Arabella grinned at the young woman’s resilience. It was truly a blessing to witness.
“Very well, but do let me know when you’re ready to go. I want to go with you, just in case.”
Helen nodded, and Arabella looped her arm through Harry’s. “Why don’t Harry and I go outside already? We will wait for you in the garden.”
Hanna grinned and stood up suddenly. “We will join you in a few minutes.”
Arabella waited by the garden door for Harry to return. The fresh air was invigorating. The confrontation with Sir Richard had been dreadful, but it was over now. They had quashed the threat, and now they could focus on the future.
“Are you ready?” Harry asked a few minutes later.
He opened the door with one hand while holding hers with the other. They stepped outside, greeted by the sweet scent of lavender and roses.
“I wanted to be alone with you for a few minutes,” she said.
“As did I. I am so proud of you, Arabella,” he murmured. “The way you stood up to my uncle—I can scarcely believe it. When I think back to your argument with your father on our wedding day, it is as if you are a different woman.”
Her heart swelled with pride at his words. “I had to stand up for you and Helen, just as you stood up for me against my father. The truth is, Harry, I believe I have grown more in these last few months than I had in the past ten years. I feel stronger, more determined not to allow anyone to put me down again—nor those I love.”
“I must confess, I feel the same. You’ve given me a strength I never knew I possessed. It is quite remarkable. Although we were brought together under unfortunate circumstances, I am grateful to your father for it. I shudder to think what he might have done to your sisters if he had tried the same with them. Iwant them to be happy, but I am also concerned about what my uncle said. Do you truly think he could ruin their courtships?”
Arabella shrugged. “Perhaps. Lord Hennessey has always been close to your uncle, and his father before him. But time will tell. If those courtships fall apart, we shall simply have to orchestrate new ones—better ones.”
She paused for a moment, enjoying the feel of her hand in his, then smiled. “I can scarcely believe all we have been through these last few weeks. It feels as though years have passed, not just a few months. So much has happened.”
Harry chuckled. “I must agree. It has been quite eventful, and it is not over yet. We will be taking Helen to Ireland so she can stay with your brother. Are you ready for that?”
“I am, with you by my side. I admit that I do hope that my relationship with my brother will improve through this. I am amazed that he is genuinely apologetic for what has happened.”
“We all learn and grow, Arabella. Well, most of us. I dare say my uncle and your father are perhaps beyond help in that regard. But I think it best to minimize our contact with them and focus on the things that bring us happiness—our family, your sisters, Helen, and each other. You make me happier than I ever imagined possible. You have made me stronger, and you have made me more selfless. I couldn’t be more thankful. I love you, and I am so sorry for all the times I treated you coldly. I thought I was protecting you.”
“I understand. And I must ask for your forgiveness for continuously accusing you of the worst things. First, I believed you were trying to rid yourself of an unwanted child, then I thought you were engaged in an affair with Helen, only to discover how wrong I was.”
“I should have told you the truth sooner, but it is all behind us now. I cannot wait to have Helen back here, living with us, as part of our family.”
“I want that too,” Arabella beamed. “And I want my sisters to be happily married, preferably to locals. And perhaps one day, Alexander can join us,” she added, a small part of her yearning for her brother’s presence in her life. Then she looked up at Harry. “And I wish for a family of our own as well. Children—little boys and girls running all around the estate.”
He squeezed her hand. “I wish for that too, more than anything. But there is something else I would like.”
“What is that?” she asked.
To her surprise, he got down on one knee before her.
“Arabella Ridlington,” he began. “I know we are already married by law, but I want nothing more than for you to become my wife—not just in the eyes of the law, but in our hearts as well. Arabella, would you do me the honor of marrying me again, this time with only our family and friends as witnesses and because you want to, not because you were made to?”
Arabella felt tears stinging her eyes, and then they rolled down her cheeks. Soon enough, her ivory skin was once again streaked with the pearl powder she wore, reminiscent of their first meeting. But this time, she did not care. This time, it didn’t matter. What she felt at that moment for Harry was nothing but pure, genuine love.
“I do,” she whispered as she sank to her knees, getting dirt all over her skirt.
She threw her arms around him, and he pulled her into an embrace. When their lips met, Arabella knew that at long last, her struggle to find a place where she belonged was over.
EPILOGUE
Galway, Ireland
Three Months Later
“This is your cottage for the time being,” Alexander said, waving his hand in a circle before pointing it with a flourish at the beautiful whitewashed cottage before them.
