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Daphne smiled, transforming her whole face. “You are finally home,” she said.
“I am.”
His wife rose and approached him, her hand on her protruding belly. “You smell like you went swimming in rubbish,” she said, scrunching her nose.
Leaning closer, he responded in a hushed tone, “I was chasing a suspect through the rookeries.”
“Again?”
He shrugged. “Some people are not very clever.”
“Apparently not,” she replied.
Guy turned his attention towards his mother. “How are you faring this evening?”
“I am well,” his mother replied. “You just missed Esther and her husband.”
“How are they?” he asked.
“They are well,” his mother informed him. “Daphne and I will be joining her at the circulating library tomorrow.”
“How wonderful,” he remarked.
His mother gave him a knowing look. “You’d best hurry if you want to tuck Frances into bed.”
A smile came to his face. “That is why I hurried home this evening.”
“I’ll join you,” Daphne said, reaching for his hand.
After they departed the drawing room, they started walking up the stairs. “I am officially retired,” Guy announced.
“You are?”
He nodded. “Does that please you?”
“Nothing makes me happier than being with you,” she replied, “but I can’t help but wonder if you will miss being a spy.”
“Perhaps, but my seat at the House of Commons occupies so much of my time now.”
“Well, Lord Hawthorne has been retired as an agent for over five years, but he still occasionally works a case.”
“You make an excellent point.”
His words had just left his mouth when he heard his four-year-old daughter shout, “Father!” He crouched down, and she ran into his waiting arms. “You are home!”
“I am,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“Will you tuck me into bed?” she asked.
He smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”
Rising, he picked her up in his arms and reached for his wife’s hand. As they started walking towards the nursery, Guy glanced over at his wife and asked, “Have I properly thanked you for marrying me and moving to London so I could continue as a spy while working in the House of Commons?”
“You have.”
“Because all that I have become is because of you, my love.”
Daphne smiled over at him. “You are giving me far too much credit,” she said. “Besides, I would follow you anywhere; you must know that.”
Guy stopped in the hallway and turned to face his wife, hoping his words conveyed his sincerity. “I had nothing to my name when I met you, and you took a chance on me. You had faith in me when no one else did.”
“It was the best decision that I have ever made.”
He leaned closer to her. “I love you more with each passing day,” he said, his lips hovering over hers. “You have given me everything.”
“I feel the same way,” Daphne murmured before sealing their words with a kiss.
The End
