Still, she picked her way along the charming little path and didn’t stop until she heard the sounds of the creek.
And when she finally glanced up, her heart became whole once again. For there, standing on the bridge, watching her with eyes the same color of the sky, was Luke.
Her Luke.
She paused only a moment to inhale the relief she hadn’t even realized she was seeking, before striding purposefully in his direction. It was as though he’d been waiting for her.
The other half of her soul.
* * *
He saw her coming long before she’d realized he was there. He’d been staring down at the water as it swept its way down to the hill, berating himself for not leaving for London and yet also berating himself for not simply taking Naomi and Amelia away to somewhere no one would know them. Then, almost as though he’d summoned her with his imagination, she’d appeared.
Would there ever be a day that the sight of her didn’t steal his breath?
“Good morning.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. He couldn’t touch her. If he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to let go of her.
“Good morning.” She halted at the opposite end of the arched footbridge. “You haven’t left yet.” But she was smiling at him.
He couldn’t keep himself from grinning back like a fool—a lovesick fool.
“I promised I would say goodbye.”
When she’d first approached, she’d done so in a lighthearted manner. Closer now, she wrapped her arms in front of herself protectively. Luke hated for her to be uncomfortable, especially because of him.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No!” Her eyes flew open wide.
Neither of them made any move to go.
“Do you walk here often?” There were so many things he wanted to ask her. She belonged in his life. Now. Not months or possibly years from now.
“I haven’t yet. I often bring Amelia outside for walks but this is too far for me to bring her. She’s sleeping now and I needed to get away…”
“How is he?” They couldn’t pretend Arthur didn’t exist.
“He is… different.” Which wasn’t what Luke had been asking but he was inclined to agree.
“Walk with me?” He crossed half the distance between them and offered her his arm. Surely, he could control himself enough to walk a lady through the wilderness?
She only hesitated a moment before stepping forward and sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow.
Even through his shirt and coat, her touch affected him. And her nearness. Her scent hadn’t changed.
“This is my favorite part of the property.” He led her to the Blackheart side of the bridge and when he turned to walk her farther up the hill along the water, he adjusted his gait to match hers.
It reminded him of when he’d met her last spring. When she’d been tentative and innocent. When she’d flirted and neither of them had any other worries beyond the scope of the Season.
He pointed out a few of the flowers that had been his mother’s favorite and in return, she described the garden she’d enjoyed growing up in her parents’ home. His heart beat at a normal pace and for the first time in ages, he felt… whole.
“Do you hear it?” He drew her to a halt. A dull roar could be heard in the distance against the splashing of the brook.
Her brows rose and she grinned. “The infamous waterfall.”
She tugged at him to keep going, and within moments, it came into sight, and with it, the roaring of waves, tumbling from the cliff above and crashing into an otherwise placid pool. Greenery climbed the banks and rays of sunlight caught and revealed mists of spray at the base. It was exhilarating, breathtaking, and… terrifying to imagine a boy of just six and ten rowing a boat—
“It’s no wonder your parents didn’t lock you in your room for life.”
