New York’s shores came into view, emerging over the horizon and bathing Amelia in a glow that warmed every inch of her, inside and out. The Statue of Liberty shone beneath the humid, early evening heat, rising through the mist like a woman certain of her destiny. A woman free.
Amelia drew in a long breath and slowly exhaled, absorbing every second of this moment as she and Samuel arrived in America to start their new life.
His arm slipped around her waist and he pulled her close to his body, his physical strength unquestionable, but it was his internal strength, his unbending spirit, that had succinctly captured her heart on her very first sea bound trip.
‘Are you happy?’
She turned and looked into his beautiful eyes. ‘Very. I’ve never been happier.’
‘Good.’ He smiled. ‘Me neither.’
Amelia looked across the sparkling water and memories of their lovemaking, the many times she and Samuel had explored and satisfied one another, heart, body and soul over the last fourteen days, washed through her. On her left finger, she wore a diamond and sapphire ring that he’d given her when he proposed marriage, promising to forever keep her safe and cared for.
She’d needed no such promise, just him. Like this, beside her, strong and proud and ready for their next adventure.
‘With Fiona living with Benedict now, and Katherine and Ma going along so much better, I hope we’ll be left in relative peace,’ Samuel murmured against his ear as he stood behind her and pulled her back against his solid chest. ‘We have my savings, your savings and my job. We’ll go along quite nicely, I think. Living, working and loving one another.’
‘And once I get work at RH Macy’s, we’ll have my income and yours from Grand Central. We’re going to be just fine. I know it.’ She turned in the circle of his arms and kissed him, her tongue naturally seeking his as it always did. Slowly, Amelia pulled back. ‘I don’t think I would have had the courage to take this trip or the one back from New York without you, you know.’
‘Yes, you would. You, Amelia Wakefield, are capable of anything you set your mind to.’
‘Maybe.’
He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Definitely.’
Fighting the insecurity that continued to ebb and flow inside her, Amelia faced the water again and pulled a small, drawstring bag from her purse. She looked at Samuel as his smile dissolved. He nodded.
With slightly trembling fingers, she pulled open the bag and scooped out a handful of sequins and laid them in Samuel’s hand before scooping a second handful. Their eyes locked for a long moment before she quickly faced the water, lest she surrendered to the open wound across her heart for all those that had died on the 15th of April.
Each a lost soul who may, or may not, be recovered from the cold, vast ocean. All people who deserved to never be forgotten. She prayed the Titanic was remembered forever. That the next generation and the next were taught of the catastrophe so that such tragedy was never repeated ever again.
She and Samuel held their hands over the railing and together they said, ‘For every single one of you.’
The sequins fluttered and shone as they twisted and turned and flew, sprinkling across the water like a thousand silver hearts. Once they had disappeared, Amelia turned to Samuel, tears pricking her eyes. ‘Elizabeth said that Mr Weir’s wife was so grateful to receive his watch. I wish I could have brought her husband home with us instead.’
He nodded and kissed her forehead. ‘I know you do.’
Taking a deep breath, Amelia looked across the water. ‘God bless you, Mr Weir.’
Samuel drew her close once more as they sailed towards the dock, closer to where fate awaited them. So much had happened in her and Samuel’s life. So much pain, so much disappointment and shame, but the moment Amelia had stepped into Pennington’s years before, everything had begun to change.
And now she hoped that change happened for Samuel.
She would miss Bath’s finest department store so much. Mostly, because it had given her what it continued to give so many others.
Freedom.
Smiling, Amelia stared at the Statue of Liberty. ‘Pennington’s is a place everyone in the world should visit at least once,’ she said, her eyes squinting under the glare of the sun. ‘It has something very special. Something obtainable for anyone who takes the care and dedication to look for it.’
‘Magic.’
Surprised that her brilliant, strong, pragmatic Samuel would use such a word, she faced him. ‘What?’
He grinned and pulled her tight to his body, her breasts crushing again his hard chest. ‘Magic. That’s what Pennington’s is, no doubt about it. I felt it when I walked into the store alone and I felt it again when I was looking for you. It’s a special place, Amelia. It holds the power of possibility. It’s given you a new life and given me the love of my life.’
Her heart melted under his loving gaze and astute words. ‘It’s given me everything.’
Lifting onto her toes, she pressed her lips to his, revelling in the love she had for her future husband and all that awaited them.
Thank you, Pennington’s. Thank you so very, very much.