“What do you think? Will Hanover make the cut?” I wasn’t worried about her answer. Not with the way her eyes had wandered my way all evening, but I had to ask.
Estelle swallowed her bite. “He has potential, I admit. But I do not think he is the kind of man capable of holding a knife to a woman’s throat one minute and saving her from drowning the next.”
“No, that takes a special kind of man.”
“I wholeheartedly agree. Indeed, it is a quality of extreme import to my happiness. I could never marry a man without it.
“Is that so?” My lips betrayed how happy it made me to hear her mention marriage. I set my arm on the table, leaning into it and bringing my head closer to hers. “What is your opinion of men who kiss ladies in kitchen larders?”
Her eyes widened. “Why, they are the very worst.”
I frowned. “The worst?”
“Yes, a man who only kisses in the larder and nowhere else is positively shameful. If you know such a man, please tell him straightaway that his lady enjoys kissing in a variety of settings.”
I reached up and smoothed a raven curl behind her ear. “The message has been received.” I dipped my head and claimed her soft lips with my own. My hands cupped her neck and jaw while I told her with my mouth exactly how much I loved and missed her. Her touch was as beautiful as she was—her lilac perfume the scent of home. How was I so fortunate to have found her? With her arms wrapped around me, she clung to mywaistcoat and returned my kiss with equal ardor, filling all the empty crevices in my heart with her own love.
When I pulled back, she leaned forward and kissed me again. I smiled against her kiss. We still had several matters to discuss before the night waned into day. I dragged my mouth from hers, though it pained me greatly. “I have something for you,” I whispered against her cheek. I reached into my waistcoat pocket and pulled out her ruby ring. “It’s time I returned this to you.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Itisyou! My Mr. Long!”
Warmth flooded over me. I had waited so long for this moment. “And it’s you. My Good Samaritan.” I took her hand and slid the ring on her finger, kissing it for good measure.
“I searched for you in every face I passed,” she said. “I could not quench the desire to find you again—to know that you were well and whole.”
It seemed too wonderful to know that she had been searching for me too. “I wanted nothing more than to find you and thank you. The investigators I hired traced you to the station closest to my home.” I touched her hair again, unable to help myself. “In the end, you gave yourself away.”
“I did?”
“Remember how I told you that I had the occasional nightmare? Well, not all my dreams were awful. Sometimes I dreamed of you singing to me, and each time it brought me comfort. I did not understand the lyrics, but your angel voice soothed me on the darkest of nights.” Moisture gathered in my throat. “It was your Irish lullaby. I heard you singing it in the garden.”
Tears swam in her eyes. “You remembered?”
“That song kept me alive, Estelle. It was a source of light during my greatest pain.”
“Were you disappointed when you discovered me?”
“The opposite. I was overcome. I did not feel worthy to love such a wonderful person.”
She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “Do you still feel that way? Now that you know that I am flawed too?”
I reached over and caught a tear with my thumb, leaving my hand there to cup her cheek. “I still find you just as wonderful as before. It’s myself that I see differently. Instead of seeing my failures, I see hope. I have proven to myself that I can overcome my struggles if I keep working at it. I do not have to be known for my mistakes any longer. Having you in my life only gives me a greater reason to fight my demons.”
“That’s wonderful, Atlas. I am so glad you have found peace.”
“Thank you for not turning me away.”
“Never,” she breathed. Then she blinked rapidly. “But wait. My song. It’s Irish, as you said. Your mother . . .”
I ran my hand down the side of her smooth cheek and sat back. Not every aspect of life could have a happy ending. No matter how much one willed it. “Mother and I discussed it at length. She threatened to marry Mr. Bastion and live with him. In the end, I encouraged the idea. It would be good for her to have a companion again, and it would divide her attention from Augusta.”
Estelle bit her lip. “I don’t want to break up your family.”
“My mother has been deeply hurt, but she has a good heart. With time, I hope she will come around. In fact, I wonder if it was all part of some master plan. Augusta believes you were sent to heal us.”
Her eyes widened. “Me?”
I nodded. “She said our home has not felt whole since Athena died. When you came, that finally changed.”
