“That must have been so difficult for her,” Esme commented.
“Yes, it was. She’s yet another hero to add to our roster for this case.” Archie held up a hand. “And I know what your next question will be—Mrs. Ridges and her children are being well looked after. Some of the ladies in their local church have made arrangements for them.”
“I’m so glad.” Esme looked over at Matthew and smiled. “Yes, now I’m very well content.”
“Now, is this your full report?” Archie tapped the pages sitting on his desk.
“Yes, sir, but I need to lodge a small complaint,” Matthew said. “You told me that if I took this case, Agent Carter would handle the paperwork for me, but she made me write my portion myself. I feel misled, sir.”
Esmerelda turned to him, her eyebrow raised. “You thought I was going to do your paperwork?”
“Well, I’d hoped so.”
“I’m glad we’ve gotten that ironed out.” She smiled at Agent Gordon. “He’s a rather impetuous young lad, but I trust that with some additional training, you’ll be able to turn him into a respectable adult someday.”
“We’ll make that a priority,” Archie responded, a twinkle in his eye. “Oh, and Agent Carter? Your office says you’re to take a couple weeks off before returning to duty. They say you’ve earned it, and I agree. I think we’ll extend the same to you, Matthew.”
“Thank you, sir. That’s most kind.”
Archie nodded. “Now, why don’t you ask Pearl for something to eat? I have a dozen telegrams to answer, and you’re distracting me something fierce.”
Matthew held the door open for Esmeralda as they stepped out into the hallway. Before she could precede him into the kitchen, though, he said, “Esme? Can we talk for a moment?”
“Of course.”
He stepped over and grabbed the door that would lead them out to the gardens, then strolled along beside her as they followed the path between the blooms. “I remember meeting you out here for the first time,” he said. “You were sitting in the sun, and you looked like a ray of sunshine yourself—sunshine and fairy dust. I’d never seen anything prettier in my whole life.”
“And then you got to know me, and all your illusions vanished,” she replied. “I’m sorry for putting you through that.”
“No, actually—my illusions didn’t vanish. They just changed. Instead of being an ethereal beauty descended on a ray of light, you became a strong, smart earthly beauty sent to keep me in my place and hold my interest for hours on end. Every minute of every day, I found myself caught off guard and challenged, and you have no idea how attractive that was to me.”
She smirked. “You like being challenged, do you?”
“Yes, I do, and I didn’t even realize how much.” He reached out and caught her hand. “Esme, I know we’re supposed to meet with the judge to have our marriage annulled, but I wondered . . .” He was probably bungling up this whole conversation, but he had to give it a try. “Will you spend these next two weeks with me giving this marriage a chance? I feel as though we have so much more to discover about each other, so many strengths and attributes and quirks. The thought of sending you away before I’ve come to know you better . . . The truth is, I’ve fallen in love with the parts of you I know, and I’m eager to keep falling in love with you over and over again the more we learn about each other.”
She blinked. “You’re . . . you’re in love with me?”
“It would appear that way, yes.”
She blinked again, then threw her head back and laughed—a bright, crystal-clear laugh that rang freely throughout the garden. It was the very sound he’d wanted to hear since the moment he’d met her. “Agent Harrison, you have no idea what agonies I’ve been going through the last couple of days. I keep replaying that kiss in my mind over and over again, wondering if you really meant it or if it was your way of saying goodbye before sending me off to my certain death . . . I’ve been a wreck trying to figure it out.”
“And now that you know I meant it?” He tried to keep his voice steady, but his heart was hammering, and it was difficult to speak.
She took his other hand and faced him. “Now I think I’d like another one. Just to make sure the first wasn’t just a fluke.”
He brought her in close, sure his heart would leap out of his chest, and kissed her, every hair on the back of his neck tingling at her closeness. When he let her go, she smiled at him. “Yes, I think I could stand staying married to you for the next two weeks—but only if you promise to kiss me like that on a semi-regular basis.”
“I might find it a little difficult to fulfill that assignment by myself, so it’s a good thing I have a dedicated, conscientious partner,” he told her.
“Oh, trust me. I have every intention of keeping you on your toes. But I will not, now or ever, be doing your paperwork for you.”
The End
An Agent for Esme Page 9
