THE PENNINGTON FAMILY arrived at Bellhorne in a caravan of carriages. However sedate the old castle had been in recent days, it was now alive with children and smiling faces.

Millie waited two days, since that was how long it took for her siblings and their spouses to meet the new addition and for the initial chaos and excitement to settle a little. Also, it was enough time for Dermot to be introduced and become comfortable with family members he hadn’t met before. As Millie expected, her mother fell in love with him right away, and her father was keen to exchange stories with the man he’d already heard so much about from Jo.

People can cope with difficulties they know about. They can’t cope with what they don’t know. Feeling lied to is often more painful than hearing a difficult truth.

Dermot’s words stayed with her during the days as she looked for an opportunity to talk to them.

At night, she’d go to his room. She was the seducer. She wanted to feel this side of love. She’d wanted to experience their first moments of intimacy together before she bore the scars of surgery.

Fervent. Magnificent. Loving. Whatever Millie’s expectations had been, they didn’t compare to the radiant glow she felt by the end of that first night. The second night had been even better as the desire he aroused in her took them both to thrilling and unknown heights of passion. And before she left his room before dawn this morning, he reminded her again that she was not alone and never would be.

This weight you carry...your parents have already sensed it.

Speak to them. They should know what you’re struggling with.

The morning room in Bellhorne was the brightest and most cheerful in the castle at this time of day. Tall windows opened out into the rose gardens, and the very air in the room carried a feeling of hope. Millie met with her parents there on Saturday morning.

“He’s the one, isn’t he?” the earl asked in his usual brusque tone as soon as the doors were closed. “Dr. McKendry.”

“We approve of him.” The countess put a hand on her husband’s arm, encouraging patience as he started to say more.

Millie wasn’t surprised they knew. It had to be obvious. And thanks to Phoebe’s whispering, she guessed everyone knew. She stepped away from the windows and faced her parents. Her father’s age was becoming more marked every year, with his snow-white hair and his pronounced limp. But he was still tall and commanding, and his mind was sharper than ever. Her mother was a vision of strength. Whatever ailments might trouble a woman of her advancing years, Millie had never heard her complain of any. She was a lioness who, with courage and vigor, looked after her husband and her family.

They could deal with the news of her illness, Millie told herself.

“He’s the one. He’ll ask your permission sometime today.”

“Of course,” Lord Aytoun growled. “He’s a fine man. No question. And if he’s the one you want, then we stand with you. As always.”

“But you didn’t ask us here to discuss an engagement, did you?” Her mother’s voice was soft. “I picked up something to read when we stopped overnight in Edinburgh. It had this handbill inside. Is it yours?”

In her hand she held the advertisement for the ship sailing to America. Millie had left it in the pages of the Byron book.

“I thought I might go away, but no longer.”

Her mother started to stand, but her husband kept her seated beside him.

“Tell us what’s wrong, Millie,” he prompted.

She started to speak but stopped, biting hard on her lip. It hurt her to cause them even a moment’s worry. She wished Dermot were here with her now.

Be honest with them. Tell them exactly what you need from them.

“Look at me. I’m fine. I feel no pain. I have no outward symptoms of anything. I appear to be standing here in perfect health.”

The words spilled from her lips, but she realized the longer she waited, the more concerned they were getting. It showed in her mother’s eyes and in the clenched jaws of her father.

“But I need an operation to remove a tumor in my breast tissue. I saw a physician in Edinburgh on my own, but Dermot knows there are others more capable of helping me. Experts right in the city. The best anywhere. And I plan to see them.”

Millie didn’t want to take a breath. She stared at the portrait of Sarah on the wall, for she couldn’t bring herself to look into their faces.

“I’m going to fight this. I need to fix what’s wrong. There are dangers, of course, but I’ll be strong and brave. And I’ll survive.” She pushed herself to continue. “Dermot will stay with me through it all. But I need you two to be strong, as well. To be there for me. To support me with your confidence and to guide me if I happen to miss a step. If I forget to keep looking forward.”

Strong arms slipped around her. Her father’s arms, followed by another pair. Warm whispers of love and encouragement breathed against her ear. Her mother’s voice.

“We love you, Millie. We’ll always be there for you.”