Was there a part that bored or that you didn't really like in the book?

Even a character, a scene, or anything. You could say no if nothing bothered you.

How did you feel about Lucy's character? *

• I loved her, she was a very powerful character!
• She was okay, I liked Edward more!
• I didn't like her, she was rude and obnoxious!

Did you find the character's past to be too heavy and overwhelming? *

• No, I found it to be a believable and compelling aspect of their characters.
• I had mixed feelings. I felt it added depth to their characters but it could have been a bit less heavy.
• Yes, I found it be too heavy and overwhelming. It detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

Do you think that there should have been more intimate scenes between Lucy and Edward *

• Yes, more steamy scenes, please!
• No, I didn't like them. I skipped through them!
• I don't have a preference. I liked it as is!

Anything else you'd like to share?

Submit

One Year Later…

It had taken a full year for the physicians to finally grant Edward permission to travel. As much as he had objected to it, Lucy had firmly sided with the doctors – and loath to upset her, Edward had begrudgingly agreed to postpone their honeymoon.

Now, however, it was finally happening: they were on their way to travel the world, leaving the heartache of London in their wake.

Julian Pembroke had survived Edward’s assault, though the man firmly believed that Edward had scarred him for life. Thanks to the ingenuity of Evelyn Lockhart, nothing came of the situation.

The same could not be said of Henry Beaumont, who was facing a bleak life in a London prison for the murder of his wife.

Edward dragged his eyes away from the endless blue of the sea to find his wife. She too, seemed enthralled by the beauty of the ocean, leaning over the edge of the ship eagerly. He approached her carefully, wrapping his arms around her form and pressing a kiss on her blonde hair.

Was she too thinking of all they had left behind?

“What are you thinking, my love?”

He asked the question hesitantly. He knew that it had been difficult for her to leave Nicolas and Maria behind, knew that while he had faced his own share of darkness, she was often still plagued by the darkness that had permeated her childhood.

When she turned, however, all his hesitation and doubts disappeared. Her eyes shone with a light he would never tire of seeing.

“I am excited. I spent years in my chamber, dreaming of seeing the places I could only read about… dreaming of visiting France, Greece, or Italy… and now, look at us! We are on our way to visit these places.”

Edward wrapped her in a tighter embrace and rested his chin on her head.

“Leaving London behind.”

Though he said it with a hint of concern, Lucy smiled and leaned back against him.

“We are leaving the darkness of our past behind, my love… and we have the future in front of us. Let’s not think of all that London cost us. The world is ours.”

Edward breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes once more found the blue of the ocean.

His wife was happy. Nothing else mattered.

***

With her husband’s arms around her, Lucy was certain that she could face the world without a sliver of doubt.

Though it was true that she was excited to visit the cities she had only dreamed of visiting, it did not mean that leaving London – or her past – had been easy.

It was necessary, however, to escape, at least for a while. Perhaps, if time willed it, they would return one day. As it was now, they needed to get out of London – they needed a place of their own.

As Lucy’s eyes drifted over the travelers on the boat, a familiar figure moved into her peripheral.

Could it be?

She hesitated, eyeing the woman curiously for a minute before the realization struck.

Indeed – it was Odette!

She pressed a quick kiss against her husband’s lips before excusing herself, making her way to the other woman eagerly. Odette looked beautiful and serene. It struck her now, that though they had always been perfectly polite to one another, she could have had a friend in the other woman.

Odette certainly tried to build that friendship. It was Lucy who kept the woman at a distance, unfairly so.

“Odette!”

The woman’s eyes lit up at the sound of her name, and she moved forward quickly, wrapping Lucy in a warm hug.

“Lucy! I cannot believe it, it is so good to see a familiar face on this ship!”

Lucy smiled back at her, gesturing around curiously.

“It is, indeed. What are you doing here?”

Odette grinned and held her left hand out to Lucy, her eyes shining with joy.

“I am on my honeymoon!”

Again, the realization of a friendship she had missed struck Lucy at the announcement.

“You are married? I did not know that! Who is it? You must tell me everything.”

Odette laughed kindly at this and shrugged. “It is a rather long story.”

“Well…” Lucy gestured at the boat with a laugh. “We are stuck on this boat for days to come. We have nothing but time.”

Odette relented with a smile and slipped her arm through Lucy’s.

“In that case, we will start right at the beginning, with a little girl growing up in the South of France…”

The End?

If you want to know what lies ahead in our story, you may want to get the sequel…

An English soldier and a Frence rebel! When the line between captor and prisoner becomes increasingly blurred, will they stay true to their cause or succumb to the undeniable pull of their hearts?

When the Duke Met his Match