Page 28 of Lord of the Lost

She opened her eyes, to discover that he was simply lying there, watching her.

“Good morning, my darling wife. Shall I send for some tea, and for our maid and valet, to assist us to dress?”

“Yes. But first, do kiss me. Remind me of what you promised me, last night.”

Devlin grinned, then bent his lips to hers. The kiss was far too short for her liking. When he pulled back, she went to protest, but he lifted a finger to her lips, silencing her.

“Mona, I have been thinking, as I lay here watching you sleep. There is something I’d like to do. It’s for the living, but also for the lost.”

He looked serious, so she simply smiled and, when he said nothing more, prompted him.

“And what would that be, Devlin?”

“It occurred to me that my mind has been filled with the lost, and their despair about what they no longer have, but that I have not considered those who lost them. What of the wives and children, the parents, whose men never came home? I cannot do anything directly for those who died, but I can do something for those they left behind, and do it in their honour. From what I have heard since I got back, the few times I have spoken to anyone from the surrounding area, there are many widows with children to support, many parents with no child left to care for them in their old age. Pensions from the army are limited, and often hard to receive, so people are starving. I do not want any more deaths to happen, as a result of the wars.”

“I see. That is a worthwhile wish. How do you hope to do something about it – for I perceive that you do want to do something?”

He smiled, and Mona felt her heart twist within her, for in that moment he looked like the boy he had once been.

“I want to start a charitable enterprise, which cares for those people left homeless, or impoverished, or otherwise disadvantaged by the loss of a loved one who went to war. I have money – an alarmingly large amount of it, really, and the Castle is huge. To start with, we can employ more people, and open up parts of the building which have long been closed off. I will employ a man of business to organise things, and help us identify and find the people who need help. If we can provide tenants cottages with land to farm or garden for some, or arrange for others to be employed in, or start, various enterprises locally, then perhaps we can also increase the wellbeing of the whole district. In truth, it is a big idea, for which I have little detail in my mind yet. Do you… do you think it something which can practically be done?”

This… this was the man she had loved all her life, this was the warm, caring man who had always been willing to help. She had been sure that he was still there, trapped inside that icy shell, and now, her faith had been rewarded!

“I am certain that it can be done. And it is an absolutely wonderful idea! Let us tell your mother and sister about it, today, and start to arrange things.”