Page 91 of The Lady and the Footballer
And finally, after winning the game, when he opened his eyes and looked to the stands, amidst the chaos of celebration, he saw that familiar face watching him, the look in her eyes enough to make all the pain worthwhile.
This was what it was all about. Having someone there to support him, love him, cheer him on, and wait for him.
Even though he wondered whether he could ever stand again, and when he did, if it would only be to be carried off the field and to a jail cell.
He rose unsteadily to his feet, the world around him exploding in a riot of noise and movement.
He didn’t have to keep on his feet for long as his teammates lifted him onto their shoulders, buoying him above the jubilant chaos of the field.
His eyes held on Lily, who stood openly in the crowd, her gloved hand raised in a triumphant cheer. For a moment, all that mattered was the connection between them, and despite her being across the entire field and all those who stood between them, it was as though she was close enough to be in his arms, like he could feel her every touch and hear her every thought.
He was finally returned to the moment by the ecstatic faces of his teammates blurred together, voices merging in a cacophony of victory.
"Did you see that, Colin? Right into the goal!" Felix shouted, slapping him on the back.
"Thought you'd never get up again!" Tommy laughed, more relief than jest in his voice.
Colin barely heard them. The throbbing in his ribs was distant, unimportant now.
As Lily cheered loudly for him, her father stood rigidly beside her, his scowling disapproval written across his face. Colin knew what it must have cost her to break rank like this, to throw her allegiance behind a disgraced footballer. But there she was,the center of his universe, flouting conventions with a fierceness that made him believe anything was possible.
The thought that she could love him so fearlessly twisted in his chest. He wanted to reach for her, to cross the distance that separated them, to close the gap that society had tried to wedge between their hearts.
"He's out of it, men,” the captain said, although affection laced his usual gruff tone. “His young lady has addled his brain even more than his injuries have.”
They jostled him, good-natured and celebratory, a surge of camaraderie that carried him off the field.
As they drew toward the sideline, Montgomery was standing where he always had been, but his countenance had changed. Gone was the confidence of a man who knew he was going to win and in its place was one who knew that he had been found out, had done wrong, who had nothing left to show for himself.
Colin didn’t know how Lily had done it, yet he knew deep within him that somehow, she had brought this man down, risking all that she knew.
“You’re done, Montgomery,” he couldn’t help but say as his team lifted him by the man, right past the constables who made no move toward him.
It was someone else who was running toward him, down through the stands, having broken away from all those who held her back from him – her father, the very fabric of society that had kept them apart.
“Put me down!” he called out, having to say it a few times before they finally heard him and set him on his feet – just in time for him to catch the figure hurtling herself toward him.
Lily had watched Colin borne across the field, a mixture of joy and relief blooming within her. They had done it. Beside her, her father shifted from one foot to the other, as he stared at her in confusion, as though uncertain of what to think about her.
He appeared both proud and disapproving. Likely proud that she had defended the club but disapproving because her actions had been driven by her love for Colin.
She loved her father, but she also knew that she had to do what was best for her, and not what was expected of her any longer. She could only hope that he would one day understand.
“You have done a good thing, Lily, but have you no shame? You cannot carry on like that for a man so far beneath you.”
“I have only pride, not shame, Father,” she said, turning to him with her chin held high. “I told you how I feel and nothing has changed. I love him, and I intend to spend my life with him.”
He harrumphed, the sound mingling with the roars of the celebrating crowd, but Lily’s attention was already back on Colin, even as Emmaline leaned in and squeezed her with one arm, telling Lily that at least one person in her life supported her.
Colin disappeared for a moment within a wave of jubilant teammates, only to re-emerge and hold out a hand toward her, a lifeline thrown out.
There was a sweetness to it, a rightness she had never felt before.
She had seen Montgomery’s disgrace unfold, and she knew this was only the beginning. He would never take Colin’s future from him, just as her father would never take Colin from her.
In her chest, hope slowly unfurled. Let them stare, let them talk—she would stand with him boldly, proudly.
“Go,” Emmaline said with a slight push on her back. “Go to him.”
