by Abigail Agar
There was always a chance that she might be the daughter of Mr. Clydemoor, just as her brother was his son. And, if that turned out to be the case, it could damage her relationship with her own father.
“I wanted to speak with you about everything that has happened,” she said.
“Yes, of course. I am so sorry. I know that you were angry with me before but you must be doubly furious now that I very nearly arrested your brother for murder. And that I have exposed a secret which could do so much harm to your family and their reputations,” he said.
“No, please, no. You should not be apologising to me. That is what I have come to do,” she said, nearly laughing.
“You? You wish to apologise?” Hamish asked, surprised.
This was something he had certainly not expected. Why would Miss Reid be apologising to him when he was the one who had wounded her by not trusting her? Was she really sorry about all that had happened even though Hamish was the one who had made her feel uncared for?
“Of course I do. I was wrong to have behaved as I did. I chose to have a personal understanding of your work as opposed to allowing you to do your duty as you must,” she said.
Hamish said nothing, entirely thankful that she recognised his work. It solved the question that John had posed to him about whether or not he could marry a woman who did not understand what it was that he did and the importance of it.
Now, he could see that Miss Reid really did. She had a sincere smile that shone all the way to her eyes and it was one that conveyed her regret that she had been harsh with him before.
“I pushed you to looking into all of this and I am entirely culpable for the information getting out and being now known to my family. But as for the other, I do understand and I am sorry for not understanding soon,” she said.
“I am also sorry,” Georgiana continued, “for what I said to you on the street when we met. It was cruel and petty. I allowed my anger to overwhelm me and I cannot believe that I was so cruel. I do not think of myself as being the sort of woman to utter such offenses, but I did.”
“I know that you were angry and I believe you had every right to be. I treated you as though you were complicit in a crime, questioning you and your motives,” he said.
“Such is the duty of an Inspector,” Miss Reid said.
“But that is just the thing. I never believed you to be guilty. I only questioned you for the sake of doing my job. I never actually believed that you could be capable of such wrongdoing,” he said.
“Truly? You did not think me guilty?” Miss Reid asked.
“Truly. Not in the least,” he replied.
“Well, perhaps that is the worst of it. We were divided, not over a slight. But over a perceived slight,” she said, laughing to herself…or perhaps at herself.
“I understand it, however. I should have been more considerate or, at the very least, explained to you that I needed to ask you questions for the sake of the investigation, even if some of them sounded as though they were aimed at you. And, even if I didn’t believe that you were truly capable of doing it, I had to be able to give conclusive evidence that I had ruled you out from suspicion,” he said.
“Oh, right. Of course. You could no allow them to think that you had gone too easy on me,” she said.
“Precisely. But that is all over now and I am glad that we have spoken about it and worked through it,” he said.
“As am I. Honestly, it was so difficult to try to be angry with you,” she said, confessing that she found herself to have been ridiculous.
Their eyes met for quite some time and Hamish wanted to stare into them for an eternity.
He saw in her eyes hope and longing and forgiveness. He saw joy and peace beneath a yearning to be better.
To grow.
“Oh! I very nearly forgot. I wrote this for you. It is nothing so lovely as what you wrote to me and it mostly says everything that I have just told you, but I want you to have it nevertheless,” Miss Reid said, handing him a letter.
Hamish took it in his hands and unfolded the paper, beginning to read.
The letter was beautiful, filled with the kindest of sentiments. It made him feel a bit less silly about the letter that he had written to her when he apologised.
And, he thought, filled with an affection that Miss Reid might not readily share otherwise.
Perhaps he was reading too much into the words, but he didn’t think so. When he looked back up into her eyes, he was certain that she felt the same way that he did.
He was certain that they were of the same mind.
“Miss Reid, you are something truly remarkable,” Hamish said.
“I am not. Not even nearly. I try to be adequate,” she said.
“No, really. I mean it. You are an incredible woman,” he said.
She glanced away shyly and he was finally ready to say what had been in his mind all along.
“If I thought that you would consent to a life without wealth or position, I would most likely propose to you,” he said, in a casual, yet honest way.
He saw her startled expression and wondered if it was one bound by happiness or horror.
“You would propose to me?” she asked.
“I would. But I do understand that it is not the sort of life that you desire. And, because of that, I will refrain from making such a proposition,” he said.
“Inspector Brock, you are mistaken,” she said.
There was a leap in his own heart, one of wonder and hope.
“Mistaken? How so?” Hamish asked.
“That is not the sort of life I care about. I do not seek a grand or fancy life,” she said. “I desire only your love.”
At these words, Hamish gave himself permission to step towards her and tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. Slowly and ready to move back if she wished, he brought his face forward to her, tilting her chin up, and he met her lips with his own.
Epilogue
The day of the wedding was bright and beautiful. Georgiana was thrilled when she arrived at the church, eagerly awaiting the moment she could go inside and see her soon to be husband.
She had dressed that morning in the gown that she and her mother had designed together in town at the dressmaker’s shop.
As she stood outside the doors of the church, she glanced down a final time be certain that everything was as it ought to be.
The peach fabric was soft and comfortable. It hugged her figure as best it could and the thin grey stripes accented it beautifully.
When the doors opened, Georgiana held her breath until the moment her groom was revealed.
Inspector Hamish Brock stood at the end of the aisle. A portrait of gentlemanly finery.
Although he had a perfectly tailored black coat, a crisp, white shirt, and polished, black leather shoes, it was his smile that took her breath away.
Georgiana walked down the aisle to the rhythm of the piano and met Hamish at the end.
“Dearly beloved,” the minister began.
The ceremony was a blur for Georgiana. She saw only her husband and the way he looked at her with such affection.
They celebrated the ceremony with friends and family, all surrounding them and, all behaving well with one another.
She was glad to see that her mother and father even danced together once as the musicians played.
They had made quite a few decisions together regarding their marriage.
Although there was no love for her mother’s part, they had decided to remain together and to start fresh. Her father had begun as if he was courting her mother anew.
And, to everyone’s surprise, her mother appeared to be enjoying it.
Georgiana had seen then flirting once just the previous week. She still did not know that they would ever love one another as they might wish to, but at least they were starting to live with the sort of care that should be expected of a husband and wife.
“Darling, you look absolutely splendid,” her mother said to her later.
>
“Thank you, Mother. You helped with the gown, so I am hardly surprised,” Georgiana said as her mother took her hands.
“It is not the dress that looks so beautiful. It is you and your joy. I always wanted you to be with someone who made you happy. Someone you loved so that you would never live with regret. Although, at first, I hated the decision you were making, I think it is that very husband who showed me how important it was to let you choose someone you loved no matter what,” she said.
“Well, I think we are as happy and in love as could be, Mother,” Georgiana said.
“I know. I am sure of that,” her mother said, knowingly.
“Well, I do believe that you will have another wedding to foster soon enough,” Georgiana said, as William and Olivia came dancing by.
“I do not think he ever believed he would find someone that he loved so well as Miss Smithfield. But Miss Gilroy has certainly captivated him, has she not?” her mother asked, laughing.
“I have never seen him so overwhelmed by love,” Georgiana agreed.
“Well, I think it must be a season for love, then,” her mother said with acceptance.
“Indeed, it must be,” she agreed.
“Anyway, you have many guests to attend to. Off you go. Enjoy the celebration,” her mother said.
Georgiana agreed and eagerly rushed off to see Hamish again.
“What do you think? Was it a beautiful ceremony? I thought it was, but you know I would have thought any ceremony to be beautiful if it meant marrying you,” Georgiana said.
“My dear, it was a perfect ceremony. I could not have been happier. You are the most beautiful bride my eyes have ever seen,” Hamish said.
“And now, we get to spend our lives together forever,” Georgiana said. “I shall transition from bride to wife and the rest of our days will be spent in the joy and company of just one another.”
“I would not have it any other way,” Hamish said.
Rachel came over in a hurry, throwing her arms around Georgiana.
“Oh! Congratulations, Georgiana! What an incredible day it has been. Oh, and you must take me to where you had your gown made. I mean, I know that Mr. Hillcroft has many contacts of his own, but I would still love to see where you had it done,” Rachel said.
“Of course. We must go into town together,” Georgiana said.
“I know that I do not have the financial resources that your family has for such a thing, but Mr. Hillcroft has told me that he will pay for the entire wedding, including my gown. I told him it was not necessary and that I do not need anything special, but he said that he must do whatever he can to give me a joyous day and it was the sweetest thing he could have said, do you not think?” Rachel asked.
Georgiana laughed, heartily. She loved seeing this side of Rachel. This side that was so, utterly in love with her betrothed, Mr. Hillcroft, a well-renowned milliner in town. Rachel had been thrilled that she would no longer have to be a maid.
“It was quite sweet of him,” Georgiana agreed.
“Well, anyway, I thought so. But you must be so overwhelmed today. Is it like that? Are wedding days overwhelming?” Rachel asked, clearly trying to be prepared for what was soon to pass.
“Indeed, they are. Beautiful and exciting and overwhelming and exhausting all in one. But I get to live with the knowledge that, after this, I shall go home, with my husband, and we shall begin our life together,” Georgiana said.
For nearly an hour, things continued until her father came over to her for a final hug and farewell.
“I am proud of you, my dear. Mrs. Brock,” he said.
“Thank you, Father,” she replied, responding to his embrace.
“Do you ever wonder?” he asked her.
“Wonder about what?” Georgiana asked.
“If, before you were Mrs. Brock, you were Miss Clydemoor?” he asked.
She pulled back and looked in her father’s eyes, trying to read what emotion she could find there.
“Not ever. It makes no difference to me. Do you? Do you wonder?” she asked.
“Only because I can hardly believe that I contributed to the creation of someone so good and so lovely,” he said.
Humbled, Georgiana embraced him once more.
Soon enough, the wedding came to an end and Hamish led Georgiana away from the reception and to their home.
***
“How does it feel not to be worrying about the city of London for a day? A week, actually?” Georgiana asked.
“It feels like a dream. John promised me at the wedding that he would not come for me even if the whole city decided to burn,” Hamish said.
“Oh…well, I do hope that doesn’t happen,” she replied.
“Can you believe it was just yesterday that we got married?” Hamish asked, as they sat on the balcony of their room and stared out at the street behind the townhouse.
“Not at all. It seems to me that it was months ago and we are already well into our marriage,” she replied.
Hamish laughed.
“Oh, I am sure that we will find that amusing once we really are well into the marriage. I think we shall have experiences that alert us to what it truly is to be married,” he said.
“Yes, I suppose you are right,” Georgiana agreed.
She had wanted to spend the entire day with her husband, but instead it had been a whirlwind of celebration, filled with such a great deal of excitement that Georgiana had been swept into. Despite not being what she had wanted at the start, Georgiana had loved it and had not wanted the day to end at all.
Hamish had been quite exhausted by the end of the day. He was not so much for all the people and dancing as Georgiana had been and she laughed that her new husband had been rather overwhelmed, although she had done all she could to ensure that John was by his side through most of it.
Still, she had understood when he turned to her with a panicked expression at one point when her aunt was not leaving him alone, going on and on about her gratitude that he kept the streets safe and how she had been so happy Georgiana had met him.
Of course, the story of their meeting had been boiled down to one simple fact whenever they told the tale.
A ring had been stolen and Georgiana enlisted his help in finding it.
It was the only way they thought they could share a bit of the truth but keep the privacy of Georgiana’s family. She had been so grateful that Hamish had understood the necessity of that.
“I suppose there will be a time, in the future, when we wish that we could come back to this day,” Georgiana said.
“I believe it will happen often. And on every anniversary, we ought to think back to it and remember every last detail so that we might never forget it,” Hamish said.
Georgiana loved the idea. Although she was far more eager about the future and planning their life together, she loved the idea of taking the time to remember how it had begun, what their foundations were and how they spent that beautiful day.