“Clara, don’t put yourself in a box.”
She watched the agent ride away. “I’m still not ready, John.”
He drew in a deep breath. Don’t let her start down that dark path, Lord. Lead her to still waters. He took her by the elbow and led her into the entry hall. “How is he?”
This time her eyes lit up. “Perfect. He’s sleeping. The journey wore him out, and Penelope and I laid him down for a nap before she went out.”
He nodded. “Good.”
“Thank you again for what you are doing for us.”
“You’ve said that already. Many times.”
“I know.”
“We’ll raise him as our own, and no matter what happens, you will always have a place with us and with him.” He tilted his head toward the door. “But that doesn’t mean sacrificing your own happiness. He’s a good man with a spotless reputation.”
“I need to check on Matthew.”
She climbed the steps. John sent another prayer up behind her.
Fortis carried him to the Castle in record time. Penelope was exactly where he knew she would be, reclining at the base of the Angel Tree, her riding habit billowed out around her. He watched her as he tied Fortis next to her horse, warmth flooding his chest. How was it possible that he loved her even more now than he had a year ago?
“I’m sorry we couldn’t stop last night,” he said as he walked up to her.
She smiled. Her hat lay off to the side, and a few strands of hair danced in the breeze.
“Matthew was sleeping, and it was too dark.” She reached over and pushed back the tufts of grass that had grown too close to the angel marker.
He sat down against the tree’s sturdy trunk, propping one leg up in front of him, and began to pull the grass away.
She laid a hand over his. Concern dulled her azure eyes. “Don’t.”
“Why?”
“People will see and ask questions.” She squeezed his fingers. “She should remain hidden.”
The sadness in her voice gave him exactly what he needed to tell her of the plans he’d been working on since Matthew’s birth in Italy.
“She’s not staying here.”
“John—”
He pulled her against him and drank her in. He never wanted to see such worry and pain in those eyes again. When they eventually parted, she pressed her cheek to his chest, and he tightened his hold on her with a deep sigh.
“I’m going to have her moved to a place on the Hall grounds.” He smiled when she raised her wide eyes to his and continued, “I’ve had the new agent working on a private garden while we’ve been gone. For you. That’s where she’ll be. No one will see her, and no one will ever have to know except us.”
She swallowed. “Thank you.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. He swept it away with the pad of his thumb. “We’ll visit our daughter together.”
Confusion wrote a V between her brows. “Our daughter ... but ...”
He silenced her with another kiss. A long moment later, he broke it resting his forehead against hers as he continued, “You said in our vows all that is in your heart is mine. That makes her my daughter too.”
This time, as he pulled her close, he let the tears stream down her face unchecked.
THE END
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A Perfect Weakness Page 25