Epilogue
THE WEDDING CELEbrATION BALLWAS grander than she had ever expected, especially with the Prince Regent in attendance. But strolling into the village at dawn with her husband at her side for a morning of baking, she could not imagine a more beautiful, romantic setting. She threaded her arm through his. “Are you certain you wish to spend your first day as duke with me in the bakery?”
He grinned down at her. “As long as you don’t accidentally knock me out with a rolling pin and a tin of flour, yes. Nothing is equal to your baking, my duchess, and I pray you will never stop providing me with such delights.” He tilted her chin upward to press a kiss upon her lips. “Now, remember, you promised me a quiche Lorraine for breakfast and then Shrewsbury cakes to take home with our meat pies.”
She laughed and caught his hand in hers, pressing a kiss atop it. “I won’t forget.”
The village was slowly waking. Some villagers stumbled to a halt at the sight of their duke and duchess, especially with Muriel wearing an apron, but most villagers simply nodded to them in passing, as all had chores to occupy their attention at this hour. She reached into her apron’s pocket and retrieved the skeleton key and unlocked the shop door. The jingling of the copper bell overhead sent excitement flooding through her veins. Her shop in Chilham was serviceable, but this bakery was a thing of beauty with the marble counters that Erik had ordered installed and the beautiful pale pink silk wall coverings. He had transformed the simple bakery into a confection itself. It would be a pleasure to fill up the new display case and the pretty white shelves behind the counter.
Erik caught her about the waist and twirled her over the brick pavers of the shopfront. “Is it pleasing?” He gently rested her on her feet.
“You have transformed it. I am certain the villagers and any guests touring the region will be pleasantly surprised to find such luxury this far from London. I am beyond happy.” Muriel wound her arms about his neck, admiring his broad shoulders and raw strength, basking in the love shining through his dark eyes. “I never thought such joy might belong to me. For years, I saw friends whisked away to happy marriages, with babies soon filling their arms. I have never felt such longing before.”
“One day we will have children filling the castle. Would five be to your liking?”
She grinned up at him. “I was hoping for a baker’s dozen.”
He drew her deeper into his arms, pressing his lips to hers that held the promise for more. “Then a baker’s dozen it shall be. I thought when my time at sea ended, my life’s adventures would be concluded, but it seems as if our adventures are only just beginning, my duchess.”
“Indeed, my duke.” She rested her head upon Erik’s chest, the blessings of the Lord filling her being. “The Lord has taken my folly and redeemed it, turning it into a crown of lovingkindness and such tender mercies that I could never have imagined. And I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for us next.”