He opened the door. “After you, my lady.”
Jonathan and Christopher were by his side, and they echoed his words with small bows. Thea laughed. Her sons climbed into the coach behind her. Neal gave orders to the postboy, checked to see that his own horse was securely tethered tothe coach, and off they went, the windows on both sides of the coach completely open.
That night, the boys sound asleep in an adjoining room at the inn, Thea and Neal made love.
It felt good to be touched.
It felt good to touch.
He knew what she liked and he quickly brought her to arousal. Together they found the magic that always sealed the bond of their love.
Afterward, lying in his arms, Thea asked, “How can you forgive me so easily? I would have thought you’d be furious with me.”
“Harry,” he said.
“Harry what?” Thea asked, coming up on one elbow to look down at her husband. “When I last saw him, he was not well.”
He reached up and stroked her hair away from her face, and then with his fingers followed the line of her shoulder and down around her breast before dropping his hand and answering, “Harry is your strongest ally now. Margaret is your second strongest. They both wanted me to bring you home.”
She frowned. “Even Margaret? Harry put up a protest, but Margaret understood what I was doing.”
“I explained my feelings to them, the way I didto you. They worry for me. They are not pleased at the implications, but they have no choice but to accept them.”
“I pray we have long lives,” Thea said.
“I do as well,” he answered, pulling her closer. “But the love I have for you, Thea, will last forever. The heart is a shield, my love, and mine will keep us safe forever.”
Thea hadn’t ever believed life could be so easy or so good.
Their homecoming to London was everything she could have wished. Margaret hugged her, and even Harry acted happy, although Thea believed him more pleased to see her sons.
Harry was still the same. He drank heavily, womanized, and twice a month disappeared for a day or two. But Thea couldn’t concern herself with his vices. She wanted to enjoy every moment she had with Neal. Daily, she prayed to God that they would escape the curse, and the prayers seemed to work. Neal was healthy.
Margaret and Thea became fast friends. They spent at least an hour each day in needlework. Mirabel often joined them, although she disdained plying a needle. She was most upset that Thea had taken off without a word to her, but one wordof the baby and Mirabel freely forgave the transgression. Margaret had decided that she would embroider the baby’s christening gown and it would be a garment that would be the envy of all who saw it.
Jonathan seemed to like Westminster very much, but Thea would often catch him talking earnestly to Neal. She wondered what they said, but she didn’t pry. Instead, she was thankful for Neal’s listening ear.
The dreams began.
Only this time was different.
Before, she and Neal had kept silent. Now they discussed those nightmares and kept a journal on them. In the sharing of their dreams, they searched for clues that might help them defeat the curse. They each had many dreams when they first reunited, but the frequency seemed to slow, and they took that as a good sign.
Perhaps they could beat the curse with prayer and bravery. Certainly her love for Neal had helped defeat her fear.
In fact, even Harry and Margaret began to lose their own anxiousness about the curse. The atmosphere in the house grew more cohesive, warm and nurturing. Every day was busy and fulfilling.
In mid-November, there was an evening driveof open vehicles through Hyde Park. The boys had been looking forward to participating, and Neal and Thea had thought it would be an enjoyable outing, since many of their friends’ families would be there.
They all bundled up against the chilled air and piled into Neal’s open curricle. Soon they were part of a moonlit procession, one that was almost wheel-to-wheel.
Neal drove the vehicle, but he let both Christopher and Jonathan have a turn at the reins. With a wool lap blanket wrapped around her legs and hot bricks at her feet, Thea enjoyed watching her sons learn how to drive.
In preparation for the drive, her husband had given her a blue velvet cape lined in fur, with a matching muff. It was very stylish, and she quite enjoyed showing it off. Soon she would retire from social occasions until her child was born, but tonight, she delighted in the fresh night air and the company of so many people enjoying the same.
Thea spied Mirabel in another vehicle and gaily waved at her.
Even more interesting, she caught sight of her brother Horace and his wife. Since Thea had married, her path had not crossed his until this night.Horace was staring right at her, a huge scowl on his face—and Thea discovered she had no animosity toward him. Whatever grievances she’d once had over what she’d felt her brother should or should not have done had disappeared, vanquished by the happiness in her life.
