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Lord Stanton cackled. He then clapped his hands together and said, “I never imagined Charlotte would marry. I thought she was entirely too intelligent, too difficult. Yet here you are. You’re well-spoken, secretive. You’ve been through something together, something I’ll never truly comprehend. Perhaps this was the perfect recipe for Charlotte’s engagement.”
“If you’d like to believe all of this was the betterment of Charlotte’s future …”
“Ah. Well. Yes. A tragedy, really, about it all.” Lord Stanton said, furrowing his brow.
A silent moment passed between them. Jeffrey cursed himself inwardly for having pointed out the simple fact that everything had become quite dark.
But Lord Stanton snapped out of it all too soon.
“She’s in the garden,” he said. “As she’s been almost consistently over the previous weeks. Every time I’ve spotted her, she’s been splayed out on the grass, gazing up at the clouds, impossible to read. Perhaps you can crack that mind of hers. I’ve struggled and failed for twenty-three years.”
Jeffrey thanked Lord Stanton and shook his hand once more.
“I suppose if all goes well, I’ll be seeing a great deal more of you,” Lord Stanton said, his voice bubbling. “Although if it doesn’t …”
“This is goodbye, then,” Jeffrey said with a wry laugh.
Jeffrey walked slowly towards the back garden. When he reached the first step that led down to the cobblestone path below, he stopped and lifted his face towards the splendour of the mid-summer afternoon sun. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply.
At that moment, a familiar laugh rang out through the air.
His eyes snapped open to find Charlotte on the cobblestone path before him. She must have just slipped out of a garden. Their eyes connected. Jeffrey was unable to speak. She looked far more beautiful than even his memory had allowed. Her dark blonde curls coiled across her shoulders; her pink gown dipped low over her breasts.
She looked glossy and sun-tinged, surely after so many hours in the garden. She gripped her skirts and walked slowly towards him. She lifted her chin and whispered, “Is that really you? Or have I fallen under a spell?”
Jeffrey laughed inwardly. “I should ask you the same question.”
“What are you doing here?”
Jeffrey took several steps towards her. He dropped to his knee and reached up, collecting her hands in his. Her hands were impossibly soft, tender, delicate. Everything within him yearned to remain by her side, protect her.
“I love you, Charlotte. I’ve thought of you every moment since I last saw you. I don’t want to spend another moment without you by my side,” he said.
Charlotte pressed her lips together. Tears brewed in her eyes, then flickered down her cheeks.
“I love you, too,” she finally mustered.
“Will you marry me?” he breathed.
Charlotte’s eyelids closed for a long moment. When she opened them, her face burst into a glorious smile. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll marry you. Of course, I’ll marry you.”
Jeffrey rose back to his feet, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her with all the passion he had. His hand swept over her cheek; his other stretched out across her lower back. He held her softly, yet powerfully, and felt her body give into his—in all its suppleness, its sensuality. Her breasts pressed softly against his lower chest, and her tongue tapped at his tenderly before falling deeper into his mouth.
When their kiss broke, they blinked at one another, both lost in thought. Jeffrey pressed his thumb against her nose and said, “I suppose that’s it, then.”
“What?” she asked.
“I suppose that’s the rest of our lives sorted.”
Charlotte burst into laughter. “You have such a way with words, Jeffrey. I can’t envision a better way to fill the rest of my days.”
Her sarcasm held no strength against her remarkable smile. They kissed again, both swimming in their own lust and excitement. Jeffrey had never anticipated the end of summer quite so much. He’d never looked forward to “the rest of his days” with such ease.
In everything, he would trust in her.
**
Margorie’s wedding was a remarkable event. Everyone commented how pleased they were for the beautiful girl, a woman who’d always deserved a second chance. Margorie and Harry couldn’t keep their eyes off of one another and hardly paid attention to the other guests, something that made Louisa and Charlotte giggle madly.
