When she ceased talking she still hadn’t looked at him, and now, as they reached a point in the path just before the woodland, he stopped and turned her towards him. His rugged face was more handsome than she had ever seen it as she stared up at him, wondering how she could bear it if he told her that things had changed. She held herself stiffly, fighting the feelings of shame and humiliation and degradation that time hadn’t been able to erase, her eyes unwittingly begging him to understand that none of it had been her fault.

He touched her face in the lightest of caresses, his voice deep and husky when he said, ‘A few minutes ago I would have sworn on oath that it was impossible to love you any more than I already did, but you have proved me wrong. I shall for ever suffer because you have suffered so cruelly, my beloved, but for the rest of my life I want to love and cherish and protect you. Will you marry me, Rose? Will you become my wife?’

She made no reply, her eyes glittering with unshed tears.

He took her in his arms gently, almost reverently. ‘I damn that fellow to hell, my darling, and this other man too, the friend of your husband’s who caused you to flee and be at the mercy of beasts like the miller, but can you find it within yourself to look on this as a new beginning? Can – can you trust me to make you happy?’

‘Alexander?’ Her voice was no more than a choked whisper and as he moved her slightly to look down into her face, he saw the light that seemed to be emanating from it. It told him all he needed to know, even before she murmured, ‘Yes, yes, I’ll marry you and I love you with all my heart.’

Then there was no need for words. His mouth took hers and he was kissing her like he’d done once before, until heaven and earth merged and the only thing in the universe was him.

PART FIVE

Orange Blossom and Black Roses

1912

Chapter Twenty-Six

Eighteen months had passed since the trip to Scotland and the wedding date was fast approaching. It was a beautiful soft Sunday morning in late August, and Rose was standing looking out of the flat’s sitting-room window into the street below. When Alexander was home on leave there was never a day that passed that they didn’t see each other, and he often took her to Highfield Hall if only for a short visit. She understood that he was anxious to keep relations between them and his parents as amenable as possible, but had also faced the fact that his father in particular would always be unhappy about their match. His mother never said a wrong word to her, but she sensed Arabella’s pleasant stance covered deep disappointment and concern.