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Five Years Later
Cate was in the way. There was nothing she could help with, really, and the more she stood around trying to be helpful, the more she felt that she was only making matters worse. She had offered to help carry some of the flower arrangements into the dining room, where the birthday dinner would be held, but even those her husband had decided were too heavy for her.
“You are with child,” he’d chided when he’d found her lifting an arrangement that had been set on top of a colonnade to carry it into the dining room. “Leave that to a footman!”
“I am not as fragile as you think I am,” she’d laughed, letting him take the arrangement of yellow and red tulips from her hands. “Anyway, it is not as if this is my first child. I have done all this before.”
“Still, we can never be too careful,” he’d said, tweaking her nose. “Especially since you are carrying our first girl.”
Cate had laughed. “We do not know that for certain.”
“No, but you said you have a feeling.”
“I said I hope it is a girl.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Ben said, grinning. “After your prediction that Jonathan would be a boy, I trust your motherly intuition completely.”
He’d then hurried away to check on the dinner, which was going to be lavish in nature, even though Jonathan was still too young to appreciate most adult foods. At three years old, he was still eating the simple children’s fare that Cook made for him. The elaborate, lavish meal was for the rest of the family. Everyone was coming for Jonathan’s third birthday party, even Charlotte, who was ending her honeymoon with the Marquess of Childsworth early in order to be at the party.
Cate felt a thrill of excitement go through her as she took hold of her son’s hand and led him down the stairs and into the hall. She was so excited to see the family, which had not gathered together in some time. Everyone was so busy. The duke and duchess had been spending time in their country estate, Mary was preparing to debut for her first Season, and the dowager duchess was spending all her time between her two sons’ houses, as she wanted to spend as much time with all her grandchildren as possible. She was a devoted grandmother, and as Cate touched her belly, she felt another thrill of excitement for the arrival of her second child. There were still some months to go, however.
“Come, Jonny, let’s go to the drawing room and get out of the way,” she said, patting her son’s head. “Everyone is trying to make the house lovely for your birthday!”
“I cannot wait,” Jonathan said, smiling up at her with his big, toothy grin. “Mostly I cannot wait to see Granny! I miss her ever so much!”
“She will be delighted to see you,” Cate said. “I am sure she has missed you dearly while she has been with the duke and duchess.”
She entered the drawing room and sat down on the nearest sofa, glad for a moment to get off of her feet. Although she was only four months pregnant, she was already getting tired quite quickly, and her ankles were starting to swell a bit.
“Are you excited to see your Uncle Simon as well?” she asked Jonathan as he sat down next to her.
“Yes!” Jonathan cried, clapping his hands together as his eyes went wide. “He is coming?”
“Of course he is coming,” Cate said with a chuckle. “He is bringing his new wife, as well.”
Cate had been very happy to learn of her godfather’s marriage. Lord Everett was getting up there in years, and it soothed her to think that he would have companionship in his elder years. His wife was a widow and a very kind woman, from what Cate understood, and she was looking forward to meeting her at today’s birthday party.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a footman came in holding a silver tray with a calling card on it.
“A visitor for you, Lady Blackwood,” he said, holding out the tray for her. Curiously, Cate took the card. She was expecting many guests today, but she had not been expecting an uninvited visitor. Who could it be?
Nor did she recognize the name on the card. Mrs. Lowery. It was not familiar to her.
“Please, show Mrs. Lowery in,” Cate said, settling back on the sofa.
She did not have to wonder for long who Mrs. Lowery was and why she was appearing on the day of Jonathan’s birthday party. The moment the woman came into the room, Cate recognized her, and her mouth fell open.
It was her cousin, Diana.
A tense silence fell over the room as Diana dropped into a low curtsy, her eyes on the floor. Even when she rose from her curtsy, she did not quite meet Cate’s gaze.
For her part, Cate was not sure how to react. She had not seen her cousin since she’d left Cheltenham all those years ago the day the late Duke of Pennington died. Nor had she seen Aunt Anne since that day. She had never responded to her aunt’s letter, and she had not written again, perhaps sensing that this chapter of her life was closed.
She had heard about her aunt from time to time, and had thought of her when her dowry had officially come through. Aunt Anne had lost that battle, and it did not take long for the entire ton to learn of her misdeeds and to shun her. Last Cate had heard, Aunt Anne had moved to Wales to live out her days in solitude.
Cate had never thought to look for her cousin, however. She had assumed that she had gone to Wales to live as well, and now, she was shocked as she stared at her cousin.
At last, Diana lifted her eyes to meet Cate’s, and Cate saw the fear that flashed across them.
“Lady Blackwood,” Diana said. “Thank you for seeing me.”
“You are welcome,” Cate said, “although I did not know it was you. You have married?”
“Yes,” Diana said, a small smile curving up her lips. “Two years ago, I met a gentleman in Wales, and we married and moved to Sussex. That is where I live now.”
“I see.” Cate wasn’t sure what to make of this. She took her son’s hand and led him forward. “This is my son, Jonathan,” she said, putting her hand on top of his head. “Jonathan, this is my cousin, Mrs. Lowery.”
“How do you do?” Jonathan said in his small, adorable voice, holding out a hand.
Diana laughed and gave Jonathan her hand, and he bowed over it.
“I am very well,” she said. “And you are quite the little gentleman.”
“He is the best son a mother could ever ask for,” Cate said, smiling down at him. She then gestured to the sofa across from her. “Please, will you sit?”
Diana nodded, then strode over to the sofa and sat down. Cate sat as well, while Jonathan seemed to lose interest in the conversation and went over to the corner, where some of his toys were kept in a basket, and began to play with a toy train. Diana watched him with interest.
“He is adorable,” she said after a moment, looking back at Cate. “And you named him after your father.”
“Yes,” Cate said, surprised. “I did not realize you remembered my father’s given name.”
“I didn’t,” Diana admitted. “Not until recently, when my mother told me something that made me realize I had to see you.”
“Your mother?” Cate repeated, her mouth going dry. “What did she say about my father?”
“She was in love with him,” Diana said simply.
For a moment, Cate couldn’t breathe. “What?” she stared at her cousin. “What are you talking about? Surely you are mistaken!”
“No,” Diana said, shaking her head. “She was ill recently, and she wrote to me to tell me this. She said that she had been reflecting on her life, and that she had to admit to me that she had been in love with your father and hoped to marry him, but that your mother, Meredith, won him instead. He loved her, and my mother could not stand it. She hated your mother because of it and always saw her as a rival, even after she married your father’s brother: my father.”
“I cannot believe it,” Cate murmured. “I had no idea…”
“Me either,” Diana said, shaking her head. “She showed regret in the letter,” she added after a moment. “I think she felt sorry for how she had treated you, and I wondered if, perhaps, she had written to you?”
“No,” Cate said, shaking her head. “She has never written to me or apologized.”
“I see.” Diana took a deep breath, and Cate could see she was readying herself for something important. “Well then, I want to be the one to apologize,” she said at last. “I am deeply, deeply sorry for how my mother and I treated you, Lady Blackwood. My mother was cruel and controlling, and even though I often found the treatment of you too harsh, I was afraid to stand up to her. But I shall regret all my days that I did not. Now that I have finally escaped her clutches, I can see more clearly how terrible she was and how I should have fought harder against her.”
Diana’s eyes filled with tears, and she leaned forward, as if propelled by urgency. “You don’t have to forgive me, Lady Blackwood,” she murmured. “But now that I am a wife and mother myself, I feel a deep urge to make amends to you and to apologize for the past. If I could go back, I would. But I cannot, so all I can do instead is offer my sincerest apologies.”
Cate’s heart was in her throat. Emotions flooded her. There was anger, yes, and regret, for all the years of abuse. But more importantly, there was also deep thankfulness and forgiveness. She did not want to hold a grudge, not when Diana was here, apologizing to her.
“Oh Diana,” she murmured, and she leaned forward and took her cousin’s hands in hers. “Thank you for telling me all this, and thank you for the apology. I accept it readily. I am eager to put the past behind me and for us to forge a new relationship. What would you say to that?” She smiled at her cousin tentatively. “Do you think we could be friends and start anew?”
“I would love that,” Diana said, beaming. “I have thought of you often over the past four years and wished dearly that we might have been friends, allies even, against my mother.”
“She would not have stood a chance against us if we were united,” Cate said with a laugh.
A few moments of silence passed, and Diana’s smile fell slightly. “Are you really sure that you can forgive me?” she asked in a small voice. “I am afraid that too many terrible things were done, that I do not deserve your forgiveness.”
“Of course I can forgive you,” Cate said, squeezing her hands. “You were only a girl yourself at the time, and we were both being controlled by your mother. Anyway, it all worked out in the end. In a way, your mother’s mistreatment is what led me to my current happiness. I’m not grateful for it, but I cannot regret it either, because without her, I would never have met Lord Blackwood, and I would not have my son and child on the way.” She touched her belly and smiled.
“I have been blessed, Diana,” she said. “And so have you: by getting to escape her and have a family of your own. If anything, she is the one I pity. I feel sorry for her that she loved my father and it wasn’t reciprocated. I can understand how painful that was. Of course, nothing excuses what she did. But I hope in time she can learn to let the past go as well. If she ever came to me and apologized as you have, I would be happy to forgive her as well.”
Diana shook her head in wonder. “You were always the best of us,” she said. “You deserve this happy ending that you have been given.”
Cate smiled at her cousin, even as gratitude and joy flooded through her. “I do not know what I did to deserve it,” she murmured, “but I could not imagine a better ending. I have everything I could ever want.”
And it was true. She had her husband, her child, the one on the way, and the family of her dreams. Now, she even had forgiveness, and that was the best gift she could ever receive.
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 that the Extended Epilogue provided a perfect closure to it. I can’t wait to read your comments here! 💕
I loved your book and the EE is superb!
The resolution between the cousins is very touching.
Wonderful job!
Thank you so much, Eliza! Your comment truly made my day!
I loved this story and all of the characters. It was a definite page turner!
Thank you! Lovely to hear that this one kept you on the edge of your seat!