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“And are you sure it’s from a reputable source?”

“While Rosamund’s words were said with the utmost honesty… she is of an advanced age. But this diary clarifies everything.”

“Thatis your proof?” asked Frederick in a gravelly voice, nodding to the bright blue leather journal. “May I see it?”

“Not right now, no. I would like to reveal it officially soon. Ideally tomorrow. And ideally to both families,” she replied, hugging it tighter to herself.

“It would certainly be controversial,” argued Charles.

“It is of my utmost belief, Father, that should the document be examined by an expert, its authenticity would be confirmed beyond doubt,” Sophia said. “I intend to take the diary to such an expert after this.”

Another pause.

Frederick shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Clever thinking, girl, keeping it on you. We can’t know if the Pratts share the same sentiment.”

Sophia looked at him with curiosity. “What do you mean, Uncle?”

“They might want to perpetuate the feud and hide the evidence. You can never trust a Pratt.”

Sophia sighed. “Uncle, I firmly believe you have misjudged them.” Both men looked at her now. “If there’s anyone who was hostile to the idea of this wedding, it was me. And I can tell you, after spending enough time with them… they are not the beasts we thought they were. They are actually lovely. Mostly.”

“What my niece is trying to say is?—”

Charles raised a hand and leaned between them. “That is a strong statement you made, Sophia. It is going to turn decades of conflict on its head. We don’t know how their side will receive this, especially knowing their penchant for being unreasonable.”

“Well, I still don’t know howourside will receive this. You have not said how you feel,” she said in earnest.

“If you ask me, as your father…” Charles took off his spectacles and sighed. “I am willing to do what is best for my daughter. And the best, in my opinion… is a life of peace,” he concluded with a smile.

Sophia smiled back. “Really?”

“Yes, dear. I trust you implicitly. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t do something like this if you weren’t absolutely certain,” Charles replied, and Sophia’s smile widened. “Why else did we agree to this marriage anyway? For peace. Well, it looks like you are the one who will set the record straight. And I couldn’t be prouder. If it was not appallingly early, I would have poured us all a measure of something and toasted to the future.”

Sophia made a mental note to give her father a long hug before she left.

“Thank you for your trust, Father.” She scratched her cheek a little bit, feeling a massive relief washing over her. “What about you, Uncle? I know you are the one with the biggest stake in this feud, but I hope you can see the merit in a resolution.”

“You are right, child. It is not the job of a bitter old man to speak about matters of the future,” Frederick said, stretching his arms across the back of the settee, one leg balanced on the knee of theother. “I can promise my utter silence in this matter when you eventually decide to reveal this truth of yours.”

Sophia ruminated on his words carefully and eventually decided that was the best she could get out of him. She had a mere five-and-twenty years of bad blood to wash off herself, and that had been difficult enough to shake. She couldn’t even imagine what kind of earthquake it would require to shake off forty-plus years of hatred.

“Thank you, Uncle,” she said eventually, giving a smile of courtesy.

“Your mother will be so excited to hear about all of this, Sophia,” said Charles, hugging her tenderly. “Your peace and happiness is something she has long wished for.”

“Please send her my regards and my love, Father, and assure her that I will be back the day after tomorrow.”

As they broke the hug, Sophia realized that her uncle hadn’t followed them to the porch.

“And please, make sure to ease Uncle Frederick’s worries about the matter. This really is the end of the feud. The true end—I feel it in my bones.”

“I’ll do my best, but we need to give him time, my dear.” Sophia nodded in response. “I know he’ll do his best.”

They exchanged a kiss on the cheek, and Sophia got back up on Violetta, showing off her practice and grace. She waved goodbye to her father and nudged the mare, starting her ride back to Heathcote Manor. A long ride, with plenty of time for thinking, and plenty of time to rehearse what to tell her dear husband.

We are so close…

Had someone told her a few months ago that she would be the one ending this feud once and for all, she would have laughed in their face. And yet, they were one family gathering away from ending it all. And not in a blaze of gunfire and foolish glory, but in peace.