“You needed the cloak more than I did. My hat blew off while we were running.” He raked his dripping hair away from his forehead with his hands and laughed softly. “Have you figured out why we’re here?”
“No,” she answered truthfully. “I can’t say I expected ever to step a foot in a church again.”
Hawk took off his gloves, stuffed them in the pocket of his coat, and then took both her hands in his. “We’re here because you’ve been adamant that your vow was made in the church. That meant something to you when you said it. I admire you for honoring that. But now it’s time to let it go, and this is the place for you to do it. You took your oath in a church and this is where you need to recant it.”
Loretta’s breaths halted in her throat, but somehow she managed to whisper, “What?”
“Recant it. Here and now.”
Her shivering returned. “I—I can’t.”
“You can.” He squeezed her hands tighter. “If it’s wrong, this is also the place for forgiveness, too. Just ask for it.”
Loretta couldn’t speak. She didn’t know what to say. She’d never thought about coming to a church, the place where she’d made the vow, and recanting it.
“Did you forgive your uncle for banishing you to Mammoth House?” Hawk asked.
“Yes. You know I did. I told you.”
“And you will forgive Farley for stealing from you. Maybe not yet, but in time, even though what he took was precious to you.”
“Yes. I will. In time.” She shook her head. “No, I probably already have. He’s only a wayward boy. It’s not his fault he’s had no one to help him know right from wrong and how to behave.”
“And you, Loretta, can be forgiven for recanting a vow you were forced to make when you were an eighteen-year-old girl. Forgiveness should be given to everyone who asks for it.” He pulled her closer to him. “You can’t change the number of seconds in a minute, the length of an hour, or the days in a week. But you can change your future. Recant and save yourself from a life you were never destined to live.”
Hope grew inside her. Could she do it? Was Hawk right? Was it up to her to save herself? All he said sounded rational. She looked around the small church. Stone walls held few adornments. There were several sconces, three tapestries, and a small stained-glass window. It was cold and deeply shadowed, but suddenly a warm, peaceful feeling settled over her. Her body relaxed with an almost liquid quality to it.
“You deserve to do it for yourself, but if you won’t, Loretta, then do it for me.”
She looked into Hawk’s eyes and without further thought whispered, “I recant the vow I made to never marry.” She smiled and then added, “To the duke, with love.”
An almost painful sigh of relief passed Hawk’s lips as he whispered, “Yes.” He laid his forehead against the top of her head. “I didn’t know if I could convince you to do it.”
“You were right,” she answered, swallowing a small lump of emotion that had formed in her throat. “I needed to do it here. It feels right. Gone. Over. I know I’m free from it.”
Hawk lifted his head and touched his lips to hers in a brief, gentle kiss. He then straightened. “Your lips are cold.”
“My feet are freezing, too,” she said, her teeth beginning to chatter.
“I should have realized that after all the pools of water we ran through. Let’s get back to my house.”
Hawk once again lifted the hood over Loretta’s head and they turned and ran up the aisle, out the church doors, down the steps, and away into the rainy darkness. Fate was with them once again. No carriages passed them along the street. They rushed through the iron gates and up the steps.
At his door, Hawk stopped and guided her to the far side of the portico, away from the light. “I know you’re cold, but you must stand here in the shadows for a little longer. I don’t want a blemish on your reputation. I’m going inside to send someone to ready my carriage and bring it around front so I can take you home. If Price or anyone else is up, I’ll send them to bed so they won’t see you when we go inside.”
“There’s no need for that,” she offered. “I can wait out here until the carriage comes.”
“No. You’ve been in the cold long enough. It will take time to get someone dressed and off to the stable, and then to get the horses harnessed and hitched to the carriage. I won’t leave you out here that long.” He cupped her cheek lovingly. “Remain here. I’ll be right back for you.”
Loretta nodded and Hawk disappeared into the house.
The wait wasn’t long. Within minutes, Hawk opened the door again and ushered her into his house, down the corridor, and into his book room, where he shut the door and locked it. He led her over to the fireplace. Looking around, he grabbed a woolen blanket off a chair and placed it on the floor. Taking the damp cloaks from around her shoulders, he threw them aside and helped her sit down. He then bent to his knees and went to work building a small fire.
When the flame caught the wood, Loretta extended her legs toward the heat. Hawk sat down, and then with some effort stretched and wiggled his foot until he tugged off first one damp boot and then the other, placing them before the fire.
He turned to her. “Your hair and clothing are damp. Just like the first night we met.”
“I was remembering that night, too,” she answered, softly. “But tonight my toes are so cold they’re feeling quite numb.”
