An Earl’s Broken Heart by Ella Edon

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Alexander was more than thankful for how everything had played out. His heart was filled with peace and joy, and he honestly couldn't wait to get back to Isabel at home. She wanted to come for me. It was like a heavy weight on his chest had been lifted. He thanked the Duke heartily and stepped out of the study. It was his eagerness that made him turn down Lord Lichfield’s invitation to join him for a drink.

Just some steps away from where he stood with Isabel's father, he heard footsteps. He immediately quickened his pace to see who it was.

He was unable to see her face, but he knew that figure better than any other woman’s. He caught sight of her hair as it waved past the corner.

“Isabel?” he called out to her as he tried to catch up to her.

She too had doubled her steps. It was almost like she didn't want him to meet up. He wondered what she may have heard and how long she had listened in on their conversation because just like that, it was obvious that she was eavesdropping.

He heard her mutter just before he saw her. He lengthened his stride and quickened his pace. He was no slouch and his time in the military had made him an overmatch for almost anyone if it came to a chase. He flew around the next corner and found he had gained on her significantly.

“Isabel,” he said again as he neared her. This time, his voice was softer, and it wasn't a question. She had her back turned away from him. She seemed to be struggling with something and she seemed to be crying. The closer he got, the louder her sobs got. He got a glance of her face and saw that tears were streaming down her face.

“Isabel, Isabel,” he called out to her.

She doubled back around the corner and slipped outside. She knew Lichfield Manor better than anyone. A sinking feeling touched Alexander’s stomach. He knew where she was going. The Lichfield Maze.

The Lichfield Maze was a wonder of gardening and landscaping. A hedge maze comprised of tall hedges made from cypress trees which stood eight feet tall. When they were younger, no one could maneuver the maze quite as well as Isabel could.

“Isabel,” he called out, hoping she would stop before entering the labyrinth but it was an effort in futility. She was gone. She was trying to lose him.

Alexander was not going to let her go. Not now. Not ever. He darted into the maze.

“Isabel,” he called out.

There was nothing. He hunched his shoulders and tried to listen. It was faint, but in the distance, he could hear footsteps. He took off at a sprint, not caring what circuit he was running but going only after the sound of her footsteps. He was getting closer.

“Isabel, please, I need to talk to you,” he said as he ran.

The sound of footsteps stopped. He charged forward and rounded a hedge wall. There she was, slouched against the hedge wall with her eyes fixed on him.

He ran for her and pulled her into an embrace. His chest muffled her cries as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“I'm sorry, Isabel,” he said. Even though he knew not what the issue was, something at the back of his mind told him that it had something to do with the conversation he had just had with her father.

“I'm so sorry,” he apologized again as his hands combed the back of her hair. She shook in his embrace, and he could only wait. He wanted to know what it was that caused her sudden outburst. He waited as she cried while he tried to offer his little form of comfort.

“Why are you crying, Isabel?” He asked.

She pulled away from his embrace, taking two steady steps away from him. She wiped her face with the back of her hands.

He took a step, closing the distance between them as he tried to help her wipe her face with his handkerchief.

She stopped him with the single movement of her hand which obstructed his from meeting her face.

His hands fell limply to his side as she moved back again. It seemed she needed space from him, and he only had to respect that. It didn't make sense to him—at least not yet—but he had to let her do as she pleased.

“Please talk to me,” he pleaded again.

She glanced at him then threw her eyes away. “I heard everything.”

He raked his mind for what she might have heard that caused her such distress. “I don't understand. What are you even doing here? What do you mean by saying you heard everything?”

“I came to see my father,” she began. He listened attentively. “To question him and speak to him about everything that had happened. I didn't mean to, but I listened and heard what you said.”

He waited. She had stopped talking. His brows creased. “What did I say?” He asked again as he unintentionally reached out to her, taking one step, she didn't move away.

“Alexander, you married me just for my father’s financial help. You and my father are just alike, you only care about yourselves!”

It was the one thing he never wanted her to find out, the one thing that wasn't true but seemed like it was. He couldn't let her have that thought, he couldn't let her think so low of him.

“No, that's not it,” he began and closed the space that was left between them. He held her shoulders and she tried to wriggle out of his hold.

“Let me go,” she told him as the tears continued to stream down her face again. They got past along the droplets of rain which fell on her, too.

“Give me a chance to explain,” he begged her.

She continued to struggle.

“Isabel, please.”

She gazed up at him and he saw the softness that took over her.

“What's there to explain?” She asked as her voice broke.

“I never married you for your economic status, I've never ever stopped loving you, heaven bears me witness.”

“But you said—”

“Forget about that,” he told her as he tilted her chin so she could look up at him.

She was beautiful and there where they stood, as the tiny droplets of rain made it to her face mixing with her tears till there was no way to differentiate them.

His hands ached to touch her, his lips wanted to wipe away her tears, kissing each one that dared to fall but he held himself back. “I'm sorry.”

He was truly sorry, not just for what she had heard but for everything they had had to go through. He was sorry and he was ready to make their relationship better, to make it work.

“When I came back home from the military and was presented with marrying you, I took the chance not because of my economic status but because it was a way to finally be with you. But I couldn't bring myself to accept that, so I lied to everyone around me that I was only with you for my own selfish benefits.”

“How am I supposed to believe you, Alexander, how? I still feel hurt,” she confessed as she sobbed.

He planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. “I am truly sorry for how misleading my words and my actions have been so far.”

She closed her eyes as he held her hands in his.

“Come,” he said to her and pulled her in for a hug. She relaxed in his embrace and shut her eyes and he wrapped his arms around her whilst hers went round his neck.

The smell of the earth mixed with water surrounded them, but her scent was all he could take in. She felt so little in his arms and he only wanted to protect her for the rest of their lives.

“I love you,” he said to her.

She didn't say anything but her hold on him tightened and he smiled, letting her have her way.

He had so much to apologize for and it dawned on him.

“Isabel, I'm sorry.”

She looked up at him, perplexed. “What are you apologizing?”

“Because I must. You deserve that much. I'm sorry for how things have been between us,” he said. “For holding contempt in my heart for all these years. The letter, I thought it came from you.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she looked down momentarily. “You don't have to—”

“Shhh,” he whispered as he brought his index finger to his lips. “Let me do this, please.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. It was amazing how they tiny droplets of rain still disturbed them, but their attention wasn't on it. Instead, they only thought about the other one. They were in their own little world, their own little bubble where only the two of them mattered.

“I'm sorry for giving up so easily on us, I should have reached out to you even after that letter. I'm sorry for letting a little letter be the thing that came between us, sorry for letting you go through the worst days of your life thinking I abandoned you. Above all, I'm sorry for how cold I've been towards you, for how I've hurt you and for not believing you earlier today.”

Now that he was done with the apology, he felt better. He felt like a heavy weight had just been taken away from his chest and he could finally breathe. He felt at peace with himself, felt happy above all to be with Isabel.

“I still can't believe my father did that do me,” she said, thinking out loudly.

“He didn't mean to hurt you. He was just looking out for his daughter.”

She sighed. “I know.” She looked up at him. “I'm sorry, too, Alexander.”

“I know,” he replied. “You said that already.”

Silence washed over them, and Alexander allowed himself to enjoy the moment. He rubbed the back of her fingers and he felt her relax.

They were so close that he could hear her heart beating.

The moment was perfect for him.

“I love you, Alexander,” he heard her breathe out softly against his chest.

“And so do I.” He massaged her hands and she stepped back.

She was looking up at him and his gaze fell on her face, her beautiful face stained with the droplets from the rain. His eyes flickered to her lips then back to her eyes.

He reached out to her, cupping her face in the process. She leaned into his touch, her eyes closed.

He used his fingers to wipe her cheeks and then he dipped his head and planted his lips against her face as he kissed away her tears.

The tension between them increased, he felt it and he was certain she felt it, too. He wanted nothing but to have her in his arm. This time, there was going to be no need of holding back.

He heard her suck in a large amount of breath.

He kissed her earlobe and with his lips hovering there, he whispered into her ears. “What do you want, Isabel?”

“You, Alexander. Kiss me.”

He was obedient and did as she asked. It was, after all, what his body craved for at that moment.

Their lips met and moved against each other, softly and slowly. He grabbed the back of her head while she held onto him. He felt an overwhelming need for her the moment their lips met, and it didn't help much when she pulled him so much to herself.

He allowed her hold onto him as they continued to share the soft kiss, making themselves feel to the very last ounce. He bit her lips softly and he felt her smile against him.

He broke the kiss but didn't move away from her. Their foreheads met as they tried to steady their breathing.

“I can kiss you for the rest of my life,” he said. His voice was low and hoarse, and he made no effort to sound clearer and louder. She heard him, and she was the only one that mattered.

“We still have the rest of our lives to love each other.”

She was right, they had their whole lives together, and, for the first time, it looked promising for the both of them.

“We are going to make things work between us.”

“Yes,” she agreed with him, her eyes full of hope and excitement.

“We are going to love each other like there's no tomorrow. We are going to make up for all the times we weren't around for each other.”

“Oh,” she sighed and moved into his embrace, hugging him like her life depended on it.

He chuckled.

“This is all I've ever wanted, all I've ever wished for. With you, my life is going to be complete." He could feel his chest vibrate as she spoke against it.

“And mine, as well,” he replied, as he patted her head and rubbed the small of her back.

“This feels like a dream. Standing here with you, making this promises under the heavy cloud.”

He looked up at the sky when she finished speaking, the rain still came in tiny drizzles, but it looked like it wasn't going to get heavier anytime soon.

“It's not a dream, it's as real as the water touching your skin.”

Immediately as he spoke, she looked up at the sky. Laughing, she said, “I had completely forgotten about the rain, to be candid.”

“Who could remember the rain when they have you by their side?”

That made her smile so much that, for a moment, she hid her face in his shirt.

He looked around, taking note of the Manor. This was one of the places that had birthed their love and now, that they were rekindling it back, it was still taking place right on this very Manor.

“Isabel,” he said. He had to draw her attention to it.

“Yes?”

“We're back here, where we used to be as children and where we loved each other. Many years have passed but nothing has changed about our feelings for one another, and it is just beyond beautiful that we are renewing our promises right here, on this land, where it all began.”

Alexander finished and she looked around.

“Are we going to be alright, Alexander?" she said as she took in their surrounding one more time. She held on to his hand tightly as she squeezed.

“Of course, we are,” he said. He brushed off a strand of her hair that had felt and his emotions for her were all over the place.

She closed her eyes, and he allowed his hands linger on her face as he drew imperfect lines around her cheek.

She shivered against his touch, and he didn't know if it was because of the effect he had on her or the cold.

“Are you cold?” he asked her. “We should get you out of this rain,” he added, not even giving her a chance to reply.

She shook her head. “I'm fine. I just want to be with you.”

“You are with me,” he said and pecked her cheeks. “And I promise to be with you always.”

“We are starting afresh on a new page.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “And this time, nothing will come between us.”

“Nothing.”

“I love you so much," he confessed one last time before he claimed her lips again. She was his as he was hers, and he loved it that way. Life had never seemed so perfect for him.

She met his kiss with equal passion as he led the way, allowing their tongues to dance in a burning passion, one that even the rain couldn't subside.

The heat of desire and want was evident between them as her hands began to roam his body. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and that was enough for him.

There under the rain, their kiss sealed their promises and made way for their new beginning, for the future they had ahead them.

He massaged the small of her back as he explored her lips. He heard the thunder clap, and he didn't care enough until she shivered again.

“We really need to get you out of this cold.” He said emphatically immediately he broke the kiss.

“I'm fine—”

“Come, I'm taking you home.” He held her hand and began to lead her out of her father's compound and back to where he had left his horse. “Do you still wish to speak to your father?” He asked, realizing it would not be nice of her to come over and not see her father.

“No, at least not now. I need time.”

He understood and they continued to walk down the path.

He remembered that he had something he needed to show her. He knew for a fact that she believed him about how he never stopped loving her, but he wanted to prove it to her.

“There’s also something I want to show you,” he added as an afterthought.

“What’s that?" She asked, sounding excited.

“You'll see it when it is the right time.”

They continued to make their way back to their horses as she tried to get him to talk while he held onto her just as he was going to do for the rest of his life.