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“Lord Hanbrooke—”
“Crispin,” he said. “Please, call me by my name. I wish to hear it on your lips.”
“Crispin,” Mary said, smiling. “And you must simply call me Mary.”
“Mary,” he echoed.
Once more, they were quiet and still, just enjoying the ability to be together after all that had taken place.
He reached through the empty window and took her hand. Mary felt something run through her at his touch. It was amazing to feel this again, to be close to him again. She was sure that nothing in all the world could be so wonderful as this. She didn’t want it to end.
“I wish we could remain here forever,” Crispin said.
“As do I,” Mary said, before going sad once more. “As it is, if they were to catch us, things would be far worse. I know that we cannot stay long together, but I am grateful that you have come and if we are able to find this chance again, I shall do everything within my power to make it happen.”
“Certainly, Mary. We will be together again. I promise you. And with the help of Miss Lambton, Miss Anne, and my sister, we will be together outside of these walls. You will see. There is still hope, even on the days when it feels that hope is lost,” he said.
“And when we are together, I trust that you will remember your promise from before. That you will never again doubt me or think that I would lie to you,” she teased him.
“Never,” he vowed.
Crispin’s thumb stroked back and forth on Mary’s wrist, tenderly reminding her that he was there and she was not alone. It was the greatest moment she could have hoped for, given their circumstance.
But time was passing quickly. Although they said very little, they sat there together and just enjoyed the moment, existing in the same space for the first time in so long. Mary didn’t want to leave him. She would have given anything to stay, anything to be by his side.
Alas, however, Crispin finally exhaled and glanced at the sky above. “I wish that I did not have to part from you, but we both know what would happen if we were caught.”
“On the contrary; I think we could not begin to estimate the consequences,” she replied.
“I expect that you must return now,” he said.
“Yes, but I shall send word through Sarah as soon as I am able to see you again. We cannot do this too often. But, perhaps, we might try next week?” she asked.
“Next week…” he said, trailing off. “My hope is that we will not have to.”
Mary felt the same, but she was not going to allow herself to have too much hope. For now, she was content to just be glad for this time together.
“Good night, Mary. May your dreams be full of hope, and may that hope soon come to pass,” he said.
“Good night, Crispin. Be safe on your journey home and remember that I am here, diligently waiting for you,” she replied with a grin.
Crispin gave her hand a squeeze and he hesitated before finally letting go. He slipped away from the window and into the night.
Mary watched him until she could see him no longer. She slid the pane of glass back into place and ensured that everything was secure and there were no smudged from her hands upon the thick panel.
But once everything was back to normal, she knew she had to get back to her room quickly and quietly, before Miss Lilly came to lock the door.
Mary pressed her ear to the door of the library and heard nothing in the hall. She opened the door and slipped out, quickly making her way back towards the staircase.
Her heart raced with panic, hoping that she could get back to her room as easily as she had gotten out of it. If she was found out, the joy of that moment would be for nothing.
But she was soon nearing her own door and she managed to open it without incident, tiptoeing into her room and shutting the door silently behind herself. She finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she had made it and no one was the wiser.
Within ten minutes, she heard the footsteps outside her door and the click of the key in the lock. Once Miss Lilly was gone, Mary knew that she had managed to have her moment with Crispin and no one would punish her for it. She’d been able to see the man who meant everything to her.
She had been close to him. He’d held her hand and she was able to feel the smoothness of his skin and the tender way he cared for her.
Whatever part of her had begun to lose hope, she found it once more. She knew, deep within her heart, that Crispin loved her as much as she loved him. Soon enough, they would find a way to be together.
