Page 42 of A Spinster’s Folly (Courting the Unconventional #2)

Six years later…

E ugenie sat at her writing table in the corner of her drawing room, the tall windows overlooking the rolling green fields of her country estate.

She dipped her quill into the inkwell, her fingers steady despite the slight ache from hours of writing.

With a final flourish, she finished her latest article for The Morning Post .

As she set the quill down, a familiar feeling of satisfaction washed over her.

Sometimes, she still couldn’t believe that this was her life—that for the past six years, she had been a contributor to one of London’s most respected newssheets.

Though Society might label her a spinster turned wife, she wrote about her life as a young mother rather than dwelling on the years she had spent unmarried.

Fortunately, her children supplied her with a wealth of material to fill every column.

A voice interrupted her thoughts. “Are you finished?”

She turned at the sound, a smile forming as she took in the sight of Charles standing in the doorway.

He held their one-year-old son, David, against his chest, the boy’s chubby fingers curled into his father’s cravat.

David’s dark curls, so much like his father’s, stuck up in disarray, and his bright blue eyes darted around the room, full of curiosity.

“Yes, I shall post it today,” Eugenie replied as she rose from her seat.

“Wonderful,” Charles said as he strode into the room. “Then perhaps you can take this little rascal off my hands. He seems to have an inexhaustible supply of energy today.”

“I would be happy to,” Eugenie said as she went to stand beside her husband. “Where is Mary?”

“She’s at her riding lesson,” Charles answered, placing David on the ground. “I suspect she’ll be there all afternoon. I have never seen a child more besotted with horses than she is.” He paused, giving her a knowing look. “Well, besides you.”

“I do love horses, and I am grateful to you for getting me back in the saddle.”

He raised a brow. “Although, your trick riding days are over.”

She laughed. “For good reason.”

Charles wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. “And how are you faring today?”

“Well,” she said, relaxing into his embrace. “Niles and his family should be arriving soon.”

Charles groaned dramatically. “I am not looking forward to my three nephews invading our peace. Those boys are downright unruly.”

Eugenie shook her head with a fond smile. “Yes, but Niles and Elsbeth manage them well enough.”

“That they do,” Charles admitted. “But I still wince every time I see them climbing trees at breakneck speed. They seem to have no fear of injury or—heaven forbid—death.”

David, growing restless, tugged at Eugenie’s skirts. “Up,” he demanded, lifting his arms expectantly .

Eugenie bent down, gathering her son in her arms. “It is nearly time for this little one’s nap.”

“My mother was hoping to put him down,” Charles said. “She enjoys reading him stories and indulging his every whim.”

“I have no objection to that,” Eugenie said with a grin.

Charles smirked, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Then perhaps we can steal a moment alone. You’ve been so busy writing that I have felt most neglected these past few days.”

Eugenie feigned shock. “Neglected? Surely not.”

With a flirtatious gleam in his eyes, Charles leaned in and brushed a kiss against her lips. “Dreadfully so. Perhaps you might make it up to me?”

“Some alone time would be lovely. But we’d best hurry if?—”

Before she could finish, the main door burst open. The thunderous arrival of three boys shattered the quiet, their boisterous shouts echoing through the house.

“They have arrived,” Eugenie said.

“Is it too late for me to hide?” Charles muttered under his breath.

Moments later, Niles stumbled into the room, looking utterly disheveled. His usually neat cravat was askew, his dark hair thoroughly mussed, and his expression one of pure exasperation.

“Never again will I ride in a coach with three boys,” he declared, dropping his satchel unceremoniously onto the floor.

Eugenie raised a brow. “Didn’t you say that last time?”

Niles threw his hands in the air. “I did! And each time, I come closer to the brink of madness.”

Behind him, Elsbeth entered, looking as fresh as if she had stepped out of a leisurely stroll rather than endured a chaotic journey. “You poor, poor earl,” she teased, patting her husband’s arm. She then turned her attention to David, beaming. “And how is my handsome nephew?”

David responded by reaching for her .

Elsbeth scooped him up from Eugenie’s arms, pressing a kiss to his chubby cheek. “Oh, you have gotten even cuter since I last saw you!”

“That was only a few months ago,” Niles pointed out. “Give the baby back.”

Ignoring him, Elsbeth sniffed David dramatically. “Mmm, he smells like baby.”

Niles sighed. “You’ll have to forgive my wife. She’s been talking of nothing but babies lately. She insists we must try again for a girl.”

“There is nothing wrong with having more children,” Eugenie said.

Lifting a brow, Niles asked, “Have you met your nephews? We had to hire a separate nursemaid for each of them because one was simply not enough.”

Eugenie grinned. “Where are they now?”

“I had their nursemaids take them out back to run off some of their energy before supper,” Niles said with a dramatic sigh. “But I, personally, could use a nap.”

Elsbeth handed David back to Eugenie before slipping her arm through her husband’s. “Come along, Dear. I shall escort you to our bedchamber, you poor old man.”

After they departed, Eugenie placed a hand on her stomach. “I do hope this next one is nothing like her cousins.”

Charles studied her. “You think it’s a girl?”

She shrugged. “Perhaps, but I won’t complain if it is a boy.”

He took a step closer, resting his hand atop hers. “All that matters is that you and the baby are healthy.”

“Should we tell everyone at dinner tonight?”

Charles nodded, a smile playing at his lips. “I think that would be perfect. My mother will be thrilled.”

“If it’s a girl, I was thinking of naming her after my mother. And if it’s a boy, Arthur.”

Charles’s eyes softened. “You truly mean that? ”

“I do,” Eugenie said. “I never met your father, but through your stories, I feel as though I know him.”

Emotion flickered across his face. “Just when I think I couldn’t love you more, you surprise me.”

“Well, it is only fair since you have given me so much,” Eugenie said. “I was once scared of loving you, of giving up my freedom. But by loving you, my heart was set free.”

Leaning in, he pressed his forehead against hers. “There is no one else for me. In this life and the next, it will be me and you. Always.”

She closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the warmth of Charles’s embrace.

Nobody had ever made more sense to her soul, nobody but him.

For she had waited her entire life to find someone she could be with in silence, feeling wanted, appreciated, and loved, and when it finally happened, she knew why it was worth the wait.

But before she could lose herself completely in the moment, a tiny, insistent movement in her arms disrupted their closeness.

David wriggled against her chest, his little body squirming with restless energy. He pushed against her shoulder, letting out an impatient whimper.

Eugenie chuckled, shifting her grip as she pulled back slightly. “It seems someone is unimpressed with our sentimentality.”

Chuckling, Charles took him from her arms. “Very well, my son, you have my full attention. What is it you require? A kingdom? A pony? The moon itself?”

David clapped his hands together, then grabbed a fistful of Charles’s cravat and tugged.

“I believe he simply wants his father,” Eugenie said.

Charles pressed a kiss to the top of David’s head. “Then he shall have me. Though I do hope he will allow me at least some time alone with his mother in the near future. ”

“You were the one who wanted children,” Eugenie quipped.

“I do believe it was a mutual decision.”

The sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the main level.

Turning towards the doorway, Eugenie said, “It would appear the boys have made it inside now.”

“Heaven help us,” Charles muttered.

Eugenie placed her hand on his arm. “Let us go greet our nephews.”

As they walked hand in hand out of the drawing room, Eugenie couldn’t help but smile. This was her life now. And what a perfect life it was.

The End