“There, there now, dear.” Grandpapa reached out and patted Veronica’s knee. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. What’s wrong?”

“N…nothing,” Veronica insisted as she accepted the handkerchief he’d pulled from the pocket of his coat. Even at his advanced age, the man remained a true gentleman. She dabbed at her eyes, hating herself for crying in front of her grandfather when it was her sole mission to make his holiday a happy one.

“Don’t tell me it’s nothing,” Grandpapa said, “when it’s obviously something. I may be old, but I’ve got two eyes in my head.”

“It’s truly nothing,” she insisted. “I’m just so happy for you and Grandmama that after all these years, you’re still so in love.”

Grandpapa nodded sagely. “We are,” he said simply. “But it was quite a lot of work.”

Veronica frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean love is something you choose to do every day. It’s not something that’s just lying around like a timepiece that you can stick in your pocket and keep for sixty years.”

She cocked her head to the side and stared at her grandfather as if he’d taken leave of his senses. “I don’t understand.”

Grandpapa sighed. “I suppose you don’t.” He reached over and covered her small icy hands with his large, warm ones. “Listen to me, V. Love is an action. It’s something you do…something you choose to do. It’s a decision.”

Veronica swallowed. Her throat was still clogged. She still didn’t understand. “Yes, but you and Mama always told me that choosing the right partner to begin with is the most important part.”

Grandpapa pressed his lips together. “That’s true. And your Mama…unfortunately, she chose poorly.”

Veronica swallowed hard. They’d also told her that a spouse who cheats would always cheat. They’d stressed the importance of choosing wisely. When she’d asked Grandpapa about Sebastian, Grandpapa had given his blessing. Yet Veronica hadn’t even known Sebastian had a mistress until after they’d wed. She’d insisted he give up his mistress. And he’d agreed. But he had lied to her. She’d taken him at his word, and he’d lied to her. Just like Father had done so many times to Mama.

Veronica wanted to sob. She’d made such a mistake, and she couldn’t tell Grandpapa about it now. First, it was too late. And second, her grandfather loved Sebastian. He thought the world of him. It made her heart hurt to think about telling him the truth. She wasn’t entirely blameless. She should have asked if the man had a mistress. It had been foolish of her to assume he didn’t. But she’d let her feelings for him overwhelm her reason. She’d made the mistake, and she had to live with it. It wasn’t Grandpapa’s fault. She’d been so afraid to have an awful marriage like her parents’ instead of her grandparents’ lovely marriage. And despite her fear and the care she’d taken in waiting so long to choose a husband, she’d made the same mistake as Mama.