Chapter Twenty-Two
Lisbeth stood in the library, enjoying a brandy and flipping through the pages of a book.
It was far too late to be awake, but she couldn’t sleep.
Maybe another story would help. She stood and walked to one of the bookshelves, hoping to find something that would keep her interest or help her fall asleep.
“You have the same idea as me,” Thomas said.
He was in trousers and a hastily buttoned-up shirt. Lisbeth gasped at the sight he made. She still couldn’t get over how different he was from the boy she left all those years ago. He was all hard muscle and temptation, she thought. Warmth flowed through her.
Thomas smiled at her. “You are ogling me, duchess.”
She flushed. “I hate it when you call me that.”
He winced. “Noted. I will refrain from doing so. Why, though?”
Lisbeth gave him a pointed look. “You only call me that when you are angry with me.”
He frowned, and she insisted. “It’s true.”
A sigh escaped him. “I can’t call you Lizzie or duchess?”
She loved that he called her Lizzie, probably too much. It did something to her heart. “I don’t mind the first one.”
“You will always be my Lizzie.”
He stepped closer to her, running his knuckles up and down her arm. She shivered, something delicious coursing through her. Flustered, she moved back. “You are too much and so large.”
He laughed. “You don’t like how I’ve changed.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t say that. I just never envisioned you’d fill out so much.”
A smirk flashed across his face. It gave him a rakish appearance. She sighed. “You were always so bookish and slender.”
Thomas nodded. “It wasn’t intentional, but I think it came with the work I was doing.”
“I can’t believe you’re so famous.”
“It was not my grand plan,” he explained.
Lisbeth, unable to control her tongue, said, “You’ve certainly been enjoying your success recently.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Everything I’ve ever accomplished, it was you who was always on my mind. I would wonder what it would be like if you were with me or what you thought, and if it ever made you regret leaving me.”
Antiquities had been their dream together, and he’d accomplished far more than she ever imagined on his own. “I did follow your escapades, and when I was alone sometimes, I would wonder what it would have been like to be with you.”
He hoarsely said, “I’m glad I wasn’t alone with my torturous thoughts.”
They stood there awkwardly, and then finally Thomas asked, “Are you tired?”
Lisbeth shook her head. He smiled and sat in a wingback chair. “Sit and talk with me.”
Hesitation filled her. She wasn’t sure why—probably because so much had happened in the last week.
“How am I supposed to show you we are meant to be if we don’t talk?”
“You need to decide if you can forgive me. We can’t tell Alice until she is older,” she said, but sat.
Thomas nodded, and sadness seemed to settle on his shoulder. She frowned. “I wish things could have been—”
He shook his head. “We need to move past wishing things were different. They weren’t. We won’t survive if we keep dwelling on what could have been.”
Since the first moment Lisbeth had seen Thomas in Syria, she’d been lost in what-ifs. It was easier said than done. Thomas squeezed her hand. “Tell me about Alice and Jeremy. Would you like a glass of wine?”
Lisbeth nodded, and he rose, heading to a small table with a wine decanter and glasses. An odd sensation pricked her skin. This all felt oddly normal. She kept the thought to herself and took a wine glass from Thomas before he settled back into his chair.
She smiled. “Alice is eleven. She is rebellious and curious. A dangerous combination, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. She loves history. She is fascinated by the finds that are being discovered close to the River.”
He took a sip of his drink and smiled. “I’ve never been there before.”
Her eyes widened. She’d assumed he had. Thomas added, “I’ve been to Africa, America, Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula, but never there. I wish I had. It could have been my way to win her over.”
“You will eventually,” Lisbeth assured him and then added, “She probably doesn’t want to betray Nicholas.”
Thomas took a large drink of wine. She said, “I’m sorry.”
He frowned at her. “Stop saying that.”
She was, though, even if she couldn’t have done anything different. He sighed and said, “What about Jeremy?”
“He is such a sweet boy and a rule follower. Alice is always trying to get him in trouble, but he normally resists. He loves history as well, but he is more fascinated by modern inventions. He is very excited about the Great Exhibition coming to London soon.”
“I’m interested in attending as well. Do you think that your club will have a display?”
Lisbeth thought they deserved a spot, but she wasn’t sure what would happen. “Someone from the Royal Commission for the Great Exhibition will be at the event for the epic. I’m hoping we will be granted our place then.”
Thomas frowned. “Why were you going to leave London if the event on the epic was so important?”
She flushed, and Thomas shook his head. “I’m sorry my behavior has been so atrocious, and I forced us to wed. I wasn’t myself. I would take it all back if I could.”
It comforted her that he was apologetic, and she said, “We are starting anew, correct?”
He nodded. “I want only to spend time with you and the children. I want to show you and them that we can be a family.”
She still wasn’t sure, but the hope that she thought was dead was growing.
*
Thomas sat in the townhouse study, reviewing what he would need to do to settle in London.
Rose’s father, Benjamin, was away from the city but still in England.
He’d need to make final plans with him. He wouldn’t be traveling for the foreseeable future.
Thomas suspected Benjamin would return to Syria.
Lisbeth had mentioned that the Historical Society for Female Curators hoped to partner with Benjamin.
They wanted a lady studying history to spend time at Benjamin’s main excavation site in Syria.
One of their board members, Lady Esme, who studied ancient civilizations, would be the first lady to try out the idea.
He smiled. Benjamin would be able to teach another group of young adults all about antiquities. Thomas also needed to write to Rafe and Keaton and let his friends know he was staying in London. He wasn’t sure where Rafe was, but Keaton should be in Latakia.
The real question, though, was what he would do now that he was settling in London. Thomas supposed he could reach out to Anderson, and they could create some new serials. He wasn’t sure that was what he wanted. It would certainly make money, but he didn’t enjoy the fame that went with it.
Thomas, Benjamin, and Rose were all relatively wealthy, so he had time to decide, but he was never one to be idle. He frowned, wondering if he was getting ahead of himself. He hoped not. He glanced at the doorway and spied Alice peeking in on him. She quickly hid behind the wall.
“I know you are there,” he said, somewhat amused and also excited that she was interested in what he was doing.
An annoyed sigh filtered into the room, followed by her entering. She said, “This is my father’s study.”
Her words felt like a punch to his chest, but he didn’t let it show. “It is a wonderful space to work.”
She nodded and pointed to a wingback chair. “I used to sit here and read. On the bottom shelf behind you are multiple books on ancient tales. I would read one while he worked.”
Thomas asked, “Would you like one now?”
Alice looked conflicted, and he said, “Sometimes it is nice to do something familiar and think of the person you lost.”
She nodded jerkily. “The second book is about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Can you hand me that one, please?”
This was a positive step for their relationship. Thomas grabbed the book. “Do you know that it is suspected to be in Mesopotamia, which is governed by the—”
“The Ottoman Empire,” Alice interjected.
He smiled. “Yes.”
She grinned at him, and a kinship passed between them. Alice settled into the chair, and he did his best to focus on his plans, when all he wanted to do was ask the child dozens of questions. “Where is your brother?”
Alice laughed. “Our governess made him stay and study his math longer.”
“I hated math too.”
“It isn’t that hard,” she said, rolling her eyes.
She sounded so much like a young Lisbeth. He stared at her, and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Thomas, not wanting to frighten her, remarked, “You sounded just like your mother.”
“You grew up together?”
He nodded. She went back to her reading. Thomas looked down at his plans again, but didn’t make any further progress because his mother entered the room. “Thomas—”
She’d stopped mid-sentence, staring back and forth between him and Alice, speechless. Her eyes started to water, and Thomas hoped she wouldn’t cry. Alice would be confused.
The girl jumped up and she ran to his mother, hugging her. “Mrs. Louise, I didn’t know you were visiting.”
Now it was Thomas’s turn to be speechless. Generations of his family stood before him. His mother kissed Alice’s head. “It was a surprise. I needed to bring Thomas something.”
Alice frowned. “How do you know him?”
Thomas answered, “She is my mother.”
“You are, Mrs. Louise?” the girl said as if she didn’t believe him.
“Yes, I am.”
Alice looked at him as if that had changed something. His mother carried a small bag, and she pulled letters from it. He groaned silently, suspecting it was more messages from admirers. “Alice, would you go retrieve Jeremy for me? I have some sweets for both of you.”
The girl darted from the room, and his mother burst into tears. Thomas rose and folded her into his arms. She sniffled. “I shouldn’t be so overcome with emotion. I don’t think I ever fathomed the two of you in the same room. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until now. I should have.”
Thomas appreciated her words and squeezed her tighter. “Lisbeth and I agreed to not dwell on the what-ifs. I think that would be good for us as well.”
She cried some more but finally took a deep breath. “I need to stop before Alice and Jeremy return.”
He gruffly said, “You do.”
She pulled back from him and wiped her eyes. “Enough of that. I brought all this ridiculous mail you’ve been receiving at my home, but there is one that I’m concerned about that I wanted to point out.”
Thomas frowned, taken aback by her words. “What do you mean?”
She pulled a letter from the pile and put the rest on the desk. “This one is addressed from your wife.”
He blinked. “From Lizzie?”
“Is it Lizzie now? I hope that means your relationship is improving?” his mother said with a raised brow.
Thomas flushed. “It was a slip, but we agreed to work on it over the next month and go from there.”
“I’m glad,” she said and then handed him the letter.
He frowned and glanced down at it. It was from C. He could tell from the floral drawings and the scented perfume. It was addressed to him, but stated it was from his wife. He opened the letter and read.
Thomas,
You are returning to me. When will I see you? I knew if I were patient, we would be together.
Yours,
C
He handed it to his mother, and she glanced at him, alarmed. “Have you heard from this woman before? Do you get these types of letters often? I’m concerned for Lisbeth.”
He shook his head. “This person sends me letters that are the most intense, but I’ve never met her, and I don’t even know her name.”
She frowned, “Be careful.”
Thomas hadn’t worried about any of the strange letters he received, but now his mind went to Lisbeth, Alice, Jeremy, and his mother. “If I receive any more, I will have someone look into it.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I don’t want to worry.”
Alice and Jeremy burst through the doorway. The young boy grinned. “Mrs. Louise, Alice said you brought us something.”
His mother laughed, and Thomas had to take a breath to control his emotions. This moment felt so right, even with every bad thing that had happened in the last few weeks. A genuine smile spread across his face as he watched his mother talk with Alice and Jeremy, pulling treats from her bag.