One Year Later

Arabella didn’t know what had woken her, but suddenly she was staring at the wall. It was still dark, the night warm enough that they had the window open for a gentle breeze. Even with the window open and only a single sheet on the bed, Arabella was sweating and her mouth was dry.

Then she realized that she was alone in the bed. She sat up and looked to David’s side of the bed. He was gone, although the bed was still warm. And the crib against the wall was also empty.

For a moment, Arabella panicked. Where had her son gone? Had she been so tired that she had left him downstairs? Then she remembered. She had brought him up when he was falling asleep. She had put him in his crib and had rocked him to sleep before David brought her to bed himself.

Arabella had a good idea where they might be.

Slipping out of bed, Arabella found her robe and slipped it on. Then she left the room, tiptoeing towards the stairs. Even as she did, she could hear loud snoring coming from Katherine’s room. Her daughter was a sound sleeper and the noise she emitted simply made anything insignificant. It had taken Arabella and David some time to get used to sleeping when they could hear the eight-year-old snoring away on the other side of the cottage.

Now Arabella understood why her mother had always been so exhausted.

David was on the lawn when Arabella stepped outside, walking in a slow circle near the rose bush. Samuel was in his arms, bundled up in muslin. As Arabella approached, she could see that their son was now asleep. He must have woken up at some point and David had taken him out of the room.

David looked up as she reached him.

“You should be sleeping.”

“I woke up and saw you were gone.” Arabella leaned her head on David’s shoulder. “You’re far too diligent with him, David.”

“I want to be.”

Arabella couldn’t respond to that. David hadn’t been able to do that with Katherine, and had mourned the loss of watching her grow up. Now he was making the most of it with Samuel, showering his attention on the baby. Katherine had grumbled a few times about David not showing her the same, which had David quickly changing. He was so desperate to get it right that he stumbled a few times, but Arabella knew that Katherine forgave him. She was bright enough to know that David felt a lot of guilt over not being there, and she simply gave him a hug and said she loved him.

That girl was the most forgiving child Arabella had ever met.

“He does love you so much.” She stroked Samuel’s head. “You seem to be the only one who can calm him.”

“I’m glad.” David smiled. “I like to know I’m doing something right.”

“You don’t need to do that.” Arabella sighed. “Can you ever forgive me for what I did?”

David shook his head and turned to her.

“Arabella, stop. We’ve been through this before.”

“I still feel guilty over it.”

“I know you do, and you don’t need to. I forgave you a long time ago.” David leaned over and kissed her. “We’re married now, and we’re a family. That’s more than enough for me.”

Arabella had to fight back the urge to cry. A year on since they were reunited, ten months since they were finally married, and she still had a lot of guilt over what she did. She tried to make it up to David whenever she could, even when David protested about what she was doing and it was not needed. She had given him two children as well as herself, and that was more than enough for him.

There was a lot of making up to do, and they had to start somewhere.

“Lord Derby approached me today,” David said as he straightened up. “He says he has an offer of a job.”

“Even though you’ve already got one?”

“You know I haven’t done anything with that for a year now.” David rocked Samuel a little more as he stirred. “Lord Derby thought that this might suit me better.”

Arabella wasn’t sure about that. David had told her stories about the farming on his family estate and how much he had enjoyed it. It was hard for him to do anything when they were settled in one of Lord Derby’s cottages on his estate. Being the son of a viscount, David didn’t really need a job. But he liked to be kept busy and had done various jobs around Lord Derby’s estate. That did raise people’s eyebrows, but David hadn’t cared. He was good at it. As long as he was happy, Arabella was happy.

“Anyway, the Harpur family wrote to him for recommendations,” David went on.

“The Harpur family at Calke Abbey?”

“Yes. They’re looking for a groundskeeper after their last one passed away recently. Lord Derby put my name forward.”

Arabella knew where this was going.

“And you want to ask what my opinion is about it.”

“Of course.” David cradled Samuel in one arm and cupped Arabella’s jaw with the other. “You’re my wife, Arabella. You have a say as well. What do you think?”

Arabella could see David was excited about it. The Harpur family were generous and they were good friends of the Earl’s. And David was happy being a laborer more than a member of Society’s elite. Ian and Geoffrey were happy to go into Society, but David preferred getting his hands dirty, doing proper work. It was where he thrived.

Arabella wanted to see it. She smiled.

“It’s only an hour’s ride away. We can still see our families, and it sounds like it will do you good.”

“You’re not sad that you’re not going to be in Society as the wife to the heir of the viscountcy?”

Arabella laughed. “I can’t see you doing that. And I would rather be as normal as I can be.”

David’s shoulders slumped. He looked relieved.

“That’s just what I hoped you’d say.”

“If you knew, why did you even ask?”

David smiled as he tugged her close, tucking her into his side as he kissed her, still cradling their son in his arms.

“Because I wanted to hear it from you.”

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