"I could attempt it. I should warn you, I've never done this before. It will probably be even worse than Richard's."
"I find that difficult to believe."
"Your faith in me is touching."
But he did try, and he was, as predicted, terrible at it. The story involved a sea captain named Bartholomew, a treasure map that kept changing locations, and a villain whosemotivation Sebastian kept forgetting. Harriet found herself laughing more than cringing, and by the time the thunder had faded to a distant rumble, she had nearly forgotten her fear.
"That was dreadful," she said, when he finished.
"I warned you."
"You did. And yet somehow it was worse than I expected."
"A rare achievement."
She kissed him, soft and slow. "Thank you. For trying."
"I'll try anything for you. Even storytelling."
They spent the rest of the storm reading aloud to each other actual books, this time, not Sebastian's improvised disasters. They played cards, which Harriet won handily. They talked about their childhoods, their fears, their hopes for the future.
It was, Harriet thought, the most intimate two days of their matrimony, not only in the physical sense, but in the sense of truly getting to know and understand someone.
When the storm finally cleared, she almost wished it would come back.
***
On their final days in the Lake District, they made a decision.
They were walking along the shore of the lake, the sun setting behind the mountains, painting the sky in shades of gold and rose. Harriet's hand was in his, her stride matching his, the easy rhythm of two people who had learned to move together.
"I don't want to go back to how things were," Harriet said. "In London, I mean. The balls and the dinners and the endless social obligations."
"Then we won't."
"We can't avoid society entirely."
"Why not?"
Harriet shot him a look. "Because we have responsibilities. Positions to maintain. People who expect…"
"People who expect things that make you miserable." Sebastian stopped walking, turning to face her. "Harriet, we've spent two years trying to meet society's expectations. And all it's done is break your heart. Why should we continue?"
"Because..." She trailed off, unable to find an answer.
"We could spend more time at Thornwood. Travel. Stay in London only when absolutely necessary." Sebastian took both her hands. "We could build the lifewewant, not the life everyone else thinks we should have."
"And the question of children?"
"If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, we have each other." He squeezed her hands. "Let's stop trying so hard. Stop monitoring and timing and all the clinical desperation. Let's just... live. And see what happens."
Harriet was quiet for a long moment. "That sounds like giving up."
"It sounds like choosing happiness over hope."
"What's the difference?"
"Hope is waiting for something that might never come. Happiness is appreciating what you already have." Sebastian lifted her hands to his lips. "And what I have, right here, is everything I could ever want."
