A Place Called New Hope by McGreevy Catherine

Author:McGreevy Catherine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing
Published: 2018-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

NINE

Patrick!” Letty whispered. The high-set cheekbones and the curve of the proud nose were unmistakable, despite the shadows that hid most of his face.

Sliding off the horse, he took her hands in his gloved ones. “Happy Christmas, Leticia.”

Letty could not stop staring, too shocked to respond. His cheeks, under the hat and above a new growth of black beard, were gaunt and drawn. Untrimmed dark hair spilled over his coat collar, tangled and matted.

His hard grip tightened. Patrick cleared his throat and glanced at the curious onlookers before lowering his voice. “I sent you a message from London yesterday, Leticia, but it appears I passed the carrier. Forgive my appearance. I did not take time to rest or bathe after disembarking. I hoped to arrive in time to celebrate Christmas with you at Blackgrave Manor.”

When Letty could not speak, her husband drew back and his tone changed subtly. “Perhaps I should have stayed over in London, after all. I did not mean to inconvenience you.”

Letty found her voice at last. “But … I did not expect you for another two years or more. Then, when your letter from Zanzibar arrived, I thought perhaps …” Her voice faded away.

He watched her closely. “Are you disappointed that I am here?”

“I …”

She stopped stammering, realizing the residents of New Hope were staring at them open-mouthed, except for the babies, who had nodded off against their mother’s shoulders. This was not the time for introductions or explanations.

Patrick followed her gaze. “When no one greeted me up at the manor house, I suspected I’d find you at New Hope, and I was correct. Mrs. Marlowe, it is now time to go home.”

Before Letty realized what was happening, he put his hands around her waist and lifted her onto his horse, mounting behind her. As she looked down at Patrick’s arms encircling her waist, new and conflicting feelings washed over her—mostly confusion at the intimacy of sharing a saddle with her unexpectedly returned husband.

Before she could think of what to say or do, he turned the horse’s head toward Blackgrave Manor.

When they entered the dark hall together, Letty felt a prickle of embarrassment at the cobwebs in the upper corners of the room and the dank, uninhabited feel of the manor. “I’m afraid the house is not in order,” she confessed. “You will find that your room is not ready, either. The truth is, I … I dismissed the servants after you went to Africa.”

Letty was afraid how he would react, but Patrick only nodded, although his expression remained grim. “When I stopped in Grayton to change horses, the ostler informed me about conditions here. There were allusions to … other things, which we shall discuss tomorrow. For now, I am far too hungry and tired to care whether the room is aired out or not.”

She twisted her hands in her skirts. After doing exactly as she wished for more than a year, things were about to change. Fortunately, right now her husband was interested only in filling his belly and going to bed.

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