“We can arrange to have all her belongings sent down from London, and she can become permanently installed here. My goodness, Lizzy. When you used to say you dreamed of being a widow, I must confess it felt rather like a dream that we’d indulge. And now look, here you are, right on the precipice of having everything you wanted. You’ve made all your dreams come true!”
Lizzy grasped the arms of her chair tightly, meeting the smiling countenances of her two closest companions before promptly bursting into tears.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The cow pond didn’t offer much to the eye. It sat in the center of the field, reflecting the clear expanse of sky overhead. Cattails swayed along its banks, while a solitary duck lazily paddled across its surface. Tuck strolled around the perimeter, his gaze sweeping over the basin, searching for any distinctive features that might hint at its significance as some sort of cosmic ley line battery supercharger, as Ezekiel Fairweather had described. He wanted to give Lizzy some time with her people, so he’d decided to take a short stroll around the Woodlands grounds to loosen up his legs after the carriage ride. But he found himself drawn back here. It was as if he needed to see it with his own eyes to believe it was real.
No matter how hard he tried to perceive it differently, there was nothing remotely magical about the scene before him. It was just a splash of water in a field, blending in with countless others in the surrounding area. There were no mystical signs or inexplicable phenomena hinting at the possibility of being transported over two hundred years into the future in three days’ time. Yet, the undeniable truth remained that this was the exact same spot where he had first arrived, sinking into the mud while conversing with Lizzy.
It was wild to think that not long ago they had been strangers, and now she was such an integral part of his life. How could he even consider leaving her behind? The very notion sparked a deep-seated resistance within him. Yet he recognized that the decision ultimately lay with her. He wasn’t about to force his will upon her; it had to be her choice. Always hers.
He came to a sudden halt and rocked back on his boot heels. If he managed to cross over and return to his era, how much time would have elapsed? Would Nora have presumed him dead? Held a funeral in his honor? Perhaps there was a stone somewhere with his name etched upon it. The mere thought turned his insides upside down.
He was afraid. That was the truth and there was no point lying about it. But he also was ready—or at least resigned. This wasn’t his time. He needed to go back. It would tear him in half to do it, but he had a place where he belonged. He had a team and a career he was committed to. And if the worst happened and his cancer came back... he wasn’t going to hurt Lizzy, dying slowly while she was unable to do anything to help him, and only blaming herself.
He knew what he had to do. He just was going to need all his guts to do it.
When he wandered back to the Woodlands, Jane and Georgie and Lizzy were all hugging and laughing together out in the garden. Lizzy wiped tears from her eyes as she moved to greet him.
“No, no, stay where you are,” he said, holding up his hands. “I don’t want to interrupt your fun.”
“Nonsense, nonsense,” Georgie tutted, swatting the idea away as if it were an annoying mosquito. “You’ve passed every test we have set for you with flying colors.”
“It’s truly delightful to see you once more, Mr. Taylor,” Janesaid, inclining her head. “And I’m grateful that you’ve safely returned such a cherished individual to us! I must confess, I seem to be lacking composure today. I find myself unable to speak with any refinement, instead constantly lapsing into various exclamations. I attribute it to the overwhelming excitement of the occasion. I’m actually departing to visit my sister, Cassandra, and our dear mother at Chawton Cottage for a month. However, I’ve made a promise to Georgie to swiftly return to ensure Lizzy is settling in comfortably and not too lonesome.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that,” he said, a little bemused. Of course he didn’t want Lizzy to be some sad, solitary figure—it was just that it was surreal as hell to imagine her living her life without him soon.
As if catching his train of thought, Lizzy stepped toward him. “I find myself quite fatigued by the journey from London,” she said. “If it pleases you, I would appreciate an hour or two to retire and rest.”
“Of course!” Both the women were full of understanding as Tuck gave them a short nod and escorted his wife back into the house and upstairs to their chamber.
“I wept in front of them,” Lizzy confessed, once they were alone in her room. “They bore it with kindness, yet I cannot help but worry that I have caused them undue concern.”
“Lizzy,” he murmured, hating to see her upset. Yet, deep down, he understood that every choice moving forward would carry its own weight, its own consequences to bear.
“They anticipated my joy, my triumphant demeanor, believing my scheming had succeeded,” she remarked with a touch of bitterness. “It’s rather remarkable, isn’t it? How everything has aligned in my favor.”
“You had a plan and you’ve executed it,” he replied carefully.
“That I did.” She kicked off her shoes and flopped backward on the bed, stretching her arms out to him. “Come lie with me. I want us to hold each other.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” He removed his boots and crawled beside her, folding her into a hug.
She fell momentarily silent before raising her head to face him. “I daresay I have a notion of where you disappeared to.”
He kissed her forehead; her skin was cool to the touch. “That a fact?”
“You visited that dreadful pond, did you not?”
He hummed his assent deep in the back of his throat.
“You are so predictable.” She leaned up and planted a long kiss on his neck, right at the sensitive place beneath his ear.
“It’s like that, is it?” He moved quickly, pinning her underneath him. His lips brushed hers, and he flicked out his tongue to tease the seam before pulling back.
She pouted. “Is that all?”
“Thought you wanted to rest?”
