Epilogue
It had been one month since Florentia had risen from her bed as if coming back from the dead, and in that month, little had changed.
The lack of change is a good thing, however, seeing as all the necessary changes occurred before I fell ill. And besides, where some change is good, too much might cause chaos.
The only real change worth noting was that of Florentia’s recovery. It had been slow going, painful at times, horribly tiring at others, and a headache, to be truthful, because she just wanted it done with. It was the tediousness of the whole thing that frustrated her most.
“The doctors say it could be half a year before you are back to your full strength,” Hudson would remind her as if it might help. “With that in mind, it is astounding how far you have come.”
“Will you stop with that!” she would snap. “I do not wish to be this way for half a year! Your stepmother might as well have just finished the job!”
“Florentia...”
“Joking, Hudson,” she would then assure him. “I thought you were getting better at picking up on those?”
In the end, it had only taken her a month.
Four weeks exactly, and Florentia was back to her old self.
Walks in the morning. Rides in the evening.
Long nights spent in her husband’s arms, speaking about.
..to be fair, not much, as Hudson wasn’t exactly a wordsmith.
But he loved to listen, and often hours might pass in which they simply lay in one another’s arms.
It was so easy for them to fall back into their old pattern, one which was infinitely more agreeable as now they had both admitted how they felt.
They would break their fast together, as was tradition.
Hudson would then spend the day at work, for she insisted that he not change his routine on her account.
Once he was finished, they would often go for a ride, return to eat their supper, and then spend the rest of the evening together before retiring to bed.
It was a simple routine, and it served to remind Florentia of how happy she was and how much she was looking forward to the rest of her life spent with a man she adored.
What she wasn’t looking forward to was where she and Hudson were headed today. Sitting in their carriage, they would be arriving at any moment, and as painful as this little excursion promised to be, it wasn’t helping that her husband was in a strange mood, one she had not seen him in all month.
“Is everything alright?” she asked him for perhaps the third time that day.
He was looking out the window, lost in thought. “Hmm?” He turned back and saw her watching him. “What was that?”
“Is something on your mind?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
She frowned but did not push. Even knowing Hudson as well as she did, there were still times where she found the man hard to read.
Having spent his entire life as an emotionless mummy, he struggled at times to be as open with her as she knew he wished to be, and would on occasion revert to his former self, forcing her to coax him from his shell.
But that was something she was used to by now, and she had thought she could tell when and why these moments occurred—often, it was on account of something that she’d said. This was different, however, a sullen cloud hanging over his head for which she could not guess the cause.
“I know I said so already, but as soon as you wish to leave today, you only have to say it,” she offered him.
He looked at her again. “I know it. Truly, I am looking forward to today.”
She snorted. “Liar.”
He smiled softly and went back to looking out the window, that same expression of deep contemplation crossing his face.
Florentia decided not to push, figuring she needed to be in the best frame of mind possible if she was to survive today.
Still, she could not escape the feeling that something was wrong. ..
It’s always the way, isn’t it? When things are too good to be true, fate decides to step in and remind one of the realities that is life itself. Surely, whatever is wrong, it cannot be too much of a concern. By now, Hudson must know he can tell me anything.
Soon, the carriage began to slow, and Florentia looked through the window, sighing to see that they had finally arrived at their destination. Her parents’ house.
She had seen her parents often since her illness, but this was the first time she was seeing them since she was fully recovered and now that she was, she was certain they would barrage her with questions concerning when she and Hudson planned on starting a family.
Florentia had been careful not to raise this topic with Hudson, mostly because she too was worried about the likelihood that she might not be able to fall pregnant.
Having wanted a family of her own for as long as she could remember, the possibility that she might never have one was not something she was able to simply move on from.
She and Hudson would try when they were ready. They would hope for the best, and if it didn’t happen...at least she would still have her husband, a man whom she loved with all her heart. And she knew he felt the same.
Nonetheless, this was not an answer her parents were likely to accept and if she was to face them today, she needed her husband on her side.
“Hudson...” The carriage had come to a stop, and he moved to climb out, but she reached across and stopped him. “Before we brave the terrible two, we need to talk.”
“Oh?”
“You are not telling me something,” she said, looking right at him so he could not deflect.
“And do not lie to me. Do not pretend it is in my head. I know you by now, well enough that I know something is on your mind. Whatever it is, I would think that by this point in our marriage, you would feel comfortable telling me.”
“Florentia...” he grimaced.
“I do not care how bad it is,” she pressed. “I do not care how you think I might react. Whatever it is, not only do I deserve to know, but I want to know. So, are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to force it out of you?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.
“And how would you force it out of me exactly?”
“Let us hope I do not have to show you.”
Surprisingly, he smiled. “You are right. There is something that I have been meaning to bring up. Nothing bad,” he hurried to assure her. “I just know that with your parents today, you might wish to have your mind focused on what is in front of you. I did not wish to distract you, is my meaning.”
“Distract me with what?”
He sighed and took her hand, making sure to be looking right at her.
“We never had a honeymoon. You did not expect one, and I did not want one. And while it might be a bit late, with everything that has happened...” He kissed her hand.
“I wish for you to know that I still want to start a family. I still want to try for one. My thinking is that until you have your strength back—all of it,” he cut her off before she could tell him otherwise.
“That we should take advantage of what we have.”
“And what do we have?”
“Freedom,” he said. “We have freedom. For how much longer...” He shrugged. “I suppose we will find that out when we do.”
Florentia frowned at her husband, caught completely by surprise. “Are you saying that you wish to take me on a honeymoon?”
“That is exactly what I am saying.”
She laughed, unable to help herself. “You! Do you have any idea how worried I have been!”
“Worried? Whatever for?”
“The way you have been behaving! I thought something was wrong. I thought—” She caught her tongue and shook her head. “I do not even know what I thought. The worst, as is my way.”
He smiled. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“You never could.”
“So, is that a yes?”
Just then, through the window, she spied her parents exiting their house and rushing toward the carriage. What she had predicated to be a painfully long day suddenly didn’t seem so bad. Not with her husband by her side.
“On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“You save me from my parents.” She winked, he laughed, and then they climbed down from the carriage.
Her parents were thrilled to see her. It was hugs all around, handshakes too, and many questions concerning her health.
Once that was taken care of, her parents led her into the back garden where a table had been set with tea and snacks.
Florentia sat herself beside Hudson, holding his hand as she did, wondering to herself how long it would take before they turned the conversation to exactly where she expected.
Ten seconds was the answer.
“You know what I am going to ask,” her mother said with a smile that spoke of excitement, as if she knew the answer without having to ask it. “So, I will just come right out and say it. The aforementioned honeymoon period, I assume, must be drawing to a close by now?”
“Mother...”
“Do not mother me,” she said. “Honestly, I deserve a reward for how patient I have been. Is that not so, Joshua?” she said to Florentia’s father. “Have I once brought up the topic of children?”
“You have been very self-controlled, dear,” he agreed with a sigh.
“It was over a month ago now, Florentia, if you remember, when you looked me in the eye and told me that the two of you wished to wait through the romance before trying for a child. A preposterous idea, I thought, but I held my tongue.”
“Is that how you saw it,” Florentia mumbled, to which she saw Hudson grin.
“As your mother, I have a right to know,” she continued. “And truly, this waiting business...” She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Who has heard of such a thing! Now, tell me true.” She stopped and looked between Hudson and Florentia. “Have the two of you started trying?”
Florentia sighed, not at all surprised by this conversational road, even if the directness of it was a bit much, even for her mother.
She had thought long and hard about what she would say when it happened, knowing the truth would not suffice, and while she hated lying, perhaps in this instance it would not be such a bad thing.
She had just always had such a hard time speaking her mind to her parents. They had raised a proper daughter of the ton with proper values, and the thought of being herself around them fully was not a thought that she had ever warmed to.
Beside her, she saw Hudson eyeing her, likely wondering what she might say.
“I know how much you wish for grandchildren,” Florentia began. “And as you well know, I too wish to have children of my own.”
“All the more reason to get to it,” her mother spoke up. “Which tells me that...” She eyed her expectantly.
“That we...that we have started...” Florentia very nearly finished the lie, for the sake of ease as much as anything. Only, as she was about to speak the words, she caught the look in her husband’s eye, and she realized something.
Hudson was not the only one who had changed these past months.
She too had changed dramatically, learning more about herself than she had once known, a new side discovered, an independence that existed beyond the young girl who her parents knew.
She had grown, matured, and learned what it was that she cared for most.
The thought of lying to ease her parents’ minds made her feel...well, like a fraud. And the thought of Hudson sitting there and listening to those lies, stomaching them, made her feel ill. She wished to prove how much she had changed. This here was the perfect opportunity.
“The truth is, Mother, Father...” She looked between them. “We have not started trying yet.”
“What?”
“Nor shall we for some time. In fact, Hudson has just asked me to go away with him on a honeymoon, a bit late perhaps, but a trip I am very much looking forward to. One that will be infinitely easier to bear if I am not with child.”
“A honeymoon?” her father barked. “Where to?”
“I was thinking France,” Hudson said. “My brother enjoyed it thoroughly when he was there, and I would very much like to treat your daughter to the same trip while there is time.”
“Time?” her mother cried. “The time is now. For children, I mean. You can travel when you are older—you must take advantage of your age, dear. For who knows how long it will take until you—”
“Mother, please,” Florentia cut her off with a sharpness to her tone. “I appreciate your concern, and I know it comes from a place of love, but this is mine and Hudson’s decision and I would appreciate it if you understood that and accepted it.”
Her mother reared back in shock and her father spoke up. “Florentia, that is no way to speak to your mother. Apologize at once.”
“And that is no way to speak to my wife,” Hudson said coolly.
Her father’s eyes widened, and he began to bluster an apology.
“It is quite alright,” Florentia assured Hudson. “They are simply eager for grandchildren. Which they will have.” She nodded once for her mother and then raised an eyebrow to warn them off arguing further. “But they will come in our time, not yours.”
Her mother and father looked between themselves, rendered speechless by their daughter’s sudden rebellion. But, and most importantly, they did not raise the topic again, seeming to understand now that this was one battle they would not win.
Huh. That was...thrilling! Why on earth did I not do that sooner?
Florentia knew the answer as soon as she thought it.
It was sitting right beside her, holding her hand, giving her strength and power and confidence that she had never known.
She took her husband’s hand and gave the back of it a quick kiss.
She saw him smile. It reached his eyes, and she knew how proud he was of her.
They would try for children once they were ready. If fate let it be, they would have them. Florentia still wished for a family, and that would never change, but she also knew that so long as she had Hudson in her life, she would be happy, regardless of what came.
Growing up, Florentia had never cared much for love.
She had always likened it to romantic folly, something which happened to the very few, that which most would never get to experience.
Uncontrollable, and unlikely. It was best to wish on what she thought was within her power.
Now, she wondered how she had been so wrong.
She loved Hudson with all her heart. He loved her right back.
At the end of the day, that love would be enough to sustain her.
Through this lunch. Through the rest of the day, the week, the month, and the year.
Her life as she now knew it would never be the same again. And for that, I could not be happier.
The End?