Bailey Robinson's orders were simple; get rid of the letter and get back to work.
When Bailey begins a correspondence with a mysterious woman, the last thing he expects is to fall in love with her. Or worse, find out that the woman behind the words...
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Birmingham, 1896
It was all for nothing.
No matter how hard Sophia tried, those words kept running through her mind. It was all she could think of, it was all she could see and for some strange reason, it was all she could feel.
The very thought of the futility of hours spent trying to bring a child into the world, was stronger than the thought of knowing she was dying.
Sophia could feel it; the blood gushing out of her body, draining her of life. How increasingly difficult it was to breathe. How seemingly impossible it had become to move. She felt her organs shut down one at a time. She heard her heartbeat slow down in her chest.
Yet, she couldn't bring herself to think for a second of her own life. All she thought about was the life she failed to bring into the world and the man she was now about to leave behind.
Someone captured her hand.
“I'm so sorry, Sophia.”
Craning her head to the side, her eyes came to rest on the woman who beheld her in pity.
“Edward...” She opened her mouth to speak but her words only managed to sound like nothing but gibberish in her own ears. Her lips trembled, making it almost impossible to speak. Yet, she knew she had to for she was running out of time. “I need you to promise me, Chloe, that you will help him through this.”
“Sophia...” Chloe said.
“I can feel death, Chloe. I feel it pulling at my soul and I'm unable to withstand it's power for too long. I worry for my husband. I have failed to produce an heir and I know I can trust no one to love him... But you. I know you've loved him since we were young. I know of your desire, however hard you try to hide it, to be his wife and I know it devastated you when we got married.” Sophia's eyelids were struggling to pull close but she fought to keep them open long enough to pass her message across.
“I can't. Please Sophia, come out of this, live for Edward. Perhaps in a few weeks he will return from his voyage...”
If there was one thing Sophia was thankful for, it was Edwards absence. She didn't want him to see her like this; she didn't want him to watch her die.
She tightened her hold around Chloe with what was left of her energy. “This is my dying wish, dear friend; that you take my place in Edward's life, that you be his wife.”
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