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In due time. I will wait until the time is right.
He needed to see her. She was the only one who had the power to make his world feel right again, when he knew it was so close to being out of his control. With his mother pushing on one side, and the mountain of confusing paperwork his father had left behind on the other, Hannah was his solace. His piece of mind. And he loved her too much to allow the darkness to swallow him.
* * *
“All right, now see if you can stand on your own.”
Belle looked up at Robert, who was standing by the door of her room with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed in concentration. Lily and Julia were by her sides, keeping her steady. At their father’s words, they slowly released her arms.
Belle tilted to one side and Julia shot her arms out, nearly grabbing her before she toppled over. But Belle caught her balance and righted herself in time, lifting her arms. She rested all her weight on both her feet, blinking when she realized the pain she had expected would not come.
“How does it feel?” Robert asked her, coming closer. He lowered to her feet, pressing gently on her ankle.
“So much better,” Belle breathed. Tears nearly sprang to her eyes at the realization, but she blinked them away. “It hardly hurts as much as it used to.”
“Let’s see how well you can walk,” he said. Once he was done with his examination, he stepped back, giving her the space to take a few steps.
Belle focused her attention on the ground. She took one tentative step forward, a smile spreading across her face when she realized that it was much easier than it had been the last times. She could stand much straighter and her limp was nearly entirely gone.
“I’m doing it!” she exclaimed happily. Lily and Julia gave her broad, happy grins.
“It looks as if you do not need us anymore,” Lily commented. “Do you think you can handle the stairs?”
“Well, let us see, shall we?” On slightly unsteady legs, Belle made her way to the door. They all watched her and though she took much longer a healthier person would, she still couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. She held on to the doorknob to give herself a moment’s rest before she continued out and down the hallway, Robert, Lily and Julia trailing behind her.
When she made it to the staircase, her breath caught in her throat. Stephen was standing at its base, Anne standing behind him with her hands clasped together, a happy smile on her face.
He said nothing to her, did nothing but smile. Belle returned it with full force. Feeling stronger all of a sudden, she took her first step downwards. She held back her grimace when a slice of pain shot through her ankle, continuing to keep her eyes locked with Stephen’s.
The fact that he was here, watching her take her first steps down the stairs on her own...it filled her with strength. Her second step was easier. Her third almost flawless. Though she clung to the railing, she began to move a little faster, desperate now to be in his arm. It mattered not that there were others around her. All she wanted to do was to throw herself into his arms and kiss him senseless.
“Stephen,” she breathed when she was nearing the base, “it’s so early.”
He took a step closer to her. “And what better way to spend my morning?”
She blushed, huffing a low laugh. Earlier this morning, she’d let fear creep in, afraid that she would never be able to have a future with this commoner she’d fallen in love with. But now that he was here, it was easier to forget about, easier to pretend everything was fine.
Easier to forget about her father and the fact that he was likely scouring the entirety of London in search of her.
Belle finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, and she took him by the hand, not caring who was watching. “Did you see how steady that was?” she asked him excitedly. “I’ll be walking normally within a matter of days if I keep practicing.”
Something flickered in his eyes at her words, something that made her worried. He squeezed her hand. “I’d like to speak with you.”
“Is something wrong?”
He shook his head. His eyes darted to the side and Belle instantly knew that, if something truly was wrong, he wasn’t very comfortable saying it aloud like this. “How about we go to the living room?”
“No,” she said, stopping him. “I’d like to go out on the porch, if that’s all right with you. It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed fresh air.”
Stephen nodded, a small smile on his face. “The porch, then. Do you need some help?” he asked, holding out his arms.
Belle laughed, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. “I think I can manage it on my own just fine, thank you.”
With that said, she set course for the front door. She held on to Stephen’s hand and he walked slowly beside her. She liked the fact that he didn’t try to help her as she walked, but he kept his eyes on her nonetheless, as if he would be ready to catch her if she fell.
Or perhaps he is thinking of something else. Belle’s body went hot. She couldn’t get the memory of his heated kisses out of her head. She’d never felt anything like it before and even as she laid awake last night, she could feel his phantom hands fondling her breasts. She’d squirmed restlessly for most of the night before falling asleep and now that he was here again, Belle was already eager for more.
A cool breeze wafted through the front door the moment she opened it and Belle smiled widely. She limped her way outside, enjoying the way the warm rays of the sun felt on her skin. With Stephen by her side, she went over to the bench on the porch and sat.
