They walked out of the house together, still holding hands. He hadn’t mentioned anything to his mother before, but that was mostly because he was unable to admit it to himself. Now that the truth was out, there was nothing else left to hide. He wanted the world to know that his heart belonged to this angel who had saved him from the depth of the abyss which stared back at him, as he stood on the edge, ready to dive in.
They reached the little cage where the puppies were sleeping. The girls stood there, overcome by surprise. Cecilia’s hand was pressed against her lips. Madeline stood by her side. She turned to the view before her, then to Edmund.
“Well,” Edmund wondered, “do you like it?”
The girls didn’t say anything for a few moments. Edmund silently inspected the little house the carpenter had built for them. It resembled a miniature castle, with lots of room for the puppies to play inside in case the weather was bad. There was a cozy place for sleeping and an even cozier place for eating. Two shiny new bowls were set in the corner of the new house, and food had already been poured into them. The puppies had obviously been hungry and had eaten most of it.
“I thought you didn’t like the puppies.” Madeline’s introspective eyes watched him, as if trying to see if he would really tell the truth.
Edmund sighed. He was prepared for this conversation, and actually looked forward to it. Then, he knelt down before her, so now they were on the same eye level. He rested his hand on her little shoulder.
“People make mistakes, Maddie,” he told her as honestly as he could. “And I have made many. Too many, in fact. I do not wish to make any more, but I need your help with that.”
Before Madeline could say anything, Cecilia jumped into his arms and wrapped her own arms around his neck. A moment later, he was hugging the other girl as well, and he realized what he had been missing all this time. His own sadness had made him into a hateful recluse who wanted to shut himself away from the whole world and remain like that for the rest of his days.
He was wrong to push the girls away. He had seen the error of his ways. It was a mistake he would never make again. He wanted them all to be completely certain of that.
“Thank you,” both girls whispered into his ear, then laid a soft kiss on both of his cheeks.
They quickly jumped back up and rushed over to the puppies, who playfully joined in their game, with a lot of barking and whining. It was truly a sight one could simply not get enough of.
“I apologize for usurping your morning lesson,” Edmund apologized again. “I simply couldn’t wait to show it to them.”
“It’s quite all right,” she assured him, her voice melodious as the song of the birds that spread all around them. He wanted to listen to nothing else but her voice for the rest of his life. “Look how happy you’ve made them.”
They both gazed at the girls enjoying their game with the puppies. Everything seemed all right with the world, as long as all of them were together, underneath this roof. That was how he intended to have it.
“This is all because of you,” he smiled at her, once again taking her by the hand. “You have brought sunshine back into our lives, and we can never repay you enough for that.”
“There is no need to repay me for anything, when it is you who have resurrected me,” she gushed. “The woman you see before you is all your doing. I stand here solely because of you.”
“This is where I always want you to stand,” he leaned in to whisper. “Always by my side. Always here.”
She blushed, looking down at her feet. She squeezed his hand, their palms fitting perfectly together. He never wanted this moment to end.
“That is the only thing I want,” she admitted, whispering back.
It seemed that there was no trace of that anxiety she had been showing lately, and Edmund felt relieved. Perhaps it had all been in his mind. His life had become devoid of the burden that weighed upon his soul, so wonderfully simple that he couldn’t imagine it being this way. There was nothing he needed to fear.
The thought lulled him into a feeling of safety. However, he forgot one thing the war had taught him. The enemy would always attack exactly when one thought that the war had already been won.
Chapter 22
Exactly three days had passed since Edmund had received the letter. Truth be told, he had not been inclined to see the man personally. He had initially intended on writing a formal reply and explaining the state of the affairs. Then, he remembered that such people tended to be irritatingly persistent, which would quite possibly lead to several exchanged letters and much more time wasted. So, finally, he had agreed to a meeting.
He had asked for tea to be delivered to his study, as he awaited his audience. Edmund would never admit it out loud, but such people made him feel discomposed. It was only logical that the man would arrive, and Edmund knew exactly the reason behind this, but one still couldn’t escape the feeling of uneasiness and the desire for this meeting to be finished as quickly as possible.
He already had a little speech formed inside his mind. Edmund would thank him for coming and considering his family for patronage, as these things usually went. He would quickly reach his point and ascertain the undeniable fact that he was not interested in such financial endeavors and would rather focus them elsewhere.
All of a sudden, he heard a knock on the door, which stirred him from his thoughts.
“Come in,” he nodded, standing by the window, instinctively putting his arms behind his back.
He would always do this when meeting strangers, even though he was barely aware of it himself.
“My Lord,” Hastings bowed, “Mr. Loveless is here, and he kindly asks to be admitted.”
“Do send him in Hastings.” Edmund swallowed heavily, feeling that uneasiness in his gut rise upon the very mention of the man’s name.
