My shouldersshrugged helplessly. “I mean, it’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’tit? I know that. And I’m taking that revenge, that closure, awayfrom you.”
He held meagain, the tip of his thumb brushing under my eye. “Dianna, I hadno idea what I truly wanted until you came into my life. Darkness,vengeance, bitterness…. these were what became of me for so manyyears. I didn’t know there was… more. I didn’t know there wasyou.”
He kissed me,his soft bottom lip brushing upward to engulf my mouth and stealthe breath right from my lungs. When he pulled away, a smile spreadwide. “I vowed to respect your wishes. I will not take yoursister’s life. I will seize Maria and bring her back to you. Alive.I swear it.”
I could onlymuster a nod before leaning my head against his good shoulder.
“I’ll shallreturn in two days,” he said quietly. “Lottie will stay behind andwatch out for you and the baby. Gus and Finn will be by my side. Noharm will come to me, Dianna.”
“Okay,” Ireplied, just barely above a whisper. This was it. The moment we’dbeen waiting for. Months of sailing and nearly losing our livestime and time again… the end of it all was in our grasp. I justwish I felt better about it. I wish my heart and my mind wouldagree for once. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling thatsomething loomed in the darkness ahead. Waiting for us to blink andtake it all away.
***
Exhausted fromworry, I sat and stared out the carriage window and watched as thedeadened winter trees passed us by. Silence filled the small spacethat early morning as we bound for the little farmhouse justoutside the city where Charlie had grown up. I’d been promising totake him home to see his dying mother for so long and, with Henryand the men gone and some free time on my hands, I figured it wasjust a good a time than any.
I couldn’t sitaround idly at The Siren’s Call, waiting for Henry to return. So,after convincing Lottie that I was fine enough to travel by coachfor a few hours, she agreed to accompany us to Charlie’s home. Istole my gaze from the hypnotizing winter landscape that rushed byand smiled at Charlie who sat quietly by my side.
“Are youexcited to go home?” I asked him.
He noddedhappily.
“How long hasit been?” Lottie asked.
He held upfour fingers.
“Four years?”she replied, eyes wide.
She and Iexchanged a knowing glance. Four years was a long time to be awayfrom a mother who’d been ill when he left. There was a high chancethat we’d be bringing Charlie home to a grave and my heart squeezedin my chest at the thought of his pain. My poor, sweet boy. Eventhough he was far from it now. I looked at how the softness of hischeeks had somehow hardened to manly cheekbones and how hisonce-thin and boyish frame had grown and stretched with the musclesof a young man.
I patted hishand. “I’m sure your mother will be over the moon when she seesyou.”
“What will youtell her of your injury?” Lottie inquired.
Charlieshrugged and pulled out his paper and lead, scribbled somethingdown, and then held it up for us to read.
That I helpedsave a life.
My eyesglossed over and I hid it with a laugh. “I’ll be sure to tell herhow brave and foolish you were.”
The carriagejostled with a quick turn and Charlie slid forward on the seat tolook out the window, eyes wide in wonder and longing. We must havebeen close. I glanced out and spotted a tiny farmhouse at the endof the dirt road to which we rode on. Cows and horses in the barrenwinter meadow. A large rickety barn out back.
The house wasquaint. A small bungalow with a wide veranda that stretched acrossthe whole front. The carriage came to a stop just as an older mancame around from out back, clothes soiled with dirt and a largeshovel in his hands. He sat it down on the ground and stood waitingfor the carriage to open, a blank look of curiosity on his face.When the door opened, and Charlie stepped out, the man’s facebrightened and then faltered with a cry as the young man ran tohim.
Lottie and Iexited the carriage but lingered nearby, so as to give the fatherand son the chance to reunite without prying eyes. My heart swelledwith happiness that at least one parent still remained.
“My boy!” Iheard the man say with blubbering lips and his arms wrapped aroundCharlie tightly. “My boy. You’ve come home.”
They brokefree of the intimate embrace and Charlie’s father hooked a curiousfinger inside the white handkerchief he wore around his neck tohide the nasty scars. “What’s this?”
Charlietouched his hand and gently pulled it away from the fabric.“Mother?” he croaked.
His father,still unsure about what to think of the glimpse he’d caught of thescar, looked over his son’s shoulder at the two women waitingnearby before smiling sadly for his boy. “Mum is… she’s inside. Whoare your friends?”
Charlie turnedand waved us over. My leather boots crunched against the frostyground as we neared, and I smiled for the man.
“Welcome,” hegreeted and held out a hand to shake. “I’m Charles Senior.Charlie’s father. You’ll have to excuse the state of my appearance,we weren’t expecting visitors today.”
I shook hishand. “Oh, no, please. Don’t fuss for us. We’re just here to seeyoung Charlie home to his mother. It’s quite the pleasure to meetyou, Sir. I’m Dianna White and this is Lottie Roberts.”
“It’s nice tomeet you,” he replied. “Thank you for bringing my boy home.” Heruffled the hair atop his son’s head. “We thought we’d never seehim again. Come, let’s get you poor things inside and warm up. I’llput some tea on.”
We stepped uponto the veranda and followed the man inside the little farmhouse.Tones of warm wood and handmade quilts surrounded from every sideand the warmth of a small potbelly stove hugged me tightly as Imoved further inside. Charles senior went directly for the tinywhite kitchen and put a metal kettle on the stove. Charlie tappedhim on the shoulder and
