I had enough trouble already. God forbid rats made it into this place.
A few weeks later, I arrived at the estate and stopped just inside the entrance.
The place looked ready for a celebration.
Fresh flowers filled tall vases along the hall. Candles flickered on every surface, and somewhere in the house, soft music played.
The place looked ready for a celebration.
I frowned. Richard and I had agreed that he would warn me whenever he expected guests. On those days, my workload doubled, and I needed time to prepare.
Yet he hadn’t said a word.
I found him in his study, standing beside his desk in a dark suit. He looked nervous, which was strange. Richard was always calm, even when contractors called with terrible news or Emily spilled juice on an antique carpet.
“Are you expecting guests?”
“There you are,” he said. “Please, Nora. Sit down.”
“Are you expecting guests?”
“Not exactly.”
I sat, growing more confused by the second.
Richard took a deep breath. Then, to my shock, he lowered himself onto one knee before me.
I’ve fallen in love with you.
“Honey, I know I’m much older than you, and maybe you’ll laugh in my face, but I’ll be honest. I’ve fallen in love with you. I don’t want to waste time pretending otherwise, so I want to ask you to marry me.”
I stared at him.
Of all the possibilities I had considered, this wasn’t one of them.
“I—I need to think about it.”
“Of course.” His smile faltered. “Take all the time you need.”
He was 72. I was 35. But how much was there to think about?
There was no one to judge me. Tom was gone. My foster families had forgotten me long ago, and Emily was too young to understand what marriage meant.
He could provide a kind of security no man before him could.
Richard could give her everything I couldn’t. A safe home. Warm meals. Good schools. A childhood without eviction notices or nights spent wondering where she would sleep next.
He could provide a kind of security no man before him could.
