Lyon's Bride and The Scottish Witch with Bonus Material (Promo e-Books) by Cathy Maxwell Page A
Authors: Cathy Maxwell
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you’ve finished your suppers, right, Harry?”
A tour of the stables had obviously not been among the colonel’s plans for the evening. He narrowed his gaze at his brother, but when he saw the eagerness on the boys’ faces, some of his surliness evaporated. “Yes, I’d be happy to escort you on a tour.”
That was all he had to say for them to start shoveling food in their mouths with incredible haste.
Neal’s amused gaze went to Thea. He was enjoying her boys. In fact, the more time he spent with him, the lighter, and more likable, he became.
She was surprised. As she remembered, his parents hadn’t particularly doted on their children. For that reason, Neal had told her he was very close to his brother and sister—or had been. That summer they had met, Harry had been shipped off to pursue the regimental life, and his sister, Margaret, had often escaped the quiet house to stay with a friend on the other side of the parish.
That had left Neal alone with a mother who’d rarely spoken to him and a father who had escaped the house for London as quickly as possible and rarely returned. Neal had told her back then that his father thought more of his ledgers and investments than he did his children. She wondered if that had ever changed.
Neal reached across the table and topped off her glass of wine. “That rule applies to mothers as well,” he chided. “You need to do less worrying, Mrs. Martin, and more eating.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “How do you know I was worrying?”
His answer was an enigmatic smile. It said louder than words that he thought he knew her.
He was wrong. She’d changed. She wasn’t that girl he remembered.
“Please, Mother,” Jonathan said. “Eat your peas.”
“Those are usually my words to you,” she answered.
“Yes, well, it is good advice,” Jonathan replied with perfect seriousness, and Colonel Chattan laughed. He’d been won over.
“I have to like horse-mad lads,” he said. He stood, again favoring the right leg. “I’ll go ahead and meet you there.”
“Are you going to ride Ajax, sir?” Jonathan wanted to know.
“Of course I am.” There was a beat of silence, and then the colonel said, “Would you two like to ride over with me? We’ll meet your mother at the stables.”
Nothing could have pleased the boys more. Christopher’s eyes were so wide with his sudden good fortune that he couldn’t speak. Jonathan did it for him. “ Please , Mother, may we go?”
This would be a special treat that her sons would talk about forever. Thea couldn’t say no. “Listen to what the colonel says. Behave yourselves.”
“We’ll follow any orders he gives us,” Jonathan promised. Christopher had already climbed off his chair. He reached up and took the colonel’s hand.
The sternness in Colonel Chattan’s face softened. “You’ll be good soldiers,” he said and held out his other hand for Jonathan as he asked Lyon, “You will be coming directly?”
“Of course,” his lordship answered.
“Don’t tarry” was the colonel’s last word before he led the boys out of the dining room, Christopher already barraging him with questions—and Jonathan walking so proudly that it almost hurt Thea’s heart to see him.
Her oldest was growing up. He wouldn’t be her little boy much longer. She didn’t know if she could ever part with either of them. Whenever the world grew too dark and too lonely, they gave her the courage to keep going.
“It is very kind of the colonel to do this,” she said.
Neal laughed. “How could he not? They’ve been staring at him as if he were Hercules and St. George combined. Their excitement is contagious.”
Thea turned to Neal. “What happened to your brother’s leg?”
“You noticed. Most people don’t, and he works very hard to keep it that way.” He pushed his fork pensively and then said, “Cannon fire. At Salamanca. He should have come home. The treatment here would have been better, but Harry’s a military
A tour of the stables had obviously not been among the colonel’s plans for the evening. He narrowed his gaze at his brother, but when he saw the eagerness on the boys’ faces, some of his surliness evaporated. “Yes, I’d be happy to escort you on a tour.”
That was all he had to say for them to start shoveling food in their mouths with incredible haste.
Neal’s amused gaze went to Thea. He was enjoying her boys. In fact, the more time he spent with him, the lighter, and more likable, he became.
She was surprised. As she remembered, his parents hadn’t particularly doted on their children. For that reason, Neal had told her he was very close to his brother and sister—or had been. That summer they had met, Harry had been shipped off to pursue the regimental life, and his sister, Margaret, had often escaped the quiet house to stay with a friend on the other side of the parish.
That had left Neal alone with a mother who’d rarely spoken to him and a father who had escaped the house for London as quickly as possible and rarely returned. Neal had told her back then that his father thought more of his ledgers and investments than he did his children. She wondered if that had ever changed.
Neal reached across the table and topped off her glass of wine. “That rule applies to mothers as well,” he chided. “You need to do less worrying, Mrs. Martin, and more eating.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “How do you know I was worrying?”
His answer was an enigmatic smile. It said louder than words that he thought he knew her.
He was wrong. She’d changed. She wasn’t that girl he remembered.
“Please, Mother,” Jonathan said. “Eat your peas.”
“Those are usually my words to you,” she answered.
“Yes, well, it is good advice,” Jonathan replied with perfect seriousness, and Colonel Chattan laughed. He’d been won over.
“I have to like horse-mad lads,” he said. He stood, again favoring the right leg. “I’ll go ahead and meet you there.”
“Are you going to ride Ajax, sir?” Jonathan wanted to know.
“Of course I am.” There was a beat of silence, and then the colonel said, “Would you two like to ride over with me? We’ll meet your mother at the stables.”
Nothing could have pleased the boys more. Christopher’s eyes were so wide with his sudden good fortune that he couldn’t speak. Jonathan did it for him. “ Please , Mother, may we go?”
This would be a special treat that her sons would talk about forever. Thea couldn’t say no. “Listen to what the colonel says. Behave yourselves.”
“We’ll follow any orders he gives us,” Jonathan promised. Christopher had already climbed off his chair. He reached up and took the colonel’s hand.
The sternness in Colonel Chattan’s face softened. “You’ll be good soldiers,” he said and held out his other hand for Jonathan as he asked Lyon, “You will be coming directly?”
“Of course,” his lordship answered.
“Don’t tarry” was the colonel’s last word before he led the boys out of the dining room, Christopher already barraging him with questions—and Jonathan walking so proudly that it almost hurt Thea’s heart to see him.
Her oldest was growing up. He wouldn’t be her little boy much longer. She didn’t know if she could ever part with either of them. Whenever the world grew too dark and too lonely, they gave her the courage to keep going.
“It is very kind of the colonel to do this,” she said.
Neal laughed. “How could he not? They’ve been staring at him as if he were Hercules and St. George combined. Their excitement is contagious.”
Thea turned to Neal. “What happened to your brother’s leg?”
“You noticed. Most people don’t, and he works very hard to keep it that way.” He pushed his fork pensively and then said, “Cannon fire. At Salamanca. He should have come home. The treatment here would have been better, but Harry’s a military
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