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Two Years Later
Catherine pulled at one of the weeds surrounding the roses. A sharp jolt of pain shot through her fingers.
“Are you alright?” Sophia called, gently reaching to gently rub her friend’s back.
Catherine watched the blood pool at the tip of her finger and brought it to her mouth almost immediately.
“Catherine, do we need to take you to the infirmary?”
“It is only a thorn. I am certain I will survive it.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes, not fully appreciative of Catherine’s joke. “You know I cannot afford to have anything happen to you on my watch right now. Especially in your condition.”
Catherine laughed. “Your concern is incredibly striking, Sophia. But you must know I am not the first woman on earth to get pregnant.”
“Well, you might as well be. I cannot let anything happen to my little nephew in your belly.”
Catherine sucked on the finger again and threw Sophia a sly smile. “Nephew?”
“Judging by how you have been acting in the past few days, it can only be a boy growing in that belly of yours.”
Catherine slapped her palms on her hips, taking a break from the flowers for a minute. “And how exactly have I been acting? Do you care to elaborate?”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed. She stared at Catherine’s hands and then the way she arched her eyebrows. “I do not believe that is wise for me to do.”
“Good.” Catherine responded and returned to trimming the weeds choking the flowers in the garden. “I suppose I have been a bit on edge for the past few days. It is not the pregnancy. It is only the anticipation. I have never thrown a fête this large on my own before.”
Sophia laughed as if what Catherine had said was the most ridiculous thing in the whole wide world. “I am certain you will survive if the party is a disaster. You do not have to worry. It is merely a get together.”
“Yes. And some of my friends will be in attendance. I do not want them to think less of me in any way—”
Sophia turned to her, sharply interrupting her, inadvertently freezing the words in her mouth. “Catherine. You married a Duke.”
Catherine shrugged.
“A Duke. And now you have his baby growing in you. I am certain that is all you need to know absolutely no one would think less of you.”
“I suppose.” Catherine responded and they resumed weeding the flower bed.
It had been two years since the wedding, and marriage had been everything Catherine could have asked for and more. Life had settled into a rhythm of quiet happiness and shared purpose. Edmund had come to realize that he did not have to carry all his burden alone anymore. He had her by his side. The most intelligent woman he had ever met he liked to tell her. He made it known that Catherine had truly become a great presence in his life. She was his very own source of relief and closest confidant.
Catherine herself had grown to realize what love could truly be in its raw and purest form. She had become more vibrant than ever and had learned what a great source of support one’s husband could be. Edmund was never slow to seek her advice. Not even when he was discouraged by other men in his envoy. He never hesitated to seek a second opinion from her on anything. From handling his tenants to leasing and to the meetings he held in the villages, Catherine was never shy to give her advice or opinion on things she believed deserved them.
They had both grown closer in every way and their bond, strong and spirited, continued to prevail over whatever challenges life had thrown across their way in the past few months. Their love had in fact deepened into something solid and constant. Something neither of them could have dreamed of imagining at the start.
“The real question—” Sophia muttered as they made their way back to the manor. “—is whether you will be able to handle the familiar faces the Fête brings.”
Catherine narrowed her eyes. “And why would I not be able to handle them?”
“Oh you know,” Sophia responded. “I am certain I read somewhere that pregnant women may get overwhelmed when they’re surrounded with faces they haven’t seen in such a long time.”
“Did you read this when you were touring Europe with Henry?”
Sophia rolled her eyes, but not before Catherine noted the flash of red that crept up her cheeks.
“No?”
Catherine laughed. “Do not worry about me. I will be fine.”
Sophia in the past two years had been able to grow into a confident and much wiser nineteen-year-old. After touring Europe for a year and a few months, she had returned home when the letter of Catherine’s pregnancy reached her.
“You think I would let the walls of Italy stop me from witnessing the birth of my nephew?” She had asked when she arrived.
“We do not know if it is a boy or a girl yet.”
“Trust me.” Sophia had responded while the maids helped her transport her bags to her room. “It is a boy.”
Catherine returned her thoughts to the present, now tired from all the gardening she had been doing all day. Perhaps Sophia was right. She had done all her possible best. All she could do now was wait for the faces to arrive.
They did a few days later. Most of which were Edmund’s friends and colleagues. However, when Beatrice arrived, Catherine could feel her feet escape the floor in joy.
She wrapped her friend in one big hug and Beatrice, who was just as excited to see her, shared the same ecstatic joy.
“Oh Catherine. It is so lovely to see you.” Beatrice said as Catherine led her into the manor. They talked about their other friends and how they all sent their well-wishes to her even though they couldn’t make it.
Beatrice apologized for being extremely careless with Catherine’s letter which led to Nailsworth finding her. “You must know I sent the maid away the instant I found out. I cannot surround myself with people who would betray me like that.”
Catherine introduced her to Edmund after which they stayed in Beatrice’s room and talked all night on all the things Catherine had missed.
Though the fête ended the next day, Beatrice decided to extend her stay and be of help to Catherine during the last stages of her pregnancy, an action she couldn’t be more thankful for if she tried.
One night, they all sat in front of the fire and watched Sophia with expectant eyes as she read through a letter from Henry. He was taking a break from his tour and planning to visit. Catherine noticed how hard Sophia tried to act indifferent about it but she knew better. No one anticipated Henry’s return more than she did.
Sophia excused herself from the others, saying she had a few things to do in her room.
“That girl is head over heels in love with whoever sent that letter.” Beatrice noted the instance Sophia was out of earshot.
“Tell us something we do not know.” Edmund responded, his voice on the edge of a laugh as he exchanged a knowing look with Catherine.
Catherine smiled. Not in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would see Beatrice and Edmund interact and also do it this effortlessly. She thought back to how they had each impacted her life. Beatrice’s unwavering support and friendship had helped her escape the doom that would have enveloped her. And Edmund… well, Edmund helped her survive. She wouldn’t trade either of them for anything.
As the moon reached its peak, Catherine felt a sense of inner peace settling over her like a soft shawl. She was no longer in hiding. She was now a wife and mother-in-waiting. And at her side were both her closest friend, and the man who saw her, chose her, and loved her without condition.
It didn’t get better than that.
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!
Hello my dears, I hope you enjoyed the book and the Extended Epilogue! I will be waiting for your comments here. Thank you 🙂
A really good story to read! It was difficult hit during that time for women to reject a marriage her father had a coated without her approval, but by the way Catherine rejected her father’s choice was a very of her strong will. I loved the story and the Epilogue. Job well done Abigail!
The story was very interesting and I enjoyed reading it. Your books are usually fine but this one had a lot of missing words, time lapses and wrong pronouns. But not as much as another author, it was so bad I refused to review it. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything. I love your books.
Thank you Shirley for the feedback, I will have my editor look into it!
Loved the book! There were a few issues with words that were misspelled or not correct. Is there a continuation of the story? Did she have a girl or boy? What happened with Sophia and Henry?
I’m so glad you loved the book Julie! Thank you also for pointing out the small word issues—I’ll take another look. As for your questions: it’s up to the reader to imagine what happened, but they definitely had a happily-ever-after too!
Love, love your books keep up the good work, we can overlook a few mistakes.
Thank you for love stories with out raw sex.