“Julian, pl… please,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’m not… I’m not who you think I am.”
A softness came to his eyes. “I know exactly who you are, Annie Fairfax. Your mother and your aunt explained everything to me.”
Annie gaped at him as the meaning behind his words sank into her brain. “You went to Ferndale Grange?”
He groaned. “Well, of course I did! Did you seriously think I wouldn’t? That’s how I found out where you were. I didn’t believe a word of that damn letter. To do so would have meant that everything I’d felt in your presence had been a fallacy, the love in your eyes an illusion. I might not be the most insightful man in the world, Annie, but I’ve always been certain of you. Always! What Ididn’tknow was what, or who, had caused you to lie to that extent. I feared De Witte had got to you. Threatened you, somehow. Truth is, I was relieved when I discovered the real reason for your letter. That said, we do need to discuss it.”
He obviously had no idea how relevant his fears had been. Annie drew a shaky breath, wondering if she should mention her encounter with Leo. “I was afraid,” she replied. “Afraid that if I told you the truth about the circumstances of my birth, I’d see disapproval in your eyes or hear it in your voice, and I couldn’t bear the thought of it.”
Frowning, he thumbed an errant tear from her cheek. “Then it appears I must make something abundantly clear. And that is, you can be certain of me as well, Annie. Always.”
“Oh, Julian.” Annie let go of the railing and reached for his hand, the warmth of his flesh blissful against the chill of hers. “I’m so sorryfor doubting you.”
“Hmm.” He looked down at their joined hands and then glanced about. “You know, it occurred to me, as I turned onto your street just now, that this is the third time I’ve approached your door. The first time, I was obliged to bid you farewell and never thought to see you again. The second time, I actually knocked on your door, even though I knew you weren’t at home. And, once again, I thought you were lost to me. Today, to quote Shakespeare,is the third time, and I hope good luck lies in odd numbers. In any case, I have no intention of losing you again.” He parted with a soft sigh. “That being so, before anything else is said, I want you to promise me something.”
“Anything,” she replied. “What is it?”
“That you will never again run away from me. It’s becoming very tiresome.”
Smiling, she drew a cross over her heart. “I promise.”
“Thank you. Given your past record, however, I’m of a mind to hold you to that promise legally.” He lifted her hand and kissed it. “Marry me, Annie. Be my wife. Honor me by being forever at my side. Please say you will. I swear to you, there is nothing I want more.”
Annie gasped, hardly daring to believe what she’d heard, thinking no daydream she might have conjured up could ever be this perfect. Choked by a sudden rush of emotion, she merely nodded, while grappling with a fresh swell of tears that mocked her attempt to prevent them. “I will,” she managed at last. “Of course I will. There is nothing I want more, either.”
“Then it’s official,” he said with conviction, as he pulled his handkerchief out and mopped her cheeks again. “I have just become the happiest man on Earth.”
Annie laughed and decided that before this incredible day was through, she would tell him the truth about Leopold and what had taken place at Freya’s Farewell. There would be no more secrets, no more deceit. For now, however, there was something else she neededto say. “It nearly killed me writing that letter, Julian,” she said, gazing into his eyes. “I swear it was the most difficult thing I have ever done. Please forgive me.”
“Nothing to forgive, my love.” He regarded the bouquet as if he’d just remembered it was there. “We need a vase for these. I don’t suppose you happen to have some tea in the house as well, do you? I’m parched.”
*
In truth, Juliancouldn’t have given a damn about a vase for the flowers, or a cup of tea. What bothered him to the depths of his soul was the pallor of Annie’s face, the uncertainty in her beautiful eyes, and the dark shadows lingering beneath them. She’d lost weight, and her hand, clasped in his, had felt like ice. She had suffered and it showed. Thankfully, she looked a little better now, seated beside him at the messy dining table, her cheeks faintly pink, hands cradling a cup of tea. His proposal of marriage had chased the uncertainty from her eyes, though the shadows beneath still lingered.
He hadn’t intended to propose on the street. He’d envisaged somewhere a little more romantic. Beneath the spreading branches of a handsome oak, perhaps, or beside a sparkling fountain in a park. But the way Annie had looked at him, hopeful and fearful at the same time, had clawed at his heart. Asking her to marry him, at that precise moment, was almost instinctive. She needed to be assured of his commitment, of where his heart lay. What could be better than a promise of forever?
But he hadn’t quite finished yet. The promise needed to be sealed, and he wasn’t about to do that on the street. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small, green leather box he’d tucked in there that morning. “Annie, my love, I hope this is to your liking. If not, please say so.” He opened the box, removed a ring from its velvetcushion, and reached for her left hand. “May I?’
“Yes, of course!” Annie’s eyes widened as he slid the ring, with its cluster of diamonds, onto her finger. “Oh, Julian, it’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said. “It belonged to my maternal great-grandmother. Her name was Margaret, and that center diamond was originally in a brooch owned by Queen Elizabeth. At least, that’s the story that’s been passed down, though no one seems to know exactly how the stone came to be in our possession. Does it fit?”
Annie held up her hand, a look of wonder on her face. “It fits perfectly. I hardly know what to say. I can’t believe all this is happening. You here, like this. It’s more than I hoped for. More than I prayed for.”
“Your happiness is all I want, Annie.” Julian took her hand again, gratified by its warmth. “Now, as I mentioned earlier, there are things that need to be discussed. Will you hear me?”
She regarded him for a moment and then looked away, but not before Julian saw something else reflecting in her eyes.Fear? No, surely not.
“May I begin, please, Julian?” She regarded him once more. “There is something I must tell you before we go any further.”
A prickle of apprehension wandered across Julian’s scalp. “Of course.”
She gave a quick smile. “Did Jan… that is, did my mother and my aunt tell you how I came to learn of my illegitimacy?”
Julian nodded. “They said you’d remembered things from your childhood and found the documents and letters while they were at church. Why? Was that not how it happened?”
There followed a short stretch of silence, then, “Sort of, but there’s a bit more to it than that.”
