Page 97 of The Wise Daughter
She laced her fingers through his hair as he brought his lips to hers.
They had already kissed before, but this was different. This was a kiss free from any doubts, a kiss unburdened by apprehension or questions about their future, and Nora felt the difference. She felt it in the way Aaron reached for her, and in the freedom she allowed herself to return his embrace. But most of all, she felt it in the deepest, truest part of herself that sang out heryesand let it echo down to her fingertips and toes and back to her heart.
Yes.
Chapter 36
Three weeks passed as happily as any Nora had ever known. The castle buzzed with excitement as the wedding drew nearer. The thieving stopped. Stolen goods were recovered from Raven Manor and returned to the castle while Aaron worked closely with Mr. Cornell to set many neglected matters to right. Repairs were made. Servants’ wages were increased, and though Raven Manor was the original dower house, Aaron’s mother had agreed to live in the castle to become reacquainted with him, which meant Nora’s father could still have his fresh start.
Nora, however, insisted he be held accountable for his mistakes. So Aaron and Mr. Cornell drew up an official agreement outlining the terms of Mr. Lacy’s occupancy at Raven Manor, including what tasks he was responsible for and, most importantly, the condition that a portion of any money he earned while managing the land would go toward Bilford’s claims until seven hundred pounds were paid in full.
After consulting the ledgers, Aaron learned there was truth to Bilford’s story. Aaron’s father had borrowed money from Bilford, not as much as Bilford had initially claimed, but Aaron and Bilford were finally able to compare their accountings and agree upon an amount that Aaron paid to settle all debts.
As for Mrs. Westlake, Nora could still hardly believe she was Aaron’s mother. Nora didn’t know whether to call her Mrs. Westlake, Mrs. Derricott, or Your Grace until she instructed Nora to simply call her Julia. Whatever Nora called her, she liked having her old friend with her. She was an expert regarding the castle’s secret passages and a masterful story-teller of Aaron’s childhood mishaps, and she filled Nora’s ear with all the best news from West Riding, including the surprising fact that Lord Newberry was engaged to a widow who was much closer to him in age than Nora.
Most wonderful of all was reminiscing with Julia about Nora’s mother. Sharing those stories together was like weaving the fabric of West Riding with the fabric of her new life at Holmrook Castle. Coming to Ravenglass was not so random and ridiculous as Nora had once thought.
And every night, Aaron would lift her off her feet, spin her around, and remind her with a kiss of the days remaining before their wedding. If he was in a particularly good mood, which he usually was these days, Aaron would also play the pianoforte for her while she sang.
It all made her smile. Everyday, she smiled. She even had smiles for those grim portraits hanging near her old bedchamber. Though now, they possessed a smug approval as if to say,We knew you could do it.
Everything was perfect.
So why was she still unsettled?
Nora paced along the wall of shelves in the study and glanced at Aaron as Mr. Cornell and her father signed the revised marriage settlement. She was grateful for the opportunity to attend the meeting this time. Everything had been completed to her satisfaction and more, but every time Mr. Cornell scrawled another note, her nerves wound tighter.
Her father had warned her that everyone felt nervous before their wedding, but none of her unsettled feelings had to do with Aaron. Shewould have married him that afternoon if she could have. So what could account for it?
To help distract her, Nora was bringing Janie into the village for a few final purchases before the wedding. The crisp air and a change of scenery was hopefully all she needed to clear her thoughts.
Nora continued to pace and watch Aaron as she waited for word that her carriage was ready. She enjoyed watching him at work, the way he rubbed his jaw while in thought and how he barely quirked a brow before asking a question. After enduring Scamp’s scratches at his boots, Aaron eventually picked up the kitten, who was growing like the weeds behind the stables, and rubbed his fuzzy little head.
Mr. Cornell sneezed twice, then pulled out his handkerchief. “Forgive me, Your Grace, but I believe your cat disagrees with me.”
“Sometimes he disagrees with me too.” Aaron chuckled and placed him back on the floor where he ran off to bat at the fringes of the carpet.
When Nora returned to the desk and stared down at the marriage settlement, her father placed a kiss on her head and whispered, “It’s only nerves, my dear. Your duke is the most honorable man I have ever met.”
“Thank you, Father. I feel very fortunate.”
But she still read through everything again while the men turned to other matters of business. There was something here, something right in front of her that she was missing. She was sure of it.
Then, she saw it, the truth glaring at her from its hiding place like a creature preparing to pounce. She had to act quickly.
Ignoring the rise in her heartbeat and the way the hairs on her skin prickled, she skipped across the room to the drawer where she and Aaron had stored all the letters they had recently discovered. A quick shuffle through the papers, and she found the ones she needed, the letters she had found in Raven Manor, and the letter Mr. Cornell had written alongside the letter forged in her name.
“Nora, is everything all right?”
“Can I help you with something, Miss Lacy?”
Only mildly aware that they had asked her something, she laid the letters on Aaron’s desk next to the marriage contract and took her time going over every detail. She had to be sure. She had to understand how all her realizations fit together.
When she didn’t respond, Mr. Cornell began gathering his notes. “Well, Your Grace, I believe I have everything I need now. I really should be on my way.”
“One moment, Mr. Cornell.” Nora slapped a hand on the marriage settlement before he could gather it up with the rest of his papers. “Aaron, we’ve assumed Carver was the one who lowered everyone’s wages, but do we have any way of proving that?”
“Well, he would have been the one handling their wages.”
