walked over to Lily. “I remember you from the museum,” she stated as she stopped in front of her.

“I remember you, too,” Lily commented.

“Daddy said you aren’t our family. Why are you here?”

“Martha, that’s not polite,” Sebastian chastised, moving to pull his daughter away from Lily.

Tess grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Let her go,” she said under her breath.

“I’m your grandmother.”

Mattie looked at Tess and Sebastian and then looked back at Lily. “I already have a Grandmom Kate. She lives in Pennsylvania.”

“You can have two grandmothers,” Lily informed the child. “You are correct, however: your father and I aren’t family.”

“Enough,” Sebastian interrupted as he pulled away from Tess and scooped Mattie up in his arms. His eyes bored into Lily. “I will be civil to you for Maxwell’s sake, but that is all.” Turning on his heel, he walked Mattie to the other end of the table and sat her down next to Penny. “Eat your eggs so we can go home, Martha.”

Lily delicately wiped her mouth with the linen napkin and stood from the table. She walked over to Penny and said, “I’m sorry for your loss. When you finish breakfast, I’d like to speak to you privately in my office regarding the funeral arrangements.”

Penny glanced up at her mother-in-law and nodded her head in agreement. Lily left the room.

“What the hell!” Sebastian seethed, hitting the table with his fist.

“Daddy, no bad language,” Mattie chided.

Sebastian took a deep breath, counting to ten to gain his composure. “I’m sorry, darling.”

“How can she be my grandmom?” Mattie asked, still confused.

“It’s a complicated story, Mattie. I’ll try to explain when we get home, okay?” Tess said.

Mattie shrugged her shoulders and tucked into her eggs and toast.

“That went well, all things considered,” Sigourney piped in from the other end of the table.

It was bad enough they had to bury Max; now he had to deal with Lily, too. Sebastian wondered if he had the strength to get through it. The sound of Penny pushing her plate away jolted him from his thoughts.

“I can’t eat,” she sighed. “Let me go get this over with and then we can leave.”

“You’re going back to London?” Sigourney questioned.

“I can’t stay here—not without Maxwell,” Penny solemnly replied.

“I’ll have your things packed up and sent down for you,” Sigourney offered.

“Thank you, Sigourney. I would appreciate that very much.”

“I’ll come with you,” Sebastian said, reaching for her hand.

“No, I’m fine. Stay here with your family.”

Sebastian pushed his plate back and watched Penny leave the room.

Maxwell’s funeral took place on Thursday. Sebastian escorted Penny, who wore a black silk dress. A matching fascinator perched atop her head contained a small veil that just covered her eyes. Next, he walked Tess and Mattie to the same church pew and they took their seats next to Penny. Lady Lily Irons sat across the aisle, somber and retrospective, with Sigourney and Victoria. Thankfully, they couldn’t see the two thousand people in attendance, since they were sitting behind them with only a view of the closed coffin bearing the Earl of Sutton’s coat of arms. Penny held tight to one of Maxwell’s handkerchiefs as the service began.

The service started with hymns and prayers, and then it was Sebastian’s turn to speak. He slowly walked to the podium, past his brother’s casket, holding a letter in his right hand. When he reached the podium, Sebastian cleared his throat. “Growing up, I never knew my brother, Maxwell. He was ten years older than I am, and it wasn’t until my family and I moved back to London that we began to have a relationship. I was hesitant to make the first move, but all the women in my life said the same thing: Max is a good man. Whether he was running an electronics company or fundraising for a charity or doting on his loving wife and niece, he was always caring, honorable, and loving.” Sebastian took a deep breath to calm his nerves and slowly exhaled. “My biggest regret is that he never had the child he longed for with Penelope. It’s cruel that his life ended without that dream being fulfilled. Life is unexpected and too short. Max lived his life to the fullest, and I just wanted to remind everyone of that fact. Try not to weep, but rejoice in the life he lead. Maxwell Irons was indeed a good man.”

Sebastian carefully folded his paper and stepped away from the podium. He took his place in the front row, sitting between Tess and Penny. Poor Penny, numb and silent, her eyes emoting so much grief that Sebastian couldn’t bear to look at her. He offered his hand and Penny accepted, curling her long, delicate fingers around his for strength.

The ceremony lasted an hour. In the end, the minister said a prayer: “Heavenly Father, please take Maxwell Irons into your loving arms. We thank you for the memories of Maxwell, which we can keep as a source of comfort and continuing thankfulness. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

The recessional music began to play as the pallbearers, including Sebastian, lifted his brother’s coffin and walked the long aisle to exit the Abbey. The casket was slowly placed in the hearse as the mourners flowed out of the building.

Sebastian glanced around the crowd to locate his family and Penny. The one person he never expected to see was his father, Martin Christopher Baker, standing on the sidewalk near the gothic pillar, in a black suit and tie. Shocked, Sebastian froze and blinked his eyes to make sure it wasn’t a mirage. Martin approached. Sebastian finally managed to speak a few words. “What are you doing here?”