A Lady’s Unexpected Suitor – Extended Epilogue

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West Indies

Seven Years Later

Elizabeth dug her feet into the sand, appreciating the slight coarseness that spilt over the tops of her bare feet. She never grew tired of the feeling and came down every morning to the beach. Fortunately, their home was near the sea, so she could take walks daily, weather permitting. However, even terrible weather had its own charm, so she often storm-watched from the terrace of her home, loving how the lightning hit the ocean or the thunderous claps that seemed to shake the entire island. Elizabeth loved every bit of it, but now it was time to go home.

“Mama!” her eldest cried.

Elizabeth looked behind her. “What is the matter, Alexander?”

Her six-year-old son ran to her and plopped on the sand beside her. “I thought I missed the sunrise,” he said. “Papa says it will be one of the last sunrises we see on the island.”

Elizabeth nodded. “We still have three months left before we go, so you’ll have plenty of sunrises and sunsets to enjoy.”

“Do they have beautiful ones in England?”

“Of course,” she said. “The sun is the same everywhere, and each place has its way of greeting the sun. That is the difference. I’ll take you to all my favourite places to watch sunrises and sunsets. We can even do stargazing at night just like we do here.”

“Mama!”

Elizabeth turned around and grinned. It seemed that everyone wanted to watch the sunrise this morning. She waved at her husband and two daughters, laughing when her four-year-old, Isabella, let go of her father’s hand to run towards her on her short little legs.

“They always do what I do,” Alexander complained.

“That is because you are their older brother,” Elizabeth explained. “They look up to you and love you.”

Alexander pouted. “I wish it was only me.”

“Being an only child can be lonely,” she said. “It’s better to have a family.”

“Fine,” he said, kicking sand into the air.

Elizabeth grinned and kissed his brow just before Isabella launched herself into her arms. “Oomph!” she cried. “You’re getting bigger every day.”

“Bigger than Alex?” her daughter asked.

“No!” Alexander cried. “I’ll always be bigger than you. Tell her, Mama.”

“Your brother is older than you, dear, so it’s natural for him to be bigger,” she explained to her daughter. “You’re bigger than Sophia and your baby brother.”

Isabella smiled. “Yes, I am. May I look for seashells, Mama?”

“Yes, you may, but you cannot go too far,” said Elizabeth. “I need to see where you are at all times. Would you mind helping her, Alex? That is what big, strong brothers do.”

Alexander got up with a sigh, but she could tell he liked hearing he was big and strong. “Very well, I’ll help her.”

He took his sister’s hand and led her to the water’s edge, ensuring she didn’t take a step closer to the water. He truly was a gentleman with a kind heart. Elizabeth often wondered if he would be able to settle into England after living in the West Indies his entire life. Alexander was an old soul and had grown attached to the native people. He spoke their indigenous languages, loved their culture and food, and often ran around with the native children. Of course, he had English friends who he visited weekly, but he was more attached to the natives. The girls were slightly different because they were mostly home with her, but Alexander seldom stayed in the house.

“I see they’re picking shells again,” said Christopher, finally reaching her.

Sophia let go of her father’s hand and crawled into her lap. “Isabella loves seas shells. She has picked some interesting-looking ones before. I think some might even be fossils.”

Christopher took his shoes off and dug his feet into the sand. “I’m going to miss the feeling of having sand between my toes. English beach sand is very different.”

“Perhaps we should bottle some and keep it as a reminder,” she suggested. “We can take out the sand whenever we would like a reminder of our time in the West Indies.”

“I like that idea,” said Christopher. “We should probably think about what we plan to take with us and what we’ll leave behind. We cannot take everything.”

“I would take this island with me if I could,” she said. “I’m going to miss it, but returning to England is best. We are missing many family events and memories, and our children are growing up without their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It’s time we go back for their sake.”

“I understand,” said Christopher.

“Is the baby still sleeping?” she asked. “I fed him half an hour ago, but you know he has an insatiable appetite.”

“Yes, he was still sleeping when I passed the nursery,” he said. “Sophia was watching over him with the nanny, but she has a tendency to make a noise, so I brought her with me.”

Theo was her youngest at five months, but Elizabeth had a feeling she might be with child again. This was by far the quickest between children, as she was used to nearly or two between them. If she was pregnant, her current youngest would only be eleven months older.

“Is something worrying you, my love?” Christopher asked.

“Not a worry, just a challenge,” she said vaguely.

“That you’re with child again?” he said.

Elizabeth shook her head with a chuckle. “I should have known you would have suspected this already. You probably know my body better than I know myself.”

“That is very likely,” he told her. “And let me tell you, I love your body more and more after each child.”

She pursed her lips. “You are merely saying that because you do not wish me to feel uncomfortable about my changing body.”

“I wouldn’t lie about such a thing,” he insisted. “I am so completely in love with you that I doubt I’ll ever see the flaws you insist you have. You are beautiful to me, Elizabeth. Inside and out.”

Elizabeth’s heart somersaulted. “There my heart goes again. It has been seven years, but you can still make me feel like I’m falling in love with you all over again. That is a unique gift, Mr Montgomery.”

“I have you to thank for it, Mrs Montgomery,” he said.

They leaned over their daughter and kissed, earning a protest from her. “No, Papa,” she said, pushing her father away. “No kiss.”

Christopher laughed. “Sophia is definitely her mother’s daughter. Isabella used to grow jealous whenever you kissed me. She used to push you away.”

“Alexander was neutral,” said Elizabeth, remembering their firstborn’s earlier years. “He didn’t seem to mind. I wonder if Theo will be the same?”

“We’ll have to wait and see,” said Christopher. “We might have a fight for attention on our hands with the newborn, but especially with Theo. We should hire more nannies.”

“We’ll hire them in England,” Elizabeth told him. “For now, we should consider what we’ll do about our servants here. Both of the children’s nannies are natives, and the children are attached to them. I do not think asking them to come to England with us would be fair.”

“Yes, you’re right,” said Christopher. “I do not wish to let the other natives go without work just because we’re returning to England. There’s an English family that I was thinking could take over the house and run it. The gentleman works in the company and has been a real help, especially with the terrible storms we’ve had lately. We lost a ship full of cargo, but his navigational skills helped us find some survivors and save some cargo. He also speaks several languages and respects the natives.”

“He sounds wonderful,” Elizabeth replied. “We should invite them to dinner this week and discuss the possibility with them. I would rather the house stay open than closed. Would he be able to run this branch of the company alone? It’s not anything big, but this branch plays an important role for the main one in England.”

“I believe he can,” Christopher assured her. “Why don’t we discuss the rest over breakfast? We can return later this evening to stargaze.”

“I like the sound of that,” she said.

Christopher took Sophia from her so she could stand up before calling Alexander and Isabella to come along. They arrived just as Theo woke up from his nap, so Elizabeth took him to the dining room. They could have left him with the nannies, but they liked spending as much time with the children as possible. A parent heavily influenced the first years of a child’s life, so giving them a solid foundation filled with love, exploration, and respect was essential. These were the skills they wanted their children to carry with them throughout their lives.

Elizabeth opted for fruit for breakfast because she was slightly nauseous this morning and didn’t want anything too heavy. Her sisters at home would frown at such a breakfast, preferring their milky tea and cakes. However, the island had an abundance of fruits, so Elizabeth had grown used to eating them whenever her stomach refused to eat anything else. Even though their meals were not very English, but were inspired by the local flavours and ways of food preparation. This was precisely what Elizabeth had wanted to do and experience, so she would have no regrets about returning to England.

“You’re thinking rather hard there, my love,” Christopher commented.

“I’m just thinking about our life here, and what is to come,” she said. “I fulfilled this part of my dream and got an even better one on top of that.”

“What is that?”

“You and our children,” she said. “I never truly thought about a family. I just assumed I would one day have one. Now, I see how wonderful it is to be your wife and the mother of our children. It’s a wonderful blessing that I never take for granted.”

“Do you know what I am grateful for?” he asked.

“The children and I?”

“Undoubtedly, but there is more to it,” he said. “I thought I would never have this after my first wife died. Meeting you was my second chance to live, and now my life is even better than before.”

Elizabeth smiled. “We’re having quite the heart-to-heart today,” she said. “I blame it on my body accommodating itself for our next child—what is your reason?”

“I do not need a reason to be thankful for my wife and children every day,” he said simply. “I wake up daily with these thoughts and sleep knowing that I do not need anything more. I’m perfectly content right now.”

“Can you imagine how many people must envy us?” she said jokingly. “People can only dream of a life like ours.”

“It’s too unfortunate for them that I found and married you when I did,” he said. “Or someone else would have had this wonderful life.”

“I doubt it,” she countered. “I doubt I would have been happier with anyone else. This is right.”

“Yes, this is right,” Christopher agreed.

Elizabeth was thankful she married Christopher on that eventful day many years ago. It had been a leap in the darkness because she hadn’t been entirely sure what would happen, but Christopher had caught her and held her close to him. Eight years had passed since that day, but he was still holding her close to him. She doubted that would ever change.

***

They sat under the stars later that evening, waiting for shooting stars to appear. Occasionally, they saw one and made silly wishes like getting the first piece of pie or eating the last slice of cake. They already had everything they wanted, so they had nothing to wish for other than the little things that made up their daily lives.

“What are you wishing for if we see one tonight?” she asked.

“Oh, I think I want to wake up first,” Christopher replied.

Elizabeth laughed. “But you enjoy sleeping.”

“Yes, but I would like to watch you slowly wake up,” he said. “I haven’t seen that since our first child. You’re always up well before dawn.”

“That is a sweet wish,” she said. “I think I’ll wish for the same thing. I can’t think of anything else for myself.”

“As your husband, I am glad I have met all your needs.”

She laughed, eventually falling silent as they looked at the sky, waiting for it to darken further so the stars would be brighter.

“I wonder when we’ll discover more wonderful things in the sky,” she said.

“I believe we will,” he said. “Many things are waiting to be discovered by the right person.”

“Do you ever regret not continuing your studies in Italy?” she asked, suddenly curious. “You had to come home to help your family, and then we married.”

“There is one thing I regret, but it has nothing to do with Italy,” he said.

“What is that?”

“I regret not telling you that I loved you as soon as I knew how I felt,” he said. “I regret wasting time because I was so wrapped in my own thoughts.”

“I believe things happened as they should,” she countered. “Perhaps that time wasted was our trial period. We have never been apart since we married and have never gone to bed angry with each other.”

“I suppose I agree with you,” he said. “I’m just glad you’re here in my arms now.”

“I’m just as happy to be in your arms.”

“Happy enough to kiss me senseless?” he asked.

She smiled and turned around, getting to her knees. “Challenge accepted.”

Elizabeth cupped her husband’s face and kissed him with all the love she felt for him. Since there was no stopping point to her love, the kiss ran on rather long, but neither of them minded. They were with each other, and that was what mattered to them.

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