Page 50 of A Christmas Miracle for the Frosty Marquess
But just as he was on the precipice of sharing his heart, the partition moved quickly, and Mary stepped into the men’s side of the room.
“Oh, Clara,” she said, sounding relieved. “Agnes is awake. Her fever has broken at last.”
Clara gasped, placing her hand on her chest.
“Oh, thank heavens,” she said. “I will go speak with her.”
Julian reluctantly released Clara’s hand, moving to follow her.
“I am right behind you,” he said with a fond smile.
As they made their way to the other side of the partition, with Thomas following quietly behind, Julian felt the intensity that had just existed between Clara and him ebb in favor of a collective relief that Agnes was improving. Julian smiled when he saw Agnes pushing herself up in her bed with color in her cheeks and a smile on her face.
They had weathered what could have been a tragic situation, he realized. And in its wake, the seeds of a deeper bond had been sown, especially between Clara and him. Julian knew that their shared future, though uncertain, held the promise of love and a life chosen not out of duty, but straight from destiny. He had failed to confess his feelings to Clara. But he promised himself that he would do just that the very next chance he got.
Chapter Twenty-three
“Thank you for everything you kind people have done for us,” Agnes said as Clara, Mary, Julian, and Thomas were preparing to leave that afternoon.
Clara embraced the woman, saying a prayer of thanks that she looked and sounded far better than she had just the night before. Julian truly had saved Agnes’s life by acting so quickly, and she was in awe of the glimpse of his sincere heart she had seen in doing so.
“It was our pleasure,” she said. “You will let us know if there is anything else you need, won’t you?”
Agnes nodded, smiling at all her children, who were now crowded around her in the bed.
“I believe we will be all right now,” she said, trying to feign bravery. “You have already been more than kind enough.”
Emily clambered off the bed and threw her arms around Clara.
“Thank you for helping our mummy,” she said. Then, she detached from Clara and turned her embrace to Julian. “And thank you for getting the doctor. Mum would surely be gone if you hadn’t.”
Julian knelt to hug the girl, and for a moment, Clara could have sworn she saw tears in his eyes.
“I am happy I could be of service,” he said.
Mary hugged Agnes, patting her gently on the back.
“I will speak with Mother and Father when I return home,” she said. “I am sure we can see to it that you get more provisions to help you while you recover. And we are more than happy to do that for you.”
Agnes looked at the group with misty eyes.
“God bless you all,” she said.
When the farewells to the family had finished, the group headed out to the dogcart. Julian and Thomas helped the two women aboard the cart, but they stayed on the ground.
“Are you not coming with us?” Clara asked.
The men exchanged a glance, then Julian shook his head.
“We will hire a hackney at the inn,” he said, pointing to a pillar of smoke just over a small hill in the road.
Clara nodded, surprised at how disappointed she felt.
“Have a safe journey,” she said, resisting the urge to climb down from the dogcart and embrace her fiancé.
Julian bowed, giving her the warmest smile yet, with the most intense gaze she had ever seen.
“And you, as well,” he said.
