Chapter Twenty-Four #2
‘Finding a man confident in his own masculinity, not intimidated by a woman’s intelligence, is uncommon. Finding one who supports a woman, fully encourages her endeavors, whatever they may be, is the rarest of them all and special.’
The words of wisdom were enlightening. Was it possible her husband did love her? His actions showed he’d cared, but love? It was a much more meaningful emotion. Was she wrong, did he care more than she’d thought?
‘What of you?’ Joan asked. ‘Did you tell his lordship you love him?’
She hadn’t. She’d been afraid of rejection.
What if he felt the same? What if he found her pros and cons list before she could finish it and he believed she did not love him?
He had difficulty trusting, but so did she.
She should have told him she loved him. Was she brave enough to confess her true feelings now?
Was it too late?
The blast from the ship’s horn made her jump.
‘Do you still wish to join our group?’ Joan asked.
She was grateful to the woman. Travelling with scientists may have been her dream, but it no longer held appeal.
Sometime during her marriage, she’d changed.
She still wanted to pursue her science but there was nothing stopping her from doing that as she saw fit now.
If another opportunity to travel arose in the future, she would travel with her husband.
As for Venice, her heart belonged elsewhere.
‘Thank you for your advice. I have changed my mind.’ Nora reached for her satchel. ‘My apologies to you and the others but I must disembark at once!’
Ralston gritted his teeth as the cab slowly made its way through the city traffic.
His frustration rose with each passing moment.
At last, the strong odor of the river drifted through the open window of the carriage and he spotted the tall masts of ships docked at the wharves.
He was out of the carriage before the wheels came to a full stop.
It had recently rained and his boots splashed in puddles on the cobblestones.
He halted only to scan the dockyard for a ship large enough to travel across the ocean.
His nerves were raw, his mind congested with fear. By the grace of God, he spotted a passenger-carrying merchant ship and ran to where it was docked. He sprinted past startled dockworkers, jumped over a crate, ran past a dog and kept going.
‘Devon!’
He heard his name just as he spotted her. Her auburn hair and the proud slope of her shoulders came into view. His wife.
‘Nora!’ he shouted.
She had begun to disembark. He realized she was leaving the ship not because she saw him but of her own volition.
‘Nora!’ he shouted again and waved his arms.
‘Devon!’ Headed for the dock, she began to hurry. He met her halfway across the wooden boards and swept her into his arms and held her tight. ‘Nora, love, I was so worried the ship would have departed before I could see you.’
‘My lord, I—’
‘Shh. Please let me speak first.’ He set her down but didn’t let go.
He willed her to understand with the desperate longing in his gaze.
‘When you slipped into my bed that fateful night at the house party, I was already falling under your spell. And when I got to know you, to realize your intelligence and free spirit, I was lost. My pride prevented me from seeing the truth, and my past kept me from trusting. When I realized you were leaving, my heart nearly split in two. My words were cruel at the house, and I should never have left you and stayed away. I was afraid of losing you and lashed out. I’m sorry for how I behaved. Please forgive me.’
‘Devon,’ she touched his cheek.
Thankful he had caught her before the ship sailed away, his arms tightened around her. ‘The thought of spending a future without you is dark and bleak. My political career is meaningless if I don’t have you to share any successes with.’
He released her long enough to look in her eyes intently.
‘I love you, Nora, with all my heart. You are nothing like Margaret. You are night and day, and you have saved my soul.’ He dragged in a deep breath before continuing.
‘I know travelling with a scientific contingent was your dream and if you wish to go, I will support your endeavors. I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes. But you cannot leave without me telling you how I feel, my love.’
Her green eyes were bright with tears. ‘Oh, Devon,’ she said. ‘I love you, too. I’ve loved you for so long. I don’t want to leave you. Travelling was my dream. But things have changed for me as well and I want to stay with you.’
He struggled to draw air into his lungs. His heart thundered in his chest at her sweet words. He pulled her back into his embrace. He wanted and needed her like the air that surrounded him. ‘Truly?’
‘Yes. As a member of the Society, I can pursue my science in London. But what I want most of all is you. My husband. We work best together.’ She wrapped her arms around him.
His heart sang with delight. He held her to him and exhaled a long sigh of contentment. ‘We can both have everything we want regarding our work and I’ll always love and support you. I let my past cloud my judgement, but no longer. I trust you implicitly.’
‘But what of the gossip rag?’ she asked against his chest.
He looked down at her and grinned. ‘Who cares?’
‘Yes,’ she said, her lips curling with a secret smile. ‘Who cares? Let’s really give them something to gossip about.’