later.'
He left the room before Adam could ask him to explain the work this Mitchell fellow was doing for them. He posed the question to Cole.
' Harrison wanted to get some information about Livonia 's sons. He sent a wire to an attorney in St. Louis, asking for a recommendation, and Mitchell was suggested. The man must have ridden day and night to get here so soon. I can't imagine how he did it.'
'Should we listen at the door?' Travis asked.
'We'll do no such thing,' Adam dictated. 'We'll give Harrison privacy.'
They all heard the screen door open once again. A few seconds later, Harrison came back into the dining room.
He looked stunned.
The reason was standing right behind him.
Mary Rose staggered to her feet. 'Father?'
Her brothers all stood up. Their attention was focused on Lord Elliott.
Harrison was watching his wife. Her complexion had turned a stark white, and he thought she was going to faint.
He hurried to her side and took hold of her arm.
Elliott stood there in the entrance staring at the family. He still didn't know what he was going to say to them. He'd worried about it all the way here. How could he let her brothers know he accepted them as part of his family and hoped they would accept him?
Harrison saw the worry in his eyes and decided to help the reunion along. He leaned down close to his wife's ear, and whispered, 'Your father's very nervous.'
He knew he wouldn't have to say another word. Mary Rose's heart immediately went out to her father. She hurried to his side, leaned up on her tiptoes, and kissed him on his cheek.
'I'm very happy to see you again.'
He came out of his stupor with a start. He took hold of her hands. 'Can you ever forgive me, daughter? I'm so sorry for all the pain I caused you.'
Tears gathered in her eyes. Her father had spoken in such a passionate voice that she knew the words had come from his heart.
'Oh, Father, I love you. Of course I forgive you. I love Harrison, and I have to forgive him all the time. He forgives me too. It's what family is all about. I'm so sorry I hurt you by leaving.'
'No, no, you made me come to my senses. You did the right thing.'
Her brothers heard every word of his apology. None of them showed any outward reaction. Harrison thought their expressions could have been set in stone.
'Father, I'm called Mary Rose here.'
'All right then.'
'All right… It's all right?' She threw herself into his arms and hugged him.
'When you come to England to visit me, I may slip now and then and call you Victoria. Will you mind?'
'No, no, I won't mind at all.'
Elliott patted her shoulder, a soft smile on his face. His worry eased away. He had done the right thing.
Mary Rose finally remembered her manners. She pulled away from her father and smiled up at him.
'Father, I would like you to meet my brothers,' she announced, her voice filled with pride.
Elliott closely studied all of them. Harrison moved to stand with the brothers. Elliott realized why he'd done so. He was helping him remember what the pecking order was in Mary Rose's heart. Her husband came first, then her brothers, and finally her father. He didn't mind being last on her list because he now knew she had enough love for all of them.
The time had finally arrived for him to acknowledge her brothers as family. He didn't feel rushed. He stared at the strapping young men and suddenly felt as though he were in the presence of giants. He was both humbled and in awe of them.
They were God's answer to his prayers. All those years of anguish and terror, in the dark hours of the night when desolation threatened to devour his very soul, he had prayed for a miracle.
And all along God had already given him four.
He had been truly blessed. He had a wonderful daughter, a noble son-in-law, and now…
'It appears I have four sons.'
Chapter 23
God definitely had a sense of humor. Elliott came to his conclusion after observing the behavior of the brothers for an hour or so. Mary Rose's guardian angels were rough and rowdy, argumentative and wary at the same time, and loud. Lord, they were loud. They had the peculiar habit of all talking at the same time, and yet they were all able to hear what everyone else was saying. Elliott felt as if he were sitting in the center of a rally.
He was having the time of his life.
After he'd spoken to the men, they'd come forward to shake his hand. They were hesitant to accept him as part of their family, of course, but Elliott wasn't discouraged. In time they would realize that, like him, they had little choice in the matter. God had pulled them all together, and together they would stay.
He met Adam first. 'You're the one who likes to argue, aren't you?' he remarked as he shook his hand.
Adam immediately turned to Harrison. 'Did you tell him that?'
'I said you liked to debate,' he explained.
Elliott nodded. 'Same thing,' he announced. 'I like to argue too, son. You'll find I always win.'
A gleam came into Adam's eyes. 'Is that so?'
'You were wrong about the Greeks' motives, you know. I'll have to set you straight.'
'I welcome the challenge,' Adam responded.
Elliott met Travis next. 'You're going to be an attorney,' he announced.
'I am?'
'Yes, you are. Harrison says you've a natural ability to sort through quagmire.'
Travis grinned. 'You just used yesterday's word of the day, sir. I've always wanted to shoot lawyers, not become one.'
Douglas shook his hand next. 'What did Harrison tell you about me?' he asked.
'That you work magic with your horses. You could make a fortune in England working with thoroughbreds. Animals trust you and that tells me you have compassion. I wondered where my daughter came by hers. Now I know.'
Cole waited for his turn. He had already made up his mind he wasn't going to roll over as easily as his
