Glittering Promises by Lisa T. Bergren

Author:Lisa T. Bergren
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: David C Cook
Published: 2013-07-18T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

~William~

Carrying Cora all the way to the palazzo was not easy, but he refused to set her down. Just as she felt compelled to run—apparently in some vain effort to cope with the news of her father’s demise—Will felt compelled to make absolutely certain she was restored to her family.

Felix opened the front door for them, and Will climbed the stairs and gently deposited her on the settee in the hurriedly rented palazzo, her sisters bustling in, bursting into new tears.

“Oh, Cora,” Vivian said, kneeling beside her and taking her hand. “We were so frightened when you ran off like that! As if it wasn’t awful enough… Please don’t do that again. I can’t take any more loss this day!”

“I’m sorry, Viv,” Cora said. “And Lil,” she added to her younger sister. “You’re right, of course. I simply was…overcome.” She shook her head. “Not thinking of anyone but myself. I’m terribly sorry. I’m not used to thinking about siblings.” She looked around at them.

“It’s all right,” Lillian said, her eyes red and puffy from her tears. “Now that you’re here and safe, we can get through this. Together.”

“Together,” Felix added, coming around the end of the settee. “We’ve been stronger since you joined our fold, Cora. We need you.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Apparently, Father knew exactly what we needed when he invited you to join us,” he said.

Andrew, in the corner with his father, let out a dismissive sound. Felix tossed him a furious glare and moved to engage him, but Cora reached out a hand to stop him. “No. Don’t. It’s not worth it.”

A maid came and poured them all glasses of water and set out trays of cheese and bread, which they all forced themselves to nibble. None of them likely felt hunger, Will mused. But they had to keep their strength up.

“Children,” Mr. Morgan said, tentatively entering the circle around Cora, “I’m afraid we must discuss what comes next. We can bury your father here, or they can prepare his body for the transatlantic crossing.”

Cora looked at her siblings, clearly believing this was their decision, not hers.

Viv swallowed hard and lifted her chin. “He made his fortune and his name in Montana. That should be his final resting place.”

Felix and Lil nodded, and Cora did too, then. It made sense. But it was an odd thought, Wallace Kensington making the crossing with them this time, but down in the hold in a casket. For a man who had wielded such power for so long, it seemed rather, well…powerless. But then, that was the end of every man and woman, wasn’t it? The end of their own power. And the full recognition of where true power remained.

Cora, finally with a little color to her cheeks again, swung her legs over the edge of the settee and sat up, putting her hand to her head and blinking slowly, as if to fight a resulting wave of vertigo. “I imagine we all have a great deal of paperwork to see to, Mr.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.