“It has,” Dominic replied.
“And what changed your mind?”
A slow smile formed on Dominic’s lips. “I realized I couldn’t live without Dorothea. It was that simple—and that impossible.”
Wilton let out a bark of laughter. “Alcott would call you a sentimental fool. He’s firmly convinced that love is a weakness.”
Dominic shrugged. “Then he’s never truly been in love. And frankly, I care very little for Alcott’s views on anything involving the heart.”
The mirth faded from Wilton’s face, replaced by something more somber. “The reason I’ve come, aside from witnessing your transformation into a lovesick poet, is to inform you that I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Dominic straightened. “Leaving?”
Wilton nodded. “I intend to track down the man who married my sister—Mr. Smith, if that is even his real name.”
Dominic’s brow furrowed. “And how exactly do you plan to find him?”
Wilton sighed and ran a weary hand down his face. “That’s the rub. My sister claims he hails from a small village—she gave me the name—but I’ve my doubts. Now that her dowry has been released, he could be anywhere in England, enjoying the spoils of his deceit.”
Dominic didn’t hesitate. “Do you want me to accompany you?”
Wilton shook his head. “No. You’ve been through enough, and your place is here—with your wife. This is something I must do myself.”
“How is your sister managing?”
“Olivia is heartbroken. She thought she’d found her future, only to be abandoned like a fool. And truth be told, she is partially to blame. She eloped to Gretna Green with a man she scarcely knew, swept away by romantic nonsense.”
Dominic’s lips quirked. “Sometimes the heart is a reckless creature.”
Wilton gave him a long look, one brow lifting. “Who are you, and what have you done with my pragmatic friend?”
“I’m still here. Just… changed. I’m still adjusting to the whole being-in-love thing.”
Wilton stood, brushing an invisible wrinkle from his coat. “Well, wish me luck. I’ve a feeling I’ll need it.”
Dominic rose as well. “If I may offer one piece of advice—trust no one. Verify everything, especially the things you think you know to be true.”
“That’s the plan. I don’t know if I’ll succeed, but I have to try for her sake.”
“Yes… that I understand all too well.”
Wilton’s eyes held compassion. “I know you do.” He turned and made his way towards the door, his steps slow, as if weighed down by the burden of what lay ahead. Just before reaching it, he paused with his hand resting on the knob. Without looking back, he said, “I’m glad you found love, Dominic. Truly. You, of all people, deserve it.”
“As do you, Wilton.”
His friend gave a dry, humorless huff. “No. That’s not meant for me. I know my duty.”
“It only takes one person, Wilton. One unexpected soul to walk into your life and change everything.”
Wilton looked over his shoulder then, his face shadowed with wistfulness and something like longing. But he didn’t respond. Instead, he gave a faint nod and stepped out into the corridor.
Tristan’s face suddenly appeared in the open window, his cheeks flushed with excitement and the inflated pig’s bladder clutched proudly in both hands. “Do you want to kick the bladder with me?” he asked, bouncing slightly on his toes.
Dominic found himself smiling. He couldn't bring himself to dampen the boy’s enthusiasm. “I’ll meet you in the gardens.”
Dorothea stood at the window, her hands lightly resting on the sill as her gaze swept over the gardens below. The sunlight bathed the lawn in a warm glow, and there—beneath the swaying branches of the old oak—Dominic and Tristan were gleefully kicking the inflated pig bladder back and forth. Laughter rang through the air, bright and unrestrained.
How could she not love this man? Watching Dominic with the boy, the gentle patience he showed, the ready laughter heso rarely allowed himself, confirmed what she already believed in the quiet recesses of her heart: he would make a wonderful father.
