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A year had passed since the opening of the guild, and it was flourishing. As promised, Edward had revised his works in his journal and had them displayed there. He was also writing another work that he planned to have published.
It was strange to receive so many compliments, but what pleased him more than he ever could have anticipated was that he knew those extending kindness to his writing were not doing so because he was a Duke, but simply because they liked it.
Harriet had, for her part, donated her paintings too, and they had quickly become the most popular works there. When she heard that, she blushed profusely and turned to Edward sheepishly.
“I did not expect that,” she whispered. “This is meant to be about the town, not me!”
“It is most certainly about the town,” he assured her, “but your work has inspired them. That is no surprise to me at all.”
That soothed her a good deal. Edward was pleased about that, because they were in the process of preparing for the greatest thing to happen to them yet, and he did not need Harriet to worry more than she already was.
“Are you quite certain that you wish to host this picnic?” he asked tentatively as they watched the preparations.
“If I were not, it would be too late,” she joked. “They shall be arriving soon. Besides, it is only our family. It will be quiet; I am certain of it.”
Edward raised an eyebrow, not as convinced, but it was what his wife wanted and so he was happy for it to take place. Blankets were laid out under the trees, baskets of food were placed, ready to be shared, and soon enough their guests began to arrive.
Harriet’s parents arrived first, and they had brought flowers. Harriet took them gratefully and had them placed on a table in a vase.
“Your brothers shall be arriving shortly,” her father explained. “Henry has been spending the day with Lady Emily, and you know how he can be when he is with her.”
Edward tried to conceal his grin. Henry had, at last, met a young lady during the social Season and had become quite enamored by her. She was a sweet girl, and she enjoyed spending time with Harriet and Margaret. All who knew them hoped that they would progress from a mere courtship soon, though both Lady Emily and Henry were content to wait.
“And William?” Harriet asked.
“He is with Margaret. They were invited to tea, and though William was going to refuse the invitation I told him that you would not mind.”
“Of course,” she nodded, “though you will not learn my secret until they have arrived.”
Both of the Harringtons looked at her with wide eyes, but Harriet did not say anything further. She simply laughed brightly and went to greet Edward’s mother, who had just arrived.
“What is she talking about?” Lord Lockwood asked.
“I am not allowed to say,” Edward explained. “It is something that the entire family is to learn of at the same time, and so we must wait.”
After a while, Margaret and William arrived, shortly followed by Henry. They all took their places together and were making polite conversation, until Margaret looked over to Harriet.
“Might you know what became of your cousin?” she asked.
“Catherine?” Harriet replied. “No, I do not. I have not heard from her since everything happened. I have thought of her from time to time, but we did not visit London and so I did not hear anything.”
Edward noticed that Henry was shifting in his seat.
“Do you know something, Henry?” he asked.
“I may,” he said carefully. “It is only mere gossip, though. I did not know that Lady Emily was such a barb, but it appears that she is rather good with her gossip.”
All eyes turned to him in an instant.
“She is in Scotland,” he explained. “When Ashcombe was caught and sent away, she was going to stay with her mother in London, but then she received a letter from one of her father’s associates. He offered her a new life there, out of guilt, and she agreed. Lady Ashcombe is still in London to this day, as she refused to go with her.”
Margaret gasped, and Lady Lockwood sighed.
“My poor niece,” she said softly. “Anything could have happened to her.”
“Actually, if a friend of hers is to be believed, she is rather happy there. She will never live in luxury as she did here, but she has taken to her new life well. From what Lady Emily has heard, she has even found a young man that she sees as a potential husband.”
“That is lovely,” Harriet said kindly. “I know that she and I did not agree on very much, but nobody deserves what happened to her. I am pleased to know that she is well, even if it is not what she wanted.”
Edward squeezed her hand, in awe as he always was of how forgiving she was.
“And what of her mother?” William asked.
“She has been shunned completely,” Henry shrugged. “Once word of her husband’s actions spread, and she never condemned them, people grew too afraid to speak to her. I cannot imagine that she is happy, but that is the choice that she has made.”
Harriet looked up at him with big eyes, and he knew what she was thinking. She was considering putting a good word for her out in society, but he knew it would not do anything. Their reputation was ruined, and if Lady Ashcombe did not want to help herself then there was nothing that they could do. Harriet seemed to sense that and nodded sadly before looking back at the others.
“In any case,” Edward said clearly, “we are not here to discuss those from our past. Today is about the present, as well as the future.”
“Yes, your artisan guild!” Margaret said brightly. “I have heard many good things about it.”
“Indeed, we are most proud of it, and it will only grow from here I believe. However, that is not what we wished to talk to you about. My wife and I have an announcement to make, and we wanted all of you to be present for it.”
He gave Harriet a look, but she already knew that it was time. He could sense that she was nervous about it, but that was only because it was such a big announcement. They knew that their family would be happy for them, especially as it was precisely what they had wanted.
“I shall be the one to announce it,” Harriet began. “Edward and I… we are expecting!”
In an instant, chaos descended. Both Edward and Harriet were embraced tightly by all those in attendance, and lively chatter about it all began. Edward sat back and listened as Harriet, now filled with excitement, answered every question with ease.
“When will it be born?”
“Some time in January, we believe.”
“Are you hoping for a boy? I know that Edward will be in want of an heir.”
“We do not mind. We plan to have many children, after all.”
“Have you given any thoughts to names?”
“Not yet, might you have any ideas?”
“Margaret!” Margaret offered, and they all laughed warmly.
Eventually, talk of their baby died down and they continued to discuss their own lives again. What Edward had not expected was for his mother to announce that she, too, had met a lovely gentleman.
“Lord Weston lost his wife five years ago now,” she explained. “I shall not marry him, as I will never remarry, but he makes for some excellent company. I shall need that, now that my house will soon be empty.”
“We shall visit you, Mama,” Margaret promised. “As will Edward and Harriet, of course.”
There had been a time where Edward had expected to leave his mother completely, but she had made her best effort to make amends. Harriet had forgiven her long before he did. They were happy to try, and his mother had proven herself, so Edward was happy to see her again.
“Even so,” Harriet nodded, “it is nice that you have found someone. Dare I say it might be love?”
“Not of yet, but I feel more like myself now than I have for years. That has to mean something.”
“It most certainly does! I am so pleased that you have found happiness.”
Edward wondered whether his mother had ever been happy married to his father. He had always seen his father as the perfect man, and therefore the perfect husband, but it had become clear to him that his parents had only had a marriage of convenience and nothing more. It was a shame, but he knew that he had something more for himself, and he was grateful for that.
He thought about that more when their guests had left, and he was alone with Harriet.
“Do you think your parents love one another?” he asked.
“I think so, in a way. They never had a grand love story, but they have always been happy together. Why do you ask?”
“Because I have been thinking about my parents a lot as of late, and how I do not believe they were ever in love.”
Harriet smiled, shaking her head.
“They most certainly were,” she said firmly. “I know that their marriage was arranged, but that does not matter. Your mother loved your father. If she did not, she would have remarried years ago. She would be willing to remarry now, but she is not. She wishes to remain a Sinclair for the rest of her life, and that means something.”
Edward nodded, trying to understand. Harriet, as always, saw right through him and laughed softly, taking his hand and walking outside with him.
“You and I are not like other married couples,” she explained. “We love each other for who we are. Others fall for one another for different reasons, such as the stability a husband provides, or for the children a wife provides. They are perhaps not as strong as what we have, but it is love, nonetheless. I would argue that love is all around us, as long as we are willing to accept it.”
“And I, for one, am so pleased that I was willing.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.
“Everything will change soon,” she whispered. “We shall have the baby, and we will be restless and occupied and exhausted. What if we bicker?”
“We shall not. I will not allow it. I will simply agree with whatever it is that you are saying and that shall be the end of it.”
“Edward, I am serious.”
“As am I. Harriet, there will never be an argument that is worth winning if it means hurting you. I cannot do it. I refuse to. You and I will not squabble, and we will not fight. We will only ever show love to one another, as we have always done.”
Harriet laughed softly, but she seemed to believe him and that was enough. He would prove himself in time, and he knew that she would eventually accept it.
“Come,” he said with a smile, “we ought to go to sleep. If we are soon to be without rest, I believe we should prepare for it.”
She giggled, taking his hand and following him back inside and into their room. She fell asleep in his arms, and once he was certain he would not wake her, he untangled himself from her and sat at his desk to write his next work. It was about his wife, and how they had met one another and fallen in love. It was not the most tumultuous story, but it was theirs.
And it was perfect.
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 enjoyed the book and the Extended Epilogue. I can’t wait to read all your wonderful comments here. Thank you! 💕
Enjoyed your story but aside from a good story, your grammar errors distract what could be a better story. Watch how you use mistakenly use, “myself, himself, herself “ as a subject pronoun, or object pronoun. One thing I love about regency novels is the correct use of language from that period.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the story, Joanna, and I truly appreciate you pointing out the grammar issues—especially with pronoun usage. I’ll be more mindful of that in future edits. Regency-era language is such a joy to work with, and I’m always aiming to honor it more accurately. Thanks again, for helping me grow as a writer!