Page 35 of The Elusive Phoebe (The Widows of Lavender Cottage #1)
"Yes," she whispered. "And I never knew. I thought our marriage was just a business arrangement, but he was... he was falling in love with me."
She turned the page and continued reading, her voice growing stronger as she shared Robert's private thoughts.
"Today she told me about her childhood, about climbing trees and reading in hidden corners of the garden.
She spoke of dreams of independence, of having choices, and I found myself determined to give her everything she has ever wanted.
Not because duty demands it, but because her happiness has become the measure of my own. "
Archie had moved to examine the poetry section of the extensive library, but Phoebe could see him listening, his face thoughtful as he heard Robert's words.
"I want to tell her how I feel, but I fear it is too soon, that she might think me foolish or overeager.
Instead, I find myself planning our future in secret—improvements to the estate that will please her, rooms arranged to suit her preferences, gardens planted to bloom in her favorite colors.
If I cannot yet speak my love, at least I can build a foundation for it. "
"Oh, Robert," Phoebe murmured, tears sliding down her cheeks. "If only you had told me."
She read several more entries, each one revealing the depth of Robert's feelings and his careful attention to her every word and gesture.
By the time she reached the final entry, written just days before he received the intelligence that would change everything, she understood that their marriage had been far more than a convenient arrangement.
"I have decided to retire from my work for the Crown after this final mission.
Phoebe deserves a husband who can be present, who can love her openly without the shadow of danger hanging over their lives.
Tomorrow I will begin the process of extracting myself from intelligence work.
Soon, I will be free to court my own wife properly, to build the life of love and partnership we both deserve. "
Phoebe closed the journal and sat in silence for several minutes, processing what she had learned. Robert had been planning to leave his dangerous work. He had been ready to choose love over duty, just as she was learning to do now.
"Are you all right?" Archie asked gently.
"I think so. It's just... overwhelming. To learn that he loved me, that he was planning to give up everything for our marriage." She looked up at him with tear-bright eyes. "He was a good man, Archie. A truly good man who died before we could discover what we might have been to each other."
"Yes, he was," Archie agreed without a trace of jealousy. "And he loved you enough to want you to be happy, even if that happiness didn't include him."
The generous acceptance in his voice made her heart swell with gratitude and something deeper, warmer. This was the man she had fallen in love with as a girl—someone capable of honoring her past while hoping for a future with her.
"The library," she said, rising from her chair. "He said there was more to discover."
"Are you ready?" Archie asked. "We can wait if you need more time to process all this."
"No," Phoebe said firmly. "I want to see what else he left for me. All of it."
They moved to the library, where Archie had already located the poetry section. The works of Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats were beautifully bound and clearly well-read.
"Wordsworth first," Phoebe said, reaching for the volume. When she pulled it from the shelf, there was a soft click, but nothing else happened.
"Byron next," Archie suggested, and when she pulled that volume, another click sounded.
"And Keats," she finished, withdrawing the final book. This time, the clicking was followed by a more substantial sound—the whisper of hidden machinery—and a section of the bookshelf swung inward, revealing a hidden alcove .
Inside was a cedar chest, beautifully carved and clearly meant to hold treasures. With hands that shook only slightly, Phoebe lifted the lid.
The chest contained architectural drawings—detailed plans of all three of her inherited estates, showing not just the rooms she knew but hidden passages, secret chambers, and even underground tunnels connecting key buildings.
There were maps marked with coordinates, what appeared to be coded messages, and at the very bottom, a mechanical device that looked like an ornate music box.
"The cipher device," Archie said, lifting it carefully. "This must be the first piece of whatever puzzle Robert created."
"And these," Phoebe added, examining the architectural plans, "show how all the properties are connected. Look—there are escape routes, hidden rooms, even what appears to be an underground passage between the manor house and the chapel."
"He built you more than a home," Archie realized. "He built you a fortress. A place where you could be safe no matter what dangers threatened."
Phoebe nodded, overwhelmed by the scope of Robert's planning and preparation. Every detail had been considered, every possible threat anticipated. He had truly loved her—not just as a wife, but as a partner worthy of his complete trust and protection.
"There will be more pieces at Brighton and London," she said, carefully repacking the cipher device. "But already I can see what he was doing. He was giving me the tools to protect myself, to understand the world he moved in, to make my own choices about how to live."
"And what choices are you making?" Archie asked quietly.
Phoebe looked around the beautiful library, then back at the man who had traveled across an ocean to find her. Robert had loved her enough to prepare for her independence. Archie loved her enough to support whatever she decided to do with that independence.
"I'm choosing to see this through," she said firmly. "To discover all of Robert's secrets, to understand what he left me, and then to decide how I want to live my life."
"And what about us?" The question was soft, careful, without pressure.
Phoebe moved closer to him, drawn by the hope and patience in his eyes. "Ask me again when we've solved all the puzzles," she said softly. "When I fully understand what Robert built for me and what I want to build for myself."
"I can wait," Archie promised. "I've waited this long."
"I know you can," she replied, reaching out to touch his hand briefly. "And I think... I think that might be why I'm learning to trust you again."
As the afternoon light faded toward evening, they carefully returned Robert's treasures to their hiding place, leaving Rosemont Hall's secrets safe for their next visit. Tomorrow they would travel to Brighton, where the next piece of the puzzle awaited.