Page 49

THREE MONTHS LATER

“ I must say, country air agrees with you, Matthew,” Robert said, settling back on the picnic blanket with a contented sigh. “You look positively transformed.”

Matthew’s face flushed pink as he adjusted his cravat. “Thank you. I confess I’ve been sleeping better since…” He glanced around the group gathered on Aldermere’s lawn.

“Since you finally told your mother she couldn’t run your life anymore?” David supplied with a grin, bouncing baby Lily on his knee.

“David,” Isabella chided, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Don’t tease the poor man.”

“I’m not teasing. I’m celebrating,” David replied. “It takes courage to set boundaries with family. Especially when they’re as formidable as Lady Penderwick.”

Felix stretched out lazily on his blanket with a glass of wine in hand. “Tell me again how you convinced her to move to the other townhouse? I need to take notes for future reference.”

“It wasn’t as difficult as I expected,” Matthew said, his confidence growing. “I simply explained that as a married man, I would need my own household. She could hardly argue with propriety.”

“Married man,” Georgiana repeated with a smile, little Beatrice playing contentedly beside her. “How wonderful that sounds. When is the wedding again?”

“October fifteenth,” Matthew beamed. “Amelia insists on an autumn ceremony. Something about the light being more romantic.”

“Miss Thornton has excellent taste,” Selina said, refilling the lemonade glasses. “Autumn weddings are lovely.”

“And you’ll finally have a home to call your own,” Rowan added. “No interference, no hovering mother.”

Matthew nodded eagerly. “Though I suspect Mother will find a new project soon enough. My cousin Arthur is coming to London next month. Poor fellow doesn’t know what’s in store for him.”

The group burst into sympathetic laughter.

“Speaking of projects,” Robert said, his expression turning more serious, “how did the final business with the constables conclude? Georgiana mentioned there were still questions about Lady Winsley’s death.”

Rowan’s jaw tightened slightly. “Grainger wanted more details about my disappearance. Specifically, he wanted the name of the naval captain who arranged my press-ganging.”

“Did you tell him?” David asked.

“I told him I never found the captain responsible,” Rowan replied evenly. “There wasn’t enough evidence to build a case and pursuing it further would only bring up painful memories for everyone involved.”

Felix raised an eyebrow. “And he accepted that?”

“He had to. Without concrete evidence linking Lady Winsley to any specific crimes, her death was recorded as the result of an ambush by unknown assailants.” Rowan’s voice grew quiet.

“The woman suffered enough under my father’s influence.

Living with that obsession for twenty years was punishment enough. ”

Selina reached for his hand, squeezing gently. The decision to protect Captain Veer and let the matter rest had been difficult, but she supported it completely. Some things didn’t need to be said. Some wounds were better left to mend quietly, out of the light.

“Well,” Isabella said, her voice a little too bright, clearly picking up on the shift in mood, “I think we’ve had enough talk of gloomy things. This is a celebration, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Rowan said, the tension easing from his face. He glanced at Selina, who gave him a small nod.

“Actually,” he went on, “Selina and I have a bit of news.”

The conversation around them died off. Even little James paused mid-chase, his butterfly forgotten as if he somehow sensed the moment was important.

“We’re expecting,” Selina said, her smile soft and shining. “The baby’s due in the spring.”

For a heartbeat, the garden went still and then came the explosion of joy.

Isabella gave a squeal and rushed forward to hug her. Georgiana clapped with delight. The men offered cheers and congratulations, and baby Lily let out a happy little squeak, as if she understood what all the fuss was about.

“When?” Isabella asked, pulling back to look at her. “How long have you known? Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

Selina laughed, hugging her again. “I only suspected a few weeks ago. We wanted to wait until we were sure.”

Isabella wiped at her eyes with a grin. “I understand. That’s the best news I’ve heard all season.”

“A spring baby,” Georgiana said softly. “How perfect. New life returning with the season.”

Robert raised his glass. “To your child. May they inherit their parents’ strength and their father’s stubbornness in all the right ways.”

“And their mother’s sense,” David added with a wink.

They all drank to the toast, even little James joining in with his cup of milk.

“This calls for proper celebration,” Felix declared. “Though I suppose we’ll have to wait nine months for the actual arrival.”

“Don’t worry,” Isabella said with the authority of an experienced mother. “There will be plenty to celebrate between now and then. First movements, nursery preparations, choosing names…”

“Names,” Selina mused. “We haven’t even discussed names yet.”

“Plenty of time for that,” Rowan said, his arm tightening around her waist. “Though I confess I’ve always been partial to family names.”

“Not Gerald, I hope,” Felix said with mock horror.

“Definitely not Gerald,” Rowan replied firmly, earning chuckles from the group.

“What about you, Felix?” David asked, settling Lily more comfortably in his lap. “When will we be celebrating your engagement? Surely there’s some lady who’s caught your eye?”

Felix groaned dramatically. “Not you too. I get enough of this from my mother.”

“You can’t remain a bachelor forever,” Robert pointed out. “At some point, you’ll need an heir.”

“Why? I have a perfectly good younger brother who’s already produced two sons. The line is secure.” Felix waved his hand dismissively. “Besides, I’m far too selfish to make any woman happy. I prefer my freedom.”

“Famous last words,” Matthew said with surprising boldness. “I said the same thing not six months ago.”

“Yes, but you fell in love with an astronomy enthusiast who shares your interests,” Felix countered. “I, on the other hand, am interested in wine, cards, and avoiding responsibility. Not exactly qualities that inspire matrimonial devotion.”

“You might be surprised,” Georgiana said gently. “The right woman has a way of changing a man’s priorities.”

“Speaking from experience?” Felix grinned at Robert, who had the grace to look sheepish.

“Indeed she is,” Robert admitted. “I was convinced marriage would be the death of my freedom. Instead, it gave me everything I didn’t know I wanted.”

“How nauseating,” Felix said cheerfully. “Please, continue. I find these displays of domestic bliss endlessly entertaining.”

“Mock us all you like,” Isabella said, adjusting baby Lily’s bonnet. “But someday you’ll understand. When the right person comes along, all that supposed freedom will feel like loneliness.”

“Philosophical insights from the woman who once swore she’d rather become a spinster than marry a boring country squire,” David teased his wife.

“I never said you were boring,” Isabella protested. “I said you were sensible. There’s a difference.”

“A boring difference,” David replied, ducking when she swatted at him.

As the afternoon wore on, the mood stayed light.

They shifted easily between teasing and talk of more serious things.

Little James shared an animated story about his pony and insisted it was the fastest in all of England.

Beatrice took a few unsteady steps across the blanket, wobbling her way into Georgiana’s arms.

Baby Lily slept through most of it, waking just long enough to be fed and snuggled before drifting off again.

By the time the sun dipped low and the shadows stretched across the lawn, their guests had started to say their goodbyes. There were hugs, promises to write, and firm requests for updates on the baby.

“Thank you for today,” Selina said, walking beside Rowan as they saw their friends to their carriages. “It was exactly what I needed.”

Georgiana hugged her tightly. “The first of many, I hope. There’s something about celebrating life with people who’ve walked through fire with you.”

Once the last carriage disappeared down the drive, Selina and Rowan lingered on the front steps of Aldermere Hall. The sky was streaked with gold and soft violet. Everything felt still.

“Happy?” Rowan asked, sliding his arm around her waist.

She leaned into him. “Completely. Though I’ll admit I’m tired. This whole growing-a-person business is hard work.”

“Then we should go to bed early,” he said, his voice lower now, more intimate. It made her stomach flutter.

She smiled. “I was hoping you’d suggest that.”

Inside, their rooms were already lit. Candles flickered softly, casting golden light across familiar walls. Rowan gave a quiet word to the footman, then closed the door once the servants had gone.

He turned to her, eyes searching her face.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

“You have,” she said, breath catching as he reached up to remove the pins from her hair. “But I never get tired of hearing it.”

Her curls spilled over her shoulders. His fingers sifted through them slowly, reverently.

“Beautiful,” he whispered. “Glowing. Everything.”

She touched her belly. It was still flat, but not for long. “I won’t be for much longer. I’ll be round and sore and probably unbearable.”

He covered her hands with his, eyes warm. “And I’ll love every second of it. Every change. Watching you carry our child… I can’t think of anything more incredible.”

The raw awe in his voice brought tears to her eyes.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“And I love you. Both of you,” he added, gently brushing her belly. “With everything I am.”

His kiss was soft at first, full of wonder and gratitude. She leaned into it, letting it anchor her, warm her from the inside out. The world faded until there was only him.

Only this.

His hands moved slowly, tracing the shape of her as though reacquainting himself with every inch, every curve. He kissed her again, deeper this time, his body pressing gently against hers as he guided her back onto the bed.

Selina’s hands slid beneath his shirt, fingers skimming the warm, familiar skin of his back.

He groaned softly against her mouth, and the sound sent a shiver through her.

He broke the kiss only to move lower, brushing his lips along her throat, then over her collarbone, taking his time as if they had all night.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, his voice rough with need. “You always have been, but now, you take my breath.”

She cupped his face, pulling him back to her for another kiss, her thumb brushing along his cheek. “I love you,” she breathed, and the truth of it hung between them, bright and steady.

He made his way down her body, kissing the soft swell of her breast, the dip between her ribs, the gentle rise of her belly. His hands never stopped moving, stroking her skin as if she were something sacred.

When he came back up to kiss her again, his eyes met hers, dark with want, but full of care.

“Tell me you’re ready,” he said, voice barely more than a breath.

She smiled. “I’ve never been more ready.”

He kissed her again, slow and deep, his hand gently curling around her hip as he moved closer. With slow, deliberate care, he guided himself into her. Selina moaned, feeling the length of him. His hips moved, and she clutched at his thighs.

She grew wetter as he slid deeper. Her nails curled into his skin as he rocked deeper, until she no longer knew where she ended and he began.

He drove deeper into her, his breath rough against her ear. “Am I hurting you, my love?”

Selina’s answer was to pull grasp his hips and pull him deeper into her. His hips rolled with deep thrusts, and with a cry torn from her lips, Selina shattered, ecstasy pulsing through her core.

Rowan groaned her name, his thrusts quickening before he buried himself deep and shuddered his own release.

For a long moment, they remained tangled together. Selina clung to him, never wanting this moment to end.

Much later, wrapped in the quiet of their room, Selina lay with her head on Rowan’s chest. One of his hands rested over her stomach, the other wrapped around her shoulder. His touch was steady, grounding.

She traced a small circle on his skin. “Are you happy?”

“More than I know how to say,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I used to think happiness was something other people found. Something fragile. Now I know it’s something you build, little by little.”

She smiled against his chest. “No regrets?”

He was quiet a moment.

“Just one,” he said, and she held her breath.

“That it took me so long to believe I deserved this. To believe I deserved you.”

She lifted her head. “You do. You deserve all of it.”

“I have it,” he said, pulling her closer. “Right here.”

Outside, Aldermere slept beneath a sky full of stars. Inside, two hearts beat in quiet rhythm, side by side. The worst was behind them. The future, wide open and full of promise, waited just ahead.

Their story wasn’t ending.

It was just getting started.

The End?