Silently Lucas obeyed and Suzanne spread her last blanket over them both. Then Maurice turned the cart and they headed back to Brussels. Lucas’s hand rested on Simon’s the whole way, lending his strength to his almost brother.
The miracle held, and Simon was still breathing when they reached the rue de Louvain in Brussels.
* * *
Heaven was a soft bed with a kitten purring in one ear and a sweetly scented female form on the other side. Simon hurt everywhere, but maybe his eyelids wouldn’t be so bad?
Cautiously he opened his eyes. Yes, he was in his bedroom in Brussels with Leo to his left and Suzanne to his right. His left arm was bandaged. Splinted, even. His left leg was, too. But his right side worked, so he stretched out his right hand to pat Suzanne’s arm.
She woke with a sleepy smile and reached up to touch his cheek. “Mon chéri,” she murmured. “Are you returning to the land of the living?”
He blinked at her. “If I don’t, you’ll be a very wealthy widow.”
Her smile turned mischievous. “Indeed, but I find you most useful in warming my bed. Leo tries, but he is only little.”
“What day is this?”
“June twentieth, two days after the battle. Which we won. You’ve been sleeping since we brought you back to Brussels. The Prussians and other Allied troops have chased the French army most of the way to Paris by now, I believe, and you can retire once more from active military duty.”
“I like that idea.” He was beginning to feel stronger, more engaged with the idea of being alive. “One of my officers, Captain De Jong. Do you know if he survived?”
“He did, and yesterday he called here to see how you were faring. He says you saved his life, and he will ship his finest preserved fish from the Netherlands to wherever your home is.”
“White Horse Manor,” he whispered. “It seems forever since we honeymooned there.”
“Three months, but three very eventful months.” She kissed Simon’s right hand in the middle of his palm. Her voice unsteady, she said, “You were near death, but Lucas saved you. I believe he has a divine ability to heal, though he says it doesn’t happen often. I’m just thanking heaven that it worked for you!”
“So am I,mon coeur.” He gazed into her green eyes, caught in an intimate bond beyond words. Even so, he would try to speak. “We have come on such a long journey together. Remember when I found you in your London boardinghouse and you thought I was mad when I proposed marriage?”
“I still think you were mad,” she said with a twinkle as her hand clasped his. “But mercifully you were persuasive as well.”
“We’ve shared so many words,” he said hesitantly, “yet when I was sliding into death on the battlefield, I realized I had never said that I love you. You know I do, don’t you?”
“I do.” Her hand tightened on his. “But I like hearing the words. Would you like to hear that I love you?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “You may repeat that several times.”
She laughed. “I love you, I love you, I love you, my handsome and lovable lord. I’m not quite sure when it happened, but I went from loving your touch to simply loving you.”
“Speaking of touch, do you have any idea of how long I’m to be trussed up like a Christmas goose?”
“Lucas says that the bones are healing remarkably quickly. I suspect that is part of his miracle.” Her smile turned even more mischievous. “But I am very inventive. Shall we experiment to learn what parts of you are working?”
Ignoring the pain on his left side, he rolled toward her to touch his lips to her warm, welcoming mouth. His beloved, his heart. “By all means let us experiment, my love. And we shall learn whether saying words of love has made lovemaking even better than before.”
“I think that would be impossible,” she murmured. “But I yearn to find out!”
Epilogue
White Horse Manor
Berkshire, England
July 1815
Simon would never tire of admiring the play of light and cloud shadows over the galloping white horse carved on the opposite side of the valley, and the sofa in their private sitting room gave him a splendid view. The view became even better when Suzanne breezed in, looking delectable in a shimmering green silk gown that turned her eyes a mesmerizing shade of emerald.
“Good afternoon,mon chéri!” She bent and brushed a kiss on his head. “It has been far too long since I’ve seen you!”
