“Send her home,” Montgomery said. “Send her anywhere but here.”
Taking Veronica’s hand, he turned and headed toward the bridge.
“You thought it was Amanda,” he said.
She nodded. “It seemed like something Amanda would do. How very strange for two people to dislike me so much.”
“I don’t think Amanda likes anyone unless that person can serve her needs,” he said. “As for Millicent, she’s a twisted soul.”
At the top of the bridge, Veronica turned and surveyed the damage.
“Will you rebuild the distillery?”
“We’ll build a place for airships, instead.”
She leaned on the edge of the bridge, gazing down at the water. Dawn was coloring the river orange and pink, shades strangely in keeping with the memory of a night filled with fire.
“How did she know fouling the paraffin oil would make the burner go out?”
“Who tends the lamps?” he asked. “Who filters the oil?”
“Millicent,” she said. “Of course.” A moment later, she asked another question. “She did it because she thought I’d be with you, didn’t she?”
“You were on the first flight. Everyone at Doncaster Hall saw us, which probably gave her the idea.”
“I wasn’t on the second flight,” she said. “Nor did she know I’d be on the one you let people know was planned. She’d have killed you, Montgomery.”
She walked into his arms, clung to him.
“It’s strange to make someone that angry at me,” she said.
His silence earned him a quick look.
“I was neverthatangry,” she said.
He smiled, and wordlessly they descended the other side of the bridge, taking the path back to Doncaster Hall, a journey interrupted each time someone wanted to speak with them.
Veronica was grateful to see no one seemed to blame her still for Montgomery’s accident. Word of Millicent’s confession had probably already circulated through the staff. Also, Montgomery was still holding her hand, and despite how many times they were stopped, refused to relinquish it.
“Why didn’t you choose her?” he asked, when they had a moment alone.
“Millicent? I had a feeling about her,” Veronica said.
“Your Gift?”
She glanced at him, but he only smiled.
“I’m beginning to think you can see into the hearts of others,” he said. “God knows you have the ability to see into mine.”
Her smile was a beautiful thing, alluring and tempting. He had no choice but to kiss her in full view of everyone.
Someone cheered, and he grinned when he pulled back.
Veronica laughed, tucked her hand in his, and together they continued toward the house.
Doncaster Hall commanded the knoll like a king upon his throne. Around it sat an emerald cloak of trees. The scepter of river ran close, the rays of a rising sun turning the surface gold.
The morning air was filled with scent, but unlike Virginia’s heady magnolia and jasmine, this was a mix of burning wood and scorched earth. Overlying it was a breeze carrying the flavor of winter beneath the warmth.
