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Edward sat in his chair, deciding to catch up on his correspondence, When he looked out the window sometime later, he realized he’d missed luncheon.

He lifted his hand to ring for a maid when a knock sounded at his door, and it opened to reveal his mother. She had a team of maids with her carrying trays of all his favorite foods. The maids immediately set about laying out the food.

“Mother,” he greeted, rising from his seat.

She indicated the coffee table, and he obliged, settling into the sofa uneasily. She had a grim look on her face even while she made him a plate and waited till he’d finished eating.

“You lied to me,” she began, not one to play games.

She and Arabella were alike in that aspect.

“Yes.” He decided not to beat about the proverbial bush and face her censure head on. “It had seemed the best course of action at that time. We are sorry for it.”

“I like her,” she said at long last. “Arabella. She’s strong, sweet, beautiful, and above all, she’s made you more… human.”

“Human?”

“Yes.” His mother smiled warmly at him. “Human. You used to carry such a heavy burden on your shoulders that you barely even laughed or smiled. I see you with her, and I remember…” Her voice broke.

Edward wanted to go to her but knew she’d resent him for it, so he stayed in his seat till she regained her composure.

“I remember my early days with your father.” She smiled. “Not that I’m comparing you with him, and neither do I expect you to become like him. I remember how in love we used to be.”

“What happened, Mother?” he asked, taking her hands in his.

She seemed so small now that she had finally started talking about something he’d always wanted to know.

Had something really happened to have turned their father away from them?

“I… I don’t know.” She sighed. “I think it had always been there, but I was just too blind to see it.”

Edward sighed. “I’m sorry to make you remember something so painful.”

“I am happy to have discussed it finally.” She laughed. “For the first time in years, I feel so free.”

He smiled at her, envying her strength.

“So, tell me, what exactly has been happening this past week?”

And he did, leaving no detail out, including his decision to send Joana to Bedlam.

“I agree. It is a wise decision.”

He nodded, and they sat in comfortable silence. Edward replayed everything that had happened and realized that somehow, all the change he’d feared marriage would bring had been nothing but good for him and his family.

He could finally boast of a relationship with his brother, his mother had been freed from her prison of grief, and he had finally gotten peace that he had never experienced before.

Indeed, the breeze of change had blown across Soulden with Arabella as it’s harbringer.

Epilogue

THREE MONTHS LATER

“You really should have more tea, darling child,” Harriet cooed, putting a cold compress on Arabella’s head.

Arabella had been down more often with a headache and had been near emptying her guts each morning with dizzy spells that worried everyone, especially her husband, who had a penchant for dramatics when it came to her.

“I believe she’s had more than enough tea, Mother,” Edward deadpanned, pointing at the huge teapot she’d just finished. “When does the doctor arrive?”