Thomas covered their joined hands with his free one. “Which is?”
Her smile turned almost playful and yet a little shy. “Can we take a house that has a pianoforte?”
His grin was infectious, and his chuckle rumbled deliciously through the carriage. “Of course. I’d never think of anything else.”
“Then I shall have all that I require.”
“So shall I.”
Chapter Nine
Why he had never thought of removing to Cornwall before this, Thomas would never know, but he would consider himself a great fool and a slow one for it.
From the moment he and Lily had left London, he’d felt a weight lift from him, not only from his shoulders but from his entire being, down to his soul. He might have been years younger, and his marriage anew. He’d ridden in the coach the whole way from London, which was not particularly comfortable, but he was not in a great hurry.
At Lily’s own request, they’d not stopped at any inns for a night, only long enough to change horses and have a meal each time. She hadn’t made any particular comments about Cornwall to give him encouragement one way or the other, but she had made it very clear that she was thrilled to be away from London, and that might be enough.
He was reluctant to pin his hopes on this time in Cornwall, given his past experiences, but there was something thrilling about the venture and his wife’s eagerness about it. Surely they could find their way back to each other in Cornwall, away from their habits and patterns, their distractions and their familiar pursuits.
He could not dare to hope that his wife would love him as he loved her, could not pretend he would possess the good fortune of having her heart truly be inclined toward him. He dreamed of such things, of course, but he could not expect any such thing. All he wanted was to offer himself to her, to prove he was better than he had been, and to give her reason enough to be pleased she was married to him.
Was that so impossible?
Their conversation in the coach had been varied and companionable, and they’d also shared enough silence to render that comfortable as well. The strain and tension that had become so present during their mealtimes together had been delightfully absent in the coach, leaving him feeling more at ease in her presence than he had felt in some time.
That was a promising beginning if nothing else was.
And now that they had arrived in Cornwall, their task was simple: decide which of the houses they would take.
Had he really thought this out, he might have come ahead of her and seen that all was prepared and made the decision about the house on his own so she might be comfortable from the moment they arrived. But, as the decision to come had been made in haste, they would not have such a luxury. A night or two in the local inn, and then they should be able to take possession of whichever house they settled upon.
Thomas wasn’t particular about the houses. Both were situated along a stretch of coast, both were reputed to be in grand condition, and neither would remind them of Rainford or London. He really could not ask for more than that.
They had stayed at the local inn the night before, and now they were driving out to the first estate to have a tour and examine the place.
“Thomas,” Lily gasped beside him, one of her hands lashing out to grip his wrist. “Look at the wildflowers. On the moors, look!”
Thomas looked out of the window, smiling at the simple yet profound beauty before them. “Stunning. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
“If we’re anywhere near the estate, I will select this place on the basis of these moors alone,” Lily vowed, fixated on the shades of blue, purple, and pink dotting the gray and green moors about them.
“I’ll make a note,” Thomas assured her, even knowing that she wouldn’t hear him.
He wouldn’t deny that it was a promising prospect, and he would especially consider it so if it would bring his wife such pleasure and joy. It would certainly be a foundation that he would happily build upon, as it might improve his chances of success.
But what if they weren’t close enough for this land to be on the estate they were inspecting?
Please, let them be close!
It was all he could do not to hold his breath as they turned down an overgrown lane, passing scattered sheep and three or four cows.
“Oh…” Lily breathed suddenly, perched on the edge of her seat. “Look at the sea.”
Thomas had seen it as well, and the same sense of wonder was filling him. Glimpses of shore and coastline dotted before them, the moors and cliffs doing their part to hide what they could as they descended down the lane. They must be near the house now, if the coast was so near.
Which meant he could be a very, very fortunate man.
They came around a slight curve, and the landscape opened to reveal the house, an imposing expanse of a place towering with buff-colored limestone, Elizabethan gables, and grand windows overshadowing anything else he could notice about it. The sun caught the glass windows perfectly, glinting off the surface with a welcoming glow. Ivy had begun to creep up the walls, though instead of creating an overgrown appearance, it added to the overall image and spirit of it all. Brambles lined the drive, scattered about the area without rhyme or reason, oddly fitting for the scene.
“It’s beautiful,” Lily breathed, her fingers touching the window of the carriage as though she could touch the house itself. “What’s its name?”
“Pendrizzick,” Thomas told her, the name bringing a smile to his face as he used it. The Cornish language was a fascinating one, of which he knew very
