It was no coincidence that she’d not found any of the gentlemen to her liking the year she came out. Or the year after that. Or the year after that. She’d searched every crowd for the one. Her perfect match. Only Sebastian never appeared. Finally, four springs after her debut, she’d been forced to take her fate into her own hands and asked Justin to invite Sebastian to dinner. If Justin had thought something odd about her request, he hadn’t said anything more than, “Capital idea, Veronica. I haven’t seen Edgefield for an age.”

By then, Sebastian’s father had died, and he’d become the duke. She knew from the papers that he was unmarried and that night when he’d come to dinner, when she was just beginning her fifth Season, she ensured she sat next to Sebastian so she could make him laugh with sardonic comments. Then, she’d carefully asked if he would be attending the Dunwoodys’ ball.

The rest of the Season had been a whirlwind. Sebastian had come to call the day after the ball. He’d brought her a new deck of playing cards instead of the predictable flowers the other suitors had sent, lining the foyer, and she’d remained smitten ever after.

Three months later, Veronica had married Sebastian with all the love in her heart. Even after the incident with his mother and their talk afterward, their first weeks as a married couple were pure bliss. In those first two months, she’d never known such happiness could exist.

And then she received the note from Melissa.

And Sebastian admitted he lied to her.

Veronica stared at the floorboard. She knew. She’d always known, even as a fifteen-year-old girl. She loved him. And Justin had been exactly right. She’d been so worried she’d chosen the wrong man, she didn’t realize she’d chosen the right one. She’d let her fear, the fear she’d felt all those years of listening to her father’s lies, overtake her the moment Sebastian admitted to a lie. The fear had told her his lie was unforgivable.

But the fear was wrong. He had lied, but he didn’t have a history of lying. He wasn’t her father, and Sebastian’s lie wasn’t unforgivable. It was understandable once she considered all the facts. The unforgivable thing had been her behavior. She’d been selfish and unbending, quick to judge and arrogant. Instead of pushing her husband away, she could have sought to understand what happened. She’d jumped to the worst conclusion about him and refused to either understand or forgive.

Grandpapa’s words echoed in her aching head. Once you’ve got that partner at your side, it’s up to you to keep them there. And the same for your partner, by making the choice every day to love and to accept love. She hadn’t really listened when her grandfather had said those words. She’d been far too certain of herself, far too convinced she was right and Sebastian was wrong. But now she understood. She understood just how wise those words were and just how wrong she had been.