Colin cradled her face in his hands, his eyes snaring hers.
“Nora, you have made me the happiest of men. When I discovered you missing, my world tilted. I could think of nothing but finding you.” Not waiting for her response, he kissed her, at first feathering her lips before leaning in for a deeper kiss.
As if remembering, of a sudden, they were not alone, Colin pulled back and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a pink satin slipper.
“I brought this along to remind me of you. Benjamin found it by the window.”
Smiling through her streaming tears, Nora peered behind Colin at Benjamin, who sat wide-eyed and quiet.
“You may both see the humor in this,” she teased. Reaching into the pocket of the slattern’s skirt, she extracted her other slipper and delicately shrugged one shoulder. “It did little good to have one. I am afraid I sent the other woman to the tunnel without shoes.” She considered the gentleman and the boy in front of her. “I am the luckiest person to have two men who care so much for me. Thank you, Benjamin, for helping to rescue me, and thank you, Colin, for making me the happiest of women!
Epilogue
Three weeks later
London, England
Nora checked the looking glass above her dressing table once more and adjusted her headpiece. She felt like a princess in her gown. She and her mother settled on an elegant, pale pink spotted muslin dress with a train. A stylish, shimmering gold-pink ribbon separated a one-piece bodice and skirt. Short under-sleeves of white linen added form to the long muslin sleeves, which ended at the elbow. A shimmering over-dress of the palest pink gossamer she had ever seen covered the bodice and skirt. A small tiara of pearls and tiny diamonds was carefully woven into a loose chignon, with her blonde curls softly framing her face.
Absently, she repositioned a stray curl and stared at the image looking back at her. So much had changed in her life in little more than a month. Today was a day she had never imagined possible. She was marrying her own prince—the man who fulfilled that wistful dream of fairy tales placed in her head as a child. This was her day—her wedding day and the day she moved to her new home. Colin had already given her leave to redecorate anything she wished to. She learned that Grandmama had offered another building to repay her uncle’s debt, but he had refused it. Uncle had been arrested. According to Colin, the deed to the orphanage had not been the first document that he had altered. At least one more had surfaced, although she had not heard the details. Father was helping Grandmama get it all sorted.
Colin’s younger brother, Jonathan, had located the perfect property for their fencing salon quite by accident. With Colin’s backing, their dream would soon become a reality.
Her betrothed had made no demands of her, instead telling her to decide about her life and her duties, new and old. That raised him above any gentleman she knew, save her sweet father.
With Grandmama’s agreement, she had already established a reduced presence at the orphanage. Mrs. Simpkins and Mary had proven themselves quite competent with the children, and they adored their duties. With the new headteacher she and Grandmama had hired, her own duties would be more supervisory. Miss Britthaven brought a wealth of experience, and remarkably, shared their philosophy, having once been an orphan herself. Nora planned to use her newly-gained status to influence the ton and follow her dream to raise funds for orphanages. She envisioned working with her Grandmama to establish at least two more in the East End.
True to his word, Colin made sure that Doctor Perth visited the children, especially to check on Benjamin’s cough. The doctor had initially worried that the boy might have sustained permanent damage to his lungs. Yet upon thoroughly examining him, Perth determined that exercise and a tonic for the cough would, in time, clear the ailment from Benjamin’s system, which was welcome news. Had his time in the chimneys been much longer, the doctor said the lung damage could have threatened Benjamin’s life. Uncle’s ladybird had probably saved the young boy’s life, Nora contemplated. Her grandmother had been so delighted with the news, she offered to help Doctor Perth find a building for his office closer to the orphanage — an offer the good doctor readily agreed to take.
A gentle knock at her door signaled it was time to go.
“Are you ready, my dear?” Her mother stepped into the room, followed by her father. The years had been kind to Lady Eliza Mason. Nora’s mother looked young enough to be mistaken for Nora’s older sibling. Translucent skin, rich auburn hair with naught but a trace of silver, and a youthful figure still turned heads.
“It means so much to me you could be here. The wedding is happening so quickly.” Nora reached over and hugged each of her parents. Her father’s law practice, together with the management of his father’s fledgling business, gave them little time to be away from home. To her relief, the hard work was finally having the desired result. Her parents’ financial straits had eased. Father’s pride impeded her grandparents’ ability to help them, yet Nora knew her grandmother took every opportunity to direct business in their direction.
“Your sister and brothers are with your betrothed in the church. They have done nothing but speak of Colin and how wonderful he is. I am afraid we may have difficulty persuading them to leave with us.” Her mother chuckled.
Lt. Peter Mason pulled his daughter close. “We are all happy for you, Norabelle.”
She felt comforted by her father’s use of his pet name for her. “Thank you, Father.” A small tear worked its way down her cheek. She had missed his hugs. Nora’s father stood tall and looked trim for his age. He was the type of man who commanded attention from all
