“If you are about to tell me there was a carriage accident, I may have a fit of apoplexy.”
“I’m perfectly well!” I assured him in an overly cheery tone.
“And Mr. Summers?”
“He… You know, we’re both well. So perhaps we don’t need to discuss all the details.”
“You know what, it’s better that I do not know. I suppose you wouldn’t be you without a bit of mischief.”
“You suppose correctly. Now enough about this, where is my nephew?”
“He’s resting. Do you want to meet him?”
“Do I want to cuddle my nephew?” I asked, incredulity spilling into the words. Without a shred of doubt, I knew that snuggling a babe was the only thing that would ease this ache.
“All right, ridiculous question. Come along.”
Thirty-Six
KILMARNOCK ABBEY, EDINBURGH—APRIL 15, 1817
KIT
“How was your trip?”Tom asked as we stepped around the rotten board.
“Eventful.”
“How so?”
“If it’s all the same, I’d rather not talk about it.” We navigated a hall with peeling paper and broken sconces before we came to a few closed doors at the end of the hall.
“Right, sorry. You said you were tired.” Tom’s tone was weary and I immediately felt guilty when faced with his wary expression.
“No, I apologize. I’m not fit for polite company at the moment. But I’d like to leave as soon as is practical. Do you think we can sit down at dinner and discuss our options?”
“Options?” He opened the third door from the end of the hall and ushered me inside. It wasn’t much, but it was clean, which was more than I could say for the rest of the house. The blue bed coverings were recently laundered and there was a fresh basin of water and clean linens in the corner adjacent from the window.The window had a single pane that had been boarded up, but I doubted it would signify much.
“Da—Lady Davina brought me here to help with the legitimacy issue.”
“Oh, I didn’t—the letter didn’t specify why you were coming.”
“That’s my fault. I wasn’t informed of the reasoning or direction of my abduction until halfway to Lincolnshire.”
“Right. Good. Uh, I don’t know how much you know about… well, why I’m here. You said you’re ha?—”
“She told me,” I interjected.
“Well then, I suppose that’s that. You’re—are you… Never mind.” He spun on his heels, closing the distance to the door in one long stride.
“Tom, I truly am not at my best. I’m almost certain to make a muck of what I’m about to say. And it’s absolutely not my place to say it.” He paused his retreat but didn’t turn. “But you should know… I’m proud of you. What you’ve done, the life you’ve built. It was a brave thing.”
He turned then, his eyes wide and wondrous. “You mean that?”
“Realizing what you want, who you love, and choosing them, building a life together in spite of all obstacles? There’s nothing braver. People with far fewer impediments make the easier choice every day.”
“That might have been more words strung together at once than I’ve heard from you in the entirety of our acquaintance.” Tom’s voice was thick with sentiment.
“Really? I’m quite loquacious.”
