“Yes, but they’ll be back after the Christmas holiday. Fortunately the disruption will be for just a few months, and then all should return to normal.”
Ella dragged her fingertips over a boxwood along the side of the path. “Normal? I’m not sure I would call it normal. Some of life here will be as it always has been, but my role will be lessening.”
“I heard your father say that Mr. Abernathy is returning next term as well?” he teased, playfully lifting a brow. “Will I have to worry about competing with him for your heart?”
She smiled as the image of the tall, lanky man came to mind.“Oh, I don’t think so. One day Father will need someone to run the school, and for all his dull mannerisms, he is even and will be able to take the helm one day. As for my heart, though, I have other plans.”
Gabriel slowed his steps and paused at a secluded area of the path not far from the oak tree. How easy it was to fall against him, to relax into his embrace, and to lift her face to receive his kiss. How easy it was to imagine a whole new future by his side.
“You’ll not miss it too much, will you?” he asked.
She inhaled and looked at the canopy of branches above them. “I spent so many years holding on so tightly to the idea of this place and what it represented to me. Little did I know that it was simply preparing me.” She returned her attention to Gabriel. “I will always value what I’ve learned here, but it’s time for me to do exactly what was expected of me . . . to travel my own path, and that path, with its twist and turns, led me to you.”
He kissed her again, and as she wrapped her arms around his neck, Ella knew that her heart had found its home.
Epilogue
KEATLEY HALL, GILLHAM, ENGLAND
SEPTEMBER1821
MRS. ELLA ROWEpushed the soil around the tender lavender plant and patted it into place. “There.” She lifted the pot and handed it to Mrs. Chatterly. “That should be the last of them.”
“How many do you intend to take with you to London?” Mrs. Chatterly added the pot to the others.
Ella placed her small shovel on her workbench. “Perhaps three or four. Right now the conservatory at the row house is quite small, but it’s cozy. I don’t want to overfill it too soon.”
“Give it time. This conservatory was not created overnight. Remember what your mother always said? Flowers bloom when and where they will. How much longer will you be staying at Keatley Hall?”
“Perhaps another week.” Ella pulled her work gloves from her hands and used her forearm to swipe her hair from her face. “At least until the term starts. Gabriel and I have work to tend to back at the office.”
Mrs. Chatterly shook her head. “How strange it seems for you to be the wife of a solicitor.”
“His business is growing faster than we ever imagined. When news got out of our tracking down Mr. Clancy last year, Gabriel had to take on two more gentlemen to help with the work. I could simply burst with pride at all he has accomplished, although I fear his sort of work is a far cry from what traditional solicitors do. But then again, I cannot imagine Gabriel just sitting behind a desk, can you?”
“Indeed not.”
Movement outside the conservatory window caught her attention. In the back garden her father and Mr. Abernathy were walking across the lawn.
Mrs. Chatterly clicked her tongue before returning her attention to the bloom in front of her. “I know you never cared for him, but he certainly has settled into his new role as headmaster well.”
Ella studied the tall man as he ambled next to her father. “He really was the best choice. He may not be my favorite person, but Father trusts him and likes him. It’s nice that Father can take a step back from the day-to-day duties of teaching and the school but can still be there as a guide. I think the additional rest has been good for him, don’t you? His coloring is improved, and he doesn’t appear quite as feeble as he did the summer prior to the symposium.”
The casement clock in the distant parlor chimed, prompting Ella to glance at the timepiece on her chatelaine. She pulled her gloves off and placed them on the table. “I should probably go change. Gabriel and I are going to visit Mary at the girls school and see how she is settling in.”
“Mrs. Fife seems content in her new position. She stopped by the kitchen this morning and was quite chatty.”
“She does seem happy, doesn’t she? And I’m certain the young ladies will love her. I know some of the parents have expressed concern about her past, but that will all fade away, especially as the Society continues to grow. Phoebe told me that her father can barely keep up with all the new membership inquiries he’s been receiving, especially from younger gentlemen around Gabriel’s age. It seems that everything with the symposium last year did not damage the Society’s reputation as we had feared. If anything, it has increased interest in it.”
Movement at the door caught her attention. She whirled to see Gabriel. She hoped her heart never ceased this little leap it did at the sight of him.
“What have we here?” he asked, leaning in curiously with his hands clasped behind his back. “Lavender augustifolia?”
Ella laughed. “Close!Lavandula latifolia.”
He snapped his fingers, as if suddenly recalling the difference. He grinned, stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Are you ready to go visit Mary?”
“Oh no! You must let me change my gown. I’m a mess!” She brushed off bits of dirt clinging to her muslin gown.
