Marry in Haste (The Vaughns #2)

Epilogue

Six Months Later

T he moment the door snapped shut, Edward let out a groan and lowered himself onto the bed beside his wife, careful not to flop down, though his legs were ready to give out on him. Exhaustion coated him like tar, staining every inch of him and clinging to his very bones, yet when Joanna looked over at him, her eyes alight with all the joy one could feel in such a moment, energy surged through him again.

Shifting on the pillows, Edward drew himself up so he could see the bundle lying in his wife’s arms.

“She’s perfect,” whispered Joanna as she gazed down at the scrunched face.

“She is,” he said, straightening until he could settle an arm around his wife’s shoulders as his other hand brushed a touch against Caroline’s downy soft forehead. “But can we not do that again?”

With a huff, Joanna gave him a challenging raise of the brow. “Shouldn’t I be the one to say that since I did all the work?”

“Yet I am the one who is spent whilst you look ready to run to the market and back,” he said with a wry smile. Her hair was streaked with sweat, and the effort would take its toll soon enough, but with the excitement of having her child in her arms, Joanna’s eyes blazed with a strength that belied the ordeal she’d suffered.

Despite the jest, those blue eyes studied him for a long moment, and as much as that scrutiny made Edward squirm, he didn’t turn away from it. He longed to hide the flutter of fear that had seized hold of him since the moment the pains began and continued to plague him though the worst was over, but there was no fooling Joanna.

“Both the baby and I are well,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You did a fine job, Dr. Vaughn.”

Edward managed a smile, though as he looked down at their child, he couldn’t help recalling every anguished hour as they’d struggled to bring Caroline into the world. There was magic in a child’s birth that allowed the mother to forget the strain once the child was in her arms, but Edward’s mind still rang with Joanna’s cries as she’d labored to bring it to pass.

Yet looking at his daughter, Edward couldn’t deny that the effort was well worth the cost, and leaning close, he pressed a kiss to her downy head. When he straightened again, Joanna stole his attention and a kiss.

“I love you,” she whispered, and his heart still fluttered at hearing her speak those words.

Lips brushing hers, he smiled. “And I love you.”

*

Could a person expire from delight? Joanna didn’t think it was medically possible, yet she felt as though she might well be the first case. With Caroline asleep in her arms and Edward’s lips pressed to hers, Joanna couldn’t think of anything more perfect.

A knock on the door had her pulling away with a laugh as Edward let out a rather colorful phrase. Eyes widening, he leaned close to his daughter and kissed her head once more.

“Do not listen to your papa,” he whispered, as though the babe might just well repeat it. Then, raising his voice, he called for them to enter, and Mother peeked through the door.

“I found a visitor lurking in the corridor if you are up to it,” she said.

“Tell Father to come in,” said Edward, waving him forward.

Striding across the bedchamber, Father stood over the pair and looked down at the small babe nestled in her mother’s arms, and despite having been part of the birth, Mother followed him in, gazing upon the baby as though she couldn’t see her enough. Not that Joanna could blame her; she could barely force her eyes from Caroline’s perfect little face.

“So beautiful,” said Father, tucking his hands behind him as he stared down at the trio. “She’s perfect.”

And though the gentleman spoke with undeniable certainty, Joanna had seen enough of his struggles with his eyesight to know Father likely couldn’t see much of his granddaughter. Yet neither did he ask to steal her away from her mother.

Joanna clung tightly to Caroline. After so many months of waiting, she couldn’t bear to be apart from the child, yet Father’s broken eyes held so much longing that the thought of ignoring it hurt her more. This was the man who had filled the role of father in her life, which had remained empty for far too long, and she couldn’t bear to deny him anything.

“Would you like to hold her?” she asked, nodding for him to come forward.

Father’s expression fell, and he held his hands up to ward off the offer. “That is kind of you, but I cannot trust myself—”

“Nonsense,” said Joanna, but Father shook his head.

“My thanks, but it is hard for me—”

“Which is all the more reason that you ought to hold her. Besides, poor eyesight doesn’t make you prone to dropping things, Father,” she replied before turning to meet Edward’s gaze with a silent request. Without further prompting, he rose from the bed, fetched a chair from the far corner of the room, and set it at her bedside despite the gentleman’s protests.

Forcing him down, Edward reached over to lift Caroline from her mother’s arms. The babe didn’t even squawk or stir at the movement, and when she was settled into her grandfather’s arms, she simply turned into him. Craning his neck to angle his eyes, Father leaned close, his gaze fixed on the child’s face.

“She looks just like Sadie,” he whispered in a thick voice.

“Most definitely has the Vaughn nose,” added Mother, coming to stand behind him.

“Beautiful little Caroline,” he said, bouncing the baby. “Our first grandchild.”

Mother set her hand on his shoulder, and Father reached up to take hold of it, lifting it to his lips as the pair beamed at the child. Edward settled into his place at his wife’s side, and Joanna shifted so his arm could fit snugly about her as she took his other hand in hers, lacing their fingers together.

Turning her eyes to her husband, Joanna was struck by the joy radiating from his gaze. It thrummed through her, joining with her own and increasing it tenfold. At times like these, it was so strange for her to think back on the days when her life had been filled with lonely silence as she had waited for that hoped-for “something better” to appear.

Now, it was here, and far more beautiful and happy than Joanna had ever imagined that “better” to be. For it was real. And it was hers.

***

On the 21st of February at Thornsby, Yorkshire, the wife of Dr. Edward Vaughn was safely delivered of a daughter.