Chapter 9
Nine
Three days later, Arianna and Thom walked in the inn’s garden, their destination the fairy-blessed well. The faithful maid followed at a polite distance.
Arianna and Thom had been courting, with the full approval of Thom’s partners, who had completed the salvage without him, finding all but one of the pieces on Haverford’s list. They also had the reluctant consent of Arianna’s mother, who had reconciled herself to the loss of that wretch Mills when Thom promised her a townhouse in Bath and a quarterly income, and Jim let it slip that Thom was a cousin of the Duke of Haverford.
“Third cousin,” Thom had corrected him. “Very distant.” But apparently close enough for his prospective mother-in-law.
She had already breathlessly requested the duke’s presence at her daughter’s wedding. Thom might even ask. The man would probably come, too. He took his family responsibilities seriously, and his definition of family was broader than most.
This morning, Arianna had accepted Thom’s proposal, and now they had one more errand together before they parted. The Cormorant was ready to sail, waiting only for the third partner of Arkwright, Bennington, and Medlock, Salvagers.
Arianna had an opinion about the well. “In reality,” she said, “if one can speak of reality when referring to fairy blessings, all the water in the area carries the fairy blessing. Not just the well. Or so says Mrs. Peabody.”
Thom grinned at her. Trust his beloved to apply the focus of her intellect to the logic of a fairy blessing.
“The well is symbolic,” he said. “Drinking from it is a promise to ourselves that this betrothal of ours isn’t just a moment of madness under pressure, but is the beginning of our lives together. ”
“You are a romantic,” Arianna decided. It was not an accusation anyone had made—or had cause to make—about him before. But when it came to Arianna, yes, he was a romantic.
With her help, he hauled up a pail of water, and they used the dipper hanging beside the well to fill a cup with water. Then, side by side and turn by turn, they sipped from the cup until it was gone.
“I shall miss you,” Arianna said. “I shall write to you every day and send my letters once a week.”
Thom dropped a kiss on her cheek for that courageous promise. She had little confidence in her own attractiveness, and Thom suspected she believed he was likely to forget her once she was out of sight.
“I shall miss you,” he told her. “I shall carry the sketch I made of you next to my heart and look at it often. I shall reply to your letters, and come to visit you as soon as I can. And you shall plan our wedding, my love.”
She nodded, her eyes turning misty as she smiled. “I shall do my best to keep my mother’s hands off it,” she promised.
“We shall buy her a nice little townhouse in Cheltenham or Bognor Regis,” Thom suggested. “She can swan around the dowager circles talking about ‘my daughter’s cousin-in-law the duke,’ while we lead our own lives.”
“I can hardly wait,” said his beloved. “Go, Thom. Join your friends. I shall walk down to the strand and wave to the Cormorant until it is out of sight. I shall count the days until we are together again.”
“Together forever,” Thom promised, and forced himself to walk away, his heart aching already at the separation but bursting with joy at a future filled with the blessing of true love.
THE END