Chapter 24
A week later, the lady archer had been summoned.
Sylvie ran her hands down her black skirt, wiping off dampness that had gathered on her palms as she made the journey by steamer from Cleveland to Cedar Point, along with her parents and Matilda.
The bag pressed against her side on the bench seat held her disguise, although now it was more for show than for protecting her identity.
The resort manager had requested that she do one more show for the closing day of the resort’s season.
It had been an odd step forward to go to her parents and explain that she wanted to perform, and that she hoped they would come along to watch.
To her immense relief, they had agreed without hesitation.
Miles was going to meet them there, since he’d returned to Put-In-Bay to stay in the Loftons’ summer cottage as long as he could.
Ice on the lake would eventually make travel difficult, at which time he would rent a room in Sandusky.
Sylvie’s heart beat a little faster at the idea of performing with him again.
Mr. Miller had done a serviceable job filling in when Miles was away, but she’d missed her Will Scarlet.
On one side of Sylvie, Mother shook out the newspaper she’d brought along to catch up on the society news as they traveled.
“That Lucy Casburn simply can’t get herself together.
She was seen flirting with Mr. Kinsey, of all people.
As if everyone hadn’t already noticed that she was rebuffed by Miles, now she’s after any other man who had an interest in you.
It’s a wonder she hasn’t been linked to Mr. Greene yet. ”
Sylvie had to smother a laugh with her hand, feeling terrible for being amused by Lucy’s situation.
Miles had gone to Lucy’s parents the day after the Moreaus’ ball to put an end to her scheming, and word of that had flown around society for the last few days.
Now she was already trying to worm her way into Mr. Kinsey’s affections?
He was far too smart to fall for Lucy’s tricks, thankfully.
Sylvie had returned to the disastrous ball long enough to apologize to Mr. Kinsey and to explain her feelings for Miles, and they’d parted on good terms. The only unfortunate remainder from the almost-proposal was the gossip that had also been flying about Sylvie all week.
But in the end, if she got a future with Miles, what did the opinions of others matter?
On her other side, Matilda nudged Sylvie. “I could almost feel bad for Lucy if she hadn’t been so terrible to you. But you don’t seem angry at her.”
Sylvie shook her head, grateful it was true. “I’m not. She’s in a terrible spot now, while I get Miles.”
Matilda grinned and leaned against Sylvie. “God led you to your dream, after all. I hate to say it, but I told you so.”
“You don’t hate saying it at all.”
They giggled together, but Sylvie’s thoughts turned to the truth in Matilda’s words.
Instead of worrying about keeping everyone else happy by hiding her desires, Sylvie had decided to be more concerned with finding true freedom in following where Jesus led.
No one else’s expectations of her mattered.
When the steamship finally docked at Cedar Point, Sylvie and her parents disembarked with a handful of other passengers.
As the days grew cooler, traffic at the resort slowed considerably.
But there were still enough people there to make her closing day show worthwhile.
So after leaving her parents at the spectator bleachers, Sylvie headed to the Coliseum, not bothering to stop at a changing room and don her costume.
She’d put it on at their meeting point, and even then, only because it was part of the theatrics, not to hide behind it.
She appreciated the lack of disguise all the more when she saw Miles was already waiting.
He glanced up from his conversation with Mr. Miller and caught sight of her, a wide grin lighting his face.
He held out his arms, and Sylvie scurried right into them.
She nestled her face against his chest, which wouldn’t have been as pleasant with the hood and mask on. “Miles, I missed you.”
He rubbed her back, chuckling. “It’s only been two days since I was in Cleveland to visit you.”
Sylvie snuggled as close as she could possibly get to him. “Never mind that. It was too long.”
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, and her knees nearly gave out.
Behind them, Mr. Miller cleared his throat.
She stepped away from Miles and held out her hand to Mr. Miller, realizing it was the first time he’d seen her face.
“I believe an introduction is in order. I’m Sylvie Bryce. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Miller.”
He chuckled, shaking her hand with a firm grip. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Bryce.”
Scanning the seated crowd one more time, Sylvie’s eyes caught on a familiar brown suit, and she gripped Miles’s arm with her fingertips. “Miles, that reporter is here, Mr. Howell. What could he want now?”
To her surprise, Miles nodded. “I know. I invited him.”
“Why did you do that?”
He tilted his head, giving her a view of the twinkle in his eyes. “I think it’s past time people in the area learned more about the marvelous Lady Robin and her sidekick. It will benefit your show in the future, if you choose to continue it.”
Sylvie’s heart warmed. There was no trepidation, no fear of consequences for having their names attached to the show. Together, they could face the world undisguised.
Miles’s grin widened as he took in the joy that was surely written on her face. “Are you ready for one last performance?”
At one time, those words would have sent a tremor through Sylvie.
But now she had a life of real freedom to look forward to.
The freedom of trusting that God had her future in His hands.
The freedom of knowing she was His. And the freedom of being in love with a man who valued her for who she was, not for her money or family.
She would be fine, with or without this show. “I am. Let me get my hood.”
Once she was prepared and Mr. Miller had announced the start of the show, Sylvie and Miles walked out together.
The size of the crowd made Sylvie smile.
Their energy and excitement boosted her desire to give them the best performance possible.
She even caught unexpected glimpses of the Loftons and the Moreau sisters in the audience.
Then it was time for the first shot. Sylvie put everything else out of her mind. All the hours practicing with her bow when Miles had been away in an effort to keep from losing heart had been beneficial in other ways too. She was more than ready to impress the spectators.
With sure movements, Sylvie raised her bow and sent an arrow flying straight and true into the center of a target.
She moved through two more, which were placed progressively farther away from her.
While Mr. Miller reset the targets in between Sylvie’s shots, Miles gave demonstrations as Will Scarlet with his rapier.
All the time, the crowd cheered and applauded.
Finally, Mr. Miller set up their finale. Miles took a moment to approach Sylvie, tipping his head down to meet her gaze under the hood. “I’ve made a small change to the program. Mr. Miller knows about it, so just go along with it.”
“What does that mean?” Sylvie attempted to grab Miles’s arm as he slipped away, but she missed, and he kept walking while grinning over his shoulder. What on earth was he up to?
Anticipation lit up Sylvie’s nerves. She ignored the tingles racing through her limbs as she took her place for the final shot, her back turned to Miles. What if his change caused her to miss?
Holding her bow pointed toward the ground with an arrow notched and ready, Sylvie let several deep breaths wash away the questions. He wouldn’t have planned anything that would throw off her shot. He knew how precise it had to be. She would follow his lead.
When the crowd went silent, Sylvie knew it was time.
She raised her bow over her head and spun, releasing the arrow at the exact moment for it to fly in a perfect arc around the screen, through the hoop Mr. Miller threw and the apple on Miles’s head, and into the target.
While she couldn’t see any of it happen through the screen, the shot felt perfect.
The crowd’s response, however, sent a wave of dizziness over her. Gasps and cries echoed across the lawn, followed by terrible silence. Sylvie dropped her bow and raced around the screen.
Miles lay on the ground, his stool overturned next to him. Sylvie tripped over her feet in her rush to get to him as her hands began to shake. Why wasn’t Mr. Miller moving, helping in some way?
It felt like forever before she reached Miles, but when she did, the urge to smack him hard overcame fear. He’d propped himself up on his elbows and lay there grinning at her as if proud of himself. Sylvie halted mid-step and planted her fists on her hips. “How dare you frighten me like that?”
“I needed to get you over here somehow.” He rose, dusting himself off while the crowd cheered. Then he walked straight to her, pushed up his mask, and held out his hands. Unable to help herself when he watched her with such love in his eyes, Sylvie slid her hands into his grasp, savoring his touch.
“Miss Robin, lady archer, Sylvie—the most amazing woman on earth, regardless of what name you’re known by.
” As he spoke, Miles raised his voice loud enough so the entire crowd could hear.
Sylvie went still. What was he doing? She’d talked about not wanting to hide her identity anymore, but this felt like more than revealing her name.
“I’ve said it before, but I need you to be sure you know how much I love you.
I’ve loved you since I first saw that hood drop down your back.
None of my plans are worth pursuing if I don’t have you at my side.
Will you marry me so we never have to be apart? ”
Sylvie swallowed hard against a rising tide of emotions.
He loved her enough to put his feelings and their relationship on display this way?
Neither of them was hiding anymore, not from each other, from the public, or from people they knew.
Thanks to God’s leading, they had a future that would be full of hope, joy, and peace, no matter what came their way.
With a trembling hand, Sylvie reached up and pushed her hood back, then tugged off her mask. The crowd murmured in the background, but she didn’t care. Her eyes remained glued on the hopeful expression of the man she’d never expected to love. “Yes. Always yes, Miles.”
The words barely left her lips before he caught her up in an embrace and kissed her for everyone to see.
Sylvie laughed when they finally broke apart.
The freedom that came with both her love for Miles and her renewed relationship with the Lord far exceeded anything she could have imagined.
Wild applause rose from the crowd, and together they turned and bowed to their audience, finally facing a future they could embrace without secrets or hiding.