His eyes held hers. Ever so gently he lowered his head and placed a light kiss on her lips as his thumb stroked her cheek. “Have you ever thought that you owe it to Reginald to live for both of you?”
Shock waves pulsed through her. It was both the kiss and the words. Reginald had died that day, but she had stopped living too. “I didn’t…I never…I wanted to honor his sacrifice.”
“He wouldn’t have changed it. He would have given himself a thousand times to save you. And he most certainly would have wanted you to live a happy life.”
Delia closed her eyes. Unbelievably, more tears leaked from them. She had never thought of it that way. What would Reginald have wanted for her?
“Delia, sweetheart, I—“
She held up her hand. “No more. Please, I need to think about what you said.”
“I understand, but this…”
The thunderous sound of hooves rose over even the noise of the water being pushed through the narrow cliffs. “Crum,” she groaned. Stone was coming.
“Let me deal with him. Promise me we can finish this conversation tomorrow.”
“There is another suitor coming tomorrow.” She laid her head back on his chest.
His arms held her tighter. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll marry me.”
She had to grin. At least a tiny tug of the lips. Any other time she would have tossed her head back and told him how wrong he was. But in that moment, she wanted to keep her head on his strong chest, wrapped in his capable arms. “You’re awfully sure of yourself,” she murmured, still keeping her head tucked against him.
“I am. Did you know that our marriage was Reginald’s idea to begin with?”
Chapter Five
The entire world seemed to tilt before it righted itself again. Delia tried to speak but then closed her mouth. There was so much she wanted to say but her thoughts were a jumble and she couldn’t form the words.
“What are you doing here?” Stone’s voice boomed over the rush of the water below.
“By your leave, I would have a little time to speak with Delia.” Roderick’s voice was not nearly as loud as Stone’s but it carried. Her brother looked down at her and she nodded her consent.
Stone turned his horse, and rode back to the cluster of riders gathered fifty feet away. They sat waiting on their horses giving the couple the ability to speak privately although they were in plain view.
Delia took a breath, attempting to gain control over the tide of emotion his last statement had brought.
?
?Who told you that?” She could barely keep the tremor out of her voice.
“I would like to explain all of it to you, but may I ask first why you came here? I don’t want my words to distract you from what drew you to this place.”
Shuddering, she glanced over her shoulder at the cliffs. What had she hoped to accomplish? She didn’t know why, but something about Roderick made her answer more honestly than she ever had. In her heart, she had always feared her family blamed her. If she voiced her own worry, Reginald’s death was her fault, than it might strengthen their own belief in the same. But Roderick was not her flesh and blood and the burden of holding her feelings had been heavy. “Deep down, I’ve always believed that I should have perished that day instead of him. How can I just live a normal happy life while he does not? It should be him getting married and having children, not me. I don’t remember much of it, I hit my head in the initial fall. But maybe if I came here, saw where it happened, I could remember and understand why it was him and not me.”
“Oh, Delia.” Anguish filled his voice. “No one would have wanted you to keep living more than Reginald. He loved you so much. He, above anyone, would want you to be happy.”
“Did he tell you that?” Her voice caught and her eyes flew back to his, searching for the answers.
“As a matter of point, he did. He told me that no woman in all of England or the world was as beautiful as his sister and I would have to become a man of substance to be worthy. He was adamant that I could only court you if I could reform.”
More tears flooded from her eyes. This changed everything. If this was the path that Reginald had planned, that he had wanted for her, than perhaps it was her duty to her brother to see it through. But how would she hold her feelings back for this man while living with him every day, performing her wifely duties? Because she could not fall in love. Not when Reginald would never have that chance. “Thank you for sharing all of that.”
“Do you want to walk to the edge or would you rather not?” His hand massaged her back as he asked.
“Yes,” she choked out as she turned toward the cliff. She remembered the first part as if it were yesterday. “Reginald had returned from Oxford, and William from a long sea journey. To celebrate, the family had a picnic near the cliffs. It was a beautiful day with a cloudless blue sky. I was days away from my fourteenth birthday and I remembered hounding Stone to give me a new pony.” She took a breath as she reached the edge of the cliff. The memories turned sharp and painful. She could see the ledge below.
“My oldest nephew had screamed for me to stop whining and chased me away with his arms flapping. As I ran, I looked back over my shoulder to stick my tongue out at him. I slowed my pace knowing I was close to the edge but not enough…” Her voice trailed off and a sob replaced it. Stone’s wild scream was the last thing she heard before she was falling.