“Your Grace.”
The voice behind him struck like a chord from a forgotten song; low, distinct, and familiar in a way that didn’t sit entirely well.
Theo turned, his pulse tightening. A man stood at the edge of the shore, wearing plain-clothes and unassuming, but unmistakably military in his stance. Theo had never forgotten that face.
“Major General Dandridge,” Theo said slowly, walking out of the water. “You are the last man I expected to find on a Spanish beach.” Dandrige had worked with his father, and after his family's deaths, the man had questioned Theo extensively, though not unkindly.
The general bowed. “Quite so.”
Theo stepped fully onto the sand, folding his arms as he studied the older man. “How did you find me?”
“We have been watching you for years.”
Theo’s brows lifted. “Who is ‘we,’ exactly?”
“Agents of the Crown,” Dandridge said simply. “Your father was one of us. One of the best.”
Theo stilled.Smythe's findings were correct then.“Go on.”
“We never solved his murder,” the general continued. “But we took note when you started asking the right questions. When you uncovered what we could not, it became clear that you had the instincts and the capacity for discretion. The Crown has taken an interest.”
Theo gave a slow, incredulous smile. “You do realize I’m on my honeymoon?”
“I do. We are aware of your marriage in the spring. Our Felicitations.”
“Good,” Theo chuckled. “Then you understand when I say I’ve put all of that behind me. I have a new life now, and I must decline your offer.”
Dandridge studied him for a long moment. “Are you certain?”
“I’ve never been more certain of anything.” Theo smiled faintly. “Though I confess I’m flattered.”
“You would have made a fine agent,” the general said.
“Some things are not meant to be,” Theo replied, grinning. “Besides, I much prefer swimming with my wife to chasing smugglers through the woods.”
Dandridge gave a small bow. “Farewell then, Your Grace.”
Theo watched him go until the man disappeared beyond the curve of the path. Then he looked back at the water.
That life was not mine, and I am finally free to choose the one that is.
He returned to the villa, and upstairs in their private rooms, the bedchamber door stood open and within, April sat at the vanity brushing out her hair, her shift slipping off one shoulder.
Theo crossed the room and placed his hands gently on her bare skin. He bent to kiss her there, just below the curve of her neck.
She met his eyes in the mirror. “Where did you go?”
He kissed her once more before answering. “An old ghost found me. A man from my father’s time.”
Her brows rose slightly, but she said nothing. Theo told her everything; the offer, this father's secret life, and the decision Theo had made.
When he finished, she stood and wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his chest.“You did the right thing, my love,” she murmured.
He held her close, breathing her in. After a moment, she pulled back and looked up at him with a familiar glint in her eyes. “Now, husband… don’t forget we’re going swimming this afternoon.”
“You are still as a post,” April called, circling him in the water, her voice echoing off the limestone walls of the cove.
Theo raised a brow. “There is a reason I am still, Madam.”
