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Gillingham, England
“I promisedthat I would come back to visit.”
Mrs. Evans, squealed with delight and ignored the curious glances of the few patrons lingering at the inn as she came around the bar to embrace Olivia. “Mrs. Stone! I daresay you could have knocked me over with a feather when you spoke. I didn’t expect you back so soon!” She pulled back to look her over and nodded with approval. “You are looking marvelous, as I knew you would! There is a certain… glow about you.”
Olivia glanced at Miles who was standing beside her, and then returned her gaze to Mrs. Evans. “That could be because we are expanding our family.”
The lady laughed heartily. “This is wonderful news, indeed! Allow me to offer my congratulations to you both.”
“There is something else I should tell you…” Olivia hesitated, but then explained the story of their journey through the snow on Christmas Eve, ending with her marriage to Miles and their true identity.
“Oh, dear.” Mrs. Evans looked like she might faint. “I’ve never met a realdukebefore. The nobility generally doesn’t visit here.”
“That will change once word spreads in London,” Miles offered her a wink. “I have made sure of that.”
Mrs. Evans’s hands fluttered in front of her, as if she didn’t actually know what to do with them. “How kind of you to remember me, Mr.… er…Your Grace!” She quickly covered up her blunder with a deep curtsy.
He set a hand on her shoulder. “There is no need for that, Mrs. Evans. In truth, we are both grateful that you aren’t upset that we deceived you.”
“There’s no harm done.” She waved a hand. “You didn’t offer any malicious intent and it’s not as if things haven’t worked out all right in the end.”
“You are exactly right on that point,” Miles said as he put an arm around Olivia and gave her an intimate squeeze. He stepped back and added, “I’m sure you ladies would like to catch up, so I’ll take my leave of you for a time. There is an errand I need to run.”
Olivia glanced at him curiously but didn’t say anything as Mrs. Evans eagerly began chatting once more and they were quickly engaged in conversation yet again.
Miles slipped outside, and although the recent rains had made the roads a bit difficult to travel in, it was nothing compared to the wealth of snow just a few short months ago.
He paused and glanced back at the inn and had to smile to himself. It would always be special to him because this was where he had rediscovered his heart. After he allowed a moment of reflection, he continued on toward the main thoroughfare of the village. The area was very busy at this time of the afternoon and shopkeepers were eagerly assisting their customers.
He took his time meandering through the village and even acknowledged a few faces that he recognized. But although there were several shops in which he might have stopped to browse, he had a single destination in mind.
However, when he arrived at the old jeweler’s shop, he frowned, because the glass was covered with grime and it looked as if it had been abandoned for quite some time. Puzzled, he stopped a young man walking by with a worn cap on his dark hair. “Pardon me, but do you know what happened to the elderly man who ran this store? I was hoping to speak with him.”
The villager looked equally befuddled as he said, “Ol’ Fred died several months ago.” He glanced at the shop with a longing expression in his gaze. “We all mourned ’is loss, but such is life, I s’pose. It’s just sad ’e didn’t ’ave anyone to take over for ’im when he passed.”
He started to continue on his way, but Miles couldn’t let it stand there. “But that’s impossible,” he said firmly, to convince himself if nothing else. “Ispoketo him on Christmas Eve. I even purchased a pendant here for my wife.”
The lad shrugged. “I don’t know who ye think ye saw, but it wasn’t ’im. There ’asn’t been anyone ’ere since last spring.”
This time when he walked off, Miles didn’t try to detain him. Even so, his mind was reeling with what he’d just been told. Either he was crazy or…
Nope. He wasn’t even going to go there.
Instead, he tipped his hat to the storefront and murmured a brief thank you to the phantom jeweler, before he headed back toward the inn, because it occurred to him that it didn’t matter if the owner was real or imagined, he had offered Miles a precious gift and for that, he would always be grateful.
