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‘Thank goodness.’ She let out a heartfelt sigh of relief and then looked up at him anxiously. ‘What about you? Is it over for you?’
‘Not yet.’ His forehead constricted. ‘It’s not easy coming to terms with your own father trying to kill you.’
‘We don’t know that he would have. He might have come back to his senses at the last moment.’
‘Perhaps. Perhaps not. We’ll never know.’
‘I’m sorry. No matter what else, he was still your father.’
‘Only in name. I wish it had been more, but I think whatever was broken in him broke a long time ago. Maybe we never stood a chance, Alan and I. Or Blanche for that matter.’ Matthew sighed. ‘But I still have you. You’re all I care about now.’
She tipped her head sideways against his shoulder. ‘You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you about that day. Why were you dressed so strangely?’
‘Oh, that.’ He looked faintly embarrassed. ‘That’s a long story. Let’s just say an old acquaintance of ours loaned it to me. On a not-unrelated note, you should know that I’ve agreed to hire a travelling troupe this summer. And every summer for the next ten years.’
‘Oh.’ She blinked in surprise. ‘Are they good?’
‘Not too bad, as I recall, but I owe them a lot more than money. Wait!’ He stopped walking abruptly and pointed towards a grey head bobbing up and down in the water. ‘Is that what I think it is?’
‘Yes.’ She followed the direction of his hand and smiled. ‘How funny. Most of the seals have already left.’
‘This one must have got attached to the place. I can’t say I blame him.’ He looked down at her fondly. ‘How’s Adelaide getting along here?’
‘It’s hard to tell, but I think the change of scenery has done her some good.’
‘Her father travelled back with us. He and Alan have gone straight to see her, of course.’
‘Do you think her father wants to take her home with him?’
‘That’s what Alan’s afraid of.’
‘Oh, dear, but it might be the best thing. I know how much your brother cares for her, but it’ll probably be a long time before she gets over what’s happened.’
‘I know, but it won’t be easy on him after everything else.’
‘But if he loves her...’
‘Then he’ll let her go.’ Matthew nodded. ‘Yes, he will.’
‘And we’ll take care of him.’ She wrapped her arms around Matthew’s waist, looking back towards Lacelby in the distance. ‘Whatever Adelaide decides, I doubt she’ll ever want to see Wintercott again. It can only hold bad memories for her now. For all of us.’
‘Not all bad memories for us, I hope.’ He looked down at her, his dark eyes glowing with intensity. ‘It’s also the place where I fell in love with my wife.’
‘And I with my husband.’ She stood up on tiptoe, kissing him tenderly on the mouth.
‘About Wintercott...’ He pulled his head back after a few moments. ‘There’s something I need to ask you.’ His brow creased in its old, familiar frown. ‘It’s still my family home and my responsibility now, too. People’s livelihoods depend on me. I can’t just abandon them.’
‘Of course not.’
‘Which is why I have to go back. Sometimes, at least. But it’s up to you where we live. Lacelby is close enough that we can make this our main home, if you want. I can ride between here and Wintercott.’
‘You’d do that for me?’
‘Yes. Like you said, I’ve been making all the decisions for the past five years. It’s only fair that you get a turn.’
‘No!’ She shook her head, smiling. ‘That’s not how this works. It’s a decision for both of us, but since you asked I think it would be hard to manage an estate that size from here.’
‘But not impossible. This is the home you dreamt of for five years. I don’t want to take it away from you.’
