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Time passed, as it ever tended to do. From summer to autumn, into the depths of winter and the joys of spring. Clara and Edmund stayed true, as only two people in the deepest of love can do.
And now, it is once again autumn.
Edmund stood at the edge of the estate’s gardens. The air was crisp, on the cusp of the chill of winter, but not so deep that it was uncomfortable.
“Mama!” Little Elijah cried out as he ran into Clara’s arms.
Their boy. Their little miracle. He had Edmund’s dark hair, and Clara’s loving eyes. Lying in a patch of sunlight, close enough to watch but not so close that Elijah would try to grab at her, was Rose. By now, she was getting on in years, her fur tipped and streaked with gray. Even in old age, though, she still watched over the little family as she had always done.
Elijah had his mother’s gentle spirit but his father’s curiosity about the world. Just yesterday, he had discovered a caterpillar in the garden and insisted on showing it to everyone: the cook, the gardener, even Rose, who had sniffed at it with aristocratic disdain before walking away with her tail held high.
Edmund watched as Clara lifted their son, spinning him gently while he giggled with pure, unbridled joy. The sound filled something in Edmund’s chest he hadn’t known was empty. He had once feared fatherhood, worried that he wouldn’t know how to love a child properly, that his own difficult upbringing would make him distant or cold. But the moment Elijah had been placed in his arms, red-faced and squalling, all those fears had evaporated like morning mist. Love, it turned out, came as naturally as breathing when you allowed yourself to feel it.
Edmund could not help but smile as Elijah’s laughs mix with Clara’s singing.
“The cuckoo is a fine bird, he sings as he flies, he brings us good tidings and tells us no lies,” her voice was still as bright and wonderful as the day they had sat at that piano together for the first time. Age had not dulled her spirit. In fact, with the grace that time had given them both, she only seemed to have more reasons to smile. Edmund was still, somewhat in disbelief. Even as he knew and accepted that this was his life, his reality, he still could not believe that he was so lucky as to experience all this after the dark days of his engagement to Evangeline.
The sound of footsteps on the gravel path pulled his attention back to the present, and he turned to face whoever had arrived. Thomas smiled at him, his arm linked around the arm of his wife, Susan. Behind them were Caroline and her new husband, Lord Patterson, a kind country gentleman whom she had met through Clara’s introduction. The three women had become more than friends, having something closer to a sisterhood that could not be shaken away by anything on this earth. Caroline, although she had assisted Clara, always spoke of how Clara’s courage in facing Evangeline and her own family had inspired her own bravery in matters of the heart.
Tonight was the night of their twice-monthly dinner. The group would eat well, conversation would flow, and ideas would be shared. They were a lucky and trusting group together.
“I do say, Edmund, have you heard the news?” Thomas asked his friend.
Caroline immediately slapped his arm gently, as if to tell him silently to be quiet.
“No, what news?” Edmund asked, giving Caroline a smile to tell her it was all right.
“It would appear that Evangeline has taken on a new role out in Italy!” Thomas said, clearly attempting to hold back his smirk. “She has become a governess and is acting under the name Miss Alice Roberta Edington.”
“I see,” Edmund said with a nod.
He understood why Caroline had tried to stop her husband from sharing this news. In truth? He would find it very difficult to care about such things now. Evangeline was not just a distant memory; she had no place left in his mind or his heart. Hearing about her was more akin to hearing about a stranger. The updates could be interesting, but truly did not impact him.
Edmund welcomed their friends into the garden. Susan and Caroline were immediately fussing over Elijah, marveling at how he was learning to walk and talk so well. Rose decided that this was all too much and stood up to walk over to Lord Patterson, the calmest of the group. The lord bent over and gave Rose a head pat as Thomas stood, grinning with Edmund.
“Clara, you simply must tell Susan about the incident with the vicar last week,” Caroline said with barely contained laughter as they settled into the garden chairs Edmund had arranged.
Clara’s cheeks flushed pink.
“Oh, that was entirely Elijah’s doing.”
“The boy asked the vicar why God made wasps if they only wanted to sting people,” Edmund interjected with a grin. “Right in the middle of his sermon about divine creation.”
The group erupted in laughter. Susan wiped tears from her eyes.
“What did the poor man say?”
“He actually stopped mid-sentence,” Clara admitted, laughing despite her embarrassment. “Then he said that even wasps serve God’s purpose, though he admitted he didn’t know exactly what that purpose was.”
“Honest fellow.” Thomas chuckled, pouring wine for the group.
Lord Patterson smiled warmly at his wife.
“I believe Caroline mentioned that Elijah has your gift for asking uncomfortable questions at inopportune moments, Clara.”
“I never asked about wasps,” Clara protested, though her eyes sparkled with amusement.
These were the moments Edmund treasured most. Not grand balls or society events, but simple gatherings with people who knew them truly, who had stood by them through difficult times, and who now celebrated the quiet joy they had found together.
On the garden table, there was an unopened letter. From the handwriting, Edmund already knew that this would be from Lady Westwood. She had never fully recovered from Evangeline’s manipulation, and so Edmund had gifted her access to a countryside cottage where she could recover in peace. The letter, no doubt, contained more thanks from her and updates on the solace she had found in tending to her garden. Lady Westwood and Clara often exchanged correspondence now, rebuilding a relationship that had been badly damaged.
Lord Geoffrey arrived at the gate and hesitated when he saw the group gathered there.
“I do hope I’m not interrupting,” he said with a half-smile.
“Not at all,” Edmund said, walking over to his father-in-law. “We will be having our regular dinner tonight, but you are more than free to join, should you want to?”
“No, that is all right, Edmund. It is very kind of you to offer, though,” Lord Geoffrey said with a smile. “I was merely stopping over as I found something for Elijah,” he explained, holding up a small wooden box.
Edmund looked intrigued and gently opened the box. Inside the box was a set of impressive-looking toy soldiers, their coats painted with fine red lacquer, their little weapons gleaming in the sunlight. Edmund chuckled and shook his head.
“Geoffrey,” he said softly so the others wouldn’t hear them. “When I gave you assistance to handle your gambling debts, I did not think that would give you permission to fritter it away.”
“I am not frittering it,” Lord Geoffrey said, trying to look serious, but his mouth kept twitching at the edges. “Am I not allowed to get gifts for my grandchild? Besides, if I were frittering it away, I would have bought him a kaleidoscope or a rocking horse, not toy soldiers.”
“If you say so.” Edmund grinned, closing the box. “Go on, give the boy his surprise.”
Geoffrey nodded, took the box, and walked over to Elijah. The little boy let out an excited squeal as he saw his grandfather and sprinted over to him.
“Grandpapa!” Elijah cried, throwing his small arms around Geoffrey’s legs.
The older man’s face softened in a way Edmund had rarely seen during the early days of their acquaintance. Geoffrey crouched down, setting the box on the ground, and opened it with theatrical slowness.
“Now, these are very special soldiers,” Geoffrey said seriously, as if imparting great wisdom. “They must be treated with respect and care.”
“Like Rose?” Elijah asked, his eyes wide.
“Exactly like Rose,” Geoffrey agreed with equal solemnity.
Clara had moved to Edmund’s side, and he felt her hand slip into his. She was watching her father and son with an expression of such tender happiness that Edmund had to swallow past the lump in his throat. This, her father’s redemption, the family they had built despite everything, was more than either of them had dared to hope for in those dark early days of their marriage.
Freed from the cost of the gambling debts he had accrued, Geoffrey had become a devoted grandfather who came over regularly, at least once a month. However, he had the habit of coming over more, should he find something to give to Elijah whilst traveling between the Westwood estate and the cottage where Lady Westwood was staying. Geoffrey had more than earned a spot in the life of the Barrington family, especially with the genuine remorse he had shown to both Edmund and Clara.
The day was, once again, one of merriment and delight. The table had been laden with roasted duck, fresh bread still warm from the oven, autumn vegetables glazed with honey, and a magnificent berry tart that the cook had outdone herself in the preparation. Candles flickered in the growing dusk, casting warm light across the faces of their friends and family.
Thomas raised his glass. “To Edmund and Clara,” he said warmly. “For reminding us all that the best love stories are the ones that grow slowly, rooted in friendship and respect.”
“Here, here!” Caroline agreed, lifting her own glass.
“And to second chances,” Susan added softly.
“To family,” Clara said, her voice thick with emotion. “Both the one we’re born into and the one we choose.”
The glasses clinked together, and Edmund looked around the table at these people who had become so dear to him. This was wealth beyond measure. Not in pounds and property, but in love and loyalty freely given.
The evening came, and eventually the dinner concluded. The guests left happy, well-fed, and merry. Clara was sitting on their favorite bench, looking up at the night sky. Edmund walked over to her, Elijah in his arms. She smiled at him and leaned her head against his shoulder. Elijah had finally surrendered to sleep, his small body warm and heavy against Edmund’s chest, one tiny fist clutching his father’s shirt. The evening had turned cool, and the first stars were beginning to appear in the deepening blue of the sky. Somewhere in the garden, a nightingale began its evening song.
Clara’s hand found Edmund’s free one, their fingers intertwining with the easy familiarity of long practice. They sat in comfortable silence for a long moment, listening to the gentle sounds of the estate settling into nighttime routines, the distant clatter of dishes being cleared, the soft murmur of the staff finishing their evening duties, and Rose’s contented purring from somewhere nearby.
Edmund could feel Clara’s breathing, slow and steady, matching his own. These quiet moments, he had learned, were the foundation of their happiness. Not grand gestures or passionate declarations, but simply being together, at peace.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, too,” he murmured, kissing her forehead. She smiled, the tips of her ears turning slightly pink. She had never lost that reflex, and he prayed she never would.
“I feel blessed every day,” she said with a sigh. “And I am so lucky that our life has turned into this.”
“As am I,” Edmund murmured. He looked up at the stars, the same ones that had once overseen their tentative courtship. “I must admit, I enjoy the steadiness we both bring. Our love, although it was a convenient arrangement, has blossomed into something much deeper. We are calm and steady, like the stars, not rocked by fiery passion and ever changing like the moon…”
Clara snorted and tried to hold in a giggle.
“Whatever have I said to make you laugh?” Edmund asked with a grin.
“Nothing, just…” she looked at him, lovingly and warmly. “You remind me ever so much of my father when you speak like that.”
“Maybe I have been spending too much time with him.” Edmund snorted.
“Perhaps,” Clara agreed with a giggle.
Edmund smiled and kissed her temple. He was so glad that he had realized that sometimes, life’s greatest treasures can be disguised as duty. And true love, when it finally arrived, could make every earlier sorrow worthwhile.
And now?
Now he was sure he would never know sorrow again.
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 🙂
I loved this book. Good story, moved right along, always interesting. Good characters. Thank you, keep writing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This book was very entertaining. Her sister realygave her any problems. I enjoyed the extended epilogue. Knowing how they all turned o it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The epilogue was fun to write and show everyone’s outcomes.
I really enjoyed this book especially the extended epilogue. Thanks for writing it. I like clean romances.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it — especially the extended epilogue. 💕