“He won’t be coming after you again,” Allan promised. “Either that beating will stop him from ever coming back or his arrest certainly will.”
“His arrest?” she spluttered. “What for?”
“For attacking you last year.” He took her hand in both of his, holding it tightly in his own. “What he did is a crime, and maybe your parents never saw that, but I see it, and plenty of other people do too. He will be arrested for trying to hurt you.”
Frederica could summon no words. How was it possible? How had Allan managed to achieve all of this — to turn her situation on its head so that Lord Wetherington had no power?
“Come home,” he said suddenly.
“What?” Frederica’s fingers curled through his own. “But you must hate me. After what I did, after what I said.” She closed her eyes tightly, hating to remember the things she had said that night.
“How could I ever hate you?”
“I’m not worthy of you, Allan,” the words burst out of her.
“What? What rubbish!” Allan moved even nearer towards her. She supposed she should have retreated from him, but to do so now seemed like the hardest thing. She just let him come nearer, so she was looking up into his eyes. “Your parents have downtrodden you every step of your life, making you think life is about being worthy. That’s mad, Freddie,” he whispered.
“Is it?” It didn’t feel mad. Allan was too good for her. “You offered this wonderful life, and I couldn’t have it,” she tried to explain. “Lord Wetherington, he…”
“…is gone.” Allan assured her. “We’re free now. Free to do as we wish. You’re free to run your life as you wish. If you want to stay here in Cornwall, then I will not stop you.”
“What?” she spluttered in surprise.
“If this is the life you choose, then I will support you. I’ll send you money to make sure you’re more comfortable, but…” He paused, breathing deeply. In that pause, she could hear her heartbeat echoing in her ears. “But if you choose to live your life with me, I think we have the best chance of happiness together. I really do.”
Happiness. Not contentment, but something so much more!
The memory of her aunt’s words kept running through her mind.
“I beg of you to choose me, Freddie, because…” He paused another time. He looked down at the floor, seeming to weigh something up in his mind before he moved.
“What are you — oh!”
He had dropped to one knee.
“Are you actually?—?”
“I am.” He smiled.
“But we are already…”
“We are.” That smile kept on growing in the most beautiful way.
She didn’t think she had yet seen such a smile on his face. For the chance to see that smile again and again, she was nearly ready to say anything.
“Frederica,” he said her full name. “Would you do me the honor of staying married to me? Because I love you. I love you, and although I wasn’t expecting it and wasn’t ready for it, please believe me when I say I have no wish to turn back the clock. I wish to be your husband if you’ll have me.”
He loves me… he loves me!
Frederica’s heartbeat was now off the scale with joy. How could it be possible that he loved her too? That somehow, he could come knocking on her door and tell her that everything was sorted, that he had saved her from a fate she was dreading.
“That first night at the assembly, when you saved me from falling down the stairs, you kept me safe,” she whispered.
“I did.”
“I didn’t know you would make it your mission.” She blinked away tears of joy as she smiled. “To keep saving me.”
“Well, it is my mission. If you’ll have me.” He turned her hand over in his grasp and moved it to his lips, kissing the back gently.
