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“I didn’t think one had a choice in whom they fell in love with.”
Julie pursed her lips.
“I love Gabriel, and I thought I’d rather spend my life as his wife than anybody else’s.”
“I love Gabe too,” came Mary’s confident voice, and Evie smiled.
“Thank you, darling. I knew you would support me, at least.”
Mary stood, walked toward Evie, and gave her a hug. Evie closed her eyes and hugged her back. Mary was a ray of sunshine. It was comforting to have her support right now when her other closest friends seemed to be against her.
“You are right, Eves,” Isabel said. “I think everyone in this room has made a foolish decision in the name of love once or twice. I do not know if you made the right choice or not, but arguing about it won’t solve anything.”
“Of course,” Sam finally said slowly. She stood and came toward them. “I apologize. I was just shocked. But you are entirely correct. We don’t choose who we fall in love with. And Isabel is right too. If you think you’ll be happy with St. Clare, then I shall support you wholeheartedly.”
Julie nodded. “Of course, we shall support you. And if you’re not happy, then our husbands will beat the stuffing out of him.”
Evie snorted a laugh, and all five of them fell into heaps of laughter as they hugged.
When they exited the room, however, Sam took Evie by her arm and slowed her pace.
“Evie, I know you are doing your best with this marriage, but may I remind you of something?”
Evie took a deep breath and nodded.
“Your grandfather’s insistence that you marry for love wasn’t so you would suffer silently by yourself; it was so you were happy. And… you promised me to do everything in your power to be happy too.”
“When did I promise you that?” Evie frowned.
“Remember, before I got married? I came to see you, and you asked that same thing of me: to do everything in my power to be happy. And I said I would, only if you did the same.”
Evie took a deep breath. She remembered the conversation clearly. They had both been in difficult situations back then. Samantha was marrying out of convenience, and the Montbrooks were asserting their dominance in choosing a suitor for Evie. They even moved her out of her London townhouse, so she could be easily swayed to marry the suitor of their choosing.
At that moment, Evie had vowed to herself that she wouldn’t settle for anything less than love. She’d asked Sam to fight for her happiness and promised her to do the same. And Sam was right; being married to someone she loved but living separately was not what her grandfather wanted for her.
“It wasn’t easy for me either in the beginning,” her friend continued. “I had to fight hard to get to the level of happiness that is now present in my life with John. He didn’t make it easy for me either.” Sam smiled, and Evie laughed.
No, her husband wouldn’t make it easy for her either. But she could at least try. She’d resigned herself to a life of solitude and sorrow the moment she showed up on Gabriel’s doorstep. But it didn’t have to be this way, did it?
