He entered the cottage and crossed the room, on decidedly wobbly legs. Elizabeth lay on the narrow bed in the corner, blankets neatly tucked around her.
He knelt next to her, his eyes anxiously scanning her face. Although she was pale, her skin no longer appeared waxy. Her chest rose and fell with slow, steady breaths. Reaching out, he brushed an auburn curl from her brow. A combination of relief and love suffused him, hitting him so hard his breath stalled.
Elizabeth, his wonderful, unpredictable Elizabeth, was going to be all right. She'd said she loved him, and even if that were nothing more than delusional mutterings, he believed that it meant there was hope for them. He would make her love him. Somehow. By some miracle, they'd been given this second chance and by God he was going to do everything in his power to convince her to put the past behind them and stay with him. He loved her too damn much and wasn't about to contemplate life without her. She was his, and he would spend the rest of his life trying to prove that to her.
Lowering his head he rested his forehead against the blanket and whispered the only two words he could manage. 'Love you.'
Later that night, Austin sat at the scarred wooden table, warming his hands around a chipped mug of tea. A low fire burned in the grate, casting the small cottage with a shadowy glow.
Elizabeth had not awakened, but her breathing was regular and she showed no signs of developing fever. Josette lay asleep on a pallet in the corner, William and Claudine kneeling beside her, talking in hushed tones.
Sipping his tea, Austin assessed Claudine. She was a very pretty woman, petite, with shiny sable hair and wide hazel eyes. An air of quiet competence surrounded her. He'd noticed that her hands bore calluses and she moved about the cottage with the ease of a woman accustomed to domestic duties. Certainly not a highborn lady or one of wealth.
He watched his brother lightly brush his fingers over the bruise marring Claudine's cheek, his lips thinning to a tight white line. Claudine captured William's hand and pressed a fervent kiss against his palm. There was no mistaking the love shining in their eyes.
William helped Claudine settle herself next to Josette, and once she was comfortable, he joined Austin at the table.
Austin looked at his brother, noting his marked limp and the changes in his appearance. His face was thinner and deep lines bracketed his mouth and creased his forehead. He saw no sign of the mischievous boy he'd known in this serious man and his heart ached for the hardships William had clearly suffered. There were so many things to say, to ask, he didn't know where to begin. Clearing his throat he finally said, 'Josette looks just like you.'
'Yes, she does.'
'How old is she?'
'Two.' William looked directly into his eyes. 'Your wife saved her life. It is a debt I can never repay.'
'Your wife helped save Elizabeth's life. That is a debt
'How are they?'
'Fine. They're going to be shocked… and ecstatic when they see you.' He drew a deep breath. 'I heard Gaspard talking to Elizabeth and I spoke to him myself, so I know most of what happened but why did you let us believe all this time you were dead?'
'I had no choice. I couldn't risk Gaspard's finding Claudine and Josette. If I'd contacted you, told you I was alive, I would have exposed myself and them. And it might have placed you and the family in danger as well.'
'There were soldiers in your regiment who witnessed you going down in battle.'
'I did. My horse was shot and we went down together, but unlike so many others, I was not crushed by my mount. There was mass confusion following the battle at Waterloo, thousands of dead and wounded soldiers everywhere. I managed to escape, slipping my timepiece under the body of a dead soldier I knew no one would ever be able to identify.'
He squeezed Austin's arms, then sat back. 'I returned to Claudine and Josette. I knew Gaspard would be searching for them to take revenge for my double-cross… if he had survived. We had to go into hiding until I knew if Gaspard was still alive. I soon discovered he was.'
'How did you meet Claudine?'
'She'd saved my life two years earlier. I'd taken a bayonette in the leg. The next thing I remember was waking up and looking into the kindest, gentlest eyes I'd ever seen. She said she'd found me in the woods, about two miles from the battle site. I suppose I must have dragged myself there, although I don't recall doing so. She nursed me back to health.'
'Why would she help a British soldier?'
'She told me she'd just lost her younger brother to the war. Even though I was British, she didn't want to inflict the pain of losing a loved one on someone else and she didn't want my death on her conscience. She decided to do what she could to help me recover, then send me on my way.'
He clasped his hands in front of him on the table. 'We never intended to fall in love, but we did. After two weeks, I was healed enough to rejoin my regiment, but I couldn't leave her. She refused to marry me, fearing the danger I'd be placed in by having a French wife, but I was stubborn. We traveled to a village several hours away and were secretly married.
'After that, I settled her in another village, under a different name. I wanted her away from Gaspard, whose vicious hatred of the British had turned to madness after Mien's death. The need to keep her safe became even more crucial once I learned she was with child.'
His gaze drifted briefly to where his wife and daughter slept peacefully. 'Gaspard found the church where we'd been married and he came after me. He was going to kill me, then find Claudine and kill her. I managed to convince him I was sympathetic to the French-after all, I had a French wife-how loyal to the English could I be? To prove my loyalty, I promised to provide him and his men with weapons.'
'Which is what you were doing that night on the docks,' Austin said. 'Only the weapons were useless.'
'Yes, except for the top several in each crate in case he tested them, which he did.' He dragged his hands down his face. 'When I saw you there, I panicked. I couldn't explain things to you, and I couldn't let Gaspard see you. Both of our lives were at stake.'
'I want you to know how much I regret that night, William. Branding you a traitor, disavowing you as my brother-'
'You had no way of knowing, Austin.'
'I should have trusted in you, known that you would never commit treason.'
'You believed what I wanted you to believe. I could have confessed what was going on when we spoke, but I couldn't risk that someone might overhear, or question you. I would have said anything-
Austin looked over at Elizabeth. Yes, he could understand that depth of love.
'I'm sorry that I've had to allow you, Mother, Robert, and Caroline to mourn me this past year,' William said in a quiet voice, 'but until I took care of Gaspard I couldn't risk returning to the family. By killing him, you've set me free.'
A shudder passed through Austin. 'That bastard almost killed my wife. I would kill him again if I could.'
'She is very brave, your wife. Have you been married long?'
'No. But she's changed my life.' He looked at William and understanding flowed between them. 'You understand.'
'Perfectly. Claudine changed mine.'
Silence fell for several seconds, then Austin said 'The first night I met Elizabeth, she told me you were alive. I didn't believe her.'
William frowned. 'How could she possibly have known I was alive?'
Austin gazed at the cot by the fire, at the woman who held his heart and soul in her hands. He would not dishonor her and what she'd done for him and his family by hiding the gift of her visions… for that's exactly what they were. A gift. Returning his attention to William, he explained just how extraordinary his wife really was.
When he finished, William simply stared at him. 'That's incredible.'
