Epilogue
Amelie held the package in her hands and then hugged it to her chest. She had been hoping it would be delivered today, an extra, wonderful present on a very special day.
‘Will,’ she called, almost tripping over her dress as she ran through the hall of Ashmead House in her excitement.
He was in his study, sitting behind his desk. True to his character, he had been ready for the wedding an hour before they needed to leave and had decided to do a little work to pass the time whilst she was still preparing herself.
‘It’s here.’ Her voice shook with the excitement of it and she held out the parcel.
‘Amelie Somersham, you grow more beautiful every single day,’ he said, pausing to kiss her. For a moment Amelie was lost in his kiss, all rational thought flying from her mind. Only when she felt the weight of the parcel was she dragged back to the present, and she pulled away.
‘You have to open it,’ she said, almost hopping with excitement.
‘Can a man not kiss his wife first?’
‘We are not married yet. And we will be late if you do not hurry and open the parcel.’
‘Very well, my love. I am here to cater to your every wish.’
He took the parcel from her hands and untied the string. Amelie felt a surge of excitement as he slipped the book from the brown paper: A Complete Guide to the Flora and Fauna of Great Britain.
Amelie felt her heart swell with pride. His determination was one of the many things she loved about him.
Although his time in Cambridge had been cut short, after their engagement she had encouraged him to continue with his work in between his other commitments and a month ago he had finished the book.
He had sent it to a publisher, who had been happy to have the chance to publish it, warning that because it was a niche area they would print a small amount first. Will had not minded; he was just thrilled to have his book accepted for publication.
‘Have a look at the front cover,’ Will said, turning the book to face her.
It was a dark emerald-green, putting her in mind of a forest at dusk, the title in large, gold print:
A Complete Guide to the Flora and Fauna of Great Britain
By William Beescroft
Illustrated by William Beescroft and Amelie Beescroft
‘You put my name on it.’
‘Half the drawings are yours.’
Amelie reached out and touched the cover.
‘I hope you do not mind I used the name you will gain today, seeing as this will be your name for the rest of your life.’
‘I do not mind, my love. It is a wonderful gesture.’ She opened the book, marvelling at how the printers had laid out the illustrations and text. It looked perfect.
‘Now, by my reckoning we have fifteen minutes until we need to be at the church. The carriage should be outside. Did you want to gather the children? It may take a while. I saw Mrs Hampton running after Charles and he was certainly not fully dressed. There was a lot of skin on show.’
Amelie smiled. Charles had thrived since moving into Ashmead House and was now a happy, confident little boy, although somewhat cheeky.
‘I will round them up.’
She found Marie fixing Harriet’s hair upstairs, securing a golden bow into her honey-blonde locks.
The two girls were dressed in similar dresses, although each had added their own flair.
Marie’s had a wide white sash around the middle whilst Harriet had asked the modiste if she could add little gold stars to her hemline.
‘You look beautiful, my darlings,’ Amelie said. ‘It is almost time for the church; will you help me find your brother?’
‘He is a little excited,’ Marie said, her frown showing her disapproval. ‘Mrs Hampton has had a job to get him dressed.’
‘But is he dressed now?’
‘Last time I saw him, he had breeches and a shirt on, but was refusing his waistcoat.’
Amelie moved through the nursery to where she could hear the calming tones of Mrs Hampton.
The older woman had readily agreed to help with the children until they were settled in Ashmead Hall, in the Sussex countryside.
At that stage, Amelie would start looking for a permanent nanny to allow Mrs Hampton to return to her retirement, but for now she was grateful for the nanny’s sage wisdom whilst they adjusted to this period of adjustment.
‘Charles, you look like the smartest little soldier,’ Amelie gushed as she set eyes on her little brother.
He had been through so much in his short life: losing his mother before he could really remember her, and then their father slipping away from them; losing his home and then being thrown from place to place whilst Amelie had tried to support them on her insufficient wage.
All of this had taken its toll on Charles but he was slowly returning to his wonderful, confident self.
Somehow Mrs Hampton had managed to wrestle him into his full suit and he looked like a mini version of Will.
‘You are a vision, Amelie,’ Mrs Hampton said, and as the nanny turned her attention away from Charles for a minute Amelie saw him slip one of his toy soldiers into a pocket. At least he would not get bored at the wedding.
Amelie twirled. She felt incredible. The modiste had worked such magic with the fabric she had chosen—a beautiful pale-gold satin. No request had been too much and it meant the gown was exactly as Amelie had imagined.
‘Come, Charles. It is time to go. Are you ready, Mrs Hampton?’
‘Let me fetch my handkerchief; I think there may be a few tears in the church this afternoon.’
As the carriage slowed outside the church, Will looked across at Amelie and felt his heart swell with love.
Today he would marry the woman who had saved him.
Before Amelie, he had been all sadness and loneliness.
When she had burst into his life, everything had changed.
He felt lucky to have found her. Their summer together in Grantchester would always be one of his fondest memories, something he would hold close and cherish.
The children had gone on ahead with Mrs Hampton, to take their places at the front of the church, and now for a minute it was just Amelie and him in the carriage.
‘Are you ready, my love?’
She looked at him with such joy and anticipation that he felt like the luckiest man on earth.
‘I am,’ she said. ‘I have been ready for a long time.’
Their engagement had felt terribly long, but he had been eager to do things properly.
He wanted to show the world that this was no rushed wedding; that he wasn’t marrying her purely to prevent a scandal.
Even so, there had been times where he had wanted to scoop Amelie up into his arms, ride off with her on the back of his horse and not stop until they got to Gretna Green.
Now though their patience was being rewarded. Today he would marry the woman he loved in the church where every one of his ancestors had married. It sent a message to society that they did not mean to hide away from the world and they were not ashamed of how their relationship had started.
He took her hand and helped her down from the carriage and then together they walked to the door of St George’s.
The pews were packed. It had been a risk, inviting a large section of the aristocracy.
There had been a chance that everyone would decline the invitation, but their curiosity had been too strong, and now their wedding was being supported by marquesses, earls and viscounts.
As they walked in through the door, all eyes turned to them and he felt Amelie stiffen beside him. He moved closer, murmuring reassurance in her ear, telling her to lean on him.
He could see Amelie’s siblings at the very front, bobbing up and down with excitement under the watchful eye of Mrs Hampton. Amelie’s father was a few rows further back. They had deliberated hard as to what was best to do for Mr Somersham.
Amelie had been torn—she was certain if Will paid her father’s debts he would not change his ways for long and would soon start borrowing money and gambling.
Yet she could not leave her father in the terrible debtor’s prison when Will had the resources to pay the money to buy his freedom.
In the end they had decided to pay and set Mr Somersham up in a small set of rooms in the city, on the condition that he understood that if he found himself in trouble again he would be on his own.
On the other side of the church, sitting side by side and beaming with happiness, were Lady Elizabeth and Miss Flint.
Despite the families’ agreement that Will would marry Lady Elizabeth, when he and Amelie had called on them the two women had been ecstatic at the news of their engagement.
Amelie and Miss Flint had become firm friends, exchanging letters weekly.
They were halfway down the aisle now and Will felt Amelie grow in confidence as she realised no one could stop her from taking her place by his side as his duchess. Soon she would outrank every other woman in the room, and it would not matter about her family’s scandal or her past.
As they reached the altar and turned to face one another, Will took a moment to relish his feeling.
His heart was full. There was no more loneliness, no more sadness.
His sense of duty was still strong, but now he made sure he weighed his decisions to ensure he was making them for the right reasons.
Never again did he want to risk losing something as important as Amelie. She had given him a second chance and he was not going to squander it.
Keep reading for an excerpt from HER ROYAL HOUSEGUEST by Jade Lee.