I have to accept the fresh start and never let go of what Livingston and I have.
“All this is wonderful,” I say. I shake my head, unable to comprehend that his mind could create something like this.
Livingston looks at me, his hazel eyes cautious with hope. “Truly?”
“Absolutely. I love it.”
Unexpectedly, he leans forward and captures my face between his hands and kisses me soundly on the lips. This will never become old. The way my heart speeds up will never be too overwhelming. My fingers curl around his wrist, holding him in place.
When he pulls away, his thumb brushes against my cheek. “I love you.”
I smile. “Forever?”
“Of course.” He presses his forehead against mine. “For what is a king without his queen?”
EPILOGUE
Nathalie
Two Months Later
I step off the train and shield my eyes from the sun. As people hustle to their next destination, conversations, laughter, and hugs occur all around me. The grip on my valise tightens as I make my way through the crowd and out of the train station. The smell of coal wafts from the steam dome. It mixes with the humidity, creating an acrid scent that is anything but pleasing.
Even though it’s December, that stands for nothing in Charleston. As I wait in search of a cab, the hairs on the nape of my neck stick to my skin. I make no effort to brush them away.
It’s been nearly a year since I’ve visited Charleston.
It’s been four months since the passing of my husband Oliver. By my mother-in-law’s standards, I should still be in mourning, clutching a handkerchief to my chest as I aimlessly walk through the empty halls of Brignac House, mumbling about what could have been and what once was. But I can’t remain there forever, surrounded by grief. When I told Rainey I would return home, I meant it.
The time had to be right. The grief in my heart spent. When I left Brignac House, it would be for the last time. Matilda said as much when I was packing my valise. Her eyes were red-rimmed and exhausted from no sleep as she leaned into me, her breath foul, “You were never meant to be a Claiborne. You never gave him a child or knew how to love him. You’re just a shameless strumpet.”
She was wrong. We shared the same space for several years, but we knew nothing about one another. However, her words lingered in my mind, emphasizing my last argument with Oliver. “You don’t love the person you married; you love the vows that you said.”
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t refute those claims. I realized my husband was right. I never loved Oliver. Not like a wife should. But as much as he claimed to love me, his actions never matched his words.
It was a marriage of convenience that turned into a marriage of doom, and neither of us could find a way out.
I made mistakes, but I still deserved happy moments in my life. I was only going to find those moments away from Brignac House and back with my real family. I’d yet to meet my first nephew, Trace. On top of that, Livingston and Rainey were to be married. That was an event that I wouldn’t dare dream of missing.
I like to think I was somewhat responsible for the two of them becoming engaged. What money I did have to my name was gone. Everything I had saved was given to pay the Pleasonton debts. Only Étienne and I knew, and I intended for it to stay that way.
I believed everyone deserves a chance at true love even when they believe they’re unworthy of it. My brother didn’t think he could heal from the war, and Rainey was resigned to live a life married to a man she hoped she could learn to love.
I was the result of that pointless hope. I didn’t want my best friend to have the same miserable ending as I had.
My brother and Rainey needed each other, and I wanted to help. I couldn’t be there in person, so I supported them the best way I knew how.
“Where to, ma’am?”
Numbly, I smile at the driver and immediately give him directions. I knew Charleston like the back of my hand. If there’s a shortcut or backroad that leads to Belgrave, I know it. But I’m not going there. Not yet, anyway.
The car abruptly lurches forward and onto the road. I take a deep breath and remind myself I need to remain composed. I’m almost there.
The driver briefly looks over his shoulder at me and at my suitcase. “Are you stayin’ a short while?”
“No. I’m here to stay.”
I draw my valise closer to me and remind myself that what I have in my suitcase is all I need. I’ve spent several years in a loveless marriage. I stood by Oliver through a massive betrayal.
You betrayed him too, remember?
I close my eyes and when they open, we stop in front of a white building. My heart furiously pumps in my chest.
“What brings you to the church, ma’am?” he asks
“Oh, I’m just here to break up the weddin’.” Leaning forward, I hand him the cab fare and open my door. “Now you have a good day, okay?”
I slam the door on a visibly stunned driver and face the church. Sweat freely falls from my temples as the sun beats down on me.
Today, Asa Calhoun is getting married. Today, another woman is trying to take what is rightfully mine.
I don’t know what I will say when I finally see him. But I do know that what happens next will change everything...