Page 16 of Revisit the Past (Society of Swans #3)
I sabel pressed her face against the carriage window as Osborne Park’s towering, expansive beauty came into view. She marveled at the history it carried, to which she and Caleb would contribute and one day become part of.
“I hope you are pleased with your home, beautiful wife.”
The horses slowed as they neared the end of the drive, gravel crunching under hooves and wheels. Isabel sat back against the plush seat and slipped both her arms around her Caleb, pulling him even closer.
“Of course I am pleased, charming husband, because you will be there. It is our home.”
Caleb released a sigh of utter contentment as he rested his cheek atop Isabel’s head. “Thank you for finally returning some life to this place. It was in dire need. As was I. Thank you for returning life to me, Isabel.”
“Neither of you shall be without it ever again. I will see to that.”
“Of that, I have no doubt whatsoever,” Caleb replied with a chuckle that vibrated through Isabel’s body.
The carriage stopped before the grand front staircase. A neatly groomed footman stood tall on one end of each step. One of them opened the door for his master and new mistress.
“Welcome home, my lord, my lady.”
Similar polite greetings and congratulations followed them up the stairs. Each one sent a thrill through Isabel from head to foot. Though they had spent their first month of marriage wandering about the country, it still felt so strange to think of herself as Isabel Smythe, Countess of Murfield.
At least Aunt Matilda had reassured Isabel on her wedding day that eventually, she would find herself responding to the call of Lady Murfield without a second thought. It would become as much a part of her as Caleb himself was.
After an hour or two spent on a leisurely tour of the generous main floors, her husband paused before a final pair of mahogany double doors and smiled down at her. “Shall we?”
Isabel grinned and nodded without any idea what awaited on the other side. “We shall.”
The doors swung inward to reveal Caleb’s handsomely appointed office, with a massive desk lit by an arched window and enough shelves to qualify as a library. Somehow, though Isabel could not tell how precisely, it reflected him perfectly.
Caleb stepped in behind her and gently gripped her upper arms, his thumbs rubbing circles into her skin. He turned her around. There in the center of the wall, in perfect view of Caleb’s desk, hung a silver filigree frame, identical in design to the one that housed Mama’s portrait in Papa’s study.
It was Isabel’s portrait, painted by the loving, familiar hand of her husband, that looked out across the entrance and doorway of her new home, proud in a place of high honor. Isabel’s happiness, both in the painting and in reality, blazed bright for all to see.
“What do you think?” Caleb asked.
“Well, no one can doubt that being in love has made me quite radiant.”
Caleb spun her back around so fast that Isabel stumbled into his arms, laughing like a giddy girl experiencing the first bloom of love. Her husband brushed the curls away from her eyes and held her face in both his hands.
“Impossible. You have always been radiant. That is a mere mortal’s attempt to emulate it in an infallible medium. But still, I will always be glad to hear that you are in love with me.”
Shrugging a shoulder, Isabel laughed. “Be mindful of your wishes. You may tire of hearing how much I am in love with you.”
Tenderly, Caleb’s hand slipped down the side of her face, thumb and forefinger holding her chin in a loose grip. “You shall tire of hearing how much I am in love with you long before I do.”
“I suppose even such well-matched minds as ours cannot agree on every subject,” Isabel replied in a whisper.
“It is not necessary, so long as our hearts agree.”
He kissed her, passionate and sweet all at once. They had only been husband and wife for a little over a month and Isabel had already lost count of their kisses.
When they pulled apart, husband and wife kept their arms looped around each other. Isabel smiled softly as she studied the details of Caleb’s face and wondered how they would change throughout the lifetime ahead.
“Will my brilliant wife tell me what she is thinking?”
Isabel tilted her head to one side and continued observing.
“Paintings are wonderful and I admire the dedication required to create them, but at times like this, I wish we could capture a moment in perfect recreation with the blink of an eye, and perhaps even hang those recreations up on the walls.”
Caleb gave that thoughtful pout that Isabel so adored.
“A fascinating and tempting idea, indeed. Though I am afraid if such a thing were possible, I would have no choice but to build an entirely new house for the sole purpose of functioning as a gallery. I would use every blink to capture your beauty.”
Emotion flooded Isabel’s chest, her eyes widening. “Then I should have to build one right beside yours.”
“My lady?”
The newly married couple turned at the polite intrusion. The butler stood in the doorway, a small platter in hand. Isabel went still.
“I am sorry to disturb you so soon after your arrival, but this was just discovered outside. If you prefer, I will have it delivered in the morning with your breakfast tray.”
Caleb’s elbow prodded Isabel in the side. She stepped forward, accepted the letter, and dismissed the butler with thanks.
Lady Swan truly never failed. Isabel knew that to be true before she’d flipped the envelope.
“It’s her,” Caleb whispered in awe. Still transfixed by the amethyst seal, he led Isabel to two comfortable leather chairs in the corner.
A warm wave of contentment settled over Isabel as she opened the seal and read aloud to her husband.
“‘ Dearest Lady Murfield, I know I will not be the first to welcome you to your new home, but I hope I may claim the privilege of being the first to welcome you to this sacred moment of the blessed calm after the turmoil—not only of wedding preparations, but of the separate journeys you both undertook to arrive here.
“‘There is never a better time than a marriage—the joining of two pasts into one future—to begin painting this fresh, blank canvas that stretches before you both. There can be no doubt that you and your clever husband will create the masterpiece you both deserve. Thank you for giving love, and each other, a second chance.
“‘ Yours always, Lady Swan.’”