I smiled to myself now, as the sun warmed my face and the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves pressed against the dirt road hugging the edge of the cliff. To my right, the Atlantic Ocean spread out in all its glory, a gateway to both my past and future. Someday, I would return to England with Alec and perhaps I could get to know both my mother and father better.
For now, I was quite content to focus on my husband.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked Alec in a lazy sort of voice, not eager to be anywhere in particular, except by his side.
“You’ll know the moment we arrive,” he said with a smile in his voice.
We’d only been married for six hours, but it felt as if I’d known him my whole life. Being Alec’s wife was the most natural thing I’d ever done. And our journey had only just begun.
“Do you think Aunt Maude is angry that we’ve decided to use your family name?” I asked him.
“Perhaps,” he sighed. “But she’ll have to get used to it.” He kissed the top of my head. “I like being Mr. and Mrs. Paxton. And I am especially fond of the name Keira Paxton.”
I snuggled closer to him, thankful I’d taken the time to have Gallagher help me change into a traveling gown, though I still wore my locket and I’d attached the flower broach Alec had given me for Christmas. He’d also changed clothes with the help of his valet, and he was wearing the silk flower he’d purchased from me outside the Metropolitan Opera House. We’d left the breakfast before anyone was the wiser. No doubt Aunt Maude and the prince would do a fabulous job entertaining people for as long as they wanted to stay. And since many of them were renting rooms at the hotel, the party might continue all day.
Seagulls dipped and glided over the ocean as a gentle breeze tossed the tendrils of hair around my face. I’d quickly fallen in love with Newport and had decided that whenever Alec needed to travel there for work, I would come with him. We had our own suite of rooms in the hotel, and they would very much feel like home.
We were only five miles north of Newport when he turned off the road and onto a tree-covered lane. The sunlight dappled the horse as we plodded forward, and I looked up at Alec with anticipation.
“Soon,” he said, kissing me gently on the lips.
A small stone bridge appeared up ahead, and I sat straight, delighted by a bubbling brook that ran beneath it. He paused on the bridge to give me the opportunity to watch it for a moment and then tapped the reins against the horse’s back to continue.
We hadn’t gone far when the path turned to the right and the trees opened to reveal a little stone cottage, tucked into the woods. The stream meandered around it, disappearing intothe trees. Just behind the cottage was a stone foot bridge and beyond that was an orchard.
Alec pulled the reins and the horse stopped. But he wasn’t looking at the enchanting scene before us. He was watching me.
“What do you think?” he asked me. “It’s almost as far as you can get from the Mississippi River, and it’s not really a cabin, but it’s near a stream and it’s all yours, Keira.”
I tore my gaze away from the cottage and studied him. “All mine?”
“Every last square inch. It’s my wedding gift to you, and whenever we come to Newport for business, we won’t need to stay at the noisy hotel, if you don’t want. We can get away here, just the two of us, and enjoy a little solitude. There are no neighbors for miles—and even if someone wanted to build a house here, they couldn’t, because I’ve purchased several hundred acres around the cottage.”
“Alec.” I shook my head in amazement and disbelief.
He grinned. “You don’t need to say anything. Your face is telling me everything I need to know.” He kissed me, tenderly and thoroughly, leaving me breathless.
“Let’s go inside,” he said. “I have another surprise for you.”
“How did you manage all of this?” I asked.
“I’ve had my eye on this cottage for a long time, even before I met you. And when you described your dream to me, long ago in Aunt Maude’s library, I began to picture this moment.” He chuckled. “I still can’t believe God orchestrated all of this, but I will spend the rest of my life thanking Him.”
He tethered the horse to a hitching post with a mounting block nearby, and after securing the reins, he helped me use the mounting block to step down from the buggy.
The cottage appeared bigger up close, with large windows on either side of the front door and a second floor under the eavesabove. A small porch covered the front of the house and Alec held my hand as we stepped onto it.
Two rocking chairs graced the porch, with a view of the stream nearby. I smiled, picturing us there in the evenings, Alec reading aloud as I spent my time sewing. I’d already laid plans for an organization to provide clothing for children in the tenements. In my spare time, I hoped to sew dresses for little girls who grew up like me, and I’d already found others who wanted to help. I couldn’t wait to return to New York and set our plans into action—but first, our honeymoon.
After he opened the front door, he surprised me by lifting me into his arms to carry me over the threshold.
I laughed in delight and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He kissed me again, using any opportunity he could, and I relished it.
The main room of the cottage was just as charming as the rest, with rustic timber and a stone fireplace. But it was the far wall that made me inhale with pleasure.
“A library!” I told him.
He grinned and set me on my feet. “Everywhere we live, I want us to be surrounded by books.”
