Epilogue

The reception room was huge, but it was still filled, from corner to corner, with light, movement, and the laughter of the crowd. Sunlight from the windows flashed around the figures of the people passing in front of them to glint off the crystal and silver. Arches of white flowers glowed between the scads of dark jackets. And despite the fact there were so many individual voices, all of them were happy, so they created a kind of harmony.

Endless harmony. Emphasis on the endless. Even happy sounds can wear on a person after too long.

Haley leaned over and mumbled in Eleanor’s ear, “This is exhausting. Remind me again why we can’t kick all these people out?”

“It’s bad manners,” she whispered back, “and if we insult anyone here, we’re insulting the highest societies of two different countries.”

Haley mentally debated whether or not it would be worth it, but when Eleanor saw his expression, she laughed and took his hand. That appeased him.

“Come on, darling,” she said. “It’s almost over. There can’t be that many more people.”

People! So many people.

Haley smiled sadly. The turnout would have pleased Lady Helena, had she been alive to enjoy it.

The baroness had spoken to Haley shortly after he and Eleanor had started courting. Helena was fully aware of Haley’s feelings for Eleanor, but she also knew that building a relationship would take time, so the baroness had trumped up some excuse—probably tea—and sent Eleanor from the room so she could talk to the inspector alone. She had glared at Haley from her place on the bed and made him promise that if he and Eleanor ever married, they wouldn’t elope. Helena didn’t want there to be even a hint of shame or shyness. She assured Haley that the Serrs would be proud to count him as one of theirs, and he had assured her that his family was as far from being ashamed of Eleanor as it was possible to be. Given the fact he’d stepped down from prominence, they were ecstatic he’d found a society woman even willing to give him a chance.

“I think they were worried I was going to marry a bar maid.”

Helena had chuckled and patted his hand.

Months later, when Haley had proposed to Eleanor and been accepted, he told her about his promise. Despite the fact both of them would have preferred a smaller celebration, they agreed to talk to their families.

Their families were delighted by the idea of a large reception. Duke Aubrey-Serrs couldn’t even understand why there would be any question about it. The only problem was deciding where to have the reception.

Since Eleanor stubbornly refused to have an opinion, it was Haley who had to put his foot down.

He visited his family enough. If they wanted to come to his wedding, they could damn-well come to his country.

They did. Flocks of them. Family, friends, and relations that he hadn’t seen in years all made the trip. Eleanor’s people gathered from across the globe. Perhaps it was the prestige of the two family names, or perhaps it was the infamy of the couple, but for whatever reason, it seemed that no one wanted to miss the wedding.

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And, of course, everyone that came had to greet them and congratulate Haley. The moment they managed to send someone off, someone else appeared.

They had been standing there for hours.

After having seen off one of Haley’s older cousins (who seemed determined to test Eleanor’s command of the French language to its limit), the couple had a few seconds to rest.

Their brief reprieve ended when another figure broke away from the crowd and came toward them. He was a tough old man with an impressive beard and an impeccable, but unconventional, suit. He had tan skin, and everything from the color of his hair to the way he squinted his eyes made him look weathered. His age forced him to walk with a stoop, but he radiated cheer as he approached.

“Is he one of yours or one of mine?” Haley whispered.

Eleanor smiled. “That’s my great uncle Jae Quintin Serrs. I haven’t seen him in years. He’s always off exploring. He’s a bit of a black sheep in my family.”

“So you like him.”

“Adore him. He would always call me beautiful and tell me the most fantastic stories about where he’d been—Africa, India, the Arctic. I’m so glad he could come. I didn’t even know if the invitation would reach him.”