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Liam Rafferty had gained quite a reputation in Bray. He was not merely a talented engineer, but he was also a problem solver. The unique challenges of a town growing as quickly as it was, thanks to the arrival of the railroad, needed someone with a mind for puzzles and riddles.
Winnifred Fitzsimmons had gained the confidence of not only the village of Kinnelow, but also of many who lived in the surrounding area. Though many wondered how she had gained her knowledge of medicine, no one doubted she had the ability to heal and treat anyone and everyone who came to her.
Three-quarters of a year had passed since Liam had come to County Wicklow. Over the course of those many months, he and Winnie had spent a tremendous amount of time together. He would travel from Bray to Kinnelow on Saturday mornings. Mrs. Devon, a local village favorite, had made room for him in her home. The entire village was cheering on the courtship, hoping all would turn out for the best.
The more time they spent together, the more certain Liam and Winnie were that they were meant to be together; neither knew quite how, but they felt certain they would sort out a way.
And so it was, on a late winter afternoon, Liam arrived at Winnie’s home. He greeted her in the usual manner, with an embrace and a lingering kiss. She held fast to him, declaring she had missed him while he was away.
“As pleased as I always am to see you,” she said, “’tis difficult to greet you knowing how soon you’ll leave again.”
“Then this, Winnie, is bound to be your favorite visit of them all.”
She looked into his eyes from within his embrace. “What does that mean?”
“I had a very enlightening conversation with the man I work for in Bray,” Liam said. “And I have a very interesting proposition to run past you.”
Holding his hand, she led him to the settee where they always sat when catching each other up on the week. She sat beside him and leaned into his one-armed embrace.
“What is this proposition?”
“My employer is aware that I spend my Saturdays and Sundays here in Kinnelow, and he is most certainly aware of why. I told him at the beginning of this week that I can no longer bear to make this journey week after week. I told him it was time I remained here where my heart is.”
“And what did he have to say about that?”
Liam could hear the nervousness in Winnie’s voice and had no desire to make her suffer by drawing out the explanation.
“I asked him if it was possible for me to switch around the way I am doing this. I told him I wished to live here. I suggested that I could make the journey to Bray once a month and stay there for a day or two, receiving information about our latest projects, turning in my drawings and designs. I told him it doesn’t seem necessary for me to be there every day when most of my work is done on my own after receiving the information I need. At first, he wasn’t certain. But the more we spoke on it—and we spoke on it over several days—the more he began to see the possibility.”
Winnie turned enough in his arms to look directly into his eyes. “What was decided?”
Liam took her hands in his and held them fast. “We believe it can be done, Winnie. If you and I can endure my making a trip back once each month, and on rare occasions an extra one here and there, then I believe I can, at last, stay here. With you.”
A smile spread slowly over her lips, and the tiniest sheen of tears shone in her eyes. “I have known since the second visit you paid me here that I wanted you to stay. It has been torture every Sunday saying goodbye. While I will miss you on your trips to Bray, I would far rather have you gone occasionally than here only occasionally.”
“I had so hoped that was what you would say.”
Liam slipped his hands from hers and took her face lightly in them. “My father told me he knew very soon after meeting my mother that there was more to their connection than mere coincidence. He followed her home, and they built a life. I have hoped these last months to follow in those footsteps.”
Winnie leaned forward and lightly kissed his cheek. “I hope I get to meet him someday.”
“I fully intend to invite him to the wedding.”
A bit of color touched her cheeks. The look she gave him was more mischief than embarrassment, though. “Don’t you think you had best ask the bride for her hand before inviting any guests?”
He slowly set his arms around her, tucking her close to him as they sat together. “I have been meaning to ask her, but it is customary to first ask permission of a woman’s closest male relative. I have searched high and low and cannot find her brother anywhere.”
Winnie laughed. “I am not resurrecting Fred, not even for you.”
“Then I shall skip with the formalities and strike straight at the heart of the matter.”
She rolled her eyes theatrically. “I wish you would.”
Liam pressed the quickest of kisses to her lips before forcing himself to lean back and do the thing properly. “Dr. Winnifred Fitzsimmons, I have discovered I cannot live my life without you. Every day I’m away from you is a misery. If you would agree to marry me, I promise to live the remainder of my life attempting to be worthy of you.”
“You needn’t worry on that score. I saw your goodness in Dublin.”
“Will you build this bridge with me, Winnie?”
She smiled broadly. “I would love nothing more.”
Liam’s father had told him that, in matters of people and matters of connections, the answers were not always obvious. Little could he have guessed when stepping into Provost House at Trinity that the answer to the puzzle he was presented with would be the unforeseen opportunity to marry the woman he loved. But that riddle had led him here.
To a new life.
And new opportunities.
And a deep and abiding love.
SARAH M. EDEN is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple historical romances, including Foreword Review’s 2013 “IndieFab Book of the Year” gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, and two-time Whitney Award Winner Longing for Home: Hope Springs. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She has thrice served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Storymakers Writers Conference and acted as the Writer in Residence at the Northwest Writers Retreat. Sarah is represented by Pam Victorio at D4EO Literary Agency.
Visit Sarah at www.sarahmeden.com