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Extended Epilogue
Three Years Later
“Careful, Henry!” Sophia grabbed her son around the waist and pulled him back onto the seat. “You’re going to fall off if you lean over too much.”
Henry giggled and reached toward the window.
“I want to see!”
Sitting across from them, Margaret smiled. “He wants to see if Uncle Algie and William are at the cottage.”
“We’re not even at the cottage yet,” Sophia laughed.
“But he wants to be the first one.”
Sophia couldn’t argue with that. Algernon had gone to William’s boarding school to pick him up for the holidays, and they would be meeting them at the cottage. It had been two days since he left, and Sophia missed him. She couldn’t wait to see her husband and son.
It still made her smile to call Algernon her husband. And the warmth in her chest never faded with addressing William and Margaret as her children. They were thirteen and nine now, and they were growing up fast. William was getting taller as well, faster than anyone anticipated, and it was startling to see him becoming a young man. Sophia felt proud looking at him, knowing that she had a hand in raising him. Margaret was just as precocious as she was years ago, and the sparkle in her eyes never faded. According to Algernon, she looked just like her mother when they were of similar ages.
Eleanor and Rhys would be proud of their brother and cousin raising them in their stead.
They were getting close to the village now. Sophia recognized the landscape as it went by. She was looking forward to spending time at the cottage. It was as good as new, and she and Algernon used it as a holiday home. Not exactly what anyone was expecting, given their status and titles, but it held sentimental value, and William and Margaret deserved to have their first home in their lives. When they realized where they were the first time and saw their old home, Sophia wished she could bottle up their joy.
Uncle Charles had been more than happy to sell it to them, and he came up regularly with his family to visit. Sophia had never expected to find a family as soon as she fell from grace, but she didn’t regret it. It was a pleasant surprise, and one she didn’t want to get rid of. This was here to stay.
It wasn’t long before they got to the cottage, and Margaret jumped down from the carriage first, taking Henry as Sophia alighted. Her little brother squawked and tried to wriggle his way out of her arms. Ever since he had learned to walk a year ago, he had been eager to do it as much as possible. He didn’t like being held much.
“Careful!” Margaret squealed, trying to hold on while getting kicked. “I’m going to drop you!”
“Drop me!” Henry declared with a giggle.
Sophia plucked him from Margaret’s arms and put him on his feet. Her son immediately tottered toward the house, which was opened by Mary. His nurse grinned at him and bent down to cuddle him.
“There you are, little man. Did you behave yourself for your mother?”
“Yes!” Henry declared.
Sophia rolled her eyes with a smile as she and Margaret reached the door. Mary had gone on ahead to get the cottage ready, and to see her gentleman friend who lived across the street. Sophia wasn’t naive to think Mary wouldn’t want to see the man she loved, but at least she remembered where she was supposed to be.
It was certainly nice to see her friend smiling so much. “His Grace and William arrived about an hour ago,” Mary added, getting to her feet as Henry ran into the hallway.
“They’re here?” Margaret cried.
“They’re in the garden. I’ll bring out some lemonade for everyone and sort out your luggage.”
Sophia felt her smile getting bigger as she realized her husband was there. She almost knocked Henry over walking through the house and onto the terrace. Algernon and William were sitting on a blanket spread over the grass, in deep conversation about something. Then Algernon looked up, and his expression brightened at the sight of his wife. Getting to his feet, he strolled over to her.
Sophia giggled as he picked her up off her feet and spun her around. Margaret groaned as she and Henry joined them.
“Do you want to do that around us?”
“This is what happens when you’re in love, Margaret.” Algernon winked at her. “You’ll understand one day.”
Margaret rolled her eyes, but she was giggling as she went to join her brother. William grinned at her, and they hugged before they started talking as if there was nobody else with them. Kissing Sophia, Algernon turned and scooped Henry off his feet.
“And here’s my little man.” He gave his son a big kiss on the cheek. “I’ve missed you, do you know that?”
“Missed you, too.” Henry hugged him. “I’m thirsty.”
“Mary will be out with some drinks in a moment.” Algernon put him down again. “Just be careful. We don’t want you falling over. And stay in sight!” he added as Henry toddled off.
Sophia sighed. “You know he probably didn’t understand half of that. And I’m going to be chasing him around the garden.”
“Just until Mary comes out, and then she can keep an eye on him.” Algernon slipped an arm around her waist as they watched Henry go toward the flowers and touch the petals with a pudgy finger. “Hopefully, before he falls onto the flowers. I remember what happened last time.”
Sophia laughed. “He was just learning to walk at the time. And you would happen to go right next to the flowers to try helping him with walking.”
“Are you saying it’s my fault?”
“I’m not saying a word.”
Algernon groaned. Sophia liked their newfound bond. Since getting things out in the open, the pair of them were more relaxed. She could tease him without worrying that he was going to get upset about it, and Algernon was certainly more lighthearted. He wasn’t as tense as he was before, and whenever he smiled Sophia felt like she was falling in love all over again. Even his solicitor had commented that her husband was like a completely different man. He couldn’t believe the two of them were the same person, and he praised Sophia for making Algernon into a better man.
She liked to think it was a joint effort, but even her own husband said it was all due to her. She was happy to know she had done something right. And looking at William and Margaret sitting together, Henry happy to explore the garden, she felt as if everything was right at that moment.
“I’ve got your lemonade, Your Grace,” Mary said, leaving the house with a tray carrying glasses and a large pitcher of yellow liquid. “Take what you want. It’s a very warm day.”
“Thank you, Mary.” Algernon smiled at her. “How’s your fiancé, by the way? Is he well?”
Mary bit her lip and blushed. “Very well, thank you, Your Grace. I’m seeing him tomorrow afternoon.”
Algernon merely grinned as Mary ducked around them and hurried over to Henry as he crouched and leaned over. Sophia poked her husband in the ribs.
“You shouldn’t tease her like that. It’s her first love.”
“I can’t help it. It’s nice to see her happier than normal.” He kissed her head. “Oh, I heard something interesting when I was collecting William from school. I think you’d want to hear it.”
“What is it?”
“Lady Honoria’s left London.”
Sophia hadn’t heard about the woman in a long time. She had been to London with her husband, but nobody had brought her up around her. It was as if everyone knew it was a topic of conversation that was never to be broached. Anyone who was acquainted with Lady Honoria kept their friendships separate. Sophia didn’t know if this was out of respect or they didn’t want to upset the Duke, but she was grateful for it. Especially when she found out she was pregnant with Henry; she didn’t want the extra stress.
But it had been some time since she heard about Lady Honoria.
“Last I heard, she was planning on marrying an elderly earl who had failing health. Did her husband die and she was left a wealthy woman?”
“Far from it, actually. They never made it down the aisle.”
“What? How? It’s been three years.”
Algernon chuckled. “She got ahead of herself. The Earl also had his eye on his brother’s widow, who’s a very comely woman and he’d had a fancy for when they were younger. Lady Honoria didn’t like that, and she tried the same trick she used on me.”
It took a moment for Sophia to know what he meant.
“You’re talking about planting a fake letter to make it look like I was having an affair?”
“Exactly, only she had an incompetent maid with her, who got the letters mixed up and accidentally planted a letter Lady Honoria had written recently to another lover. The Earl found it and realized she had been flirting with other men while pursuing him, and he was furious.” Algernon chuckled. “From what I heard, he went over to her townhouse to confront her and found her getting close with a baron’s eldest son.”
Sophia’s mouth dropped open. “Has she gone mad? I’ve heard of keeping your options open, but that’s ridiculous. How long ago was this?”
“It was right around the time you were giving birth, so all our focus was on you and Henry. We haven’t kept up with any of the gossip.”
“You mean this happened two years ago and we’re only finding out now?”
“We didn’t want her in our lives, so it was nothing to do with us,” Algernon said with a shrug. “Anyway, her father was humiliated by her actions, and he sent her up to Berwick near the Scottish border. He had a distant cousin living there and, apparently, life there is very quiet and boring. She has no hope of causing trouble when she’s under someone’s watchful eye.”
Sophia hadn’t thought about Lady Honoria in a long time, and she had happily put the woman out of her mind. But hearing all of this made her feel pleased that the woman was out of their lives. She couldn’t do any harm up in Berwick. It would be mad if she did.
“I thought you might be interested, but it was something William was eager to tell me.” Algernon kissed her cheek. “We don’t have to worry about her.”
“Or Mrs. Winters,” Sophia added. “I heard about her from Mrs. Flack. Mrs. Winters wrote to her and the letter arrived this morning.”
Her husband blinked. “Really?”
“Yes. Apparently, she’s now working as a seamstress in a factory, sitting with other women doing the same thing over and over again. She hates it, and she was begging Mrs. Flack to give her a recommendation for a position that she was better suited for.”
“And what did Mrs. Flack say when she told you?”
Sophia smiled. “That she was just going to put it in the fireplace and pretend she hadn’t seen it. Nobody wants anything to do with her.”
Algernon sighed. “Good. She’s done enough. I think it would do her good to be on the receiving end. She can leave our family alone.”
“Absolutely.” Sophia leaned her head on his shoulder as she watched Henry run over to his brother and sister, jumping on William and emanating a litany of squeals and giggles. “Did you think we’d have this in our future? A picture-perfect family?”
“It was a dream for me. I had practically given up looking for one.” He looked down at her, his expression softening. “I never expected you to come into my life, or the effect you would have on me.”
“No regrets?”
Algernon smiled and kissed her softly. “No regrets at all. I would happily do it again. Especially when you’re here. You make my heart feel complete. I’m finally happy again.”
Sophia had heard this many times over the years, and she had been delighted to hear it. It never got boring, and it always made her happy. She kissed him back.
“And I’m happy, too. More than you can ever know.”
Her future had been bleak not too long ago, and now it was bright and colorful. Sophia wasn’t about to change that. She would keep hold of her good fortune, and the love she had for the man beside her.
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 all of your comments here! 💕
Great Reading, the book and the Epilogue. I loved the story and all the characters!
Thank you so much, Sonia! It’s wonderful to know the book and epilogue resonated with you!
Good reading! Couldn’t put it down.
Thank you! Glad you found it to be a page turner!
I enjoyed this book. There was a lot going on which kept me very engaged. Thank you.
Thank you for reading, Mary! I’m happy to know you enjoyed it!
Hard to put this book down ! A very interesting story.
What a compliment! Thank you Gin, and Happy New Year!