Brand laughed at that. “I have the advantage over you.”
“We shall see.” Spurred onward by Caroline’s giggles, John increased his pace.
Soon enough, they reached the entrance to the hedge maze, which could be seen from the portrait gallery on one of the upper floors of the hall.
“All right, Mrs. Butler, I’ve never been inside this maze, but you have.”
“Not for years. I was a young giraffe.”
He snorted with laughter. “A girl, then?”
“Yes.” She sobered. “It was a long time ago.”
“Perhaps, but knowing you, you’ve often thought of this maze, built it into a storybook fantasy with you waiting in the middle, waiting for rescue.” That was a certainty, and it was an endearing trait about her. When her blush confirmed his suspicions, he grinned. “It’s in your mind, somewhere beneath all the history and disappointments you knew at the asylum. Just let them come to the surface.”
“Win what you do if find you the heart?”
“Bragging rights and the knowledge that I—we—will have beat a Storme at his own game.”
“You wish, Butler.” Brand pulled ahead of them slightly.
Caroline hugged John’s neck. Her lips were nearly at his ear when she whispered, “First left, then left, and next right.”
“Thank you.” Easily, he jogged along the gravel strewn pathway.
Brand remained two steps in the lead. “Nice try.” They kept pace at the next left turn. Then he crowed with victory when he shot ahead and went left again. “Good luck!”
John met Caroline’s eyes with a grin. “We won’t tell him he’s going far afield.” He took the right-hand pathway. The pungent scents of pine and growing things assailed his nostrils. “Where next?”
His wife closed her eyes. “Right, right, left.”
He hefted her more comfortably into his arms but followed her instructions closely. It still didn’t put them in the heart of the maze. “Do you remember anything else?”
“Yes. Never forget anything.” Her grin was brilliant as she opened her eyes and peered into his face. “Two lefts. One more right. Then you’ll find it.”
“You, my girl, are amazing.” And she was continually surprising him. He went left, skirted around a few fallen branches, took another left on the path, tripped over an exposed root in the ground, and finally went right… directly into the heart of the maze.
Rose bushes grew in a clustered riot within a circle. A few stone benches done in the Greek style were arranged about that central circle. A fountain rested nearby. Moss covered one side of it, and a few inches of water were contained in the weathered basin. An equally worn statue of the goddess Aphrodite rose from the fountain’s bowl.
“We did it!” John released Caroline enough so her feet could touch the ground. “You did it!” He held her head between his hands and grinned. “The next time someone tells you that your mind is broken, remember this day, sweeting. There is nothing wrong with you; you merely think differently from the rest of us, and your capacity for memorization is astounding.”
Her eyes rounded with wonder. “Truly?”
“Yes. Together, we will pull you out of the maze of your mind. I promise. If not to rescue you from it then to live with it in a way that makes you happy and proud.” Then, because he could, John touched his lips to hers. When she uttered a shuddering sigh against his mouth, he took her into his arms and sought to give her a more proper kiss. She melted into him, snaking her arms about his shoulders, and for the first time, she tentatively kissed him back, mimicking what he did to her, until he was breathless with awe and his shaft was tight with desire.
The sound of branches snapping preceded the arrival of Brand, who crashed through the shrubbery seconds later. He brushed leaves and evergreen needles from his clothing and then came to a halt in front of them. “I must say, usually I don’t enjoy spying on a couple’s private moments, but it does my heart good to see this.”
John held Caroline a bit away from him. He didn’t care that his grin might look as goofy as it felt. “Well, she is my wife.” And never had he been as delighted to say that as he was right now.
A pretty brush stained her cheeks. “We won, Cousin Brand.”
“So you did.” He closed the distance between them, tugged her away from John, and gave her a gentle hug. She stiffened at the outset but then relaxed enough to let him continue. “I’m proud of you.”
John couldn’t stop beaming. Perhaps healing didn’t rely solely on him to unlock years of anger from Caroline’s soul. It merely started with acceptance from her family. “So, then, I can assume that bragging to Hadleigh about Caroline’s intelligence is in order?”
“I wouldn’t mind that at all.” Brand bussed her cheek before releasing her. “In the interim, let’s return to the hall and order a lavish tea. I’m quite famished after this unexpected exercise.”
Caroline nodded with enthusiasm. “With honey cakes!”
“Absolutely! All sorts of sweets.” Brand linked his arm with hers, and dear God, she let him, didn’t pull away. “Keep pace, Johnny boy, else my cousin and I shall leave you lost in the maze this time.”
His chuckle and Caroline’s laughter rang in John’s ears. Yes, they were all progressing well. The kernel of hope in his chest broke open and bloomed with a few baby leaves. No matter the outcome of his marriage, his wife would no doubt find peace at the end.
And that was the most important development of all.