CHAPTER 32

Harriet stepped out the door of the Dr. Barnardo’s Home with Geoffrey right behind her. They had met with the administrators of the facility and had presented their plan for having clergy members take turns visiting the farms to ensure the proper treatment of their young wards. Happily, Geoffrey had recruited a dozen clergy from different Christian faiths in the area, all eager to help in their campaign. The only task remaining now was to create a schedule and begin implementing it.

“The meeting went well, don’t you think?” Geoffrey positioned his fedora on his head and glanced over as they walked.

“Better than I expected,” she said.

“How about I buy you lunch to celebrate?”

Harriet released a slow breath. “I’d like that. Thank you.” With a firm lift of her chin, she did her best to put her melancholy behind her. She was slowly getting used to life without Harry, as well as other changes in the boardinghouse. Emma and Jonathan had left to return to England, and though Julia lived nearby, she was busy with her position as companion to Mrs. Middleton. Harriet reminded herself every day that her role as proprietress was an ever-changing one. She knew better than to get too attached to any one tenant, for they always left her at some point or another.

Yet lately, a pervasive loneliness had seeped into her very bones.

Geoffrey opened a door for her, and she stepped into a dimly lit restaurant. As her eyes adjusted, she looked around and frowned. This was not some everyday eatery. This was a fancy restaurant with white linen tablecloths and candles for ambience. She turned and almost smacked into Geoffrey’s chest. He grasped her elbow to steady her.

“This is too posh, Geoffrey. Couldn’t we just get a sandwich in a diner?”

“I want to treat you to a nice meal. How long has it been since you’ve been to an elegant restaurant?”

She blinked. In all honesty, she couldn’t remember. She was always too busy with her boarders, making sure their meals were appealing and the residence was clean and inviting.

“Your inability to answer says it all.” Geoffrey smiled. “Please allow me to spoil you a bit.”

A hostess appeared. “A table for two?” she asked brightly.

“Yes, please,” Geoffrey answered before Harriet could protest any further.

She huffed out a breath and followed the woman across the room. Geoffrey was quick to pull out a chair for her. She sat down, her handbag on her lap.

The hostess set two menus on the table. “Your waiter will be right with you.”

“Relax, Harriet. I want you to enjoy this.” Geoffrey set his hat on the empty chair and took a seat beside her. He picked up a menu and began to read. “I believe I’m in the mood for a thick steak.”

“Then I hope you have a thick stack of bills to pay for it,” she muttered as she scanned the entrées.

Geoffrey chuckled. “It’s not like I eat steak every day.” He lowered the menu. “Anything strike your fancy?”

She looked up. “I think I’ll try the Waldorf salad.”

“A salad is all you’re going to have?”

“Yes. Why?”

He stared at her. “You’re right. You can choose whatever you wish. But please don’t worry about the cost.”

She focused back on the menu. “If spending money makes you happy, I’ll be sure to leave room for an extravagant dessert.” She struggled to hide a smile, her mood definitely lifting. Keeping this man off guard proved very satisfying.

After they had ordered, Harriet did her best to soak in the lovely atmosphere and appreciate Geoffrey’s gift. “This is very nice. I’m sorry I wasn’t as enthusiastic as you probably hoped.”

“Not to worry. As long as I manage to distract you from your troubles for a while, I’ll be glad.”

She frowned. “Have I seemed that unhappy lately?”

“To be honest, yes. I’ve missed my best friend’s sunny nature.” He reached over to cover her hand with his. His warm eyes radiated concern. “I’m hoping she’ll come back to me soon.”

Harriet’s throat tightened. Why were tears so near the surface at every turn lately? She looked down at his hand, relishing the strength paired with gentleness. Where would she be without Geoffrey in her life? Without him to steady her, to lift her spirits, to go out of his way to ensure she was taken care of?

Like a true partner would. . . .

“Harriet.” The strange timbre of his voice made her lift her head.

Her breath caught at the intensity in his expression, and her heart began to beat an unnatural rhythm. “What is it?” She hardly dared voice the question.

“You and I have been friends for more years than I care to count,” he began. “All the way back to when I was a relatively new rector and you and Miles helped me start up the Newcomers Program.”

She wanted to look away but found she couldn’t. What if he was about to tell her he’d been assigned to a parish in a different city? What would she do without him around the corner?

“Recently I’ve been growing restless, and I find myself wanting to make a change. Before it’s too late.”

Her free hand fluttered to her throat. She was right. He was leaving her. And he’d chosen a fancy restaurant to impart the bad news. Her mouth went completely dry. How was she ever going to wish him well when part of her would be dying inside?

“So I’ve decided to be brave and ask for what I want.” He caressed her fingers with his thumb, his eyes on her face. “Harriet, will you do me a great honor and marry me?”

Her mouth fell open. Every thought flew from her head. “You’re not moving away?”

“Moving? Why would you think that?”

“You . . . you said something about being restless and wanting a change.”

He gave a hearty laugh. “Moving is not the type of change I’m interested in. I want someone to come home to at night. Someone to share all aspects of my life. And I want that someone to be you.” He leaned closer and kissed her softly, with just enough heat to make her heart gallop in her chest. Then he pulled back to look at her. “I can see I’ve stunned you with my proposal. Maybe you’d like some time to consider it before giving me an answer?”

“That would be . . . reasonable.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” He reached into his pocket and took out a small box. “I probably should have led with this, but it’s been forty years since I’ve proposed to a woman.” He opened the box to reveal a square-cut emerald ring with two small diamonds on either side. “I’ve had this since last Christmas, waiting for the right time to ask. I finally realized I was wasting precious days we could be together, and that no matter the answer, I needed to know.”

Tears blurred her vision. He’d even remembered she didn’t like ostentatious diamond rings. That emeralds were her favorite stone. “Oh, Geoffrey.” Her voice broke.

His smile faded as he closed the lid. “It’s all right, Harriet. No one said you had to return my feelings. If friendship is all you can manage, then I’ll have to live with it.” Sorrow shadowed his features, dimming the light in his eyes.

Her heart squeezed. “You didn’t let me finish.” She swiped at her damp cheeks. “I don’t need time to think it over, because . . .” She inhaled and let out a breath. “I would be honored to be your wife.”

His brows shot upward. “Really?”

“Really.” She managed a wobbly smile.

His face broke into a wide grin. Then he leaned in and kissed her once more. This time, she reached over to cup his cheek and kissed him back.

When he moved away, his eyes were shiny with tears. “I love you very much, Harriet Chamberlain. But I never dared to hope you could ever consider me as more than a friend.”

She lifted one shoulder. “Lately when you’ve been over in the evenings and leave for home, I’ve been wishing you didn’t have to go.” Heat rushed into her cheeks.

“I feel the same way. It’s hard going back to an empty rectory. I almost bought a dog for company.”

Harriet gave a shaky laugh. “A dog might be nice. I haven’t had a pet in years.”

“Then maybe we’ll get one together.” He laughed too, the sound freeing all the tension within her. “Should we see if the ring fits?”

“Please do.” She held out her left hand, but then stopped. She still wore her former wedding band all these years after Miles’s death, as she felt it gave her more respectability as a boardinghouse owner. With a steadying breath, she wriggled the gold band off, kissed it, and deposited the ring into her handbag. Then she held out her hand again.

“You’re sure?” Geoffrey asked.

“Positive.”

He took the emerald from the box and slipped it onto her finger.

“It’s perfect,” she said. “And so are you.”

“I’m far from perfect, Harriet, but I’ll do my best to be a good husband to you.”

“I already know you will be. You are the most thoughtful, caring man I’ve ever met. And I’m blessed to have you in my life.”

Joy beamed from his face. “I must warn you. I don’t want a long engagement. So as soon as I can find a minister to marry us—”

She held up a finger. “A short engagement is fine, but I will need some time to put my affairs in order.”

“What affairs?”

“Well, for one thing, I’ll have to see about selling the boardinghouse. As a minister’s wife, I’ll have my work cut out for me. I don’t need to be worrying about boarders too.”

“I hadn’t really thought about that.” He laid a hand on her arm. “Are you certain you’re willing to give up the business? After all, it’s your last tie to Miles.”

“To tell you the truth, I think the time has come to let someone younger take on the responsibility. Besides, if I make a commitment to you, I intend to give it all my energy and devotion.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t think it possible to love you even more, Harriet Chamberlain, but right now, I do.”

Quinn guided the horse and buggy along the dirt lane that led past Brentwood Manor to the tenant farms beyond, being careful not to jostle the wagon too much. To his extreme gratitude, the rain had stopped yesterday, and a cool wind had dried out the mud. A nervous energy buzzed through his system. He couldn’t quite believe that today would see the fulfilment of his dream, and he would at last bring his mother to her new home. A place where she could feel safe with her family around her. A place where she could heal and never have to fear living in squalor again.

Another benefit of Mum’s time in the infirmary was that her need for liquor appeared to have faded. As long as they could keep her from starting again, the doctor had told him, she should be fine.

Quinn glanced sideways at her. She sat tall on the bench seat, staring straight ahead. In the bright light of day, the toll the years had taken on her were evident in the sallow skin and the deep grooves around her eyes and mouth.

“The farms are over the next hill, Mum. Ours is the second one we’ll see.”

From the firm press of her lips, Quinn could tell she was working hard to contain her emotions. “I can’t believe how lovely the countryside is here,” she said. “After living my whole life in the city, I never dared imagine what it could be like.” She inhaled deeply. “The air is so fresh and clean. I feel healthier already.”

Quinn grinned at her. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

“I still can’t believe you managed this.” She pulled her new blue shawl, one Quinn had bought for her travels, more closely around her shoulders.

“The earl is a generous man, and he appreciates loyalty among his staff. Apparently, I impressed him with my service.”

“And the fact you married his niece has nothing to do with it?” Mum’s lips twitched.

Quinn shrugged. “At first, our marriage was a detriment to the situation, since his lordship believed Julia had married beneath her. Only by the grace of God did he have a change of heart and offer me the farm in gratitude for keeping Julia safe.”

“The grace of God indeed,” she murmured.

They passed the first tenant farm, and not long after came upon their land. Quinn’s chest swelled with pride at the progress he, Cecil, and Harry had made over the past several weeks. With Mum strong enough that they could leave her in the nurses’ care, he and the boys had spent most of the time at the farm. Cecil’s knowledge of crop rotation and plowing had proved more than beneficial. Even young Harry’s experience with farmwork served as a great bonus in their efforts.

“Those are our fields, Mum. We’ll grow several different crops once we get the ground ready. And Cecil hopes to raise pigs as well.” He pointed. “There’s the house over to the right.”

Her face brightened. “It looks big. I’d pictured a one-room cabin.”

“You’ll be amazed. There are two separate sleeping quarters, with a common living area. And a loft where Cecil and Harry sleep. There’s even a rough indoor privy.”

He guided the animals toward the farmhouse, knowing his mother would need to rest soon. There’d be ample time to show her the rest of the property later.

“This is wonderful, Quinten,” Mum said as he helped her to the ground.

Luckily, the house came with the basic furnishings provided, which would save them a good amount of money. Over time, Quinn planned to build more furniture to add to what was there. And he hoped his mother would make use of her sewing skills to fashion some new curtains, linens, and bedcovers. The rugged stone walls with wooden trim might be rustic compared to the earl’s home, but to his mother it would seem like a palace.

He opened the door and ushered her inside the main room. To the left was the kitchen area with wooden cupboards, a cast-iron stove, and a good-sized table and chairs. To the right, two large easy chairs flanked the hearth around a cotton rug.

“It’s lovely.” Tears appeared in Mum’s eyes. “I haven’t had a house to call my own since your father died.” She reached out a hand to him. “Thank you, son. For not giving up on me when you had every reason to.”

He grabbed her hand and squeezed, his eyes burning. “Never.”

She smiled and moved farther into the room. “It could use a woman’s touch, but overall you’ve done a wonderful job with the place.”

“All we really did was clean. I knew you’d want to fix it up the way you’d like.”

She nodded, her throat working. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Quinn pointed to the small hallway. “Let me show you to your room. I think you must be ready for a rest after our long trip.”

“That sounds heavenly. My own room and my three sons right here. What more could a mother ask?” She turned to him, her eyes glowing with emotion. “You have done a great job, Quinn, getting our family back together. Your father would be so proud of you.”

Quinn swallowed hard, then ducked his head so she wouldn’t see the tears forming. He’d waited nine long years to hear those words. Nine years since the day he’d made the promise to his father. Nine hard years where he’d almost given up hope of ever fulfilling it.

The soft click of his mother’s bedroom door told him he was alone. He wiped a hand across his eyes, attempting to sift through his jumbled emotions. Pulling the iron key from his pocket, he rolled it between his fingers. Then he crossed to the front door to the nail protruding from the jamb. There he hung the key as an ever-present reminder of the vow he’d made and had now fulfilled.

“I hope Mum’s right,” he whispered. “I hope you’re proud of me, Dad. Of all of us.”

Quinn glanced around the interior of the house, letting the full realization of his accomplishment sink in. He’d achieved his dream, completed his mission. Yet as he stood alone in the kitchen, waiting for the expected feelings of elation to rise up and envelop him, his stomach dropped. Even though his mother’s praise had warmed him through and through, a trace of unrest persisted.

Because one crucial element was missing.

Without Julia by his side to share in this moment, his victory seemed hollow.

He blew out a long breath. Had he sacrificed one dream for another?

He walked to the window to stare out at the fields where his brothers were working. The date for Julia to give birth was drawing closer by the day. It was time for him to focus on one more very important promise he had to keep.

And God willing, he intended to do so.