Now both of her eyebrows went up, and she looked between them pointedly. Her meaning started to dawn on Jacob—and by the looks of it, on Sarah too, but she didn’t look as pleased as he felt, likely because of the horrid way he proposed to her.
“Further,” Mrs. Roach continued, “I understand that a certain child would benefit from such a marriage with guaranteed employment. And I know that both Mr. Millington and his wife approve of the match, for they gave me that very assurance in March.”
Jacob looked at her in shock. “March?”
Her staunch affect softened into an amused smile. “I’ve been watching the two of you for half a decade. I may be old, but I am not blind.”
Sarah cleared her throat. “What do you mean?”
Instead of replying to her, Mrs. Roach turned to Jacob. “Tell her what you confessed to me in the outside just now.”
For a flash, Sarah’s eyes widened with worry, but this time, Jacob knew he would be able to quell her fears, and he felt an overflowing gratitude for Mrs. Roach, who had made this moment come to pass. He turned to Sarah and opened his mouth to speak, but Mrs. Roach shook her head abruptly, cutting him off before he began.
“What?” he asked. “I’m following your instructions.”
As before, she looked up and shook her head, as if talking to God. “Must I be so specific?” She sighed. “I suppose I must.”
“Because I’m a dolt,” he muttered.
“But a lovable and good one,” Mrs. Roach said. She patted his shoulder and added, “I suggest you kneel this time.”
Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of that the first time?
He dropped to one knee on the cold stone floor and looked up at Sarah, who was beautiful as ever, even with her tear-stained face. “I love you, Sarah, ever so much. And I have for so long. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love you and want to spend my life with you. I hoped you felt the same—”
“Oh, I do—I do!” she said, her face finally breaking into a smile.
The sight warmed his heart and gave him the courage to go on. “I apologize for the horrid way I said things earlier today. I was caught up in my worries about Ellie and unsure how you felt about me and—”
Mrs. Roach placed a hand on his shoulder. “Get to the point, my boy.”
“Right,” he said, glancing at her briefly. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Sarah Jenkins, I love you more than I thought possible. Will you be my wife?”
The housekeeper added, “And live with him and Ellie in the cottage at Rosemount?”
“Yes. Everything Mrs. Roach said.” Jacob pointed at the housekeeper. He took Sarah’s hands in his, face uplifted to hers. “My heart is yours and always will be. Will you marry me?”
Sarah laughed through new tears. “Of course I will. Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
He got back to his feet, and they embraced. Somewhere in the back of his awareness, he heard Mrs. Roach murmur, “I’ll step outside to let you two lovebirds have a moment together.”
Next thing he knew, they were sharing their second kiss, this time as professed lovers who would soon be married.
After the kiss, he held her tight. “I am a dolt. The situation with Ellie—”
“Shh,” Sarah said. “I understand now.” She held him tight. “I cannot wait to meet her and love her as much as you do.”
Click on the covers to visit Annette’s website:
About Annette Lyon
Annette Lyon is a USA Today bestselling author, a four-time recipient of Utah’s Best of State medal for fiction, a Whitney Award winner, and a five-time publication award winner from the League of Utah Writers. She’s the author of more than a dozen novels, even more novellas, and several nonfiction books. When she’s not writing, knitting, or eating chocolate, she can be found mothering and avoiding housework. Annette is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and is represented by Heather Karpas at ICM Partners.
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Summer Holiday Page 24
