Slightly Tempted by Mary Balogh

Author:Mary Balogh
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 9780440334910
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2003-12-29T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XII

THE SUN WAS FINALLY BREAKING THROUGH THE clouds on the afternoon that Gervase arrived home. The gravel of the driveway that wound its way in leisurely meanderings through the woods and over the rolling hills of the park surrounding Windrush Grange was wet but not soggy. Water dripped from the leaves overhead and clung in sparkling drops to the grass. There was a richly verdant smell in the air.

He was powerfully reminded of how he had always loved Windrush, how thankful he had always been that he was the elder son, that he would be the one to inherit while his brother, Pierre, was the one destined for the church. This lengthy approach to the house had always lifted his spirits.

But it was nine years since he had last ridden along it. His father had been alive in those days. Both his sisters had still been at home. He had been a carefree young man, eager to enjoy the pleasures of town and the companionship of his peers, but eager too to learn all that he needed to know as his father’s heir. He had been a basically happy, blameless young man whose life was progressing smoothly along a path that had been mapped out for him since childhood.

And then disaster had struck in a series of nightmarish events over which he had seemed to have no control whatsoever.

He felt as if he were riding back into someone else’s life.

There was a large flower garden to one side of the gabled, red-brick house, complete with a trellised arch, cobbled pathways, and wrought-iron seat beneath an old weeping willow. There were three women there, he could see as he rode closer, two of them bent over the flowers, long baskets over their arms to hold the blooms, the third holding an infant on one hip as she watched. There was a man on the seat.

One of the women straightened up at the sound of his horse’s hooves and held the floppy brim of her straw hat. And then she cried out, hastily set her basket down, and came running toward him, one hand holding up the hem of her dress. She was petite, still youthfully slender, still dark-haired. Her face was alight with welcome.

Gervase dismounted, tossed the reins over his horse’s neck, and strode toward her, his arms outstretched.

“Gervase!” she cried. “Gervase, mon fils.”

“Maman!” He caught her up in his arms, spun once about with her, and set her on her feet again.

“You are home.” She stood back and raised one slightly trembling hand to his cheek while her eyes devoured his face. “Ah, my beloved boy, and you are more handsome than ever.”

“Whereas you have stayed the same age, Maman,” he said with a grin. “You are a mere girl.”

It was not quite true, of course. There were streaks of gray in her hair and there were lines in her face. But she had aged well in nine years. She was still lovely.

The man had come hurrying up behind her.

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.