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‘You had to.’ She reached both her hands out to clasp his. ‘You gave your word and it was the honourable thing to do. You were right, tyranny needs to be overthrown.’
‘I should have overthrown it here first. I never imagined he’d go so far.’
‘You weren’t to know how mad he was and I should have been more careful.’
‘He didn’t hurt you?’
‘No, he never laid a finger on me until today.’ She looked at the spot where his father had fallen and shuddered. ‘It was awful. I’m just glad you came back when you did.’
‘So am I.’ He didn’t want to think about how close he’d just come to losing her. ‘If anything had happened to you...’
‘Then you would never have known how much I love you.’
‘You do?’ His heart leapt and then stalled. ‘You don’t have to say that.’
‘I know I don’t, but it’s true. I should have told you before you left, but I was angry. I felt like you’d made every decision in my life for me.’
‘I meant what I said before I left. From now on, we make all of our decisions together.’
‘Good.’ She put a hand on either side of his face and rested her forehead against his. ‘Because I want to start right now. I want to get away from here. Take me back home, Matthew, back to Lacelby.’
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Constance wandered along the beach, the sea breeze catching her vermilion-red gown so that it streamed out like a fluttering banner behind her. The day was bright, the tide was at its lowest ebb and the beach was deserted except for her. It felt good, cleansing somehow, as if the elements were blowing away all the anguish and anxiety of the past few weeks, if not the actual memory of them. She had a feeling that the ordeal itself would never leave her, but she finally felt as though the dark clouds that had sat over her and Matthew for so long were finally lifting. It was about time, too.
She heard running footsteps behind her, turning her head just in time to catch a glimpse of her husband’s face before he curled an arm around her waist.
‘Here you are.’ He grinned down at her. ‘It seems like every time I look for you, you’re out here.’
‘I told you I love the sea...’ she laughed ‘...but what are you doing back so soon? We didn’t expect you to re
turn from Lincoln for days.’
‘I didn’t expect to be back either, but things didn’t go quite as we expected.’ He pulled her closer so that they were walking hip-to-hip. ‘Should you be out here in the cold? You said you were still feeling unwell when I left.’
‘Oh, I’m feeling much better.’ She gave a small, secretive smile. Her sickness had passed, although she still hadn’t told Matthew about the baby. It hadn’t felt right so soon after his father’s death and he’d had enough to deal with. She wanted to put the past behind them before they moved on to the future. Although now he was back...
‘As long as you’re certain?’ His expression was searching. ‘You do look better than when I left.’
‘Because I am.’
‘Are you eating properly?’
‘Plenty! I only lost my appetite for a while. Now I’m eating enough for two.’
‘Good,’ he answered without understanding, reaching for one of her hands and peering at the nails. ‘No chewing?’
‘Not so much as a nibble, but enough about me. What about you? You must be tired after your journey.’
‘A little, but it’s good to stretch my legs again. After London and now Lincoln, I feel as though I’ve spent the last month in a saddle.’
‘But why are you back so soon? What did the sheriff say about what happened?’
‘He accepted our explanation.’
‘That it was an accident?’ Her jaw dropped in amazement. ‘Just like that?’
‘Not exactly. He had a lot of questions at first, only it turns out that he and Adelaide’s father are old friends. Once they spoke together in private, he was content to let the matter drop. I’ve no idea what was said, but whatever the reason, he let us go. It’s over.’
