Epilogue
“Auntie Prudence, do you like my wedding dress?”
Prudence and Bridget laughed in unison as Emma threw up her hands and twirled, causing the skirt of the new dress she’d gotten for the wedding to flare out.
“It’s beautiful,” Prudence said. “Though no one could hold a candle to the bride, of course.” She beamed at Bridget.
“You look radiant. I’ve never seen you so happy as long as I’ve known you, Bridget, and I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to be here on your wedding day.
I know you never thought this day would come. ”
“I don’t think anybody did,” Bridget laughed.
She turned to admire her ivory gown in the looking glass once more.
It was the finest thing she’d ever owned, to the point that it made her slightly uncomfortable to be wearing it now.
There was a not-insignificant part of her that would have said her vows in one of the plain dresses she’d worn at the orphanage.
In the end, she’d agreed to the gown because she had known it would mean something to Emma, and because she hadn’t wanted to spend her whole wedding day explaining to everyone why she wasn’t dressed for the occasion.
Now that she saw herself in the gown, she was glad she’d made the choice she had. This was perhaps the only day of her life she would ever spend in such a beautiful garment, and she felt rather like a princess. It was an enjoyable moment, and it was good that she had taken it for herself.
She turned away from the looking glass. “You look wonderful too,” she told Prudence.
Prudence laughed and rested a hand on her belly.
“I feel as big as a house,” she said. “I can’t imagine what this will be like when I come to the end of this pregnancy.
I’ve spoken to my sisters about it, but they’re so romantic about me being with child that I don’t feel as if I’m getting any real information! ”
“Well, you’ll have to remember every detail of what it’s like so that you can tell me when the time comes,” Bridget said.
“Do you mean that you and Reeves have already…” she glanced at Emma. “You’ve decided that?”
“We haven’t spoken about it,” Bridget said. “And I won’t be heartbroken if he decides our family is complete as it is. I’m thrilled with what I have. But… I wouldn’t mind adding to it, either. It’s an option, as far as I’m concerned.”
“And I suppose fate will decide in the end,” Prudence said. “Well, I just hope you get what you want, Bridget. Whatever that turns out to be.”
Bridget smiled. “So far, it seems that I have,” she said. “More than ever before, I have faith that there’s a force in my life working for good, and I trust it to help me find my way to all my dreams coming true.”
“Are your dreams coming true by marrying Papa?” Emma chimed in.”
“Yes, love,” Bridget laughed. “Your papa—and you—are the things that have let me know the world wants the best for me. I’ve never been happier in my life.”
Emma beamed. “I’m going to tell Papa you said that,” she teased.
“I hope you do,” Bridget agreed. “And I’m also going to tell him myself.”
“Emma,” Prudence said, “what would you say to coming to stay at my house for a week after the wedding is over?”
“At your house?” Emma repeated.
“I have a new horse,” Prudence said. “Bridget tells me you love horses.”
“Oh, I do,” Emma enthused. “Would you let me ride her?”
“We could do it together,” Prudence said. “She’s a bit large for you to ride alone, but if you had someone with you, it would be all right.”
“Will Papa and Bridget come too?”
“Maybe not this time,” Prudence said. “After all, they’re getting married today. I thought they might like some time to themselves.”
She made eye contact with Bridget over Emma’s head, and Bridget felt a warm rush of gratitude to her friend for thinking of this. They would have to ask Reeves, of course, but Bridget was sure he would agree to Prudence and Leonard watching over Emma for a while.
“They’ll probably be kissing,” Emma said sagely.
Prudence laughed. “Yes, I imagine they will be! And speaking of kissing,” she added, “we’d better get you over to the church, Bridget. Your duke is waiting for you.”
Bridget’s heart fluttered at the thought of Reeves, and of what he might say when he saw her in this gown.
Prudence crossed to her side and put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you ready?” she asked.
Bridget nodded. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”
The church was packed with guests. Prudence’s mother and father—Bridget’s aunt and uncle—had come, and so had Prudence’s elder sisters, Caroline and Arabella, along with their families.
On Reeves’ side, Agnes was there, of course, and so were Norman and Jasper.
Bridget couldn’t help feeling a small pang of regret that there were no living relatives on Emma’s mother’s side of the family—apart from Gareth, that was, and he had been behind bars for months now and would certainly not have been welcome at the ceremony under any circumstances.
The other noticeable absence was Bridget’s parents, but she had decided that didn’t bother her.
In the end, she and Reeves had sent them an invitation even though they had originally intended not to do so, but they had never heard anything back, and it was clear that the Baron and Baroness of Stonemere intended to proceed with their original plan of cutting their daughter out of their lives.
She’d been sad about it for a couple of days, and then Bridget had decided to move on. She had let go of the hope of a good relationship with her parents a very long time ago. There was nothing new in that.
But there was Reeves, standing at the altar beside Vicar John, waiting for her, and the sight of him—the knowledge that their life together was finally about to begin—was enough to fill her with such joy that she nearly floated down the aisle to his side.
He smiled at her as he took her arm, and to her utter surprise, she saw tears in his eyes. “What’s the matter?” she whispered.
“Nothing at all,” he murmured back. “You just look so beautiful, Bridget. I’ve never seen such beauty. I never imagined that I could love anyone this much.”
She felt as if her happiness was too much for her body to contain. She was surely going to burst apart with the sheer magnitude of it. She clung to him to keep herself from floating off the face of the planet, and together they turned to Vicar John.
Her head remained in the clouds throughout the ceremony.
Once or twice, she fought to bring herself back down to earth, but it was hopeless.
She would have to rely on Reeves’ memories to keep these moments alive for her, because her own would forever be a haze of happy fog.
She knew that was all right, though. She would be able to rely on Reeves for everything she needed for the rest of her life.
And he’ll be able to rely on me, too, she promised herself.
He’s been so lonely for so long, trying to care for Emma all on his own and doubting himself at every turn.
I love him far too much to ever let him go back to that.
From now on, he’s going to know what a wonderful man he is.
I’m going to remind him every day. And if anything ever challenges him, he’ll have me by his side to help him through it.
Before she knew it, Vicar John was saying, You may kiss the bride, and Reeves was turning her toward him.
It wouldn’t be their first kiss. There had been others; there had been those stolen moments that, at first, she hadn’t understood.
Later, when she had wrapped her mind around what was going on in her heart, those moments had been less shocking, but every time they happened, it had still felt like they were stealing something they weren’t meant to have, as if they were eating their dessert before their dinner.
That had made it fun, but it had also stopped Bridget from giving in quite as much as she might have liked.
She had always felt she ought to hold back, even if only a little bit.
Now things were different.
Now she was really his.
She gave herself over to the kiss, sinking into his embrace, letting it go on for just a moment longer than she ought to have done, standing in the middle of a church.
When at last they broke apart, Vicar John was smiling at her indulgently, just as he always had, and Bridget realized that she didn’t miss having her mother and father here today at all.
She had someone who loved her standing here for her, and she had her new family. She needed nothing more.
Vicar John spoke. “I present to you, the Duke and Duchess of Greystone!”
Duchess of Greystone. She had thought, over the past few weeks, about how it might feel to hear herself called Duchess. Now, hearing it for the first time, she was filled with surprise.
It wasn’t that the title applied to her now—that wasn’t the surprise.
It wasn’t even the way she felt about hearing the word.
What stunned her was the fact that the title meant almost nothing; she’d never cared about being a duchess, or indeed for holding any title in society.
And yet, hearing the title now, she did care. She did want it.
It’s because it means I’m his. I don’t care about being a duchess, but I care very much about being his duchess.
He led her back up the aisle and out of the church to where their carriage awaited them. They would go straight back to the house to greet their guests for the wedding breakfast, and afterward, there would be dancing and revelry.
“I almost wish we could skip it—all of it,” Bridget admitted once they were settled in the carriage.
“We can, if you want to,” Reeves said. He was smiling, but his eyes were serious. “I can take you to the inn. Since Prudence and Leonard are taking responsibility for Emma, we don’t really need to go back to the house if you’d rather not.”
Bridget laughed. “We do have to, and you know it,” she said. “I’d rather go somewhere and be alone with just you, of course. You know I would. But everyone would know exactly what had happened, and we’d be the talk of London.”
“A little gossip doesn’t bother me,” Reeves told her. “I’m much more interested in what will make you happy.”
For a moment, Bridget was actually tempted. How lovely it would be to walk away from their responsibilities right now, to leave everything behind and just be together!
But she shook that off. “We’ll have plenty of time to ourselves once this party is over,” she said. “We’ve got to see this through.”
“Well, I suppose you’re right,” Reeves conceded. “But I see no reason why we should force ourselves to get back home quickly.” He leaned out the window. “Driver—take the long way home, please.”
“As you wish, Your Grace.”
Reeves closed the window and drew the curtains closed. “There we are,” he proclaimed. “We have a good long time now until we’ll have to face anyone again. And until that moment comes, you and I can do whatever we want.”
He turned to her and pulled her close, and then he was kissing her once more.
And it was the most powerful, most passionate kiss she’d ever experienced in her life.
His hand cupped the back of her neck, holding her close. His lips moved with hers as they learned one another’s rhythm. And Bridget felt sure that she wouldn’t end this kiss for a very long time.
She sank into him, for the first time feeling absolutely no doubt, hesitation, or self-consciousness, wanting only to bring herself as close to him as she possibly could.
And, as the carriage pulled away, she lost herself in the now-familiar warmth and strength of his arms.
The End?