Chapter 20
Robertson walked back around to the front of the cottage. He was at a loss about what to do next. Should he wait for her? What if she didn’t return anytime soon? He couldn’t very well stand out in the rain for hours waiting for something that may not happen. Luckily, the worst of the rain had stopped, but a steady drizzle continued.
The clip-clop of horses’ hooves made him turn toward the road. A black carriage approached. Could it be Olivia? It seemed an eternity before the carriage stopped in front of the door. The driver jumped down and opened the door, helping Olivia step down.
“My lord, whatever are you doing here standing in the rain?” Olivia asked.
His heart leapt at the sight of her. Her green traveling dress brought out the green in her eyes, and he was mesmerized. “Olivia, I must speak with you most urgently.”
“I don’t wish to stand out here, so I suppose you might as well come inside before you catch a chill,” she said, producing a key from her reticule and opening the door.
She was glad she had sent a note to Mrs. Elliott to light the fire and the heat from the parlor fireplace was spilling out into the hallway. She lit a candle on the table by the door before looking back at Robertson.
“”Make yourself comfortable there in the parlor while I put on some water for tea,” Olivia said, hanging up her cloak, and walking toward the kitchen located in the back of the house.
Robertson wanted to follow her into the kitchen, but he didn’t want to overstep especially since she’d asked him to wait in the parlor. He walked over to the fireplace and let the warmth seep into his bones. There was no place for him to sit that wouldn’t leave a water stain on the furniture so he just stood waiting for her to return. Would she welcome his company? He had no idea, but he had to try to impress upon her how much he loved her.
Olivia busied herself with the tea tray. Her cook was probably up at the manor house getting food stuff and supplies now that she had returned. She had given Emma the fortnight off to visit her sister and she was due to return tomorrow.
Robertson’s appearance at her doorstep had unnerved her. What was he doing here, and in the rain, no less? If she were being honest, the sight of him fed her soul like nothing else. Her heart cracked open once again. It would be best if she sent him on his way as quickly as possible, but she couldn’t in good conscience send anyone out in this weather.
How long had he been waiting for her?
His wet clothes suggested it had been quite a while. Why had he come? And why now? She hadn’t heard a word from him in a fortnight.
“My lord, I’m at a loss as to why you’re here,” she said, walking into the parlor and placing the tea tray on the low table in front of the sofa. She poured out the tea for something to do with her hands. Her insides were trembling, but was it from fear or excitement at seeing him again? She didn’t know as she handed a cup to him. “Drink up. Your lips are turning blue.”
Robertson chuckled. “This is most welcome as it is a bit wet out there.”
Olivia waited for him to sip his tea. She couldn’t go through emotional turmoil again and was about to ask him to leave when he looked at her.
“Olivia, I’ve been such a fool.”
“What?”
“I should never have let you go.”
“My lord, we’ve had this discussion.”
“Everett. Please call me Everett.”
“Everett, there’s no future for us. I understand and accept that.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. We can have a grand future together.”
Olivia shook her head. “No, that’s not possible. Drink your tea, and please go. I’m sure Mrs. Elliott can offer you a room for the night.”
“Please, my darling, don’t send me away. I’ll die without you.” For most of his life, Robertson believed he didn’t deserve to be loved, especially since he carried such guilt over his brother’s death, but perhaps he could have love in his life.
“I’m afraid there can be no future for us without trust and love. Maybe I was foolish, but there’s no denying that I love you with all my heart. I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you striding across the meadow at Lord Fleming’s estate. You taught me how to open my heart again, and I’ll be forever grateful because I’m not the same woman who went to the house party.”
“And I’m not the same man.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you, my dear sweet Olivia, have taught me how to love again. I’ve been an idiot and should have told you that last night in the garden how I felt. There is no excuse except I was overwhelmed with such anger against Pressley that I wasn’t thinking straight. I so admire you. There’s such strength within you, but there’s more. Olivia, I love you with every fiber of my body and soul. It was wrong that it took me so long to realize that.”
“You love me?”
“With everything that I am. More than life itself. I think I fell for you the very first night I saw you. It was like being hit by a lightning bolt.”
“And you braved that horrendous storm to tell me?”
“I’d brave a thousand more if it meant I’d hear you tell me I’ve not lost the chance to be with you forever.”
Olivia was stunned.
Everett loved her.
Her heart swelled for this wonderful man. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
He put his teacup down on the table and knelt by her chair, picking up her hand. “Please don’t cry, my darling. Tell me what I need to do to win your love, and I’ll do it. Do I need to slay a dragon or sail the mighty seas in search of treasure? Climb the highest mountain and shout out my love for you for all the world to hear? Whatever you need, consider it done,” he said, gently wiping the wetness from her cheeks.
“There are no more dragons,” she said with a tentative smile.
“Name your price. Whatever it is, however outrageous, I will see it happen. I will prove my love, even if it takes a lifetime.”
“Well, there is one thing that you can do.”
“Name it.”
“Kiss me, my darling, for I have missed you desperately, too. You have not lost my love.”
Everett stood and pulled her into his arms, kissing her with all the desperation of a man dying of thirst with her the last oasis to be found. It was heaven on earth, and at that moment, she felt true happiness. She’d found love for the first time in her life, and it was glorious.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless. “My darling, I have a most important question to ask you,” Robertson said.
“You do?”
He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I do and it is very important. But first, would you be willing to listen to a sad tale?”
She nodded and waited with nervous anticipation and forced herself to remain still. Would Everett finally confide in her about whatever had happened to him in his childhood and explain why he was so afraid of love?
He stood, pulled a chair over next to her, and sat. “I’ll replace the chair if I ruin it with my wet clothes.”
“That’s not necessary. Please sit.”
Robertson nodded. “I had an older brother.”
“You did? I had no idea.”
“No, you wouldn’t. It’s not often talked about in the ton anymore because it happened so long ago. See, Grayson died when he was fourteen, and it was my fault.”
That was the last thing Olivia expected him to say, and it shocked her to her core. “Your fault?” she squeaked.
Everett nodded. “Yes. Grayson lit up everyone’s world. He was smart, physically fit, and had a wonderful wit that everyone loved. Exactly the opposite of me.”
Olivia wanted to reassure him that he also had fine qualities, but she feared that if she interrupted him, he’d stop talking. She desperately wanted him to continue.
“When I was eleven, Grayson came home on school break. He wanted to go sailing, but there was a storm brewing. My mother had warned me against either of us going out on the ocean that day, but Grayson wouldn’t listen. He was my hero, and I adored him. I begged him not to take the sailboat out, but when Grayson wanted something, there was no stopping him.”
Olivia squeezed his hand, encouraging him to continue. She had a feeling this was more painful for him to talk about than anything else they had discussed during their short acquaintance.
“My mother was right, and a ferocious storm blew in fast. She’d come down to the beach to drag us home, and that’s when it happened.”
“What happened?”
“The bolt of lightning that ended the light in our world. It was a direct hit on the mast, and within seconds, Grayson and the sailboat disappeared under the waves. The ocean was churning violently and there was no way he could have made it to shore. My mother screamed and turned her accusing eyes on me, blaming me for the death of the beloved Robertson heir.”
More tears streaked down Olivia’s cheeks at what he’d suffered. No child deserved that. “Oh, Everett. I’m so very sorry you had to endure losing your brother. Your mother was wrong to blame you for the accident. You were only a child.”
Everett hung his head. “It didn’t matter. Grayson was gone, and a piece of my heart died with him. I thought if I never opened myself to love again, I wouldn’t feel such pain as I experienced that fateful day, and that’s how I’ve lived my life ever since. Being polite and aloof. That is until I met you.”
Olivia reached over and hugged him. “My darling, your brother’s death was not your fault. It was no one’s fault—just a tragic accident.” She felt him shudder and squeezed him tighter, giving him the time he needed to gather himself once again. When he finally looked up, it was her turn to swipe the wetness from his cheeks.
“My darling Olivia, I’ve never told anyone that story before. It was always too painful to repeat.”
“Not even to Mr. Hughes and Mr. Walker?”
Everett shook his head. “No. They knew of Grayson’s death. Everyone knew of the tragedy that befell the Robertson heir, but not the circumstances. After that day, I never mentioned my brother again.”
“I’m honored you shared such a painful story with me.”
“I would do anything for you. You’re the light in my life. When you left without saying goodbye, I felt lost. I returned to London to carry on as before, but I was a changed man and could no longer tolerate the thought of such an empty existence. I needed you.”
“My darling, I feel the same.”
He stood, bringing her to stand with him. “Olivia, I love you with a fierceness I’ve never known. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, my lover, and my partner in life?”
“I’d like nothing more! But…” she added as the sobering thought occurred to her, and winced to see his face fall. “But there is something you must know as well. I was never able to bear Armstrong a child. What if I’m barren? You’ll need an heir for the earldom.”
“I have a distant cousin who’ll inherit if I don’t have a son, and that’s good enough for me. I no longer care. All I need is you, my darling.”
Tears pooled in Olivia’s eyes. There was no doubt left that Everett truly loved her. “I will most happily accept your proposal, my darling,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.
“Are you happy, love?” he asked between kisses.
“More than I’ve ever been, and it’s all because of you. You fill my world with such wonder.”
“And I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I love you.”
“And I love you.”
“You, my lady, have managed to do what no one else has ever done,” Everett said.
She gazed at him with wonder in her eyes. “And what’s that, my lord?”
“You’ve melted the heart of the Earl of Ice.”