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Her hand feels so delicate in his as he leads her into each room, her face a picture of wonderment that makes his chest ache. Sophie looks so utterly entranced by every nook and cranny, causing Benedict to glow with contentment—witnessing the happiness radiating out of her with every new door he opens.
This will be home. Together. A place to build memories, love, and, if his wishes come true, raise a family. Their family.
The sunny parlour, the warm dining room, the cosy library, even the glass conservatory he has co-opted as his art studio make her beam with excitement. He can only watch, his eyes soft, as she admires Mrs Crabtree’s kitchen: the shiny copper pots that hang above the range, the elegant platters that line the shelves. She lingers so long he has to gently remind her it won’t be her job to be in the kitchen anymore and her demure smile of recognition makes his heart swell.
But it's her expression when he sweeps open the door to the master bedroom that is his most treasured. The way she clasps her hands together in front of her chest, fluttering around the room like a contented bird: looking out the window across the neatly kept gardens to the fields beyond, lingering at the green tiled fireplace, pulling up to the four-poster bed and running her hand over the brocade bedspread, shooting Benedict a heated look with a bite of her lip that makes him want to sweep her off her feet and ravish her yet again.
Once they have toured every room, he leads Sophie outside onto the terrace, and they take a seat together on a bench, her tucking under his arm in a way that feels so much like serenity all his troubles seem to melt away. And when the sun cuts through the dabbled trees and catches her face as she twists to look up at him, eyes sparkling, he is at a complete loss for words. Her beauty, the inner one that radiates from within, makes him dumbstruck.
Only one thing feels out of place—My Cottage no longer feels an apt name. The urge to get out his paint and amend the sign that adorns the gateway is so strong that his fingers flex against her body where he tenderly holds her.
It’s undoubtedly Our Cottage now.