Thank you for loving me, darling Genevieve, and for allowing me to love you. You brought me nothing but joy. I hope you can forgive me. Please know that I wish you every happiness life can bring.
Yours,
Richard
GENEVIEVE stared down at words through eyes blurred with tears. He’d loved her. He’d always loved her. And he’d only wanted to keep her safe. A sense of relief-that she hadn’t misjudged him, hadn’t been the fool she’d believed herself to be for the past year-suffused her, mixing with grief for Richard’s death, and sadness that he was irrevocably gone from her life, a brew of emotions that overwhelmed her. Setting the letter aside, she buried her face in her hands and cried. She wasn’t certain how long she sat there, but when her tears finally ran out, the tightness and bitterness that had squeezed her heart for the past year was gone, replaced with a sense of peace and gratitude for having known and loved Richard. She’d let him go a year ago and although she’d been hurt, she’d moved on with her life-started again.
Fallen in love again.
With yet another man she couldn’t have.
She could only pray her heart would heal a second time. But given the continued depth of her misery over the loss of Simon, she didn’t think her prayers would be answered.
The next two weeks didn’t pass any quicker than the first two, nor were they any easier. Yet as the frequency of Baxter’s pitying looks lessened, she assumed she became a better actress.
Exactly one month and two days after Simon had left, she decided she’d mourned long enough. The day dawned sunny and crisp, and she resolved this was the day she was going to smile again. Laugh again. And mean it. She’d start off with a long soak in the springs to loosen her sore joints, then spend some time writing. But first she’d reread all her pearls of wisdom to Today’s Modern Woman. Hadn’t she written that Today’s Modern Woman didn’t mope after a man? Yes, she had. And it was about time she took her own advice.
After a delicious breakfast of eggs, ham and Baxter’s blueberry scones slathered with butter and jam, she bade her giant friend a cheery goodbye and headed toward the foyer.
“’Tis good to see ye smile, Gen,” Baxter said. His own grin was tinged with such obvious relief she felt ashamed and annoyed at herself for not better hiding her misery from him.
“It feels good to do so. I’ll be out for at least an hour. Why don’t you walk to the village?” She adopted an innocent air as she donned her pelisse. “Isn’t today the day Miss Winslow normally visits the butcher shop?”
A red flush crept all the way to the top of Baxter’s bald head and he scowled. “Don’t know. But seems we could use a bit o’ bacon around here.”
“Excellent idea.” Satisfied that she’d done what she could to toss her friend in the path of the woman she hoped he’d soon realize he loved, she headed for the springs at a brisk pace. “Today I will be happy. Today I will be happy,” she murmured. If she said it enough times, surely it would become fact. Indeed, she was smiling when she rounded the curve that brought her to the springs-a smile that froze along with her footsteps when she saw that her sanctuary was occupied.
Simon stood next to the bubbling water. Her stupefied gaze took in his dark-blue great coat, unfastened to reveal a jacket of the same color, a snowy white shirt and cravat, and buff breeches. His black boots gleamed, although the toe of the left one bore several unmistakable rows of teeth marks. In one hand he held Beauty’s lead-no easy task as the dog had turned into a tail-wagging, tongue-lolling, barking bundle of canine energy that strained for freedom the instant she saw Genevieve. In Simon’s other hand he held an enormous bouquet of pale-pink roses.
Their gazes met and every emotion, every feeling she’d struggled to bury for the past month ripped from its shallow grave to inundate her: the longing, the desire, the love. Before she could think of something to say, something that didn’t include the phrases I love you, I miss you, I’m miserable without you, he let go of Beauty’s lead.
The puppy raced toward her, and with a laugh Genevieve crouched down. Beauty greeted her with a plethora of wriggling doggie adoration. Genevieve ruffled her furry ears, scratched her scruff, then obediently rubbed Beauty’s belly when the dog flopped on her back.
“She missed you.”
Genevieve looked up. Simon stood less than six feet away, staring down at her with an indecipherable expression. After giving the dog another fond pat, she rose, refusing to acknowledge the unsteadiness in her knees. “I missed her, too. I cannot believe how much she’s grown.”
“Believe it. She eats me out of house and home. And unfortunately boots.” He looked down at Beauty and said, “Heel.” The dog immediately trotted to his side. “Sit.” Beauty’s rump instantly hit the ground. “Stay.” He returned his attention to Genevieve. “Stay presents the biggest challenge, but she’s getting better.”
“I’m impressed. You’ve made a great deal of progress.”
“Yes, although I think she only obeys me in those regards because she’s so very bad when it comes to the boots.” His gaze seemed to devour Genevieve, and it required all her fortitude to keep her expression bland. Even then, she wasn’t certain she succeeded.
He cleared his throat and held out the flowers. “For you. I hope they’re still your favorite.”
She accepted the bouquet, ignoring the tingle that raced up her arms when her gloved fingers brushed his. “Yes, they are.” She sank her face in the gorgeous blooms and took her time breathing in their heady fragrance in order to compose herself. “They’re lovely. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. They reminded me of you.”
A long moment of silence swelled, one she waited for him to break. When it appeared he wasn’t going to, she finally asked, “What are you doing here, Simon?”
“I wanted to speak with you and thought it best to do so here. I suspected that if I called at the cottage, my innards would be in Baxter’s bare hands before I had the opportunity to open my mouth.”
He was most likely correct. “What did you wish to speak to me about?”
“I thought you’d want to know that when the note Ridgemoor hid in the box was decoded, it named Waverly as the man who’d tried to kill him. It also provided irrefutable proof that Waverly was guilty of theft and treason.”
“Was anyone else involved?”
“No. Waverly acted alone. Ridgemoor did England a great service by documenting Waverly’s treachery in that letter. You should know that the earl died a hero.”
Genevieve nodded slowly, then said, “Thank you for telling me, although it wasn’t necessary for you to come all this way. You could have simply sent a note.”
“No, as there’s something I wish to give you. Return to you, actually, as it is yours.” He reached in his pocket and withdrew a folded square of paper which he held out to her.
“What is that?” she asked, mystified, taking the proffered square.
“Unfold it.”
She did so and stared at her own cramped handwriting. The smear of ink on the bottom. Her eyes passed over the words Today’s Modern Woman, and a flush engulfed her entire body. She hadn’t once considered that he would have found her writings in her desk, most likely because she hadn’t had the heart to set pen to paper since he’d left.
“That piece of paper saved my life.”
She pulled her gaze from the words to look at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“I found that in the wastebasket by your desk that last night I searched your cottage. I couldn’t bring myself to let it be thrown away, so I folded it up and slipped it in my pocket. When Waverly demanded to know where the letter was, I claimed I had it and produced that. Dropping it on the floor between us offered me the split second of distraction I needed to dispatch him.”