Read Online Surrender the Wind by RITA GERLACH - Free Book Online Page B

over her mistress, and left the room. It satisfied Seth to know a servant cared so much for his sister.
    With no more hesitation, Caroline lifted the spoon, but set it back down. “I cannot eat.” Her face stiffened with sorrow and he saw her struggle to push back tears.
    “Caroline.”
    She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Let us talk, Seth. It will help me. Was it a shock to inherit Ten Width?”
    Seth nodded. “More than I can say.”
    “Grandfather blessed you before he died.”
    “Did he? I’m surprised.”
    “He repented of the breach between him and Father—and you.”
    “People seem to wait until the final hour to make amends.”
    “At least he made them.”
    “He may have reconciled his sin with God, but not with me.”
    She reached over and touched his hand. “It's never too late. Try to forgive him. He was stubborn and opinionated, but he took good care of me.”
    Seth paused to sample the coffee Claire had brewed, which tasted better than the gritty concoction he was accustomed to. “Have you been happy here?”
    “The happiest when I had my son. I’ll never be happy again. They took him away and he's gone. How shall I live without him?” She trembled and buried her face against his arm and cried.
    He held her a long while, until she exhausted her sorrow. Then he helped her back into bed. A candle softened and the room darkened.
    “Seth,” she said, a plea in her eyes. “Please, I must talk more with you.”
    “I am here. Say anything you wish, Caroline.”
    She turned her eyes straight ahead and looked as though she saw the painful past.
    “Four years ago, I fell in love with a man named Jeremy Kenley. His father had other matrimonial plans for him, and he threatened to disinherit Jeremy if we were to wed. I was not good enough for him, too poor in Sir Charles's eyes, too meanly born. But we continued to see each other.
    “One night, we gave in to our passions, and I conceived a child. You are shocked by this and must hate me now?”
    He pulled the chair closer. “Hate you? I could never do that.”
    “Then you will stay with me, even a little while.”
    “Of course I will.”
    She looked at him and shivered. “I am relieved. Tell me about the war and all you went through.”
    He glanced down at his hands, imagining the traces of gunpowder burns. “We will have plenty of time for that. You must tell me the rest.”
    She drew herself up higher on the pillows and turned to face him. “Jeremy came to Ten Width week after week and was sent away. I sent his letters back too.”
    “Why? If he loved you …”
    “I did not want to shame him, nor did I wish to feel the sting of rejection. I had been a virtuous young woman, yet in one night I fell prey to temptation. Harsh consequences were certain for both of us. Ten Width became my prison. Depression clung to me. At night I cried myself to sleep, and when a new day dawned, I faced it with dread. I did not know what to do. Then one morning I saw Juleah walking up the drive. I realized I had to confide in my best friend. When I told her about the child, I was moved to tears by her kindness.
    “She told me I had to tell Grandfather, that he loved me and would make things right. Then she urged me to tell Jeremy. I felt ashamed, and I told her I could not do it. She insisted it would be wrong not to. If I did not tell Grandfather and Jeremy, she swore she would. So, I dried my tears, took hold of my friend's hand, and we walked together into the study. I shall never forget the way Grandfather looked up at us, knowing a grave matter was at hand.
    “At first, he was distraught, but said what was done could not be undone. He ordered me to pen a letter. Jeremy arrived the next day. He fell on his knees in front of me, gathered up my hands in his, and kissed them. We were married in the village church the next morning. He was willing to risk everything for our love and the sake of our child.
    “Now he is gone, and so is my Nathaniel.” Tears