Page 121 of Of Fate and Phantoms
I stared at it. The diamond looked so large and bright, even in the gloom. Was it really mine?
I tucked my hand into my skirts and headed back downstairs. I didn't join the others in the parlor but sat in the library. Mink and Finley had returned to Clerkenwell that morning with the rest of the gang to prepare for the move to the general's house. Perhaps Lincoln had gone there too.
It was another two hours before he finally returned. I met him in the entrance hall and beckoned him into the library, just as the rain started. It pummeled the windows, drowning out the laughter from the parlor. "You've been gone a long time." I indicated he should sit in the chair by the fire. "Are you cold? It looks fierce out there. Take off your boots and warm your feet."
His eyes narrowed. "You're fussing. Should I be worried?"
I knelt on the rug and knotted my fingers behind my back. "Tell me where you've been."
"To Mrs. Sullivan's first."
"What did she say?"
"That she can't wait to move into the big house with her girls, as she calls them."
"You mentioned the boys?"
"I did, and she has no qualms about taking care of them, too. I think she's looking forward to the challenge. I then went to my lawyer's office to make the arrangements. He wanted to discuss what to do about your cottage too, but I told him you needed to be there for that conversation."
"Right. Thank you. Anything else?"
"I went to the general's house and informed the staff."
"What did they say?"
"The housekeeper protested. She thinks children should be neither seen nor heard. I told her she could find employment elsewhere, and so could anyone else unhappy with the arrangement. I expect to lose a few, but not many. I'll let Mrs. Sullivan choose her own housekeeper when she's ready."
"Finley and Mink were a little overwhelmed when we told them," I said. "I understand how they felt. They had nothing a mere twenty-four hours ago. They didn't even have hope. And now they have a future that can be anything they wish to make of it. Believe me, Lincoln, it takes some time for that to sink in."
He regarded me gently, his eyes shining. "Has it sunk in yet?"
I grinned. "Yes." I rested my hands on his knees. "Yes it has."
He stared down at the ring for a long time. He'd gone very still, and hardly seemed to be breathing.
"Lincoln." I sucked in a breath and plucked up the courage to say what I wanted to say. "Lincoln Fitzroy, will you marry me?"
He looked up, laughing, and drew me to him. He made way for me to sit beside him in the chair and I was careful not to put too much weight on his injured thighs. I cupped his face and smiled.
"Is that a yes?" I asked.
"With all my heart, it's a yes. It belongs to you, Charlie.Ibelong to you, and I want the world to know it."
My heart thudded in response, a signal that I'd made the right decision. Whatever storms lay ahead, we would weather them as a couple. Without each other, we were two separate halves, but together, we were a whole.
I stroked the side of his face and tumbled into the pools of his eyes. "And I belong to you," I whispered.
I kissed him and he kissed me back thoroughly, holding me against his chest. When he hissed, I drew back.
"Sorry," I said. "Did I hurt you?"
"It's not that. I had another vision."
My gaze connected with his. "Good, I hope."
"Very."
"Tell me about it."
