Page 37 of Yours Always (The Enduring Hearts #1)

Somerton - Berkshire, England

Sarah sat perched on the window seat of her new home, her fingers trailing absently over the linen curtains, her gaze fixed on the fields stretching beyond the orchards.

Late afternoon light bathed everything in golden warmth.

The grass swayed in the breeze, tenant cottages dotted the horizon like brushstrokes on a painting, and from somewhere down in the orchard, laughter drifted on the wind.

Somerton. Their home. Their future. Sometimes, Sarah still couldn’t believe it was real.

So much had changed in just a few short months.

Their world had shattered; losing Benjamin had been a wound none of them would ever fully heal from.

Sometimes when she looked toward the small grove of trees where she and Benjamin had once played for hours under the summer sun, her chest ached with a longing so fierce it stole her breath.

He should have lived here. He should have built his future here with Grace.

That grief would always be with her, but alongside it now was gratitude for the life she had, for the love that had survived, and for the child she carried beneath her heart.

Sarah pressed her palm to her stomach, a quiet smile tugging at her lips.

Her gaze drifted to the orchard path. Matthew stood speaking with one of the new tenant farmers, his hands tucked in his pockets, face animated and open.

Even from here, she recognized the easy slope of his smile, the steady confidence in his posture.

He wasn’t just a landowner, he was building something. A home. A community. A legacy.

She leaned her forehead against the cool glass, eyes closing briefly as Matthew clapped Mr. Havisham on the back and turned toward the house.

Her heart swelled. She loved him, more deeply than she had ever believed possible.

Somehow, by grace, grit and the stubbornness of two broken hearts, they had found their way to each other.

“You’re thinking too hard again.” She turned at the sound of his voice, smiling as she found him in the doorway.

His sleeves were rolled, his hands still dusty, but his eyes were soft.

“I was just thinking about Grace,” she said, brushing a hand over her skirts.

“What she’ll feel when she steps inside this house. If it’ll be too hard. If she’ll—”

Matthew crossed to her in three strides, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands. “She’ll love it,” he said gently. “Because you are here.” Sarah looked down at him, her thumb brushing the back of his hand. “You always know the right thing to say.”

“That is not true,” he replied, a crooked smile tugging at his mouth.

“I just get lucky more often than I deserve.” The sound of wheels crunching over gravel reached them, faint but unmistakable.

Sarah stood, her fingers tightening around Matthew’s.

“That’s her.” He gave her hand a final squeeze before stepping out to greet their guest.

Grace stepped down from the carriage, her bonnet slightly askew, her expression unreadable.

She wore a simple traveling dress, elegant despite its modesty, and her eyes were heavy with memory.

Matthew extended his hand. Grace took it, her gaze drifting up toward the house.

Her breath caught. “This life suits you, Mr. Fenwick,” she whispered.

“It suits us all better with you here,” Matthew replied gently.

“We’ve missed you.” Grace’s voice thickened.

“I’ve missed you,” she murmured. “I didn’t realize how much until now.

” Just then, Sarah appeared on the front steps.

Grace turned and their eyes met. She didn’t say a word.

She rushed forward, closing the distance in an instant, and threw her arms around Sarah with the force of a crashing wave.

Sarah held her just as tightly, the tears she’d kept at bay all morning finally spilling over.

“You’re here,” she whispered, voice cracking.

“Of course I’m here,” Grace choked out. “Someone had to find out if marriage has turned you terribly respectable.” Sarah laughed through her tears, clinging tighter. “It hasn’t.”

Grace pulled back, her eyes sweeping over her, taking in every change, with her familiar knowing gaze.

Then her eyes dropped to the small curve of Sarah’s belly.

Emotion flickered across her face, joy, pain, awe, too much to name and too quick to contain.

“Look at you,” she breathed. “Everything you were meant to be.”

They walked inside, arms linked. In the drawing room, Grace collapsed onto the settee with a dramatic sigh.

“I am looking forward to a dreadfully quiet summer. Now that my mourning is over, all anyone wants to discuss is my return to society. I just want to disappear into your library with a book and bask in absolute silence.”

Sarah bit her lip, and Grace narrowed her eyes. “What is it?” Sarah hesitated and then smiled, almost sheepishly. “Did I forget to mention that Matthew invited Lord Blackburn to spend the summer with us?” Grace groaned. “Yes, you absolutely did.”’

“And,” Sarah added, tone overly bright, “I may have promised we’d host a few small gatherings. And attend any local events the neighboring estates are planning.” Grace dropped her head back against the cushions. “Lizzy, this was meant to be peaceful.”

Sarah laughed and leaned against her shoulder. “It’s a new season, Grace. New beginnings.” Grace gave a long-suffering sigh, but her lips curved anyway. “Let’s just hope it’s less dramatic than the last.” Sarah grinned. “With Oliver here?” She shook her head. “Not likely.”

______________________

The sun was beginning to set over Somerton, casting long golden streaks across the fields. The air was thick with the scent of blossoms and warmed earth, and somewhere beyond the hedgerows the soft call of a nightingale rose like a hymn.

Matthew stood at the edge of the pond, the late sun casting gold across the water.

The surface shimmered in soft ripples, stirred by the breeze that moved through the trees like breath.

It wasn’t the pond from their childhood, that had been Edenfield, wild and wide, full of splashing and shrieking and joy too loud to hold. This one felt like a memory. A mirror.

He could almost hear Benjamin’s voice echoing across the surface, laughing as he waded in boots and all, grinning back at whoever was too slow to follow. He would have made it a game. A story. Something sacred.

Behind him, he heard footsteps, soft against the grass.

He knew who they belonged to before he even turned.

Sarah came to stand beside him, arms folded gently across her middle, her presence folding into his like a familiar breath.

He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, and she leaned into him.

The quiet between them was full of things that had been and things that were still becoming.

A dragonfly skimmed across the water. A breeze whispered through the reeds.

Sarah’s voice came softly, just above a whisper.

“I see him everywhere.” She paused. “And somehow, it doesn’t hurt the same way it used to. ”

Matthew looked out over the water, the light catching in his eyes. “That’s because he isn’t truly gone.” His voice was quiet, certain. “He’s just a part of everything now.” They stood there for a long while, until the sun dipped below the hills and the hush of twilight wrapped itself around them.

Matthew felt the weight of Sarah’s gaze and turned to find her watching him, her usual mischievous grin tugging at her lips, the one that never failed to leave him breathless. “You look as though you are planning something dreadfully improper, Mrs. Fenwick.”

Sarah laughed, the sound making Matthew’s heart stumble. He doubted he’d ever grow used to how she affected him. “I was thinking,” she said, her eyes sparkling, “how lovely it would feel to go for a swim.” She winked. “Care to join me?”

Matthew shot a glance toward the house, though he suspected Sarah had already warned Grace of her intentions. He bent to press a kiss to his wife’s cheek, his lips curving into a smile as he whispered against her ear, “Always, Lizzy.”