Chapter Thirty-Two

 

Annabel inhaled the sweet fragrance of the rose as she held it to her nose. Twisting the stem in her fingers, she walked over to a bench and sat. Since her return, she had few respites from thoughts of Edward. How she wished to see him again! She had so much more that she wished to tell him, to share with him the strange feelings that had taken residence in her heart.

Sighing, she stood and walked to the gate that looked over the vast rolling hills of green beyond the garden. Somewhere over that horizon Edward was attempting to right his wrongs, to set straight the warbled path he had taken all those years ago. She hoped he would see success, for his heart was right despite the choices he had made.

She recalled the poem Don Ricardo had recited for her, and she closed her eyes to speak the words aloud.

 

The hour draws to midnight

And I stand alone at the gate.

The passing of a new season is at hand.

Will my love arrive?

 

She could not continue, for her heart ached. Her silent dream of happiness had come, yet the man who had shown her the very thing she desired was now gone. Would another man be able to take his place?

The sound of a familiar voice made her turn about, her skirts swishing around her ankles, to find Edward walking up to her, finishing the poem for her.

The stars will join as one

As my heart wishes for her.

Do I wait for her arrival?

Or do I do as the coward would do

And retreat?

 

No! I shall wait for eternity

To lay my eyes on her again.

 

“Edward?” she asked. Was he an illusion brought about by her despondency of believing she would never see him again?

“I am here,” he said.

Annabel rushed to him and threw are arms round him. “I cannot believe it is you!” she said as he held her close. The old feeling of comfort and protection in his arms washed over her.

“I have so much to tell you,” he said as she pulled away from his embrace, wishing he could simply hold her for the remainder of her life.

“Please,” she said. Glancing past him, she saw her aunt—no! Her mother!—standing a discreet distance away. Why had she allowed Edward to return to Scarlett Hall after forbidding them to see one another? With great curiosity, she led Edward to a bench and sat beside him.

“I kept the promise I made you and returned to Portsmouth. It was a strange experience walking through the village and having people stare at me as if I were some attraction at the circus.” He chuckled, but it was more a nervous sound than an expression of mirth.

“And what did you do?”

“As it turns out, and you may find this difficult to believe, my home has been awaiting my return for ten years.”

Annabel’s eyes widened. “How is that possible?”

“Well, apparently, in my delusional state, I signed not my name but rather that of my father’s, which in turn invalidated the document. My accountant has been searching for me ever since.” He shook his head as if not believing his words himself.

She placed a hand on his arm. “I am happy for you,” she said. “Now you have everything you want.”

“Not quite,” he said with a smile. “When I was ill and you had left the cottage to return home, I was left with an emptiness inside. I knew that, without you, I would never be complete.”

“I admit that I felt the same.” She looked down at the ground. “I still do.”

“Yet, I knew that if I were to keep you with me against your will, even if I returned my life to what it once was, I could not live with myself. A man cannot force a woman to love him.” He lifted her chin. “It was only recently that I came to the realization that everything I wished for had been returned to me. All but one thing.”

“And what was that?” Annabel asked, her chest tight and her breathing short.

“You.”

Tears filled Annabel’s eyes, and her cheeks flushed with pleasure. “I?”

He nodded. “I found myself being honest with someone for the first time in a very long time, for you were honest with me, an open and honest book. However, I kept back one secret I must tell you today.”

“I am listening.”

“For ten years I wandered as a man lost, filled with hurt and caring for no one save myself. I believed that the man I once was would bring me happiness once again. Then I met you.” He took her hand in his. “You showed me that true happiness comes from one’s heart. Even in the most dire of situations in which you found yourself, you never surrendered your hope, your dreams. You never gave up on yourself, nor on me. Every day that passed us by, I understood that you have a fire inside you so great that it can never be extinguished, a fire that spoke to me. It burned down a wall around my heart that I built years before.”

Annabel wiped a tear from her cheek. “That is beautiful.”

“But that is not all. I have told you that all has been returned to me, yet now I wish to tell you what I have come to realize. I thought I would never again experience what I feel for you.” He brought her hand to his lips and placed a light kiss on her knuckles. “I love you, Annabel Lambert. Perhaps from the first moment I saw you, I fell in love with you, and I cannot imagine another moment of my life without you.”

Annabel struggled to bring moisture into her dry mouth. She had experience happiness twice in once week! First, to learn that Aunt Eleanor was in reality her mother and now to find that the man who had captured her heart returned her admiration. It was as if she were walking in a dream!

“For so long I have wanted nothing more than to meet a gentleman, one who could make me happy. When I met you, when I believed you were Don Ricardo, the exotic and handsome man from Spain, I thought my wish had come true. Despite the fact Don Ricardo does not exist makes little difference, for all that was he proved to be all that was you.” She giggled. “Well, besides the fact you are not a Spanish diplomat.”

He chuckled. “No, that I am not.”

She gazed upon the man and smiled. “However, you taught me that happiness was inside me all along.”

“It was,” he replied. “You simply had to find it.”

“Oh, Edward,” she lamented, “if I learned anything since you returned me to Scarlett Hall, it is that I need you in my life. I love you.”

He brushed a tear from her cheek, and for several moments, she gazed into his eyes. How strange to have him here beside her. Must she pinch herself to be certain she was not dreaming?

“I have something more to ask you,” Edward said. “And your aunt has already given her approval. May I court you?”

Annabel gaped. “She has given permission for us to court?” When Edward nodded, she threw her arms around him. “Yes! Of course, yes!” She giggled and lowered her voice. “I cannot believe she has given permission!”

“I believe it would be best if she explains what happened,” he said, and then laughed.

Frowning, she said, “No, you may tell me.”

“Well, typically a couple courts and then are wed. However, due to other circumstances, we shall do the opposite.”

“The opposite?” Annabel asked. “You mean we are to be married?”

He gave her a hurt look. “I thought you would be pleased.”

“Oh, do not worry,” she replied. “I want nothing more than to be your wife.”

***

It was so overwhelming all that happened in such a short period of time. The woman she had always wished to be her mother was indeed so, and because she had wanted it to be so for all of her life, seeing her now as her mother had come easily. She spent a great amount of time practicing the new label for the woman she had called Aunt Eleanor for so long, but naming her ‘Mother’ had come much easier than Annabel could have imagined.

Edward had left earlier that afternoon, and Annabel sat with her ‘mother’, learning all that had transpired, including the arrival of Lord Agar. They then turned to discussion of what was to come.

“After the ceremony,” her mother said, “Edward will return to Portsmouth to finish getting his estate in order. He will return to Scarlett Hall once a fortnight to call on you, which would make for proper courting. When the time is right and when I feel confident that you are ready, you may join him as his wife. And before you say that many women join their husbands before they truly know them, allow me to say that it was the only way I would agree to this union, so I do not want to hear any argument about it.”

Annabel had no intention of arguing. As long as she and Edward could be together, she would agree to any condition the woman made. “Thank you, Mother,” she said. How she enjoyed using the moniker! “I will remain here until you deem the time is right for me to leave.” She hugged her mother and then sat back with a sigh. “I wish to share something with you.”

“You know you can tell me anything,” her mother said, giving Annabel’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“It has always been that way,” Annabel said with a smile. “And for that I am happy.”

“That is all I ever wanted for my children. Their happiness and good health.”

Annabel nodded. “You spoke to me of your silent dreams that one day I would know I was your daughter.”

“That is true. It was a day I longed for.”

“One of my dreams has always been that my mother would love me. Now I know she always has.”

Her mother smiled as tears glistened in her eyes. “Indeed, I have and I always will.”

“Edward taught me that happiness must come from within, and I realize that he was right.”

With a nod, her mother said, “He is correct. How can we be happy with others if we are unhappy with ourselves?”

“Despite all I have been through and all that attempted to hurt me, I am happy. I have a family that truly loves me. You, my sisters, my brother…” She paused. “I have sisters and a brother!” she said with a gasp. “I have always wanted siblings, and although I have thought of my cousins more siblings than cousins, it is something quite different to learn that they are my siblings.” She shook her head. “Life does have a way of working things out.”

Her mother brushed back a strand of Annabel’s hair. “My beautiful daughter, you are far wiser than I was at your age. What you say is true, for although heartache has been great for us all, even Edward, that ache lessens over time. Yes, we are all happy, and I more so. My daughter is in love and I believe her happiness will always remain. Do you not agree?”

“Yes, Mother, I do. And thank you for always being there whenever I needed you.”

Her mother pulled her into her arms. “There is no need to thank me. It is what a mother does.” When she released Annabel, she held her at arm’s length. “Now, we both could use some sleep. The next days will be quite busy.”

Annabel hugged her mother once more and then made her way upstairs. At the top of the staircase, she paused at the portrait of the man she had always known as her uncle.

“You were my father all along,” she whispered. “I want you to know that I hold no ill will toward you, for it would not change what happened. I must look to the future, and despite all you did to me, despite all the people I thought to be my parents did to me, my life is now put to rights. However,” she ran a finger down the man’s painted cheek, “do not expect me to ever call you Father.”

Once in her bedroom, she readied herself for bed. Rather than going straight to bed, she walked over to the window to look down at the garden below just as she had done so many times in her life. Her life had been full of hurt, but it had always been full of love whenever she was at Scarlett Hall.

Now, the most mysterious man had entered her life, and like her, he too was filled with hurt. However, together they would overcome the atrocities that had been set before them. Each of them had a strength all their own, but together they were stronger, for their hearts would be joined together and would soon be sealed by the sharing of vows.

And she could not wait.