Mia smirked.
“Absolutely.”
But there was no real anger in her voice.
Only a quiet peace.
For years, Mia had carried revenge inside her heart like a blade.
Now that the men responsible for her family’s suffering had fallen…
That blade was gone.
“What are you going to do now?” Caleb asked.
Mia shrugged.
“Stay here.”
Tommy blinked.
“Seriously?”
She nodded.
“Someone has to make sure you idiots don’t destroy the colony.”
Caleb chuckled.
“Fair point.”
Then a new voice spoke behind them.
“I was hoping I’d find you here.”
Caleb turned.
And his breath caught.
Isabella stood at the end of the street.
The wind tugged gently at her dark hair, and the sunlight reflected softly against her pale blue dress.
But the expression on her face was serious.
Very serious.
“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked.
Isabella hesitated.
Then she handed him a sealed letter.
“It arrived from London this morning.”
Caleb frowned and opened it.
The words inside made his stomach drop.
He read them twice before speaking.
“Your brother is dead.”
Isabella’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
Caleb continued reading.
“And that makes you…”
“The new Countess of Ashford.”
Silence fell over the group.
Tommy looked stunned.
“Wait… like an actual countess?”
“Yes,” Isabella said quietly.
Tommy scratched his head.
“So… that means you’re basically super rich now?”
Mia elbowed him.
“Read the room, idiot.”
Caleb looked up from the letter.
“They want you to return to England.”
Isabella nodded.
“The Crown requires it.”
Tommy looked between them nervously.
“So… you’re leaving?”
Isabella didn’t answer immediately.
But the answer was written across her face.
The church in Williamsburg had never been so crowded.
News traveled quickly through a small colony, and by afternoon nearly half the town had gathered inside the chapel.
Farmers.
Merchants.
Servants.
Former contract laborers.
Even a few British officers stood quietly near the doors.
Everyone wanted to hear Isabella’s decision.
At the front of the church stood Isabella herself.
Caleb stood a few steps behind her.
He hadn’t tried to stop her.
He hadn’t asked her to stay.
Because some choices were too big for selfishness.
If she chose England…
He would accept it.
Even if it broke him.
The priest cleared his throat.
“Lady Isabella Howard—”
“Formerly Howard,” Isabella interrupted softly.
The priest nodded.
“Lady Isabella Ashford has requested to make a statement.”
Murmurs filled the church.
Isabella looked across the room.
At the people who had once whispered about her.
Judged her.
Doubted her.
And slowly—
She smiled.
“When I first came to this colony,” she began, “I believed the world was divided into two kinds of people.”
Her voice echoed through the church.
“The powerful… and the powerless.”
She paused.
“I believed my family belonged to the first group.”
A bitter smile touched her lips.
“I was wrong.”
She looked toward Caleb.
“Power isn’t inherited.”
Her voice softened.
“It’s earned.”
Caleb felt something tighten painfully in his chest.
Isabella turned back to the crowd.
“This morning, the Crown asked me to return to England and claim my title.”
The church went silent.
“They offered me wealth. Land. Status.”
She paused.
“And everything I once believed I wanted.”
Her next words came slowly.
“But the truth is…”
She looked directly at Caleb.
“I already found everything that matters.”
Gasps filled the church.
The priest blinked.
“Lady Ashford… are you saying—”
“I refuse the title.”
The words exploded through the chapel like thunder.
“I will not return to England.”
Shock rippled through the crowd.
“I choose to stay here.”
Her voice grew stronger.
“With the people who taught me what honor truly means.”
Then she stepped forward.
And took Caleb’s hand.
“With the man I love.”
The entire church erupted.
Some people cheered.
Others gasped.
Tommy nearly fainted.
Mia simply smiled knowingly.
Caleb stood frozen.
“Isabella…” he whispered.
She squeezed his hand.
“You once told me freedom was worth everything.”
Caleb nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Her smile softened.
“Then let’s be free together.”
Emotion surged through him.
Before he could stop himself, Caleb pulled her into his arms.
And kissed her.
The cheers that followed shook the walls of the church.
Outside, the bells began ringing.
Not for nobility.
Not for status.
But for something far more powerful.
A new beginning.
For a former contract servant.
And the woman who had given up a crown to stand beside him.