To Walk in the Sun (Wiggons' School for Elegant Young Ladies - Book 1) (36 page)

Vincent sat back and studied her. He did not
speak for a few moments. “It is true. I did love Veronica very
much. And, because of that, she will always hold a piece of my
heart.”

It was the confirmation she had been waiting
for.

“But, who says a man can’t love two women in
one life time?”

Her eyes shot up at him. He couldn’t mean
what he was saying, it was too much to hope for.

“I love you in a way I never thought
possible. I don’t want to live without you. I need you to be my
wife. I want to fill this house with children, if that is your
wish. I want to start living again and I can only do that with
you.”

His face blurred through her tears. He loved
her.

He lifted his hand and brushed away her
tears. “Tess, you make me whole. If you leave me, I will be nothing
but an empty shell once more.”

The tears streamed down and she didn’t bother
to try and wipe them away. Her brain was too busy trying to accept
his words while her heart raced.

“Would you please say something?” he asked
after a moment.

She opened her mouth twice, to try and form
words. How could she explain the depth of her feelings? Finally,
she simply blurted out, “I love you so much,” followed by a
sob.

Vincent was next to her on the bed in a
heartbeat and cradled her against his chest, careful not to disturb
her shoulder.

“This should make you happy. I don’t
understand why this distresses you so.”

She cleared her throat and looked up at him.
“I am not sure when I fell in love with you but I never dreamed,
that you, that we, that . . .”

Vincent laughed and gently hugged her.

She sniffed and wiped her face on his shirt.
“I was afraid that if you felt anything for me, regardless, I would
always be second,” she whispered, not sure if he heard her.

Vincent sat back and looked down at her. His
face serious, his eyes full of love. “Second wife, perhaps, but
never second in my heart.”

A fresh wave of tears formed and he lowered
his lips to hers.

* * *

“You wanted to see us, Miss Crawford,” Sophia
asked as she entered the chamber, followed by Eliza and
Rosemary.

“Yes, please retrieve the books on China from
Lord Atwood’s library and bring them to me.”

Rosemary groaned.

Miss Crawford grinned. “It is not for a
lesson, but something much more important.”

Hopkins passed by the door and stopped for a
moment. “You are looking well, Miss Crawford.”

“Thank you, Lord Hopkins.” The smile never
left her face. In fact, she almost glowed and Sophia wanted to know
why. However, it would probably be impolite to ask and she should
just be happy to know her teacher was going to survive that
horrible ordeal. She turned and focused on her father.

“Papa, do you know what happened to all of
the map pieces?”

The smile fell from his face. “Why?”

Her chin dropped a notch. She had never
feared her father, but sometimes when he became serious she thought
it best not to pursue the subject.

“Go on,” Eliza nudged her.

“We were just curious what it looked like,
put together, and to see if we could figure out where the treasure
is.”

He lifted an eyebrow and stared down at her
and waited a moment before he answered. “I have them all. I’ve
already discussed this with Atwood. When Miss Crawford is up to it,
we will all put the pieces together.”

“Where were they?” Eliza blurted out.

“In Percer’s pocket. He probably kept them
with him all the time.”

Sophia shivered at the thought of her father
going through a dead man’s pockets, but decided it was probably
necessary.

“Girls,” Miss Crawford called from her
bed.

They turned to look at her.

“The books.”

With quick curtseys, the three darted from
the room and giggled down the hall.

* * *

They gathered around the small dining room
table. Vincent kept a close eye on Tess. It had been two weeks
since the shooting, but he still was not convinced she should be up
and about. The doctor had put her arm in a sling and without the
obvious reminder of her injury, she appeared to be the picture of
health. Still, he wished they would have waited. But, Hopkins
intended to leave in the morning and the man had the same right as
any of them to figure the puzzle out.

A large calico jumped on the table from
nowhere.

Rosemary screeched and jumped back.

Vincent chuckled and picked up the cat.
“Darling, where have you been? You know you are not supposed to be
on the table.”

“Darling?” Tess asked.

Vincent grinned over at her. “Yes, my cat.
I’ve had her for years. She usually stays in the cellar, hunting
mice.” He scratched the underside of her chin with his index
finger. The purring could be heard throughout the room. “She
usually doesn’t take to people either and has been known to bite
and scratch strangers.” He looked up at the three girls. “She is
probably what frightened you that night.”

A blushed formed on all of their faces.

“She was trapped behind the door and was
scratching at it to get out when I went down there.”

He watched all three. Their faces were now
bright red and they redirected their focus to the table. He didn’t
expect them to admit where they had been, and he didn’t really
mind. As long as they didn’t help themselves to the wine.

“Sophia, why don’t you and your friends put
the pieces together,” Hopkins suggested. The three went about their
task. Vincent looked back at Tess again. Their eyes met. A small
smile came to her lips. They had yet to share their plans with
anyone. Tess felt there had been enough excitement and wanted to
ponder the future in peace before she was assaulted with questions
from the teachers and students. Vincent agreed. He enjoyed sharing
this secret with her.

Vincent turned back to the map.

“It does look familiar, but I can’t place
it.” Mrs. Wiggons leaned closer.

“I know this place and it isn’t far. I wasn’t
sure where the map would lead, but I certainly didn’t expect it to
be so close to home.”

“Can we do now?” Eliza fairly jumped with
excitement.

“I am not sure it is safe at the moment.”

He no longer felt either apprehension or
awe,

as he gazed upon her in the sunny light of
day

Wake Not the Dead

Johann Ludwig Tieck

Chapter 30

“When will it be safe?” Tess hoped it was
soon, for she doubted the girls would wait long before they
attempted to explore on their own and someone got hurt.

“I think if you leave at eleven that should
be sufficient enough time to get there, explore and return.”

How very odd. “And why isn’t this place safer
any other time?”

Mrs. Wiggons rubbed her hands together and
grinned. “Because it is under water.”

Tess’ clenched. “I am not so sure it is safe
for the girls then.”

“Of course it is, if they don’t linger
overlong.” Vincent insisted, much to Tess’ surprise.

“Please, Miss. Crawford,” Eliza begged. “We
promise to do as Lord Atwood tells us and leave while it’s still
safe.”

“Me too,” Rosemary bounced with excitement.
“I have no wish to drown, even for a treasure.”

Tess looked over at Sophia, who shrugged. She
wondered if the child would ever recover from her experience.
Perhaps it was just too soon.

Vincent glanced out the window. “I won’t be
going, but I am sure Wesley can lead the way.”

The day was clear, a beautiful blue sky. It
would be a perfect day for a stroll, if the winds weren’t too
strong along the cliff. She gazed back at him and met his eyes.

“But, I will anxiously await your discovery.”
He smiled down at her.

“What about after dinner? If tides are a
concern, there should be ample time in the evening as well,”
Hopkins suggested.

“It will be too dark and the path down the
cliff is precarious in the light of day. I would even suggest the
students stay behind but know I waste my breath.” Vincent shook his
head. “I wouldn’t want anyone injured on my account.”

“Then you must come with us now,” Sophia
grinned.

Vincent stared at her dumbfounded.

“Yes, you must join us,” Tess chimed in.

He whipped his head around to look at her.
She chuckled. He must think they had all gone mad or wished to
punish him for some reason. “Rosemary, go get the box.”

The girl did as she was told and returned a
few moments later, with a small box in her hands.

“Before you open it,” Tess slapped at his
right hand, “the girls need to give a history lesson.”

She watched the curiosity in his eyes as he
turned toward her students.

Eliza cleared her throat and stepped forward.
“In the fifteenth century, the judges in China wore smoke-tinted
glass so people could not read their eyes.”

Rosemary went next. “In the eighteenth
century, blue and green tinted glass from Italy was taken to China.
But these were used to help correct the vision, not hide the
eyes.”

Last, Sophia stepped forward. “So, given how
you need to keep the sun off of your eyes, Miss Crawford had us go
into town and order a pair of spectacles, with the darkest colored
glass, but not to correct how you see, just to block the
light.”

A smile pulled at Vincent’s lips.

“You may open the box now,” Tess instructed.
Her hands shook and she clutched them together. While she loved
him, she was not certain of his acceptance of something that would
make his life easier. He tore at the wrapping and her heartbeat
increased. Vincent was a proud man, but hopefully not too proud to
accept assistance.

He lifted the wire rims and studied the
glasses. “I’ve heard of colored lenses, and I’ve known people who
were spectacles, but I never considered. . .” He put them on his
face and hooked the arms over his ears. They were larger than any
spectacles she had ever seen, but the intention had been to block
out as much light as possible, not allow him to read a book. “I can
barely see anything in this room.”

“Would you like to try them outside?” she
asked, now giddy with excitement. If Vincent could be out in the
sun, his world would open up once again.

His grin matched hers and he strode to the
door, threw it open and stepped into the portico. He stood there
for a few moments, almost afraid to step out into the light. Tess
came up from behind and clasped his hand in hers. He smiled down at
her and together they took a step into the sunshine.

Vincent tilted his head one way and then the
other. His smile grew larger and larger.

“You like them?” Tess asked.

He looked down at her. Instead of offering an
answer, he pulled her against him and kissed her with a passion she
had grown accustomed to.

Gasps interrupted them and Tess jerked back.
Her face was on fire as she turned toward her students.

Vincent wouldn’t let her escape and snaked an
arm around her waist to keep her anchored to his side. “I suppose
now is as good as any time to tell you.”

Tess bit her lip and looked up at him.

“Your teacher, Miss Crawford, and I, plan to
be wed this spring.”

Squeals and giggles accompanied the three
girls as they rushed forward and pulled Tess from Vincent and took
turns hugging her.

Tess glanced over their heads and rolled her
eyes. Her short time of peaceful enjoyment had come to an end.
Hopkins sauntered forward and held his hand out to Vincent.
“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Mrs. Wiggons soon appeared on the porch,
followed by Natalie and Claudia. “What is the meaning of this?”
Mrs. Wiggons demanded.

“Miss Crawford and Lord Atwood are to be wed
in the spring,” Eliza cried.

The teachers grinned, but approached with
more decorum than the students, and took turns hugging Tess.

“I told you, didn’t I?” Natalie held out her
hand.

Claudia pursed her lips. “I don’t have my
reticule with me now.”

Tess couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“You made a bet in regard to me and Lord Atwood?”

“Claudia thought it wouldn’t be until we
moved, then Atwood would be lost without you. I knew it would be
much sooner.”

Tess wanted to die of mortification. She
glanced over at Vincent. He only laughed and shook his head.

“Do the spectacles work,” Tess asked after a
moment.

Vincent nodded. “I need to watch the angle of
the sun, but they seem to work.” He turned around and looked up. “I
honestly never thought I would walk in the sun again.”

Tears stung Tess’ eyes. If she did nothing
else with her life, at least she was able to give Vincent this.

“We have a large hat also,” Sophia announced
and thrust the blackest, widest hat at him. “With the glass and the
hat, you will never be stuck inside again.”

Vincent bowed to her. “Thank you, Lady
Sophia. I could never imagine a more perfect gift.”

“Well, shall we make our way to the cliffs?”
Hopkins called out and headed away from the house.

* * *

Vincent held back. He knew he walked slower
than the rest, but he wasn’t as anxious to reach the cliffs. The
sun warmed his body, despite the cool wind, and with the glasses
and hat, he could stay in the sun for hours. He knew he grinned
like an idiot but couldn’t remove it from his face if he had too. A
few times he turned his head incorrectly and the sun was able to
penetrate the side of the spectacles and hit his eyes. The pain was
sharp, but he simply moved his head away. While they were not
perfect for his problem, which he would never confess to Tess, they
were exactly what he needed. Now he could truly face the world
again.