Lancelot's Lady (33 page)

Chapter 33

When the taxi drove them away from Miami International Airport, Rhianna glanced at Jonathan and squeezed his hand.
"
You
'
re doing the right thing.
"

Sitting between them, Misty giggled. Though still raspy, her laugh sounded joyful.

"
Grandpa hasn
'
t seen you since you were a baby,
"
Jonathan signed.

Rhianna watched him converse with his daughter. He
'
d grown more comfortable with signing, and with Misty
'
s expanding vocabulary.

The little girl tucked a strand of dark curls over her ear, and Rhianna saw the instant Jonathan realized something was different.

"
Misty, you
'
re wearing your hearing aid,
"
he said.

Misty nodded.
"
Rhianna told me I
'
d miss out on hearing the music.
"

"
What music?
"
He looked at Rhianna.

"
There
'
s music everywhere if you stop to listen for it.
"
She smiled at Misty.
"
Magic music.
"

For a long moment, the three of them listened to the sounds of Miami―the buzz of traffic, horns honking, traffic helicopters whirring overhead. The city was alive and breathing.

"
Thank you,
"
Jonathan mouthed over the top of Misty
'
s head.

"
You
'
re welcome,
"
Rhianna replied.

In this moment, she was happier than she
'
d ever been.

"
Are we going to live here, Daddy?
"
Misty signed.

"
Maybe one day. This is just a holiday.
"

"
Good. Because I miss Lancelot
'
s Landing.
"

"
So do I,
"
Rhianna said, catching Jonathan
'
s eye.
"
By the way, you never told me where the name Lancelot
'
s Landing came from.
"

Jonathan shrugged.
"
It was Misty
'
s idea. When I first bought the island, we just called it Angelina
'
s. When Misty was about five, she wanted me to read the same story over and over again. Sir Lancelot and the Ice Castle. We
'
d play at sword fighting with broken branches.
"

Rhianna raised a brow.
"
You?
"

"
Yeah,
"
he said with a chuckle.
"
Misty came up with the name. The funny thing is she didn
'
t know about the Lance legacy. She
'
s always signed her last name as Tyler.
"
His expression grew sad.
"
I guess I was trying so hard to distance myself from JT that I didn
'
t see what it was doing in my life. And Misty
'
s.
"

"
And you believe me now that I didn
'
t know who you were?
"

"
Yes, I believe you.
"

Relieved, Rhianna stared out the window at the passing traffic and buildings. Soon her entire life would change. Part of that change included Jonathan and Misty, a change that thrilled her. But she was still nervous about facing JT.

What would she say to him?

She thought of the day she
'
d first arrived in Miami. She
'
d been so overwhelmed by the expansive city and so scared about her future. Meeting JT had changed all that. Now she was getting ready to ask him some very difficult questions. What if the answers made things worse?

She flicked a worried look at Jonathan.

For now she had to leave everything up to destiny. Fate had dropped her on JT
'
s doorstep months ago. Then on Angelina
'
s Isle. Now fate was playing with all their futures.

I
'
ll fight for my future if I have to,
she thought, as the taxi pulled into the circular driveway in front of Lance Manor.

They clambered from the taxi, each one taking in the massive home and elaborate grounds.

"
Home sweet home,
"
she whispered.

Rhianna stepped inside first, leaving Jonathan and Misty outside on the porch. She figured he
'
d probably need a few minutes to gather his courage. Dropping her suitcase on the floor, she removed her jacket and hung it in the foyer closet.

The front door opened.

Jonathan poked his head inside.
"
Is the coast clear?
"

"
For now. Even if we bump into Higginson, the man won
'
t bite.
"
She gave him a sweet smile.
"
I promise.
"

Misty followed her father inside, her eyes two moons as she stared at the rich décor.
"
Is this a castle, Daddy?
"

"
Almost.
"

"
Does Sir Lancelot live here?
"

Rhianna burst out laughing.

"
This is Grandpa
'
s house,
"
Jonathan explained.

As Misty skipped around the foyer, Rhianna watched Jonathan. She could tell he was nervous. He kept wiping his palms on his pants. Moving close, she took both his hands, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"
What
'
s that for?
"
he asked.

"
You look like you
'
re hurting.
"

"
I am.
"
He touched the corner of his mouth.
"
I hurt here.
"

She kissed the spot.

"
And here,
"
he said, touching his centre of his lips.

Rhianna was happy to oblige.

"
Excuse me,
"
a voice said.

She pulled away quickly, her cheeks reddening.
"
Higginson. I didn
'
t see you there.
"

"
Apparently,
"
the man said wryly.

Jonathan smiled.
"
It
'
s been a long time, Higginson.
"

"
That it has, Master Jonathan,
"
the butler said, shaking Jonathan
'
s outstretched hand.

"
You don
'
t seem surprised to see us,
"
Rhianna said.

Higginson shrugged.
"
We thought you might cut your trip short, once you realized whose island you were on.
"

"
So you and JT concocted this whole plan?
"
Jonathan asked.

"
We knew she could convince you to come home.
"

"
But why didn
'
t you just tell me?
"
Rhianna asked.
"
I went in blind, thinking I was going to some resort hotel.
"

Higginson cringed.
"
I apologize about that. I wanted to tell you, but JT thought…
"
His voice faded. With a sigh, he said,
"
It
'
s best if JT tells you himself.
"

"
We
'
ve already figured out a few things,
"
Jonathan said.
"
We have a lot of questions.
"

"
I
'
m sure JT will answer them. Let me prepare him for your visit. I
'
ll come get you in a fe
w minutes. In the meantime, Master Jonathan―
"

"
Just Jonathan, please.
"

"
In the meantime, sir, make yourselves at home. Miss McLeod, why don
'
t you take the child and Jonathan upstairs to unpack? I
'
m sure you
'
ll be staying for a while.
"
Higginson turned clea
nly on one heel and disappeared down the hall.

Misty tugged on Jonathan
'
s jacket.
"
Daddy, is that the king?
"

"
No, honey. You
'
ll meet the king later.
"

"
Are we going to sleep in this castle?
"

"
Yes, Misty, we are. This will be our home for a bit.
"

Rhianna felt a surge of hope and promise in his words.
"
Come on, you two. Let
'
s go upstairs and pick out your room.
"

"
Does the king have a Sir Lancelot room?
"
Misty asked her.

"
I don
'
t think so, sweetie, but I
'
m sure we can find you a pretty garden room with lots of flowers.
"

As she followed Jonathan and Misty upstairs, Rhianna wondered how the meeting between Jonathan and JT would go. Would they finally mend their relationship? Or would the past continue to separate them?

While Jonathan helped Misty unpack, Rhianna took in the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. It seemed like forever since she
'
d slept in the bed or admired the painting of the Lady in the Mist. She stared at it now, taking in the intricate detail of a master
'
s brush. The foliage was detailed down to
tiny veins in the lush plants, and she swore she could almost smell the flowers. She
'
d never owned anything so beautiful. Or so valuable.

She traced a finger over the artist
'
s indecipherable signature―Jonathan
'
s signature. She recognized part of the flora
l design from the one he
'
d painted on her body.

She shivered. It seemed like such a long time ago

A knock sounded.

"
Come in,
"
she called.

"
Misty
'
s unpacked,
"
Jonathan said in the doorway.
"
She
'
s having a nap in her room. The trip really tired her―
"
He stop
ped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening.
"
What is the Lady in the Mist doing here?
"

"
Your father gave it to me for my birthday.
"

He strode up to the painting and caressed the frame.
"
He bought it?
"

"
If you want it back―
"

"
No,
"
he said.
"
It
'
s yours now. I
t
'
s just strange to see it here. The gallery sold it to a collector. But I never knew who.
"

"
You
'
ll probably find there are a few of your paintings here. I
'
ve seen at least twelve with your signature on them scattered throughout Lance Manor.
"