EPILOGUE
They went back to the millpond in the summer.
They took Walter with them; it was warm enough that Isabel let him take off his tunic and hose and run about in just his shirt, chasing frogs and dragonflies through the tall grass and dipping his toes in the water before laughing and jumping away from the cold.
Eventually, once he had tired of that, they fed him - cheese and bread and apples, spread out on the blankets they had brought to sit on - and then Isabel put him down to nap awhile.
He lay on his back, one arm up over his head, sunburned and smiling even in his sleep.
Isabel and Constance lay on their own blanket a few feet away, first partaking of their own dinner, then whiling away the hours exchanging slow and lazy kisses.
The reeds shielded them somewhat from view, but not so much that either was willing to undress fully, so proper lovemaking was out of the question.
Eventually, though, they tangled their legs together and rocked against each other, muffling gasps and moans against each others' skin until they were both spent and sated.
"Do you wish to return here?" Constance murmured when they were done.
They had settled with Constance lying on her back and Isabel on her side, her head pillowed on Constance's shoulder.
Constance was amusing herself idly running her fingers through Isabel's hair, letting her curls pull out and spring back into place.
Isabel laughed, turning her head to kiss Constance's neck before nestling closer against her.
"This was your home, once, and you were happy here. "
"I'm happy now," Isabel said. Constance pressed her lips to the top of Isabel's head, and Isabel threw an arm across her chest. "And my home is wherever Walter is. And you."
It was all the answer Constance could have asked for, but she still could not quite let it alone. "Still. After all you've endured in Linden -"
"Constance." Isabel propped herself up on one elbow so that their faces were level.
"I endured as much here - would have endured more, had I not left so early.
And I've found joy in Linden as well as sorrow.
" She cupped Constance's face in her hand.
"I would not have found you, if I'd never gone to Linden.
I would not give that up for anything. You know that, don't you? "
Constance let out a breath as a knot in her chest - an old one, which she had not even realized she still carried - came loose. She turned her face to kiss Isabel's palm, then leaned in to kiss her mouth. Her breath was warm and sweet. "I do," she said against Isabel's lips. "I do know."
Isabel kissed her back, then pressed her hand before laying back down beside her.
Constance hugged her close with a soft sigh.
They would linger here awhile longer, until Walter woke up.
Then they would take him back to Linden, share supper with Jack and Peter, and put him to bed in the cot that stood in the corner of their room.
It would be a warm night; likely they wouldn't need to bother with bedclothes when they went to bed themselves.
And they would wake in the morning to the sight of each others' faces, as they had for months, and would go on doing for the rest of their lives.
Constance kissed the top of Isabel's head again. "We'll go home soon," she said. Isabel made a noise of assent. The day was warm, the air was clear, and they were both content; there was nothing more either of them wanted or needed to say. They both knew it was true.
THE END