Chapter 25

CHAPTER25

“My goodness, Your Grace!” Anne gasped, admiring the painting still resting on the easel. Katherine had already started to clean her workspace, the painting finally finished. “This painting is beyond marvelous! What a blessing it is to behold it with my own eyes!”

“Why, thank you, Anne,” Katherine said, wiping her palms with a damp cloth to ensure that they were no longer stained with paint. “It was a lot of work, but never had I enjoyed making a painting this much.”

“I am pleased to hear that, Your Grace. I am sure His Grace would be just as pleased with your outstanding work,” Anne added, before turning around and making for the door.

“Anne,” Katherine called.

Like a flash of lightning, Anne spun around to face Katherine once more, awaiting her order.

“Might you know where His Grace is at this moment?”

Anne looked up at the ceiling for a moment, her brow furrowing in concentration. “Oh dear, I haven’t seen him in quite a while,” she replied, looking back at Katherine. “Would you like me to deliver a message once I find him?”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary. I am sure I’ll find him sometime during the day. I just hoped he might accompany me on my walk, but I believe a walk in solitude might do me just as well.” Katherine waved a hand dismissively, then started to fasten her bonnet around her neck.

Truthfully, she was disappointed that Gerald would not accompany her, as each evening since that horrid dinner party, they would go on walks in the garden, even holding hands at times.

Katherine watched as Anne left the drawing room, waiting a few seconds before making her way to the garden. Outside, the air was crisp, while the sun still provided a bit of warmth before it dipped below the horizon.

Katherine hadn’t walked far, deciding to rest on the small bench under the large oak tree she had grown fond of. She carefully perched on the edge, taking in the beautiful view before her.

She had barely been seated for a minute when she heard footsteps paired with the crunch of leaves from behind her. As she turned around, she couldn’t help but give a toothy smile to Gerald, who slowly sat down beside her.

They were silent for a while, before he reached out to take her hand into his own, intertwining their fingers.

“The view is beautiful,” Katherine said, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

Gerald turned to look at her, then back at the view. Once more, he looked at her, causing her to raise an inquisitive eyebrow at him.

“It is beautiful, but surely not as beautiful as you are,” Gerald said, his voice more gentle than usual.

Katherine gasped ever so slightly at the compliment, never having thought such words would slip past his lips.

“Why, that is such a lovely compliment on such a fine day,” she replied, still astonished at his words. “I am at a loss for words.”

“You do not have to say anything, Katherine.” Gerald smiled, squeezing her hand affectionately. “But do allow me to speak, as I have an important thing to say. Something I should have said much earlier—something that I had felt much earlier. But now, I have enough courage to speak.”

“Pray, continue,” Katherine said, placing her free hand on top of their intertwined hands. The sun cast a golden glow on Gerald, causing his eyes to glow like honey.

“Katherine, my dear wife,” he began with a smile, putting a special emphasis on the word wife. “I must tell you that I am deeply in love with you. And I dearly apologize for not having said that earlier. I have felt this way for a long time, but each day, my feelings for you grow stronger. I find myself at a point where I can no longer contain them, hence I’m confessing my love to you. I wish to spend the rest of my days with you, Katherine.”

“Gerald,” Katherine breathed, her heart pounding in her chest.

For a moment, she thought she was just having a blissful dream, and if so, she hoped to never wake up. But the heat of the sun confirmed that she, indeed, was not dreaming.

“My words fail to express the depth of what I feel for you, but I will continue to try,” Gerald said with a small laugh, still looking at Katherine as if she were some rare jewel that he had stumbled upon. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. But despite that, I find you to be the kindest, most caring, and most loving person I know. You have shown me a kind of love I had never received, and I will make it my life’s mission to show you the same.”

“Gerald—” Katherine began, but Gerald continued to speak.

“I apologize for my cold attitude early in our marriage. I was a bad man. A sad man,” he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “I was in the dark, but you, Katherine, have shown me a kind of light I wish to bask in for the rest of my life. I⁠—”

Katherine had cupped his cheek in her palm, pulling him in for a kiss, effectively cutting him off.

Their lips met in a tender embrace, a silent exchange of emotions that spoke volumes more than words ever could. Gerald’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer as if he never wanted to let her go.

As they pulled away, their breaths mingling, Katherine looked into his eyes, her heart overflowing with love and gratitude.

“There’s no need for apologies, Gerald,” she whispered. “You’ve shown me a kind of love I never thought possible, and I am grateful for every moment we share together.”

Gerald’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, his heart swelling. “You are my light, Katherine,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “And I promise to spend the rest of my days making you happy.”

Their lips met once more, sealing their vows with a promise of forever. At that moment, amidst the quiet beauty of their home, Gerald and Katherine knew that they had found true happiness in each other’s arms.

With the memory of their embrace lingering in the air like a soft melody, Katherine gently pulled away, her eyes shining with love and happiness. She reached for his hand and stood up, leading him back inside the manor and to the drawing room, where her newly finished painting awaited.

As they approached the easel, Katherine felt her heart flutter with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to share her reimagined painting with him—a symbol of their life and future.

“Here it is, Gerald,” she said softly, gesturing toward the painting. “My finished rendition of the deer painting.”

Gerald’s eyes widened in awe as he beheld the masterpiece before him. The deer stood majestically in the center of the canvas, surrounded by lush greenery and delicate flowers. But what caught his attention the most was the doe and the baby deer standing close to the majestic stag.

“It’s beautiful, Katherine,” he whispered, his voice filled with awe. “But why did you add the doe and the fawn?"

Katherine smiled softly, her eyes sparkling with love. “I wanted to capture our life together, Gerald,” she explained. “The stag represents you, strong and proud, while the doe represents me, standing by your side. And the fawn… well, it signifies our future, our family.”

Gerald’s heart swelled with emotion as he gazed at the painting, realizing the depth of her love.

“It’s perfect, Katherine,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. “Just like us.”

“I see the painting in the corridor as a previous version of you,” Katherine said, cocooned in his arms. “Although you were already strong and proud, you were alone. Now you have me, and hopefully, one day, our baby.”

Gerald smiled at her, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead before turning back to stare at the painting once more.

“It was so strange when I first saw the painting in the corridor. I felt so deeply connected to it. For a while, I had thought that I saw myself in the painting, until I realized I saw you,” Katherine continued as she rested her head against Gerald’s chest. “But eventually, you allowed me into the picture, and as the doe next to you, I have never been happier.”

Gerald’s heart swelled with love, her words weaving a tapestry of their shared journey. He held her closer, cherishing the warmth of her body.

“I never realized how much that painting meant to me until now,” he admitted, his voice soft. “But seeing it through your eyes, Katherine, it’s like seeing our love reflected back at us.”

“It took me a while to realize exactly what I wanted to do with it. A nearly perfect version already hangs in the corridor, but I feel it necessary that no creature remains in complete solitude,” Katherine said, tracing her index finger down the edge of the painting. As she did so, she started to laugh.

“What is so funny?” Gerald asked as he raised an eyebrow playfully.

He was curious as to what was so funny, but he couldn’t help but find himself lost in the melodious sound of her laughter. She had bewitched him body and soul.

“When we first got married, you were the most hard-headed person I had ever met. I have no idea how I managed to break your walls.” Katherine smiled, her eyes fixed on the painting.

“I have one answer to that question.” It was Gerald’s turn to chuckle at the realization. “I might be hard-headed, but you are a bit more so.”

“And yet here we stand,” Katherine smiled. “In love, with no one to punch a hole through my newest painting.”

“How delightful.” Gerald chuckled.

Although he wouldn’t admit it out loud, life had been perfect ever since he cut his brother out of his life.