Epilogue
Sophia sat on the sloping lawns of the Wilshire country estate on the shore and enjoyed the shade of the early summer day.
Her daughter, Elizabeth, was five months old and cutting her first tooth.
The only thing that seemed to help the child forget her aching gums was rolling around on the blanket under the shade tree.
“And how is our queen bee after her rest?” Anthony squatted down on the blanket, picked up Elizabeth, and nuzzled her tummy with his nose.
It made her laugh, so he did it frequently.
He kissed her cheek and set her back down on the blanket on all fours, where she rocked back and forth before collapsing on her stomach.
“She will be crawling before long.” Anthony sat just behind Sophia on the blanket, knees bent on either side of her so he could wrap his arms around her middle.
She leaned back against his chest and closed her eyes. “Will she, now?”
He kissed her neck. “Mm-hmm. Jack told me Catherine began crawling at five months. Since you and Jack share the same bloodline, I would assume the same will prove true for Elizabeth.”
“Their little David is six months now, and all he does is roll from side to side.”
“That is because he is chubby. Are you happy, Lady Wilshire?”
She smiled. “So very happy. Content. I got exactly what I wished for.”
“Look at what arrived in the post!” The call came from the door to the kitchens, and Charity Denney ran to them, clutching a letter. She flopped down on the blanket next to Elizabeth.
“Who is the letter from?” Sophia snuggled comfortably against her husband.
“Amala. She says Charlie is nearly as fluent in Hindi as she is, and his tutor at the Residency believes he shall move into his next reader before they return from the Hills at the end of summer!”
“I am so glad.” Lady Pilkington had surprised them all by allowing Charlie to remain in India and learn from tutors and the local British schools.
Lord Pilkington was not necessarily pleased at the thought that his son was receiving a “substandard” education like a middle-class working family’s child, but Lady Pilkington had insisted so he relented.
“Is there a letter from Princess Beatrice Darzi?”
“No, but she did say in her last letter that she, Mama, and the prince are visiting a few more royal families while the summer is still in full force. We will hear from her again when they are not traveling.”
“She seemed very happy in her last letter,” Anthony remarked.
Charity nodded. “She is, and I am happy for her. I know much of my fear for her safety was also fear that she was planning her life with someone else and leaving me behind.” She smiled. “But we must march forward and all that nonsense.”
Sophia nodded. She, Charity, and Mrs. Rachael Scarsdale Gerald had shared experiences in India that bonded them forever, and while they didn’t often discuss those events, they were as close as sisters because of them.
Charity had come to live in England with Anthony and Sophia just after their wedding.
She loved India and always would, but felt she needed some time and distance from painful memories.
She was flourishing in England, and Sophia was glad to see happiness returning to the girl’s eyes.
“Are you ready for your first Season, Miss Charity?” Anthony asked. They could have launched her two Seasons ago, but she’d said she wasn’t ready, and they respected her decision.
“I am.” She lay back on the blanket next to Elizabeth and looked up at the swaying leaves. “No sense in postponing the inevitable.”
Sophia felt Anthony’s smile as he nuzzled her earlobe with his nose. “You can wait one more, if you prefer.”
Charity sighed. “I’m ready. And if all else fails, I shall be a nanny to this one for the rest of her life.
” She picked up Elizabeth and set the baby’s feet on her own midsection.
She proceeded to bounce the baby gently until she laughed.
“And I shall read you silly novels and feed you sweets when your mother is not looking.”
Sophia smiled, her eyes burning with tears of contentment.
Anthony looked at her and put a fingertip beneath her chin, turning her face to his. “Are those the good kind of tears?”
She leaned in and kissed him. “Yes, dear man. I am so very, very happy. And so very, very glad I waited for you.”
“As am I.” He produced a flower he’d been hiding behind his back and she smiled.
“An orchid.” The tears continued to gather.
“Reminds me of our wedding.” Anthony and Sophia’s wedding at the primary Wilshire country estate had been filled with orchids of every size and color.
Anthony had told Sophia that he had learned the beautiful flowers were common in Indian weddings, that they signaled strength and wisdom, and represented a deep love and commitment between two people.
Jack had overheard the explanation and then berated Anthony for making all other husbands in England pale in comparison to him.
Sophia touched a finger to the bright red petal with a smile, and Anthony popped the stem of the flower short. He tucked the flower behind her ear and kissed her temple, then settled his arms back around her, holding her close against his chest.
“I love you, Countess Wilshire.”
Sophia laughed softly when he added, as he did every night, “And you are my very best friend.”