A Rose for Laura by Callie Hutton
Epilogue
Huntington Manor
Six years later
"Maribel, I told you many times it is not ladylike to climb trees." Diana looked up at her six-year-old daughter with frustration.
"It's all right, Mama. I don't want to be a lady."
Diana sighed. "You have no choice. You are Lady Maribel, and you must do the correct thing. You are the daughter of am earl."
The girl sat on a branch swinging her foot. "When Mary Alice comes, she will want to climb trees, too."
"I don't care about your cousin climbing trees. That is Aunt Amelia's problem. You, young lady, are my problem and I demand you come down right now!"
"All right," she sighed. Within a scant minute or two her daughter was out of the tree and on the ground.
"Look at your dress. It's filthy. Go right now and see nurse and have her change you. Your cousins and aunt and uncles will be here momentarily."
She shook her head and watched her daughter skip off. Soon the rest of the family would arrive for their semi-annual reunion. Since the Rose brothers had sold the Rose Room three years before, they didn't see each other as much as they had in the past.
With Keniel and Laura spending half the year at their house in Jamaica with their six- and five-year-old adopted Jamaican children, and their three- and two-year-old toddlers, the gathering twice a year was necessary to keep the family members abreast of any news.
She started toward the house when Hunt waved at her from the driveway. Assuming some of the visitors had arrived, she moved quicker to join her husband.
"Driscoll, Amelia, Mary Alice, Joseph, and Christopher have arrived. I just sent them upstairs."
Diana placed her hands on her hips. "Did you see your daughter scurry by looking like a street urchin?"
Hunt threw his head back and laughed. "My dear, she only had a soiled dress on. I don't think she looked like a street urchin." He reached out and tucked a lose curl behind her ear. "Climbing trees again?"
Diana sighed. "Yes. I don't understand how Jennifer and Maribel can be so different. They are only a year apart, but Jennifer is far more the young lady than Maribel ever will be."
He placed his arm around her shoulders and moved her toward the door. "Are you afraid she might get into the type of scrapes you used to get yourself into?"
Diana raised her chin. "I have no idea what you are referring to. I have always been ladylike."
Hunt said, "Except when you weren't."
She grinned. "Yes."
* * *
"Rohan,pull your head in before it gets cut off." Keniel jiggled three-year-old Noah on his lap as Laura attempted to wrestle two-year-old Carter into a nappy. Their nurse had fallen ill right before their semi-annual trip to Huntington Manor and Keniel and Laura were dealing with four children, aged six to two. Hopefully, the others will have their nurses with them so they would have some help.
"I have to hang out the window, Papa. Linford is taking up all the room."
"Linford, move over. Rohan is correct, you are taking up too much room."
The five year old pushed his spectacles up on his nose and looked up at his papa from the book he was reading. "If Rohan would sit still for five minutes perhaps he would realize I am not taking up any more room than he is."
Laura and Keniel looked at each other and laughed. Their five year old was far beyond his age. They'd often said he was born forty years old. They adopted the brothers as babies from a Jamaican orphanage right after they had their house in Jamaica built. The boys had been with them for five years already.
Once Noah and Carter joined the family, they decided that four boys under seven was enough. Of course, neither one of them wanted to give up their very satisfying sex life, so Keniel used every method he could think of to prevent Laura from getting pregnant. However, from the way she'd been acting lately, sleepy, not eating in the morning, and somewhat grouchy, had him suspecting whatever method he'd used recently had not worked.
"Are we there yet?" Rohan asked, jumping up and down on his seat.
"Almost, son. You've all been very good on this trip." Keniel took the baby from Laura and handed her Noah, who she attempted to clean up with a wet cloth before their arrival. The boy had enjoyed a piece of candy they'd given him earlier to stop his tears and now he was sticky.
"I liked the train better," Rohan said, elbowing his brother in the side.
"Papa, may we switch seats, please? Rohan is very annoying." Linford said with a sigh.
"Ah, no need, my boy." Keniel pointed out the window. "There is Huntington Manor now."
Their vehicle pulled up right behind Dante, Lydia, David, and their twin girls, Susan and Elizabeth.
Both families piled out of their carriages, hugging, exclaiming over how big the children had gotten since the last reunion, and trying to keep all the little ones in tow.
Hunt and Diana strolled down the path from the house, Maribel and Jennifer right behind them. The little girls latched onto Mary Alice, and they all jumped up and down with glee. Jennifer bent down and held her hands out to Susan and Elizabeth. "Hello, cousins. Have you missed me?"
The two girls clung to each other's hands, one finger in their mouths.
* * *
"Where did Mary Alice go?"Driscoll asked Amelia as he handed off Joseph and Christopher to their nurse.
"Right where she always is once we arrive at the Manor. Stuck to Maribel's side. I think they went to greet Dante and Keniel who both pulled up at the same time."
He reached out and took Amelia's hand. "Let's join the others."
They strolled down the steps to the entrance hall where chaos reigned. Children, adults, nurses, lady's maids, all tried to speak over each other. Finally Hunt placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled.
Linford Singh pushed his spectacles up on his nose and regarded Hunt. "Uncle Hunt must you do that every time we arrive?"
Hunt patted the boy on the head. "Yes. It's the only way to gain everyone's attention."
"It's not healthy for the ears." The child picked up his book and wandered into the drawing room.
"How old is he?" Driscoll asked Keniel as the child left.
"Five going on forty."
Hunt stood on the bottom step of the staircase. "Now that I have all your attention, please follow these instructions."
"Big brother in charge again," Driscoll whispered to Amelia.
"Nurses, please take the little ones up to the nursery. My footman, Larson will direct you. Lady's maids and valets, please follow my housekeeper, Mrs. Walker to the bedchamber floor and she will instruct you as to where our guests are staying. Brothers and sisters-in-laws, welcome. Diana and I are so pleased we could all be together again. Once you've refreshed yourselves from your journey, please join us in the drawing room for tea."
Diana patted her husband on the back. "Well done, my lord."
* * *
"Aunt Lydia,will you say something in Arabic for Mary Alice? She doesn't believe you can speak seven languages," Maribel asked.
Dante and Lydia had just left David, Susan, and Elizabeth with the nurses who were entertaining all the children in the garden. "Eight now, dear. I just finished a class in Dutch."
Maribel turned to her cousin and smiled. "I told you. Aunt Lydia is a genius."
Lydia laughed. "Hardly a genius, sweetheart, I just have a skill when it comes to languages." She took Mary Alice's hands in hers and said, "Marhaban mari 'alis. kayf haluk alyawma?"
Her niece stared at her wide-eyed. "What did you say?"
"I said, hello Mary Alice. How are you today?"
Dante walked up behind them and placed his arm around Lydia's shoulder. "Showing off again, love?"
She shrugged. "I miss not using my languages."
"I promise we will take a trip to all the countries where you speak the language, and you can impress me." Dante leaned in and spoke into her ear. "There are other ways you impress me, you know." He drew back and winked.
"Aunt Lydia, why is your face red?" Mary Alice asked.
Lydia waved her hand in front of her face. "Actually, I think it's quite warm today. What say you we join the other children who are in the garden with the nurses?"
"No thank you. I'd rather climb a tree," Maribel said.
"Me, too." Mary Alice answered.
"Girls, remember, you are young ladies." Lydia's comments didn’t stop the two little girls from racing away and heading for the wooded area of the grounds.
"Do you suppose Elizabeth and Susan will want to climb trees when they’re older, too?"
"If their cousins have anything to say about it." Lydia placed her hand in Dante’s, and they strolled the garden. In the opposite direction from the nurses.
* * *
Hunt stoodat the head of the dining table and looked over his family. It was the last day of the Rose Brothers semi-annual reunion. Traditionally, the children were allowed to sit at the dining table for the final dinner. There were special chairs for the little ones who couldn't reach the table.
He looked out at the Rose family. Four brothers, four wives, and fourteen children. And still counting if Laura's early morning nausea meant what he thought it did, even though Keniel turned pale every time Hunt mentioned it.
Three years ago, the Rose Room sold since the brothers wanted to spend time with their families which wasn't possible running a gaming club. They'd gotten out just in time, too, since the anti-gambling laws had gotten more stringent.
Hunt was happy managing his various properties and making sure he was saving money to pass the Huntington legacy on to Robert when the time came.
Driscoll had invested his money from the sale of the business in railroad stocks in the United States, which, given his propensity for numbers was working out quite well.
Dante went in partners with several other men who purchased a shipping line, which was building up his legacy.
Keniel and Laura still spent their time, money and effort on helping homeless children. They did as much as they could for the orphanage Laura had started in London, but they also started an orphanage in Jamaica once their house there was built.
They all spent a few weeks in London each season, but as the years went on, the brothers all felt more comfortable at their country estates for Hunt, Driscoll and Dante, and their Jamaican home for Keniel and Laura. That was why the semi-annual gatherings were so important.
Hunt raised his glass. "Here is to another successful Rose family reunion."
"Here, here," Dante said.
They all took a sip of their champagne—another tradition for the final dinner—and the servants began bringing out the food.
Hunt placed his hand over Diana's and squeezed it. "As confusing as it is when they're all here, I hate to see them leave."
"I understand," she said. "But six months is not so far off."
Perhaps she was right. He raised his eyes briefly to the ceiling. "You did a good job, Father."
"Please don't put your fingers in the potatoes, Carter." Linford pushed his spectacles up on his nose and made a face at his youngest brother.
Yes. All was well with the Rose family.
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I hope you had fun reading Laura and Keniel’s love story. A Rose for Laura is the third book in the Rose Room Rogues series.
Want more historical romance? Look for Prisoners of Love: Nellie - A Christmas to Remember.
Miss Nellie Ward, brothel owner and former soiled dove stands alongside her long-time friend, Marshal Dale Jones in Dodge City as they watch her brothel burn to the ground. She’s been in ‘the business’ since she was fourteen years old, and now at thirty-nine she’s finished. She has no desire to re-build, and with the little money she’s saved over the years she is looking for something else to do and somewhere else to go. When the marshal asks her to chaperone four young ladies sitting in his jail to Santa Fe on a wagon train as mail order brides, she jumps at the opportunity.
Marshal Dale Jones has always wondered what it would be like to have Miss Nellie for his own. He’d admired her for years and was embarrassingly thrilled when she told her customers she was no longer available, and the brothel would only accept patrons for her girls.
The marshal is happy with the solution for what to do with the young women. The only problem is as he watches Nellie leave Dodge City, he realizes what a blunder he has made. Maybe it was time to turn in his badge and follow the woman he'd loved for years to Santa Fe.
When he arrives, Miss Nellie seems happy to see him, but can he convince her that he doesn't care what she was before; what matters to him is what he wants her to be now.
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