Chapter 21

Simone watched as her father was being led away, knowing this would be the last time she would ever see him. She needed to stop holding on to him since he had already let go of her long ago. She was free of him, and more importantly, so was her mother.

Caleb's voice came from behind her. "Are you all right?"

"I will be."

He gently touched her arm and turned her to face him. "He is gone," he said. "He will never be able to hurt you again."

"I know, and all I feel is relief. Is that wrong of me?" she asked.

Caleb shook his head. "I do not think so, especially after what he put you through."

With a glance at Juliette's lifeless body, she asked, "What will happen to her?"

"The agents will be by to collect her body so there is no trace of what happened here this evening," he replied. "Would you like me to collect your dagger?"

"No, I want nothing to remind me of this night," Simone replied. She hadn't meant to kill Juliette, but she was left with little choice when Caleb's life had been threatened.

Caleb gave her an understanding look. "You saved my life… again. Although, I would have preferred if you hadn't put yourself in harm's way."

"A simple ‘thank you' would suffice, considering I correctly assumed I would need more than one dagger this evening," Simone teased.

He smiled. "Thank you," he said. "Although, I would like to point out that I saved your life as well."

"That is true. Thank you."

Caleb's smile faded as his eyes dropped to Juliette's body. "We should return to the ball before anyone comes looking for us."

"I think that is a fine idea," she responded, accepting his arm.

As they stepped back onto the path, Caleb asked, "Where do we go from here?"

"I suppose anywhere we want to."

Caleb kept his gaze straight-ahead as he said, "I think it would be a shame if we didn't keep working as a team."

Simone pretended to consider his words, but she already knew the answer. "I would agree. Do you think Kendrick would have any objections?"

"No, he has said as much, especially since we are to be married soon," Caleb said.

They arrived at the empty veranda and Simone felt no urgency to return to the ball. She would prefer to remain with Caleb outside rather than return to a stuffy, crowded ballroom. Fortunately, he seemed to feel the same way because he came to a stop near the iron railing.

Caleb dropped his arm and leaned against the railing. "It is a beautiful night, is it not?"

"It is," she rushed to agree. Drats. Now they were talking about the weather. Could anything be more of a bore?

He grew solemn. "I was hoping you would be willing to have that discussion now about us," he said, appearing to hold his breath.

"I am not opposed to it."

"Good," he replied. "Because I have much to say on the subject."

Simone gave him an expectant look, choosing to remain silent. If she was brave, she would admit that she loved him. But she wasn't that brave. What if he didn't return her affection? She knew he cared for her, but that was not the same as being desperately in love with someone.

Caleb appeared nervous, which was in stark contrast to how he usually was. "I was hoping that we could change the terms of our agreement."

"You were?" she asked, unsure of his meaning.

He nodded. "Yes," he replied. "When we agreed to marry, I promised that it would be in name only."

"I remember."

"But things have changed between us," he hesitated, "at least I think they have changed. Am I wrong?"

Finding strength in herself that she didn't know she had, she said, "You are not wrong."

A soft sigh escaped his lips. "I am pleased to hear you say that because I may never find enough words that are beautiful enough to describe how much I love you, but I will spend the rest of my life searching for them, if you will allow me to."

Fearing that she had misheard him, she asked, "You love me?"

"How could I not? From the day I met you, all at once my whole world began to change," he said. "Put aside that you have saved me twice now, you have also saved me from myself. The way you have accepted me and all my flaws made me love you even more."

Simone's lips twitched. "You do have a lot of flaws," she joked.

He chuckled. "I am well aware," he said. "But these past few days, I have second-guessed every word, every action, every moment, as I hoped that you might care for me as I do you."

Feeling a need to tease him, she remarked, "I do find you tolerable."

"Only tolerable?" he asked with a hopeful expression.

She shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe just a smidgeon more than tolerable," she replied lightly.

"I will take that, for now." He took a step closer to her, causing her to tilt her head to look up at him. "But do you want to know what I think?"

Attempting to appear unaffected by his nearness, she kept her voice steady as she replied, "What is that?"

He leaned closer and whispered, "I think you love me, too."

Simone made the mistake of turning her head, making their faces only inches apart. Her eyes darted towards his lips for the briefest of moments. "I… uh…" It was true. He wasn't wrong. However, she couldn't think with him being so close.

Caleb seemed to take pity on her and leaned back. "It is all right if you don't wish to admit it but I love you. For I can't deny it any longer."

Knowing she would never be able to escape from her heart, Simone thought it was best if she just told him how she truly felt. It was scary for her to be so vulnerable with anyone. But Caleb was different. He made her feel as if she deserved to be loved.

Simone brought her hand up and gently placed it on his chest. "I love, love…" She paused, collecting her strength. "I love you, Caleb."

He reached up and encompassed her hand with his own. "I know, Simone. And I promise that your love is safe with me."

Caleb looked at her with so much love in his eyes that Simone knew he spoke true. Now that their declarations of love were out of the way, Simone asked, "Are we not supposed to kiss on it?"

His eyes darted towards the ballroom. "Do you think that is a good idea?"

"No, it is a terrible idea," she replied. "Our kiss would no doubt cause a scandal."

"It would, most definitely," he said, bringing his gaze back to hers.

She leaned closer to him with a coy smile playing on her lips. "But I am willing to risk it, assuming you are."

His eyes dropped to her lips. "Well, we are engaged," he said. "In the eyes of the ton, we are practically married."

"That we are," she agreed.

"Then there is no reason for us not to kiss. Is there?" he asked as he brought his head closer to hers.

Simone could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips as she tried to ignore the racing of her heart. "I cannot think of one."

The moment her words left her mouth, Caleb pressed his lips against hers. It was a gentle kiss, a mingling of warmth and vulnerability, telling her everything she needed to know. He loved her. And she loved him. He completed her in a way that she couldn't explain; she didn't want to explain. Because it just made sense for them to love each other as much as they did.

In that stolen breath of time, the outside world seemed to fade away, leaving only the echo of their shared affection- a whisper of promises.

Caleb broke the kiss but remained close. "You must promise me that you will always kiss me like that, always."

"I promise."

"Good, because it was perfect," Caleb said. "You are perfect."

She let out a slight laugh. "Now I know you are exaggerating."

A clearing of a throat came from next to them, startling them both. Simone turned her head and saw General Merrell standing a short distance away.

Caleb dropped his arms and took a step back. "General," he said with a slight bow.

The general's eyes held amusement. "I see that spies handle the completion of their assignments very differently on English soil."

"My apologies, but Miss Delacourt is my fiancée—" Caleb started.

He put his hand up, stilling Caleb's words. "You do not need to explain yourself to me," he said. "I came to thank you. I assume the earlier explosion in the gardens was your doing."

Caleb exchanged a glance with Simone before admitting, "My friends had something to do with that. We were handling another threat that arose."

"Well, be sure to pass along my thanks to them," the general said. "Is it safe to assume that the threat on my life is over now?"

"It is," Simone confirmed.

The general nodded approvingly. "It is time that I return to the ballroom and I suggest that you do the same," he said. "I do trust that my guards gave you enough time to resolve everything."

Unsure of his meaning, Simone asked, "Sir?"

A knowing smile came to his lips. "Fredrick explained to me that you two hadn't come to terms with the depths of your feelings and suggested you could use some privacy on the veranda."

Simone felt a blush come to her cheeks. Had her affections been so obvious that others had seen right through her?

As the general stepped back into the ballroom, Caleb asked, "You aren't having any regrets, are you?"

"None," Simone replied.

Caleb stepped forward and reached for her hand. "Good, because I intend to dance with you twice this evening."

"I do hope that one of those dances is the waltz," Simone said.

He brought her hand up to his lips. "It most assuredly will be."

Fredrick and Roswell stepped out onto the veranda, feigning disappointment. "It wasn't enough that we saved the day, but now we have to watch our friend turn sappy."

"I have not turned sappy, and you only helped save the day," Caleb remarked.

With a smirk on his lips, Fredrick said, "No, I'm pretty sure we saved the day while you were having a very long and tedious conversation with Lord Hungerton and Juliette."

"We do need to give credit where credit is due," Simone acknowledged. "Thank you."

"When we saw you two leave the ballroom, we followed you and we were able to intercept Victor as he left to dispatch the grenade," Roswell explained.

"I had been hoping that was the case," Caleb said.

"Regardless, Anette will be sad that she missed this," Roswell stated. "We were placing bets on when you two would declare your love."

Fredrick lifted his brow. "Who won?"

"Anette," Roswell admitted. "But in all fairness, she is like a love expert."

Simone laughed, feeling freer than she had been in a long time. She truly couldn't think of a time when she was this happy.

Caleb kept hold of her hand and moved it to the crook of his arm. "Shall we go dance, my love?"

My love.

She thought her heart would now burst from happiness. Who would have thought that those two simple words would have such a profound effect on her?

Caleb descended the stairs with a smile on his lips. He couldn't help it. He hadn't been able to stop smiling since last night when he had declared his love for Simone. After that kiss, they returned to the ballroom and danced two sets. Two magical sets. He wasn't one for dancing, but he loved nothing more than to hold Simone in his arms.

He was going to quite like being married to Simone. She challenged him to be better, in all aspects of his life.

As he stepped into the dining room, he saw his sister was sitting at the table with the newssheets in her hand.

"Good morning," he greeted.

Anette lowered the paper to the table. "Good morning, Brother."

"Not that I am complaining, but why are you here?" Caleb asked as he sat down across from her.

She smiled broadly. A little too broadly. His sister was up to something. "I came to see you," she said. "But while I was waiting, I read the most fascinating article."

"Did you, now?" he asked.

"Yes, apparently, Lady Hungerton had amnesia these past two years and was working at a boarding school in the countryside," Anette said.

Caleb leaned to the side as a footman placed a plate of food in front of him. "That is interesting."

"I thought so, as well, making me wonder if it is hogwash," Anette remarked.

"Language, Sister," Caleb teased.

Anette laughed. "You are far too sensitive if you find that word offensive," she said. "I just wonder why you didn't tell me that Lady Hungerton had returned."

"It was not my place to do so."

Lowering her voice, Anette asked, "What really happened to Lady Hungerton?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," she insisted.

Caleb reached for his fork and knife and said, "I'm afraid it is not my story to share."

Anette looked put out. "You are no fun."

With a curious look, Caleb asked, "What else was said in the article about Lady Hungerton?"

"Only that Lord Hungerton is thrilled for his wife's return and that they will retire to their country estate for the remainder of the Season," Anette shared.

Caleb bobbed his head, knowing it was only a matter of time before Lord Hungerton's untimely death was announced.

Anette looked dubious. "Is any of that true?"

"I'm afraid not."

"That is what I assumed, considering you told us that Lord Hungerton was a French spy," Anette said. "I must imagine no one will see Lord Hungerton again."

"You would be correct in your assumption."

Anette folded the paper and placed it next to her on the table. "Roswell mentioned that he saw you kissing Simone."

"It is true," Caleb said, seeing no reason to deny it.

"I am happy for you, and Simone," Anette stated. "You both deserve to be happy."

"Thank you."

Anette considered him for a moment before saying, "But I was right all along about Simone." She reached for her glass and took a sip. "Are you going to let Simone continue working as a spy?"

Caleb placed his fork and knife down onto the plate. "I am not going to let Simone do anything. It is her choice, not mine."

"That is very progressive of you," Anette said in an approving tone.

"I love Simone, and I just want her to be happy," Caleb stated.

Anette arched an eyebrow. "Have you discovered what her favorite flower is?"

Caleb groaned. "No, I haven't. But in my defense, we were focused on our assignment, which was far more important."

"I know, but Mother won't understand," Anette said.

The long clock in the corner chimed and it was finally a respectable hour that he could call upon Simone. He shoved back his chair and rose. "If you will excuse me, I am going to call on Simone now," he informed his sister.

Anette's eyes held amusement. "Of course you are," she said. "But do try to remember to ask her what her favorite flower is."

"I will," Caleb responded before he departed from the dining room.

It wasn't long before he found himself sitting in the coach. He was rather eager to see Simone, almost too eager. How he loved her. His life had changed for the better when he had met her. He didn't know it at the time, considering they were at odds with one another.

The coach rolled forward to merge into traffic but came to an abrupt stop. The door opened and Kendrick stepped inside.

Once he sat across from Caleb, Kendrick closed the door and said, "I must assume you are on your way to see Miss Delacourt."

"I am," Caleb confirmed.

"Good," Kendrick said. "You can break the news to her that her father died from an infectious fever last night."

Caleb lifted his brow. "We both know that isn't true."

"True, but it sounds so much more pleasant than saying he was tortured and killed," Kendrick remarked. "Lord Hungerton admitted to many bombings over the course of the past three years. His treachery ran deep, I'm afraid."

"I will inform Simone of the news."

"See that you do," Kendrick said. "Did you read the newssheets this morning?"

Caleb bobbed his head. "I did. Amnesia was an interesting choice."

"In exchange for the newssheets to not print what Juliette had leaked to them about spies and whatnot, I agreed to share some unprecedented stories," Kendrick shared. "Although, it took much convincing on my part to persuade Lady Hungerton that she shouldn't remain in hiding. She did nothing wrong and she deserves to have a life."

"Do you think she will return to high Society?"

Kendrick shrugged. "I don't know, but as far as the ton is concerned, she is alive and well," he replied. "She only agreed to leave the cottage if she could see her husband one more time."

"You allowed such a thing?" Caleb asked.

"I did, knowing she needed to address what he did to her," Kendrick responded. "Lady Hungerton only spent five minutes with him, but it was enough time for her to say what needed to be said. Unfortunately for her, she will be going into mourning to at least pretend to grieve the loss of her husband."

"Not that there is much to mourn," Caleb muttered.

"We both know that, but the ton doesn't," Kendrick said. "Since your engagement has already been announced, it is still acceptable for you to wed Simone during the mourning period."

Caleb gave him a knowing look. "I would have married Simone whether it was acceptable or not."

With a chuckle, Kendrick said, "I will admit that you and Miss Delacourt weren't awful as partners."

Caleb grinned. "Was that a compliment?"

Kendrick hit the top of the coach and it started to slow down. "That is as close as you get to one," he said. "Good luck with Miss Delacourt."

"I don't need luck."

Placing his hand on the handle, Kendrick responded, "I knew you two needed one another, which is why I decided to partner you together in the first place."

"Sir?" he questioned. Had the spymaster truly played the role of matchmaker?

Kendrick opened the door. "Do not read too much into this, Agent," he said in his usual gruff voice. "You two were terribly distracted, but you eventually figured things out. Just as I knew you would."

Once the spymaster departed from the coach, it traveled the short distance to Simone's townhouse. He exited the conveyance and hurried up the steps.

The door was promptly opened and the butler greeted him with a kind smile. "Good morning, Mr. Bolingbroke."

"Is Miss Delacourt available for callers?" he asked.

The butler nodded. "For you, she is," he replied. "Please follow me. She is in the drawing room with Lady Hungerton."

Caleb followed the butler into the drawing room, not bothering to wait to be announced. He saw Simone was sitting next to her mother on the settee, a bright smile on her lips. He thought he would have grown accustomed to her beauty by now, but every time he looked at her, she became more beautiful.

"Simone," he greeted.

She rose from her seat. "Caleb," she said. "It is good to see you."

"I hope I did not come too early," he responded.

"You could do no such thing."

Caleb returned her smile as he stared at her a moment longer than what would be considered proper. He reluctantly shifted his gaze to Lady Hungerton to acknowledge her. "My lady," he greeted with a slight bow.

He was pleased to see that Lady Hungerton's coloring had returned to her face but she still looked entirely too thin for his liking. Her hair was neatly coiffed, and she was dressed in a fine gown, one worthy of her social standing.

Lady Hungerton tipped her head. "Caleb," she said. "You are always welcome in our home, at any hour of the day."

"Thank you," he responded.

With a knowing smile at her daughter, Lady Hungerton remarked, "I know that Caleb did not come to see me. Why don't you two take a turn around the gardens?"

"You don't mind?" Simone asked.

Lady Hungerton waved her hand in front of her. "It is nice to see two such deserving people in love. I want you to enjoy it. I will be fine. You need not worry about me."

Caleb stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Before I escort Simone to the gardens, I thought you both should know that Lord Hungerton has died."

Lady Hungerton's eyes held a profound sadness. "Kendrick told me as much, but I wish it hadn't come to this."

"I am just glad that my mother is safe now. My father won't be able to hurt her ever again," Simone remarked.

"Or you," Caleb pointed out as he offered his arm. "Shall we tour the gardens now?"

Simone accepted his arm and he led her from the room.

While they walked down the corridor, he inquired, "Before we go on, I need to know what your favorite flower is."

"I don't have one," Simone responded.

Caleb grinned. "My mother will be disappointed by that fact. She is attempting to plan our wedding and apparently flowers set the scene."

"I would prefer a small, intimate wedding," Simone admitted.

"I knew I loved you for a reason," Caleb said before growing solemn. "How is your mother truly faring?"

"She claims she is all right, but I have my reservations about that. How could she not struggle at least somewhat after what she had endured those two years?" Simone asked. "But I do find that I am most appreciative of Kendrick. He allowed her to say her final goodbyes to my father before she returned home to me, at least until we are wed."

"Your mother will always have a home with us," Caleb stated.

Simone's eyes seemed to light up. "Do you think your parents would mind?"

"They will be thrilled to have your mother living with us," Caleb replied as they stepped out onto the veranda. "If it makes you happy, it makes me happy."

"You are too kind," she said. "My mother asked if I would go retrieve Lucy. She is hopeful she will return as her lady's maid now that this is all over. Apparently, my mother had told Lucy of her suspicions about my father, but Lucy knew she couldn't prove he had anything to do with her disappearance."

"I would be happy to help you track Lucy down, assuming you have no objections."

"I have none."

Caleb stopped and turned to face her, his boots grinding on the gravel path. "I hope you know how much I love you. I would do anything to ensure your happiness."

"You say that now…"

"I will say that always," he declared, speaking over her. "From this day forward, you and I are a team. Partners in life, and in the next, if I have my way."

Simone's face softened. "I love you, too."

Caleb took a step closer. "This is only the beginning. Just think of the adventures we will have together."

A slight sigh escaped her lips. "I can't wait."

Caleb tucked an errant lock of hair behind Simone's ear, his fingers lingering on her delicate skin. "I certainly did not think this was where we would end up when we first met but I am so glad that we did. All I know is that I could never love anyone as much as I love you." He paused as his emotions got the best of him. "You are all that I ever wanted- just you."

Simone rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. She leaned back just slightly enough to whisper against his lips, "It was taking far too long for you to kiss me."

"My apologies. That will not happen again," he responded before returning the kiss.