He did his best, but it turned out he was far more adept at unlacing than lacing, and after a few failed attempts, all he’d succeeded in doing was making Sophie giggle. Which, he decided, was definitely not a bad thing.

“Stop,” she chuckled, wiping her eyes. “I’ve laughed so much my belly hurts.”

“I never claimed to be a lady’s maid,” he grumbled, even though his heart felt lighter than ever before.

“I should say not,” she teased, circling her arms around his neck. “My gown is falling off, my hair is a disaster, and I’m in an utter state of dishabille.”

He gazed into her bottomless blue eyes. “If it makes you feel any better, I can state with absolute authority that you have never, ever looked more beautiful.” He shrugged off his jacket and slipped it around her shoulders.

She gratefully snuggled into it and pressed a tender kiss to his cheek.

As the coach rolled to a stop in front of the manor house, he took her hand and laced his fingers through hers, marveling at the rightness of it. “How long can you stay?”

“I told my parents I’d be spending the night with Fiona and Gray,” she said, leaping out of the coach and into his arms. “Which means we have all night.”

“In that case,” he drawled, “would you like to go for a walk in the garden?”

“I would.” She flashed him a smile so bright it lit up the evening sky. “How did you guess?”

After stopping in the house briefly to drop off the journal and pick up a couple of lanterns and a quilt, Sophie and Reese slipped out of the back door, joined hands, and strolled toward the garden.

As they crossed the quaint footbridge over the sparkling moat, all the happiness inside her bubbled up and escaped in a blissful sigh. “I’ll never tire of spending time here,” she said. “Especially at night, when everything from the rustling leaves to the fragrant flowers feels otherworldly and magical.”

“This place never felt magical to me,” Reese said. “Not until you came here. You’ve changed the way I look at everything.”

She gazed at his handsome profile, wondering at the physical differences in him. The hollows had disappeared from his cheeks; the haunted look had vanished from his eyes. “How have you been sleeping?” she asked.

“I still wake up in a cold sweat occasionally, but not as often as before.” They stepped up onto the pavilion and paused by the railing to take in the view. Twisted black poplars to one side, pale grey asphodels to the other, and a glimpse of paradise beckoning in between.

“That’s good.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, drinking in his sturdy, solid comfort. “Maybe the nightmares will continue to lessen over time.”