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Six Years Later
“Come along, Edmund!” Clara called as she picked up the blankets. “Hurry up.”
“Yes, Mama!” Her young son tottered out of the house, careful as he stepped over the threshold. “Wait for me!”
Clara laughed. “I do not think I have to worry much about you. Your sister, on the other hand…” She looked across the lawn at Charlotte, who was holding Sybil’s hand as she walked. “You take your eyes off her for a second, and she disappears somewhere.”
Edmund giggled. He fell into a quick step beside Clara, getting distracted by the flowers as they went past. They were meant to be going to have a picnic at the lake, but given how slow the children were moving, they were probably only going to reach the end of the garden.
That didn’t matter. When the children were tired, they had to be carried, and Clara didn’t want to carry them a long way.
“Do you need me to carry anything else, Mother?” Maeve joined her, her hair flying about her shoulders. “Mrs. Clarke said the picnic basket was coming out shortly.”
“No, you do not need to worry about anything, darling. But I would not mind if you let Mrs. Clarke know that we will just stay in the garden for the picnic.”
Maeve giggled. “You are not as confident allowing Charlotte around the water, are you?”
“After what happened with the fishpond yesterday, can you blame me? I have never been so scared in my life for my children.”
Laughing, Maeve hurried away, ruffling Edmund’s hair as she went. Clara’s heart swelled at her adopted daughter. A year after she came to live with them, Julian and Clara had formally adopted Maeve, raising her as their own instead of their niece. At thirteen years of age, she was growing into a stunning young girl who looked more like Julian than anyone imagined. Anyone who came upon the family automatically thought Maeve was Julian’s daughter, and that made Maeve happy. She declared she liked people thinking she was his child.
And she was a devoted sister to Edmund and Charlotte, who adored her and followed her around most of the time. Clara didn’t think she could ask for a better sister for her children.
Charlotte and Sybil had reached the end of the lawn, and Charlotte had sat down heavily. Sybil laughed and turned to Clara.
“I think Miss Charlotte does not want to go any further, Your Grace,” she said. “She’s made up her mind.”
“Good thing I decided to change where the picnic was going to be at the last minute.” Clara shook out the blankets. “Would you help me with these?”
It was useful that Sybil had stayed on as Maeve grew up. She was a good influence on all of the children, and she certainly knew how to keep Edmund and Charlotte behaved when Clara struggled. They were lively young children, and Sybil just carried on with a smile on her face without any complaints. Clara had no idea how the woman did it and considered her an angel in disguise.
“What are you doing out here?” Julian asked as he approached them, Maeve at his side with her arm slipped through his. “I thought we were going to the lake.”
“I think our daughter’s decided we are going to eat here.” Clara smoothed out the blankets. “We can go for a walk by the lake later. Depending on how the children are.”
“I suppose.” Her husband picked up Charlotte and kissed her cheek. “How’s my sweet baby girl?”
Charlotte giggled and poked him in the cheek.
“Papa.”
“Yes, I am Papa.” Julian hugged her, propping her on his hip. “Are you hungry?”
Charlotte nodded, sucking on her fingers. Edmund trotted up to his father and tugged at his jacket.
“I’m hungry, too,” he declared.
“You are always hungry.” Maeve grinned. She swept her brother up before tumbling onto the blankets. “That tummy is always growling, I am certain.”
She began to tickle him. Edmund squealed and tried to get away. Clara sat on the edge of the blanket and watched them, her heart swelling with pride. It was something she never anticipated having at her age, and she was delighted that it was working out. From something that neither her nor her husband wanted, they’d managed to create a beautiful marriage and adorable children.
Not for the first time, she silently thanked Rosamund for being jealous of her because her machinations made things turn out better than anticipated. Her sister was still guilty about it, but their relationship was much better, and they visited each other regularly. Rosamund’s friendship with Maeve was strong as well; it was almost like they were sisters instead. It was good to see her sister blossom, especially now that she’d married and had a child of her own. Lady Whitlow was excited about becoming a grandmother in a short space of time, and she lavished attention on all of the children. She’d gotten better at treating the two sisters equally, and Clara appreciated it. It felt like she had a mother again.
“When are Helena and Rowan getting here?” she asked, taking Charlotte from Julian as he passed her over. “They were meant to be here by now, were they not?”
“They will be along shortly, I am sure.” Julian settled on the ground beside her. “They’ve got twins to corral, and I am certain they’re causing havoc again.”
Clara shuddered. “Having two children close in age is hard enough, but twins? That sounds like a nightmare.”
“They’re certainly keeping them on their toes,” her husband chuckled. “But at least they make up for it by being adorable.”
Clara didn’t know about that, although she had to admit Helena’s two-year-old boys were cute. They were just a handful. She had to admire her cousin for doing her best with them. She certainly wouldn’t be able to cope.
“When they get here, I was thinking Sybil and Maeve could watch the children while we go for a walk.” Julian put an arm around Clara’s shoulders. “We are not going to get another opportunity to have some peace and quiet for awhile.”
“Don’t we get the evenings to ourselves?” Clara teased.
“I mean during the day. And it is a lovely day, so I want to make the most of it.” He kissed her cheek. “I want to remind my wife that I love her.”
Clara giggled and nuzzled his cheek.
“You do not need to remind me. I know you love me.”
Maeve made a face. “If you’re going to be sappy and romantic, could you do it elsewhere? It is embarrassing.”
Julian laughed and winked at her.
“You will be like this one day, Maeve. I know we will be dealing with this in a few years.”
Maeve shuddered, which made him laugh even more. Clara caught sight of movement by the house and saw Aunt Honora and Lillian approaching them. It had taken a while, but the sight of Julian’s former love no longer bother her. Lillian was Aunt Honora’s permanent companion, and she took her duties seriously.
She’d even managed to secure a good marriage to a widowed earl, who was quietly devoted to her. Clara never thought she would end up being friends with the woman who tried to create discord in her marriage to Julian, but she didn’t regret it.
She could forgive knowing someone worked for it.
“What are you thinking?” Julian asked.
Clara sighed and leaned into him, cuddling Charlotte in her lap as Edmund jumped on Maeve and began tickling her, eliciting a lot of squeals from his sister.
“That I do not think I have ever been this content,” she declared. “I did not believe this would ever happen to me, and certainly not in the way it did.”
“Well, it has, and you and I are going to make every moment of it count.” Julian smiled at her. “I cannot think of anyone better to spend my life with.”
Clara kissed his cheek. She couldn’t think of anyone better, either. Not when she had the man she loved at her side.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 5 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Love and Secrets of the Ton", and get 5 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hey there, lovely readers! I really hope you enjoyed the book and the Extended Epilogue. Let me know what you think—I can’t wait to hear from you!
I was happy to see that things seems to be working out for all of the ladies in the story. Even Lillian, but couldn’t see s she had married an Earl why she was still being a companion.
I loved this book and recommend this to everyone. I. Was glad to see they had two children and adopted Miriam..