Epilogue
Sarah stood before the altar in a gown of ivory silk that caught the January sunlight streaming through the chapel's ancient windows, her heart so full of joy she wondered how it could possibly contain such happiness without bursting.
The same church where she had witnessed Lord Castleton's devastating announcement just one week ago now bore witness to her own miracle—a love story she had never dared to dream possible.
George stood beside her, resplendent in his formal morning dress, his grey eyes warm with such profound tenderness that Sarah felt tears threaten to spill over.
When he had slipped the simple gold band onto her finger moments ago, his voice steady and sure as he promised to love her for all the days of his life, she had finally understood what Alice had been trying to tell her about true love—it wasn't about grand gestures or passionate declarations, but about the quiet certainty of being completely known and cherished.
The rector's final blessing seemed to echo in the vaulted ceiling as George lifted her veil with gentle hands. “Lady Sarah Hampton,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion as he spoke her new name for the first time.
“That will take some getting used to,” Sarah whispered back, her smile radiant as he leaned down to seal their vows with a kiss that was both tender and possessive.
The small congregation erupted in joyous applause, but Sarah barely heard it over the thundering of her own heartbeat.
Alice was crying openly in the front pew, Calum's arm around her shoulders. Even Alasdair, George’s younger brother, notorious for his cynical view of marriage, was grinning widely as he applauded.
Her mother and father were very happy with her choice and welcomed George and the Hampton family. Her mother had tried to tell her about her wedding night, but Sarah had stopped her. “George will show me all I need to learn.”
As they walked back down the aisle as husband and wife, Sarah caught sight of her reflection in one of the chapel's mirrors and hardly recognized herself.
Gone was the uncertain wallflower who had spent years believing herself inadequate.
In her place stood a woman glowing with confidence and love, transformed not by marriage itself but by finally understanding her own worth through the eyes of someone who truly saw her.
The wedding breakfast at Hampton House was an intimate affair, filled with laughter and the easy warmth that came from being surrounded by people who genuinely cared for their happiness.
Sarah found herself seated beside George at the head table, still marveling at how natural it felt to be there—not as an honored guest or a friend by extension, but as the bride, the woman George had chosen above all others.
“You look thoughtful, my dear,” George murmured, his hand finding hers beneath the table and squeezing gently.
“I was just thinking,” Sarah replied, leaning close enough that only he could hear, “about how foolish I was to believe I knew what love was. This—being with you—feels like coming home.”
George's smile was soft with understanding. “Perhaps that's because you are home, Sarah. You always were, from the very first moment I truly saw you. It simply took time for you to see it too.”
Before Sarah could respond, the sound of crystal being tapped drew their attention to where Alice was rising from her seat, champagne glass in hand and that particular gleam in her eye that Sarah had learned to both love and fear.
“If I may,” Alice began, her voice carrying easily through the small gathering, “I have a few words to say about our bride and groom.”
“Oh no,” Sarah murmured, color flooding her cheeks as every eye turned toward their table.
“Now, now,” Alice continued with obvious delight, “I know it's traditional for the gentlemen to make the speeches, but as the person most responsible for this match, I feel I have certain rights.”
“Most responsible?” Calum interjected with amusement. “How do you figure that, my love?”
Alice's grin was positively wicked. “Because I spent years watching these two dance around their feelings like the most stubborn pair of individuals in all of England. Do you know how many times I had to bite my tongue to keep from simply locking them in a room together until they sorted themselves out?”
The gathering erupted in laughter, and Sarah felt her embarrassment melt into fond exasperation. Trust Alice to turn their wedding breakfast into an opportunity for matchmaking victory speeches.
“I remember,” Alice continued, warming to her theme, “the exact moment I knew George was in love with Sarah. It was at my own wedding reception, and I caught him watching her with this expression of such longing that I nearly spilled wine on my new husband in shock.” She shot Calum an apologetic look. “Sorry, darling.”
“Quite all right,” Calum replied with obvious amusement. “I was too busy being grateful that someone else was finally as besotted as I was.”
“And Sarah,” Alice turned her attention to her dearest friend, “you dear, oblivious creature, spent years cataloguing all the ways George was the perfect friend while completely missing the fact that he was also the perfect husband.”
Sarah groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Alice, please—”
“Oh, I'm not finished yet,” Alice declared cheerfully.
“Because the best part of all this is that you both thought you were being so subtle.
George, bringing Sarah her favorite pastries 'just because.
' Sarah, always managing to sit beside George at gatherings 'by coincidence.
' The rest of us were practically taking wagers on how long it would take you to figure it out.”
George laughed, his arm sliding around Sarah's waist in a gesture that was both protective and possessive. “In our defense, we were trying to preserve our friendship.”
“And instead, you nearly lost each other to a fortune hunter with more charm than sense,” Alasdair called out, raising his own glass. “Thank God for Christmas miracles.”
“Indeed,” Alice agreed, her expression growing genuinely tender as she looked at her brother and her dearest friend. “Because watching you two discover that the love you'd been searching for had been right beside you all along... well, it rather restores one's faith in happy endings.”
She raised her glass higher, and the rest of the gathering followed suit. “To George and Sarah—may your love continue to grow deeper with each passing year, and may you never again be quite so blind to what's right in front of you.”
“To George and Sarah!” the assembly chorused, and Sarah felt tears of pure happiness spill over her lashes.
As the toasts continued around them, George leaned close to whisper in her ear, “Are you sorry we didn't elope to Gretna Green after all?”
Sarah turned to meet his eyes, her heart swelling with such profound contentment that she could barely speak. “Never,” she whispered back. “I want everyone to know that I married my dearest friend and truest love. I want everyone to see how happy we are.”
“Then you won't mind if I do this,” George murmured, and before Sarah could ask what he meant, he was pulling her to her feet and into a kiss that left no doubt about the depth of his feelings for his new bride.
The gathering erupted in cheers and applause, but Sarah was only dimly aware of the noise. All she could focus on was George—his hands gentle on her face, his heart beating steadily against hers, his absolute certainty that she was exactly where she belonged.
When they finally broke apart, both breathless and laughing, Sarah caught sight of Alice watching them with the satisfied expression of a woman whose favorite project had finally succeeded beyond her wildest dreams.
“You planned this,” Sarah accused, though her tone was more grateful than annoyed. “All of it—the way you pushed me toward George for advice about Lord Castleton, the way you made sure we spent time together...”
Alice's smile was pure innocence. “I have no idea what you mean. I simply recognized that two of my favorite people were perfect for each other and... provided a few gentle nudges in the right direction.”
“Gentle nudges?” George laughed, pulling Sarah closer to his side. “Alice, you orchestrated this match with the precision of a military campaign.”
“Well,” Alice replied with obvious satisfaction, “someone had to save you from yourselves. And look how beautifully it worked out—Sarah has found her true love, George has found his heart's desire, and I get to take credit for bringing together the most perfect couple in all of England.”
“The most perfect couple?” Calum raised an eyebrow at his wife. “I believe we might have something to say about that.”
“The most perfect second couple,” Alice amended graciously, then laughed as Calum swept her into his arms for a kiss of his own.
As the celebration continued around them, Sarah found herself standing at the window of the drawing room, watching the winter afternoon fade into evening.
The past week had transformed her entire understanding of love, of her own worth, of what it meant to find one's perfect match.
She thought of the woman who had awakened on Christmas morning convinced she was destined for spinsterhood and marveled at how completely that woman's life had changed.
“No regrets?” George asked quietly, appearing beside her with two glasses of champagne.
Sarah accepted the glass and leaned into his solid warmth, her heart swelling with gratitude for this man who had waited so patiently for her to see what had been there all along.
“Only one,” she said thoughtfully.
George's expression grew concerned. “What's that?”
Sarah's smile was radiant as she turned to face him fully.
“That it took me so long to realize I didn't need to look far to find my prince charming when I already had something so much better—my dearest friend, my truest companion, and the love of my life, all wrapped up in one perfectly wonderful package. You are my Prince.”
George's answering smile was tender and fierce at once. “Lady Hampton,” he said, testing the name again with obvious satisfaction, “you are going to make me the happiest man in England.”
“Only England?” Sarah teased, rising on her toes to press a kiss to his jaw. “I rather thought I might aim higher than that.”
“The happiest man in the world, then,” George amended, his arms tightening around her. “Now and always.”
As the first stars began to appear in the January sky, Sarah reflected that Alice had been absolutely right about one thing—sometimes the greatest love stories weren't about passionate conquest or dramatic gestures, but about two people slowly discovering that everything they'd been searching for had been right beside them all along.
Every wallflower, she thought with a smile that could have lit up all of London, truly did deserve a Christmas romance. Especially when it came in the form of a steady, faithful love that would last a lifetime.
The fairy tale she'd once dreamed of had been nothing compared to the reality of being cherished by someone who truly knew and understood her heart.
And as George spun her around in a spontaneous waltz to the music drifting from the drawing room, Sarah knew that this was only the beginning of their greatest adventure yet—a lifetime of love built on the strongest possible foundation of friendship, understanding, and absolute devotion.
She had found her perfect match at last, and he had been worth every moment of the tempest journey to her special love.
Love and laughter and merry Christmas to all.
Read on for a FREE short story for my new series The Season Of Secrets.