Somewhere My Love (54 page)

At that very stroke, t
he
blade
intended for her and Will
turned on Paul
.
She
gaped at him
as it sliced
across his throat, as if in some
bizarre suicide.
 

Blood ran down
Paul’s
neck and
his
dull
e
yes dropped to Julia’s
.
The dagger clattered to the
floor.
Clutching at his neck
, Paul toppled after it.
He hit
the floor
with a thud. 

Will stared
down at him,
and
then
lifted his eyes to
her
s
.
“Holy
M
other of God.”

S
he stared back
into his
astonished
gaze
,
too overcome to u
tter a sound even if she hadn’t been
gagged.

Whether truly audible or
only
in her mind,
she heard Cameron
release
a gusting sigh of satisfaction. 

His spirit
slipped over her in farewell and vanished, not only for now,
but for good...his revenge
taken, honor fulfilled,
and
aid given to the two he’d
wronged.
They’
d
also wronged him and would clear
his name
and Lyle’s
.

No more e
vil
lurked
in the room.
Gone!  Paul was gone!
Cameron
must have hurled Paul’s blackened
soul out of Foxleigh.
 

Then Will was
ripping
away
her gag
.

“Will
!
” she
cried
, repeating
his name over and over as he unknotted the ropes
from her chafed wrists
. 

Together
they attacked
the bonds at their ankles. He
help
ed J
ulia unknot
hers.
The instant she
was free, Will
crushed her in his arms as if he would
never let her go.
And she knew
he wouldn’t.

Cole never had.

Timeless, handsome, the portrait of Cole Wentworth hung in a place of
prominence in the great hall.
The beautifully comple
ted likeness of Julia Maury graced the wall
beside him.
Beneath these two star-crossed lovers, their
namesakes played.
A dark
eyed
boy of three and his
coppery-haired
little
sister ran and toddled through the elegant old room that had seen so much history...love, joy, and darkest tragedy for well over two hundred years.

Charlotte watched the children as a motley assembly of players gathered to rehearse for the annual Nora Wentworth Midsu
mmer’s Eve Festival.
This year,
they were performing
Romeo and Juliet
. 

Will gazed at
his lovely wife, Julia, her green
eyes bright, hair sp
illing around her, so radiant.
The
lines came easily to his lips.
“‘But, soft!  What light t
hrough yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.’”

Julia smiled in return.