Chapter Twenty-Eight #2
My belly warms at the confession, while my skin burns at the thought of Maddy being with that hideous man.
I sit up a little straighter, grabbing Maddy by the shoulders.
“Do you mean what you just said?” I demand of her.
“What?”
“That you cannot marry Alister? That it is against your will that you are tied to him? That you belong to me.”
“Yes. I mean it with every fiber of my being. He’s a loathsome cur, and I want nothing to do with him.”
As Maddy speaks, I think of all that I’ve built for myself since leaving the Whitcomb estate.
I think of the love of my father, the ache for my mother, the pride I have in this shop.
I think of all those things and realize that none of them matter if I cannot have Maddy.
I did not know it was possible to dream of her.
I dared not dream of a life that felt like pure fantasy.
But here she is. Now. In my arms. As real as the hammer from which I pound and shape and create.
And if there is even a chance that this love can be a reality in this lifetime, then I must do all I can to pursue it.
My mind made up, I begin to formulate a plan. “Then you will not marry him.”
“You speak of impossible things,” Maddy replies with bitterness on her tongue. “He and I are destined to be together. It’s unchangeable.”
“No, my dove. Fate is immovable. Destiny rests in our hands. Fate may have had plans for you two, but we are destiny. I choose you, and I will stop at nothing to make you mine.” I calculate routes, drawing maps in my mind. I dare to let a smile creep across my face. “Nothing.”
“Tommy, what you speak of is dangerous. You could be killed.”
“I do not want to live in a world where I cannot have you. Not now, Maddy. That is what is impossible.”
“Oh, my love.”
“I have been living in a world where station and circumstance kept us apart. I made peace with that and did my best to live a life of purpose and substance without love. Without you.”
“And you have. This shop, your works—they honor your gifts, Tommy.”
She touches my cheek gently. I lay my palm atop hers and squeeze her hand.
“But you are here now. Chance has seen fit to bring us together again. The bad luck of your carriage’s busted wheel is the good fortune of our reunion. And like the wheel I fixed, I want our love now to remain unbroken.”
I am out of words, but my need for Maddy continues to consume me, so I lean into her and kiss her fully. My mouth hungrily takes a fraction of what I crave.
Our lips spark off one another. The softness of her bottom lip invites my mouth closer to hers.
I run my tongue along her perfect flesh before sliding it into her mouth.
Her tongue meets mine and says more than words ever could.
The contact gives me time and permission to wrap my arms around her again and pull her as tightly to me as physics allows.
I take as much of her into me as I can. Every breath fills me with her scent, every kiss fills me with her taste, every touch fills me with her warmth.
And yet, with her, I know I can never truly be full.
Consuming her is like pouring water into a bottomless well.
One I will gladly spend a lifetime trying to top up.
Maddy pulls me from this reverie by gently breaking the contact of our kiss. My eyes stay closed for a moment, as I focus my energy on memorizing the radiance in the tiny space between us.
Eventually, Maddy whispers a question. “But how, Tommy?”
My eyes open, and the magical spell of this moment breaks. Reality crashes back in, but I maintain my belief in us. “Let me worry about the details. I only need to know if this is what you want. If I am what you want.”
“It is. You are. It always has been, and you always will be.”
“It means giving up all you have, Maddy. Your family, your home, your status. All your comforts and fineries. We won’t be able to afford them on a smith’s modest wages. And if you choose to run away with me, there is no turning back. All you had will be gone.”
“I don’t care about any of that. I only care about you.”
“You’re sure?” I ask again, insisting she face the gravity of this choice.
She locks eyes with me and presses her lips firmly to mine again before pulling her face away from mine to whisper into my lips, “Certain.”
“Then that is all I need to know,” I growl back at her, then put more distance between us to share my plan.
“I will be waiting for you under the weeping willow in the north courtyard.
If you still have this conviction in the morning, then meet me there at the stroke of noon.
I will have a carriage at the ready and as much money as I am able to gather.
We will head west and figure out a plan from there.
“I do not know what we will do once we clear the city center, but I know that we’ll be together, and for me, that will be enough. More than.”
“I have only known a full breath in this life when I am with you. I did not know I was suffocating until I breathed your air. I would give up all of this for a life, any life, with you. Because now I know there is no life without you.”
The conviction in her voice makes me believe. Makes me think we can actually do this. That love can be enough to overcome anything—everything.
“Then be ready. At the stroke of noon. Under the willow. I will be waiting. Then we begin our life. Together, forever.”
“Together, forever,” she echoes, sealing our promise with a kiss.
Forever.
We dress slowly. Not because we have time, but because neither of us wants to leave the comfort and passion of this connection.
She straightens her clothes, fingers trembling slightly. I watch her, memorizing each of her tiniest movements. Every gesture of hers is poetry to me.
At the door, she pauses.
“I will see you tomorrow,” she whispers.
It is not a question. It is a declaration.
“Yes,” I answer. “If it is what you will.”
She nods once, dons her cloak, then slips back into the night.
The forge instantly feels empty without her.
The heat of the fire that has filled this space with warmth now feels impossibly cold.
I sit on the edge of the bench after she’s gone, elbows on my knees, staring at my hands.
These hands have crafted and created. They have built and they have broken.
They have earned me a living and built me a legacy.
And tonight, they found their true purpose. Not in the forging of metal, but in the shaping of Madeleine. These hands have known no truer function than in exploring and satisfying that woman.
I should feel guilt.
Instead, all I feel is certainty.
Whatever comes next, we will brave it together.
Whatever it costs, we will pay for it together.
Whatever lies ahead, I can face because we will be together.
The Memory Maze
My vision returns to the present. My eyes stare down another long tube of cave passage.
I have made so many turns and walked down so many similar passageways at this point that I can’t distinguish between up and down.
I have no idea which way is the right way to go or even if there is a right way to go.
My last remembered thought taunts me now. Whatever lies ahead, I can face because we will be together.
Except for this part, I guess. Looks like I’m going to have to do this part alone.