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“Blast,” Simon said under his breath. “Boy!” he called as he headed toward the stable. The boy halted and looked back at him. “Have another horse saddled for me immediately.”
“Right away, my lord,” he answered. He hurried toward the stable and was soon out of sight. Simon rushed into the house and up to his bedroom. “Ellen? Ellen!” he called. He hurried to her bedroom and looked around, hoping by some slight chance that she had decided to stay behind. However, her room was empty, with no sign of even her maid in sight.
He uttered a low growl of frustration and headed back to his room. Changing quickly, he headed back downstairs and out to the front. However, when he arrived, his horse had yet to be brought up from the stable. He walked down, and the horse was just being brought out.
“Thank you, lad,” Simon said in a hurry as he took the reins from the stable boy. The boy looked surprised at how quickly he had changed and returned downstairs.
“Of course, my lord.”
He took the reins from the stable boy and mounted, wheeling the horse around in the direction of the church. He then lit out down the drive, a mixture of snow and mud spraying up behind him in his wake. Simon turned to the left and headed into town.
When he arrived at the church, he hurriedly dismounted. The organ music was already playing, and he gave a silent huff of frustration. He opened the doors leading into the church as quietly as he could. The church was packed, with only standing room at the back. Simon stood in the doorway leading into the sanctuary. He searched the crowd and finally saw Ellen sitting with his parents. She looked so beautiful, dressed in emerald green and a white fur coat.
He tried to focus on the worship and the sermon but felt like the service would never end. He shifted impatiently as the reverend ended the service, and people began filing out, wishing each other a happy Christmas as they went. Simon craned his neck, keeping an eye on Ellen as she milled near the front with his parents. Her parents walked over, and they spoke for a moment.
As soon as the aisles cleared enough for him to move forward, he took the chance. He hurried up to the front, and just as he was nearing the altar, he caught Ellen’s eye. Fear sparked through her eyes, and she looked away. His heart sank at the way she had reacted to him. He caught his father’s eye, and he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. His father took his mother by the elbow and started to lead her away.
“Ellen,” Simon said. She looked up at him, looking guilty. “May I speak with you for a moment?” he asked.
She glanced at his father, and he nodded encouragingly. “We shall wait for you, do not worry. Take as much time as you need.”
His parents walked out along with hers. He waited until the sanctuary was mostly bare. He stepped forward, letting out a breath. “Ellen, please, I wanted to come and apologise for the way I handled things last night. I was wrong to lash out at you.”
Ellen wrung her hands and finally looked at him. “No, you were in the right, Simon. I should not have spoken to you the way I did. I betrayed you all over again when I suspected you had been unfaithful to me. I do not know what happened or how, but I had no right to treat you the way I did. There is no excuse,” her voice broke. “All I can say is that I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused you.”
She shrugged her shoulders, and he saw that tears were welling in her eyes. “I tried to come and speak with you first thing this morning and tell you so, but you had already gone.”
Simon’s heart lifted, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “I went to see Everett this morning. Lady Genevieve admitted to forging the note and planting it in my room.”
Ellen gasped in surprise. “She did?”
“She did. And I can assure you that Lord Carlisle is handling everything. She will not be welcome in our home again.”
Ellen frowned. “I did not want to have her banished from the community.”
“If she decides to change her ways, then she will be accepted with open arms. The decision is hers, but I hope she will be reasonable.” Simon took a step closer, taking her hands.
“However, I did not come here to speak about Lady Genevieve, except to tell you this—I never wrote any such note, as it would be in direct conflict with my feelings. I love you, Ellen, and no other. For the rest of my life, I will love you, and probably even after that.”
Tears began to stream down her cheeks. He reached up and wiped her tears away. “You are the most beautiful, kind,spirited—” He stopped at the last word, and they shared a laugh.
“Heaven knows I am. I can only hope that you will continue to be patient with me,” she said.
“The sum of the matter is this: I love everything about you.” Simon looked around at the empty church, glancing at the altar where they had stood only a couple of short months ago and exchanged their marriage vows. “I promised you when we were married that I would love, cherish, and care for you, no matter what happened. And I meant it.”
“I know you did. I believe you, Simon. I know now that you did not write that letter, and I should have believed you from the start. I hope you can forgive me.”
He wrapped one arm around her waist and cupped her face with the other. “I forgive you,” he breathed. Her lower lips quivered. He leaned down, covering her lips with his and kissed away all the sadness and worry of the last few hours.
She seemed to melt into his chest, clinging to him as the barrier between them was washed away. “I love you, Ellen,” he said as he ended the kiss. She smiled up at him, touching his face tenderly.
“I love you, too,” she replied softly. Their laughter mingled softly at first, then built to echo through the sanctuary. It continued to build, like bells ringing to announce the blessed day. And indeed, it was a most blessed day, for he had been given a second chance with his dear wife. He sighed contentedly and turned her toward the door at the back of the church.
“Shall we go home?” he asked.
“Yes, let’s,” Ellen said. She linked her arm through his without him even offering, and his heart warmed. When they came out of the church, he saw that his parents were still standing outside their carriage, chatting with Ellen’s parents. When they approached, he could see the questions in their eyes. His father was the first to step forward.
“Is all well?” he asked hopefully.
