Epilogue
THREE MONTHS LATER
“She looks like an angel.”
Ernest stood beside Aaron at the altar of St. George’s, watching Louise process down the aisle on George’s arm.
Morning light streamed through stained glass windows, casting jeweled patterns across her cream silk gown.
The dress had belonged to Aaron’s mother, carefully preserved and altered by Cecilia’s skilled seamstress.
Pearls adorned Louise’s copper hair, which caught fire in the colored light.
Aaron’s throat tightened. Three months of planning had led to this moment, yet nothing had prepared him for the sight of Louise walking toward him, her green eyes finding his across the crowded church. Every doubt, every fear, every moment of cowardice fell away, leaving only certainty.
This woman was his future. His redemption. His everything.
George guided his sister with careful formality. When they reached the altar, he lifted Louise’s hand and placed it in Aaron’s with deliberate care.
“Take care of her,” George said quietly, his voice thick with emotion.
“Always.” Aaron wrapped his fingers around Louise’s, feeling her tremble slightly through her gloves.
The ceremony passed in a blur of ancient words and promises that felt newly minted.
Aaron heard himself speaking vows he had memorized, but all his attention focused on Louise’s face, on the tears that sparkled but didn’t fall, on the smile that gradually bloomed as they moved through the ritual that would bind them forever.
When the vicar pronounced them man and wife, Aaron lifted Louise’s veil with hands that shook only slightly. Their kiss was brief, appropriate for the setting, but her fingers tightened on his, promising more later.
They turned to face their guests as the Duke and Duchess of Calborough.
The wedding breakfast at Calborough House overflowed with joy that seemed to brighten even the formal dining room.
Cecilia had outdone herself with the preparations.
Hothouse flowers cascaded from every surface, their perfume mixing with the aroma of Cook’s finest efforts.
The room hummed with conversation and laughter, a sound Aaron had never thought to hear in his ancestral home.
“Your Grace.” The Duchess of Raynesford approached with her husband Duncan, both beaming with genuine pleasure. “Or should I say, Your Graces? How delightful to see you both so happy.”
Louise clasped Catherine’s hands warmly. “Thank you for coming. I know travel from Scotland is arduous this time of year.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it.” Duncan shook Aaron’s hand with the firm grip of a military man. “You look like a different person entirely. Happiness suits you.”
Aaron caught Louise’s eye across their small circle, unable to suppress his smile. “I have excellent reason to be happy.”
They moved through their guests with practiced grace, accepting congratulations, deflecting gentle teasing from Cecilia’s friends, ensuring everyone felt welcomed and appreciated.
Yet Aaron remained acutely aware of Louise beside him, the way her silk dress whispered when she moved, the light touch of her hand on his arm, the scent of orange blossoms in her hair.
George approached during a lull, Emily at his side with Buttercup trailing behind despite strict instructions to keep the dog in the garden.
“Buttercup wanted to congratulate you,” Emily announced, as if this explained everything.
The massive dog flopped at Louise’s feet with a contented sigh, clearly exhausted from the excitement. His tail thumped against the expensive carpet, but Aaron found he didn’t care in the slightest.
“Thank you both.” George’s expression turned serious as he addressed Aaron and Louise together. “For everything. For saving me from myself, for protecting Emily when I failed to, for giving us all a second chance.”
Aaron gripped his brother-in-law’s shoulder. “Family protects family.”
“Yes, well.” George cleared his throat, visibly fighting emotion. “I want you to know I’ll never put my sisters in danger again. I’ve learned my lesson thoroughly.”
“We know,” Louise said softly, embracing her brother.
“Actually, on that subject.” Cecilia joined their group, resplendent in lavender silk. “George has kindly invited me to take up residence at Sulton House.”
Louise’s eyes widened. “But Aunt Cecilia, you’re always welcome here. This is your home.”
“My dear child, newlyweds need privacy.” Cecilia’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Besides, someone needs to keep George from backsliding into bad habits, and Emily has grown quite attached to me. Haven’t you, darling?”
Emily nodded enthusiastically. “Lady Merrow is teaching me Italian! And Buttercup loves the garden at our house because he can dig wherever he wants.”
Aaron caught the glance between George and Cecilia, recognizing a conspiracy when he saw one. They had arranged this between them, giving him and Louise space to begin their marriage without the weight of extended family, however beloved.
“If you’re certain,” Aaron said carefully.
“Quite certain.” Cecilia patted his cheek with maternal affection. “You’ve been alone too long, my dear boy. It’s time you learned what it’s like to share your life completely with someone, without an audience.”
Ernest materialized at Aaron’s elbow, champagne glass in hand. “Might I steal the groom for a moment? Business, I’m afraid.”
Louise squeezed Aaron’s hand before releasing him. “Don’t keep him long.”
Ernest guided Aaron to a quieter corner, his expression turning serious. “Howlett sent word this morning. Didn’t want to disturb the ceremony, but thought you should know immediately.”
Aaron’s shoulders tensed. “What’s happened?”
“Wigram tried to escape during transport. The attempt failed.” Ernest’s voice carried grim satisfaction. “He killed a guard in the process. They hanged him at dawn.”
Aaron absorbed this news, feeling the last shadow of threat dissipate. “It’s over then.”
“Completely. The network is destroyed, the leaders imprisoned or dead, and George’s involvement buried so deep it would take an excavation to uncover it.” Ernest raised his glass. “You’re free, all of you.”
Aaron touched his glass to Ernest’s, but his gaze found Louise across the room. She stood laughing at something Catherine had said, sunlight creating a halo around her copper hair. His wife. His duchess. His love.
“I should return to her.”
Ernest clapped him on the shoulder. “Go. Be disgustingly happy. You’ve earned it.”
The celebration continued through the afternoon, but Aaron noticed Louise’s increasing restlessness. The way she caught his eye with growing frequency. The slight flush on her cheeks when he moved close enough to whisper in her ear.
Finally, as evening shadows lengthened, Cecilia took charge.
“All right, everyone. The newlyweds have been patient enough. Time to let them escape.”
Good-natured laughter and a few ribald comments from Ernest followed them as Aaron led Louise from the dining room. Once in the corridor, away from watchful eyes, he pulled her against him.
“Finally,” he murmured against her lips.
“Take me upstairs.” Her voice emerged breathless, urgent. “Now.”
Aaron’s bedchamber had been transformed in his absence.
Fresh flowers on every surface, champagne cooling in silver, the bed turned down with rose petals scattered across pristine sheets.
Someone, probably Cecilia, had ensured every detail spoke of romance rather than the austere masculinity that usually defined his space.
“It’s beautiful,” Louise said softly, but her eyes remained fixed on him.
Aaron crossed to her in two strides, his hands framing her face. “You’re beautiful. My wife. God, I love saying that.”
Their kiss held three months of anticipation, of careful courtship under Cecilia’s watchful eye, of stolen moments that never went far enough. Louise’s fingers worked at his cravat with increasing frustration until he helped her, both of them laughing at their eagerness.
“We have all night,” Aaron reminded her, even as his own hands shook with want.
“We have forever,” Louise corrected. She rose onto her toes, catching his mouth with hers before he could reply.
The kiss was slow at first, deliberate, as though she were savoring the knowledge that she no longer had to hold herself back.
Then she deepened it, her fingers curling into his coat, drawing him closer.
“But I’ve waited long enough for tonight. ”
Aaron answered her without words. His hands slid to her waist, warm and sure now, pulling her against him. The world narrowed to breath and touch and the soft sound she made when he kissed her again, slower this time, as if he were learning her anew.
Her hands found the buttons of his coat.
She worked them free with determined care, pushing the fabric from his shoulders.
He helped her, shrugging out of it, then reached for her in return, fingers tracing the line of her spine as he drew her closer.
The silk at her shoulders gave way beneath his touch, slipping down her arms as if eager to abandon its post.
Louise shivered, not from cold, but from the way Aaron looked at her — as though the sight of her had struck him silent. Moonlight spilled through the window, silvering her skin as he lifted his hands to her shoulders. He moved slowly, giving her every chance to pull away. She did not.
His fingers traced the line of her neckline, then slipped beneath the fabric, easing it from her shoulders inch by inch.
The gown slid down her arms, pooling at her feet, and he paused there, simply looking.
Not appraising. Not hurried. As if he were memorizing the moment, committing her to some private, indelible place within him.
Louise’s breath caught under the weight of his attention. She reached for him again, palms flat against his chest, feeling his heart racing beneath her hands.
“Aaron,” she murmured, his name a promise rather than a question.
The sound of it seemed to undo him. With a low exhale, he gathered her into his arms, lifting her as though she weighed nothing at all.
She curled instinctively against him, her cheek brushing his shoulder as he carried her toward the bed.
He lay her down with care, as though setting something precious in place, his gaze never leaving her face.
For a long heartbeat, he remained there, braced above her, the moonlight framing them both, and then he bent to kiss her, slow and certain, as though there were nowhere else he would ever rather be.
With a tenderness that made her thighs tremble with desire, Aaron’s mouth moved in a trail of fiery kisses to her nipples. His tongue flicked the right one while his fingers rolled the left. Pleasure sang through her body down to the cleft between her thighs.
When his mouth lifted, Louise let out a mew of protest. “No, please.”
“Please, what, my love?” Aaron gazed down at her.
She lowered her eyes, suddenly shy. “I … I want you. I want to feel you inside of me.”
A low chuckle followed by his mouth resuming its attention to her nipples caused a ripple of desire to tear through her.
She grasped his hair as his lips moved lower.
When his tongue flicked the tight bud, a jolt of fiery flames threatened to consume her.
She raised her hips to allow him greater access.
His mouth was a hot brand on her flesh. Stripping her back to her primal nature. His tongue flicked again and again, threatening to bring her to the edge before drawing her back from the precipice.
This would never do. She reached down and palmed his hard member and stroked in rhythm with his tongue. He let out a guttural sound that sent pleasure cascading through her.
In a single move, he slid up until he pressed his body against hers. The pressure as he slowly entered her was fire and ice and surrender. He stilled when she let out a small gasp as he broke through her resistance.
“I promise there will be nothing but pleasure from here.” He kissed her gently, his tongue teasing her own.
Her hands spread against his chest, and moved against him. “I want you,” Louise whispered. “Please, don’t stop.”
Aaron buried his face in her neck. As he slid deeper into her, Louise’s body took over.
Sensation. Pain. Pleasure. It was rolled together into a delicious firestorm that tore through her body.
Her hips met his. Their movements finding a rhythm without prompting.
Desire urged her on as she rose to meet each thrust.
She wanted more. She wanted all of him.
His thrusts increased and glorious sensations danced up from her toes to the center of her sex.
She gasped, shuddered, and clung to him as they both danced to the peak.
Ecstasy rocked through her body when Aaron roared in a single thrust. Louise cried out and convulsed against him.
A tide of sensation riding from his body to hers.
Afterwards, they lay tangled together, skin cooling in the evening air. Aaron traced lazy patterns on Louise’s bare shoulder, marveling at the reality of her presence in his bed, in his life, in his heart.
“What are you thinking?” Louise asked, her voice drowsy with satisfaction.
“That I’m the luckiest fool in England.” He pressed his lips to her hair, breathing in the scent of orange blossoms and vanilla. “Three months ago, I was drinking myself into oblivion, convinced I’d lost everything. Now I have more than I ever dreamed possible.”
She shifted to look up at him, green eyes serious in the candlelight. “You gave me everything, Aaron. Safety, security, love. You saved my family.”
“You saved me.” He tightened his arms around her. “From loneliness, from fear, from a life half-lived. You, Emily, and even that ridiculous dog. You all saved me.”
Louise smiled, the expression transforming her face from beautiful to incandescent. “We saved each other then.”
“Yes.” Aaron rolled them so she lay beneath him, her hair spread across his pillows like copper silk. “And we’ll keep saving each other, every day, for the rest of our lives.”
She pulled him down for a kiss that promised exactly that. A lifetime of choosing love over fear, trust over doubt, joy over isolation.
Outside, London settled into evening, but inside Calborough House, the Duke and Duchess of Calborough began their forever with hearts finally, completely, irrevocably whole.
The End?