Eliza's steps slowed as she drew near. He turned at the sound of her approach, his dark coat striking against the pale stone of the gate. When he saw her, the serious line of his mouth immediately broke into a warm, deeply affectionate smile.
He pulled his pocket watch from his waistcoat, checked the time, and then looked back up at her, an eyebrow raised in silent amusement.
Eliza could not maintain her composure. She laughed—a bright, joyous sound that belonged entirely to him. "We cannot blame the willow this time, my lord."
"I never blamed the willow, Eliza," Andrew replied, his voice dropping to that intimate, quiet register that made the rest of the world fade away.
She stepped closer, maintaining the proper, respectable distance required by society, yet feeling closer to him than she had ever felt to anyone in her life. There was no need for grand, theatrical gestures. They were simply two decent people standing in the morning light, perfectly aware of the profound weight of their choices.
Andrew looked down at her, his eyes steady and entirely certain. "I was waiting for you."
Months ago, under a sweeping tree by a Scottish loch, those words would have meant a coincidental passing of time. Today, they were a promise. He was not just waiting for her to arrive for a walk; he was waiting for her, and only her, for all the days to come.
Eliza looked back at him, her heart completely full, knowing that she no longer had to fear the end of a visit.
"So was I," she answered softly.
A moment later, the familiar sound of Mrs. Ellison's carriage approaching broke the quiet spell. As Margaret descended with the help of a footman, offering them both a serene, approving nod, Andrew turned back to Eliza.
He offered her his arm. She placed her gloved hand resting lightly over his sleeve, feeling the solid, reassuring warmth of him beneath the fine wool. They turned and began to walk through the open gates.
They were no longer two people relying on the fragile mercy of circumstance. They were finally, deliberately, building their next circumstance together.