“It’s forgiven,” Elise interjected, realizing in that moment that she was no longer angry with him, not now that she understood how he was feeling. “I’m not angry with you, Harry, because my sister made her own mind up. Whatever I felt toward you at the time was because it was easier to blame you than her.” She swallowed. “Or myself.”

She watched the heavy rise and fall of his chest.

“Truth be told, I think she fell a little bit in love with him that day she took Peter, and that’s on her. That was her decision, not yours.”

“But if I hadn’t come here in the first place, if I hadn’t put this burden on you—”

Elise shook her head. “They’re stationed here, Harry. Don’t you see? He would have crossed paths with her sometime, seen her long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, fallen for those full lips of hers that curve into a smile. This is not on you, or me or Cate or Peter.”

She could see now that Adelaide was going to tread her own path, and all she could do was try to guide her as best she could.

“I’m used to leading men into battle, taking charge, being in control of my destiny,” Harry said, his head falling into his hands. “And today, instead of doing that, I stayed at home and made soup and sent you to war on my behalf.”

Elise laughed, her hand flying to cover her mouth, embarrassed that she was laughing when Harry looked so broken.

“It wasn’t supposed to be amusing, seeing a man at breaking point,” he said dryly.

“I’m sorry, Harry, I’m so sorry, it’s just—” She stifled a laugh again. “Well, it was particularly good soup, so I was only wondering if you’d found your true calling in the kitchen!”

His lips kicked up into a smile. “Oh, that’s funny, is it? A man pours his heart out, and you tell him that he may as well give up and just make soup? Is that how you see me?”

They both started to laugh then, Elise wiping at her eyes as Harry pushed to his feet, his arm no longer held in the sling.

“It’s not funny,” he said.

Elise was still smiling. “Oh, but it was. I haven’t laughed, truly laughed, for such a long time. I can barely remember the version of me that even laughed so freely.”

“You look beautiful when you laugh,” he said, his eyes suddenly serious. “I’ll have to find some more recipes so I can see this side of you more often.”

He moved slowly, deliberately, to sit close to her on the edge of the table. In an instant, everything seemed to have changed between them.