Epilogue
It was funny how quickly life could change.
One minute Ellie was nearly reconciled to her life’s purpose being to love and care for her sisters’ future children as their unwed aunt.
The next minute God surprised her in the most wonderful way by giving her a man who loved her, along with a potential future together in Canberra.
She’d been called back for another interview, and the company was considering only herself and one other candidate.
Regardless of the outcome, she could trust God to direct her path.
He’d proved faithful in the past, and He would prove faithful in the future.
Ellie’s phone buzzed, and she drew it from her pocket. She smiled at the message Ethan had left. Which ended with a kiss emoji she knew was a symbol for what he wished to do.
He was so good to her.
The door to The Silver Teapot opened, and she glanced at Annabelle. It was near closing time. “I’ll get this.”
Then she saw who it was. Her heart fisted and she straightened. “Can I help you?”
“Elinor.”
“What do you want, Jason?”
He exhaled. “Is your sister around?”
“No. And even if she was, I wouldn’t fetch her to speak to you.”
His nose wrinkled. “You don’t like me very much, do you?”
“To be honest, no. I think you’re a user. And you’re selfish. And I’m glad you broke up with my sister. She’s with a much better man now.”
Katie and Chris had hit it off and were messaging most nights, talking the others. On his return from Goulburn, Chris had stopped in again, and this time met their father, which soon saw the two men swapping police stories—names changed, of course—for hours.
Chris had proved himself to be a most unassuming man, and his recent closure of a cold case had Katie talking about little else for days.
She’d finally decided to enrol in the police academy, with a view to working in logistics.
She had begun a training regimen that involved waking up early every morning to go running so she could reach the exercise benchmarks all cadets had to pass to be considered for entry.
Katie was fitter and stronger than Ellie ever remembered her being.
Jason’s shoulders slumped. “Are you saying there’s no hope for me?”
“Why should there be? You dumped her, called her somebody you used to know, like she was nothing to you. Do you know how much that hurt her?”
He bit his lip. “I’m sorry.”
She studied him. “Why are you back?”
“I—I heard that you and Ethan had gotten back together, and—” His mouth clamped, like he’d suddenly realised he’d said too much.
“Wait. Are you saying you dumped Katie because you’d heard Ethan and I weren’t together?”
He scratched his jaw, looked away.
“That is it, isn’t it? But why? What possible way could that affect you?”
He sighed. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s something, and you’re going to spill. Now.”
“Whoa, lady. You might act all meek and mild, but you’re kind of scary.”
“You have no idea just how scary I can be.”
He backed away. “Look, I’m sorry I said anything.”
“You haven’t said enough. So, what is it?”
She sensed Annabelle drawing close and was thankful for her backup.
“I, uh, just know some people who might appreciate a chance to be heard by someone like Neville Ferris.”
“You mean you dumped Katie because you didn’t think you’d have political influence anymore?”
He flinched, which seemed enough of a yes for her. Wow. Was this the world that Ethan had grown up in? No wonder he and his siblings struggled with trusting others. Poor Ethan.
She took a step forward. “Let me make one thing very clear: You are to have nothing to do with Katie or anyone else in my family again. Katie is now dating a detective, and if there’s anything the slightest bit crooked in your life, I’ll make sure they know about it, and they’ll be hunting you down faster than you can say g’day. ”
He blinked. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Sounds like I do. And I mean it. You don’t mess with my sister, and you don’t mess with my family.”
He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. I get it.”
Good.
He lingered a moment longer. “But she’s doing okay?”
“She’s happier than I’ve seen her in a very long time. She’s with someone who puts her first, who knows what love really means, and she loves him.”
His chin jerked, then he mumbled, “Good,” and turned away.
For a moment, Ellie felt sorry for him, but then she remembered how crushed Katie had been. Forgiveness didn’t mean forgetting, and there was no way she’d mention any of this conversation to Katie.
Although she did mention it to Ethan when he called that night. “Is that really what your life has been like? People using you?”
“It was. I remember a time when I was at school and got invited to a party. I thought the kid wanted to be my friend, but it turns out his dad forced him to invite me because he wanted an inroad to curry favour with my dad.”
“That’s awful. But how can you be sure that was the case?”
“I overheard the kid whining to his dad about why I had to be there.”
“Oh, Ethan. I’m so sorry.”
“It was a long time ago, but I never forgot.”
“Well, if it makes any difference, I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Me too.” He paused for a moment.
“Ethan?”
“Look, I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you mind accompanying me to an election function this weekend?”
“What?” She knew things had improved between Ethan and his family, thanks to some hefty healthy boundaries and his desire not to burn a bridge that might help them see Jesus one day, but … “I didn’t think your family wanted to be seen with me.”
“Apparently Dad doesn’t think the optics are that great with Rob and Lucinda.”
She winced. “That does look a little awkward,” she agreed.
It turned out that Lucinda wasn’t quite as fussed about which Ferris brother she ended up with after all, quickly rebounding into a relationship with Rob, who’d apparently quite liked the idea of all that Steele money lining his pockets.
And with Ethan’s dad keen to keep the campaign money flowing in, he’d switched his focus to encouraging Rob to see Lucinda, not realising that the general public was a little shocked at how quickly things had changed.
Lucinda had been quite unwell lately, and while Ellie didn’t want to feel sorry for her, especially after all the hardship she had put Ethan through, Ellie couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.
After all, Lucinda had ended up with the inferior Ferris brother.
“I’m not sure.”
“Please? It’s just for half an hour, long enough to give the appearance of happy families. Then we could go have dinner somewhere nice on Dad’s credit card, or so he’s insisting. I thought someplace like Bennelong at the Opera House might be nice.”
Ellie’s last encounter there had seen Katie leave in floods of tears. It would be nice to improve on that memory. “Okay then.”
“Thank you. I love you.”
Her heart sparkled. She’d never get tired of hearing him say those words. “I love you too.”
Four months later
Ethan held Ellie’s hand as they wove their way through the non-celebratory people.
This election had not gone as Dad had planned, with a massive swing against him.
There was even talk that he would step down as the opposition leader, that he might even lose his seat if the numbers kept stacking up against him.
And Ethan couldn’t help but feel a little bit sorry for his father.
All his life, Dad had focused on winning, and now it seemed a certainty that his political career was gone. What did he have left?
Dad had no faith. He didn’t have a close relationship with family.
Rob barely tolerated him, and Francine blamed him too, even though she was exploring faith and had even come to a couple of church events with Emma-Jane and Ellie in recent months.
It would be interesting to see how many of Dad’s friends hung around if he lost his seat, and how many of them would prove to have been self-serving.
Ethan wrapped a protective arm around Ellie, guiding her across the floor to the edge of the stage where Rob and Lucinda waited, Lucinda’s protruding belly provoking questions from some of the more conservative members of Dad’s party.
None of them could have imagined that Rob and Lucinda would be having a baby quite so soon, or that Lucinda’s mum would undergo an experimental drug trial that would give her a new lease of life.
Praise God for saving Ethan from making that mistake. He kissed Ellie’s cheek.
“What’s that for?” She glanced around. “Is there a photographer around?”
“Probably. But that kiss is because I love you.”
Her smile sweetened, and suddenly it didn’t matter that they were surrounded by so many people. He’d never get his fill of her.
Ellie’s hair was twisted up in a knot, her black sheath dress an unexpected choice but one welcomed by his dad, who had earlier proclaimed she looked very nice.
She’d nodded, accepting the compliment as her due, then spent the next few minutes going out of her way to help a lady with a pram who was being ignored by her husband.
Ethan had gone to help them, and learned the woman was the sister of a hero navy pilot but was here because her husband was one of Dad’s backers over the years.
Poor guy. He was probably regretting that right now.
But now, looking out across the sea of faces, he realised just how little he cared about this. He’d much rather be home with Ellie tucked under his arm, watching TV, eating takeaway food.
And he hoped it wouldn’t be too much longer before he could call his home hers too.
His dad made his concession speech, and Ellie squeezed Ethan’s hand, her expression confident, chin up, eyes fixed forward, like she was imagining the future too.
A future not bound by politics, even if they both lived in the nation’s capital, but sewn in kindness and compassion for others, making a difference in the world.
Reporters asked his dad various things, then one called out to him. “Ethan, do you have any plans to enter politics?”
He shook his head. “To be honest, I can’t think of anything worse.”
There was a gasp amidst some muffled laughter.
“Can you tell us about your girlfriend? Ellie, isn’t it?”
“Thank you for your good wishes, but we have no desire to be in the spotlight.”
“Ellie,” the reporter called, “you look like you’d be a youthful addition to the staid old men who run this party. Do you have any comment?”
“No. But thank you for the compliment.”
Ethan snickered, even as his father blustered his way back to the microphone and the on-brand messaging he wanted the reporters to take home.
A few minutes later, they were released, and Ethan’s stiffness finally dropped away.
“Isn’t it good we don’t need to worry about this anymore?” she murmured as they walked back through the hotel’s ballroom.
His shoulders fell by at least an inch. He turned and smiled at her. “I’m so glad we can start fresh somewhere else.”
She grinned. “Me too.”
He, in his new position as a legal representative for the disadvantaged, and a part-time youth worker at one of Canberra’s biggest churches, thanks to a hot tip from Chris Brandon.
She, in her new full-time role as assistant creative director at a successful start-up that Emma-Jane had personally vouched for.
“A new start in a new city.”
She beamed. “I can’t wait. And I can’t wait for you to come to Liv’s wedding with me next month.”
“I’m so grateful to be included.”
“Of course you had to be. You’re part of the family now.”
Warmth spilled through his chest. He loved being part of Ellie’s world, part of a family who loved each other in a way he’d never known.
She grinned at him. “I insisted you had to come. It’s great that Liv and Liam are getting married, but having you there makes things truly wonderful.”
He chuckled. “And it’s not just because it means another trip to England?”
“Okay, that too. But having you go is like the icing and the cherry on top.”
“But not a maraschino cherry.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, a real one.”
“I like real.”
“Me too.” She leaned up to peck his cheek. “Oh, I know there are so many good things in store.”
He tucked her close. So many good things. And with God in charge, and the ease he felt with her family, things would work out for the best. For his best. For Ellie’s best. Their best.
And with the strong affection the Bennett family shared, and Elinor’s many merits and happiness, he knew that wherever they lived, they would be a blessing to each other and those around them.