AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“His wife even more so. There would not be many women courageous enough to take on a man who cannot see.”
Her head tilted, and she glanced out the window. “I think you do women an injustice there, sir. If the right woman meets the right man, who is to say they cannot make things work, especially if they love each other and are both determined to succeed?”
He bowed his head. “Forgive me. I did not mean to cast aspersions on your sex.”
“And I did not mean to seem quick to take offense. Only that I think the ways of such relationships are most wonderful and almost mysterious. It’s definitely miraculous how God can bring two people together and blend them into a healthy, happy union.”
“Miraculous?”
“Oh, yes. Would you not agree it is rare for two such differing personalities to encounter one another, then to have the time to grow and develop sympathetic understandings with each other, even to the point where they can be considered one?”
“It is not something I have seen often, that is true.”
“And yet your friends seem to have achieved it, which is most marvelous.” Her gaze found his again.
He drank in the sight of her, fresh and vibrant and pretty.
Then she blinked, blushed, and murmured how she really ought to see to the dinner.
What had suddenly occurred to her?
As the faint scent of violets trailed after her departure, another thought teased.
Would a miracle be possible for him one day too?
Chapter 12
Theo hesitated on the upper landing, as the memory of the last conversation with Captain Balfour rippled to awareness. She winced, remembering her all-too-eager sounding words about relationships—to an unattached young man, no less. Mama would’ve gasped. Lady Bellingham would have had an attack of the vapors and many asides:How could she be so careless with her words? Did Theo mean to be setting her cap at him?
Another shudder crossed her soul. Just because the man possessed a voice and smile and scent that plucked at her heartstrings didn’t mean she couldn’t also temper these feelings into mere friendliness. She’d done it before and eventually learned contentment. She could do it again. She would simply need to capture every squirrelly thought and bend it to her will—that is, to God’s will—and count her blessings.
She tapped on the door, relief filling her as he called to enter. “Excuse me, sir, but I wondered if you might prefer something to read.”
“More poetry?” Apprehension shaded his eyes.
She tucked that book at the bottom of the stack and drew out the next. “Actually, I wondered if you were partial to Shakespeare.”
He blinked.
“I thought you being a military man might enjoy readingHenry IV, especially seeing as it is set nearby.”
He folded the newssheet. “Really?”
She nodded. “It is one of Grandfather’s favorite plays, that andHenry V. I think it’s all the references to war that he appreciates, or that he thinks he would devise military stratagem more effectively.” She held out the book. “I have marked the play. This volume contains the histories, you see.”
He grasped the hardcover and flicked it open, ruffling pages until he found where she had placed the bookmark.
“I hope you enjoy.” She offered a smile and moved to the door.
“Wait.”
She arched a brow.
“How do you know this play is set nearby?”
Surely a moment longer would not hurt. She accepted his unspoken invitation and sat in the wooden chair next to his bed. “You permit me?”
“Of course.”
