OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Regency Hearts Entwined", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
One Year Later
“Is that the last of them?” Charlotte asked, brushing a loose curl from her face as she stepped over the threshold of Blackthorn Hall.
The entryway was cluttered with trunks, their leather surfaces scuffed from weeks of travel. Stacked beside them were wooden cases that held her painting supplies, the scent of oil paint and varnish still faintly clinging to the air.
Sebastian closed the door behind them, surveying the familiar sight of their home with satisfaction. “I believe so. Unless, of course, you managed to acquire an entire gallery’s worth of artwork without my noticing.”
Charlotte turned to him with a mockingly wounded expression. “Do you truly doubt my ability to fill an entire gallery? You wound me, my lord.”
He chuckled, tugging her closer. “I would never dare underestimate you. Your talent continues to astonish me.”
She sighed contentedly, resting her cheek against his shoulder. The journey from Italy had been long, but seeing Blackthorn Hall again—its stately presence softened by the glow of the afternoon sun—filled her with warmth. The familiar scent of polished oak and fresh flowers from the gardens outside welcomed them home.
Sebastian glanced around, noting the additions to their decor. Along the corridor, several of Charlotte’s paintings had found their place—scenes from their travels rendered in delicate yet striking hues. The canals of Venice, the Tuscan countryside, the rugged cliffs of Dover upon their return. Blackthorn Hall had once been austere, but now it bore the mark of its mistress.
A delighted squeal interrupted his thoughts.
“Charlotte! You’re back!”
Diana bounded into the hall, her golden curls bouncing with each hurried step. Though she had always been sweet-tempered, there was a new confidence in her manner, a brightness that had only grown in Charlotte’s absence.
Charlotte laughed as Diana threw her arms around her. “I did promise, did I not? I would not dare disappoint you.”
Diana pulled back, her blue eyes sparkling. “And you haven’t! I must tell you everything. My season is to begin in only a few weeks, and there is so much to prepare. You will help me find a gown, will you not?”
Charlotte took Diana’s hands in hers, squeezing them gently. “Of course. We shall go to London and find you the most beautiful gown in all of England.”
Diana clapped her hands together and practically skipped from the room, calling for tea to be brought to the drawing room.
Sebastian shook his head in amused disbelief. “Is this the same sister who once cowered behind our mother’s skirts at every social gathering?”
Charlotte smirked, stepping into his embrace. “Your sister only needed encouragement. I merely helped her see what she was capable of all along.”
Sebastian’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close. “I should have known you would be the one to transform her. Just as you have transformed this house. Just as you have transformed me.”
Charlotte tilted her head, her expression teasing. “A transformation? And here I thought I had merely convinced you to smile more often.”
Sebastian chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That, and so much more.”
She sighed, content against him. “And to think, you once believed taking a chance on me was a risk.”
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. “And now, I know it was the greatest fortune of my life.”
Charlotte’s heart swelled as she rested her head against his chest. They had returned home, but their journey was far from over.
“Must you hover, Sebastian?” Lady Whitmore’s voice carried an air of patient exasperation as she folded her hands in her lap. “You are making us all quite nervous.”
Sebastian stood near the drawing room door, his arms crossed and his gaze unwavering as he watched Charlotte from across the room. She was seated beside Diana and Lady Whitmore, dressed elegantly for travel, save for the slight pallor to her usually rosy complexion.
Charlotte offered her husband a small smile. “Your mother is right, dearest. You are making rather a spectacle of yourself.”
Sebastian’s frown deepened. “I merely wish to ensure that you are well.”
“You fret over nothing,” Charlotte assured him. “I am perfectly fine.”
A knock at the door signaled the arrival of the carriage that would take them to London, and Diana clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh, we must not tarry! The modistes will be closing their order books soon, and I refuse to arrive at my debut in last season’s fashions.”
But just as she reached for her gloves, Charlotte exhaled sharply. A sudden wave of dizziness overtook her, and the room spun. Before she could protest, darkness tugged at the edges of her vision, and her body swayed.
“Charlotte!” Sebastian was at her side in an instant. He caught her just as she collapsed, lifting her effortlessly into his arms.
Diana gasped. “She swooned! Is she ill?”
Lady Whitmore stood swiftly. “To her chambers at once,” she commanded, her usual composed exterior cracking just slightly as she followed Sebastian up the stairs.
Sebastian carried Charlotte with ease, his grip firm yet careful as he laid her upon their bed. He knelt beside her, his fingers brushing stray curls from her forehead. “Charlotte, speak to me.”
Her eyelids fluttered as she stirred. “I… I am sorry,” she murmured. “How terribly dramatic of me.”
Sebastian let out a breath, but his worry did not fade. Lady Whitmore took a seat by the bed, her expression one of quiet contemplation.
“I believe we should send for the doctor,” she said at last.
Sebastian straightened, his tension increasing. “Is she truly unwell?”
His mother’s lips twitched at his anxiety. “No, Sebastian,” she assured him. “I suspect something else entirely.”
Charlotte shifted against the pillows. “I do feel… rather unlike myself.”
Lady Whitmore reached for Charlotte’s hand. “It is quite possible, my dear, that you are with child.”
The words hung in the air.
Sebastian’s gaze snapped to Charlotte, his expression unreadable. Charlotte, for her part, was stunned into silence.
Diana, however, let out a squeal of delight. “A baby? Oh, Charlotte, this is far better than a trip to the modiste! This is the best news imaginable!”
Sebastian finally found his voice. “A child?” He exhaled slowly, as if testing the word aloud. His hands, usually so steady, trembled slightly as they covered Charlotte’s.
Charlotte swallowed, searching his face. “Sebastian…?”
His breath hitched. Then, as though the realization had fully struck him, he cupped her face in his hands. “My love,” he whispered, voice thick with emotion. “You have given me everything I never knew I needed.”
Charlotte smiled, warmth spreading through her chest. “And you have given me the same.”
“Well, doctor?” Sebastian demanded the moment the physician emerged from Charlotte’s chamber. His voice was calm, but his grip on the back of the chair betrayed the tension coursing through him.
The doctor, an elderly gentleman with spectacles perched upon his nose, gave a knowing smile. “Congratulations, my lord. Lady Whitmore is indeed with child.”
A sharp breath escaped Sebastian as he absorbed the news. He had suspected—hoped—but hearing it confirmed sent a rush of something indescribable through him. Relief. Joy. A touch of fear.
Lady Whitmore nodded approvingly. “There. You see? I was correct.”
Diana, who had been practically vibrating with excitement, clasped her hands together. “Charlotte, a mother! And me, an aunt! I shall tell everyone I know.”
“Perhaps you might allow the expectant parents to process the news first,” Lady Whitmore chided, though there was warmth in her voice.
Sebastian barely registered their words. He was already striding past them, reentering the bedchamber where Charlotte rested.
She looked up at him, her expression soft, tired—but undeniably radiant. “It is true then?”
Sebastian approached the bed, kneeling beside her. He took her hand in his, pressing a reverent kiss to her palm. “It is true.”
Charlotte exhaled a shaky breath. “I hardly know what to think.”
Sebastian traced slow, soothing circles along the back of her hand. “Then think only of this: You are not alone in this. We shall face every moment together.”
Charlotte studied him, her blue eyes searching his face. “You are not—disappointed?”
He inhaled sharply, his grip tightening. “Disappointed?” He shook his head, cupping her face between his hands. “Charlotte, you are giving me a family. A future I never dared hope for. How could I be anything but grateful?”
She swallowed against the wave of emotion rising within her. “I had not meant to surprise you so soon.”
Sebastian let out a soft chuckle, his thumb brushing over her cheek. “You have been surprising me since the day we met, my love.”
Charlotte laughed, light and unburdened. “Then I suppose it is fitting that we begin this next chapter in the same manner.”
Sebastian leaned in, pressing his lips to her forehead. “It will be my greatest joy.”
From the doorway, Diana cleared her throat. “I do hate to interrupt such a moment, but I must say—Charlotte, you are officially excused from dress shopping.”
Laughter filled the room, mingling with the golden afternoon light.
“He’s perfect.”
Sebastian’s voice was a hushed whisper, filled with reverence as he gazed down at the tiny bundle in Charlotte’s arms. His newborn son lay nestled against her, his features delicate, his tiny hands curled into soft fists. A tuft of dark hair, much like his father’s, peeked from beneath the swaddling blanket.
Charlotte’s heart swelled as she traced a gentle fingertip across her son’s cheek. “He has your eyes.”
Sebastian exhaled a quiet laugh. “It is difficult to say just yet.” He reached out hesitantly, his large hands seeming far too clumsy, too unworthy, to touch something so precious. But when his son yawned, stretching his tiny arms as though reaching for him, Sebastian was undone.
He scooped the child from Charlotte’s arms with infinite care, cradling him against his chest. The baby squirmed for only a moment before settling, as though instinctively knowing the strength of his father’s embrace.
Sebastian’s throat tightened. “My son.” The words felt foreign yet right, as if they had been waiting to be spoken his entire life.
Charlotte watched him, her love for this man expanding in ways she never thought possible. “You are already a wonderful father, Sebastian.”
He looked at her, his gray eyes filled with unguarded emotion. “Because I have you. And now… him.” He pressed a kiss to their son’s forehead before carefully placing him back in Charlotte’s arms. “Have you given thought to his name?”
Charlotte nodded, brushing a curl from her son’s brow. “Henry. Henry Fairfax Whitmore.”
Sebastian let the name settle in the air before repeating it with quiet reverence. “Henry.”
A knock at the door interrupted the moment, and a flurry of soft footfalls followed.
“Is it time? May we see him?” Diana’s excited voice rang out before she even stepped into the room.
Lady Whitmore followed at a more measured pace, though her eyes shone with something uncharacteristically soft as she approached the bedside. She studied the child, then looked at Charlotte. “You have done beautifully, my dear.”
Diana peeked over Charlotte’s shoulder, her hands clasped in delight. “Oh, he is the sweetest thing! And I do think he looks like you, Sebastian.”
Charlotte laughed. “It seems everyone is determined to decide that for us.”
Lady Whitmore’s lips twitched into a rare smile. “It is a mother’s duty to see her son in her grandson. Though, I must say, I do see hints of the Fairfax spirit in him.”
Sebastian smirked. “Then we are doomed.”
Laughter filled the room.
Charlotte leaned her head against Sebastian’s shoulder as their son nestled peacefully in her arms. Their family had grown, their love had deepened, and their future stretched before them like the endless horizon.
Sebastian kissed the top of Charlotte’s head. “Thank you, my love.”
Charlotte closed her eyes, resting in the warmth of his embrace. “For what?”
His voice was quiet, full of unwavering devotion. “For giving me everything I never knew I needed.”
And as their son let out the softest sigh, Blackthorn Hall stood in the distance, its future secure in the hands of a new generation.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Regency Hearts Entwined", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello my dears! I really hope you loved the book and the Extended Epilogue. I can’t wait to read your wonderful comments. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 💕
Amanda. This was a sweet and tender story. Thank you for keeping it clean. I love how charlotte was loved for her unconventional and loving self.
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the story!
Very much enjoyed reading this book. I particularly enjoyed the parents, causing the behind the scenes machinations for lack of a better word. It was much more enjoyable than some silly little girl trying to get the man. She thinks that she loves by any means. Is there any chance to know the rest of Diana‘s story? I would love to read that.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! It’s so refreshing to hear that you appreciated the deeper layers of the story. As for Diana’s story, her journey definitely deserves to be explored further. Given the opportunity we might get a peek into her world, as well!
I enjoyed this book. What would a urgency novel be without parental reluctance? And big brother’s assistance. I enjoyed Constance’s exuberance.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this one! I’m especially glad Constance’s exuberance stood out to you—she was such a joy to write. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!