CHAPTER 33 — A BRIDE FOR US

“I buried them by the apple tree—she loved apples,” he spoke with his face turned toward the fire, his fingers forming a fist.

Lily placed her hand against the side of his face and gently turned his face to her. He turned to her, and she noticed the tears that stained his face. Without a word, she ran her fingers across his cheeks until she had rid his face of the tears.

The two sat staring into each other’s eyes, neither person saying a word for several minutes.

Lily allowed his tale to sink into her being until she could feel every pain and grief he felt—until she could fully understand. She understood then the night he had gotten upset about the apples. She understood his reluctance to love her. She understood his withdrawal, and even now as she sat in his lap, staring into his teary eyes, she understood his tears.

There were no words of comfort, Lily concluded. Several times, as they sat staring at each other, she tried to speak, but words seemed inadequate.

Rising to her feet, she pulled his arm until he was standing along with her. She turned and led him to bed, holding him in her arms until the silence lulled them to sleep.

She woke up to an empty bed the next morning. Struggling to a sitting position, she scanned the room for Raymond, finding him seated on the chair by the fireplace with a canvas before him.

He peeked from behind the canvas, his eyes coming to rest on her as a frown claimed his handsome face.

“I was almost finished, love,” he grumbled.

Her heart skipped a beat for several seconds as she sat there, her mind rewinding repeatedly his reference to her: ‘Love.’ Not Miss Austin, not Lily—Love!

She didn’t realize it when he stood up, or when he covered the distance between them and placed himself on the bed, until he touched her face.

“Are you alright?” She raised her eyes to find that the frown on his face had deepened. “You seem pale.”

She swallowed. “You—” she began, taking a deep breath. “Will you please say that again?” Seeing the confusion on his face, she elaborated, “Love, you called me ‘love ‘. Say it again.”

“Did I?” He appeared genuinely confused.

She nodded, tears springing to her eyes. She could hardly believe they had gotten here—she could hardly believe she was no longer required to fight for his heart. She finally had his heart, and she wanted to keep it forever.

“Love,” he said once more, causing her heart to skip a beat yet again.

She smiled through her tears. “I feel like a bride, your bride and the children’s. This must be what it feels like to be a bride.”

Smiling, he said, “A bride for us?”

When she nodded, he leaned down and kissed her.

“Would you like to see the painting, the one I was working on before you woke up?”

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down over her. “A bride deserves a proper honeymoon, doesn’t she?”

“Forgive me, love,” he whispered, capturing her lips once more.

As his hands found her buttons, as his kisses trailed her body, as their skin contacted each other setting her body ablaze, and as he wrapped her in his arms until they became one, she knew that for the first time since she got married to him, she was finally experiencing love.

***

She was wrong.

The thought stuck to Fiona’s mind that evening, nearly driving her mad. She was wrong to think Raymond and Lily were not in love. She could see just by looking at them, that they were, and it was enough to infuriate her.

She watched with rising anger, as Lily’s gaze followed Raymond until he was walking out of the doors of the town hall that evening.

“It is only for a few minutes, Lily,” Fiona snapped, her grip on the glass of wine tightening.

“I’m sorry, Fiona.” Lily turned to her with a smile on her face.

“I’m sure Raymond will be back once he has concluded his business with the farmer.” Fiona was bitter. Lifting the glass up, she took a long sip of her wine.

“Oh.” Lily glanced down at her hands. “I only miss him already.”

“Then you love him. Of course, this will not be a problem if he loves you.”

“He does.” Lily’s answer nearly made Fiona throw her glass to the floor. “Our marriage is a lot better.”

“I see.” Fiona drained her cup and placed it on the dessert table behind them. “You chose not to bring the children tonight?” she asked, tiring of Raymond.

Lily shook her head. “It seemed best. Also, Scarlet is growing up so fast; they’ll be fine in her care.”

“Surely a thirteen-year-old cannot care for five children!” Fiona laughed at the thought. “And if Raymond has a seventh child, will Scarlet be forced to care for six children?”

“I hope so. With the way things are going, I might get pregnant again.”

Fiona sighed, hating that the conversation was back to the newly found love Raymond and Lily shared. “Then you would keep this one?” she asked, lifting another glass of wine from the table and taking a long sip.

“Well, why not?”

Fiona gently shook the cup in her hand, finding entertainment in the moving liquid in her cup. “I only assumed that since you were willing to get rid of the last pregnancy, you wouldn’t want another.” When Lily didn’t respond for several seconds, Fiona continued, “Perhaps my assumption was wrong.”

“How... How did you find out I was pregnant?” Lily sounded upset, surprising Fiona and causing her to glance up. “It was a miscarriage, Fiona, I didn’t get rid of it!” she spat.

“You don’t have to lie about it, Lily. Even if the society frowns at abortions, I can keep a secret.”

“There is nothing to keep!”

“But Raymond said you did. And, before you get upset with him, he was drunk when he did.”

“What?!”

“Very well.” Fiona turned away. She should have known Lily would never admit to committing an abortion. It wasn’t her business anyway, seeing as the wine was making her dizzy and the thought of Lily being happy with Raymond was making her visibly upset.

“I would never do that to my baby!”

“Will you stop with the lies?!” she yelled, furious. “Isn’t that how Raymond got stranded in my boarding house, isn’t that how he got trapped by the snow?”

“I will leave you to your wine, Fiona! And if for a second, I assumed you were my friend, I stand corrected, for the wine has loosened your tongue and you have just confessed to spreading lies about my family.”

Fiona watched Lily walk away, confused at what it was she had said or done to upset her. With a loud hiss, she lifted the glass to her lips and drained it of its content before stumbling out of the room and into her carriage.