Epilogue

EPILOGUE

" I still think you could have tried the blue one but you do look absolutely beautiful."

Laughter burst from Agnes' lips without thought. It was decided. The Dowager Duchess of Claymore was one of the funniest people she'd ever had the privilege of knowing.

It was a beautiful thing watching Irene slowly become less and less withdrawn as the days stretched on into weeks. She talked more, laughed more, and proved herself to have rather impish tendencies. Of course, that meant that she and Mary were quick to become friends while everyone else was at the mercy of their incessant teasing.

For the most part, Irene mostly teased Johnathan and Christopher and took every chance she was given to talk about embarrassing moments in their childhood. But recently, beginning first when Irene accompanied Agnes, Mary, and Caroline to the modiste for a dress fitting, she'd begun to turn her teasing to Agnes. Agnes considered that a hallmark in their budding relationship.

And my, was she funny.

"I do not jest," Irene sighed dramatically, lounging at the chaise lounge by the window. But her eyes sparkled with humor. "Perhaps I shall purchase that dress for you still. As a wedding present. You look far too beautiful in it for us to simply forget it."

"I fear she will be talking about that dress until you are old and gray." Mary's sigh was laden with fake burden. Agnes saw right through it. Even though the two women had only known each other a short while, they interacted like sisters.

"And what of it?" Irene countered. "Am I wrong in saying that she is absolutely darling in the dress?"

"Certainly not," Mary agreed with a nod. "But she is even more darling in the one she is wearing now. Is she not, Caroline?"

Caroline, who had been watching the back and forth with a mildly amused expression on Agnes' bed, straightened in alarm. "I would much rather not get involved," she said hastily.

"Coward," Agnes murmured, though loud enough for Caroline to hear and was rewarded with a glare.

Neither Irene nor Mary heard Agne's comment and seemed content to accept Caroline's wishes not to be involved. They quickly went back to bickering about the dress. Even the maid styling Agnes' hair could not hold back her small smile.

Soon enough, Agnes decided to stop listening. Her mind began to wander back over the past few weeks after everything had happened. The night of the engagement ball had been one she would not be able to forget any time soon, she knew. The night had begun strife with tension and had ended with a weight lifted from everyone's shoulders. And, to give the people what they'd come for, Johnathan had announced their betrothal the moment they re-entered the ballroom that night.

The fact that today they were finally going to be married felt like a dream.

Of course, her parents had not been as upset at being kept in the dark about everything as they wanted them to believe. Solomon did try his best to be the stern father, trying and failing to intimidate Johnathan.

"If you so much as make her cry, I shall make you regret it," he'd said during breakfast the morning after the ball.

"Agnes is far more sensitive than she likes to make others think," he had told Johnathan the same afternoon while they played chess. "So you must take care to watch her moods and her reactions."

"I cannot believe that she did not tell me," he'd sighed in disbelief later that night after dinner. "You will be the one taking care of her, Your Grace. I hope you know what a privilege that was."

Agnes smiled softly at the memory. Her father would be a mess today she knew, as much as he'd prefer the alternative.

Not to Agnes' surprise, Mary was more excited than dreading. She happily flitted about for the wedding preparations, taking every opportunity she could to state how much she hoped Paul would find a love match as well, much to Paul's annoyance. Agnes could not remember the last time her family had been this spirited. Even Paul took many opportunities over the past few weeks to bond with Johnathan, mentioning now and again how happy he was to have a brother but how quickly he will denounce that relationship if he hurt Agnes. Who knew Paul could be so overprotective?

"I must say, Mary," Irene was saying, breaking into Agnes' reminiscing. "I am happy you decided to host the wedding breakfast. It has been some time since I have hosted anything in society and I was a little daunted by the thought."

"You need not thank me for it, Irene," Mary said gently. They were no longer bickering, it seemed. "I am always more than happy to host an event. Not to mention all your help with the wedding preparations made this quite easy for me."

"Has it? I'm afraid I may not get the chance to do so for some time, since Christopher clearly has no plans of settling down for now."

"Oh, I'm sure he will find his match soon enough."

Agnes doubted it, but she was content to remain quiet. She'd never seen Christopher as happy as he was now that he did not have to marry her. She supposed he was planning on enjoying his bachelorhood for a long time still.

"You are more positive than I," Irene sighed. "But there is always Caroline's." She paused, glancing uncertainly at Caroline. "If she would accept my help, that is."

"I would be honor, Your Grace," Caroline said quickly.

Irene laughed. "You can call me Irene, my dear. I do think it is about time after everything we have been through."

Caroline's smile was bright enough to warm all of England. Agnes was delighted to see it. After learning of what her uncle had done, Caroline had been rightfully upset, even after she'd spent what she'd described as the most romantic stroll through the gardens. It was a lot to handle, Agnes knew. The very same people who had taken her in, people who Caroline had felt a mixture of gratitude and resentment towards, had proven to be the reason she'd become an orphan in the first place. Honestly, Agnes couldn't believe it herself and yet she was not surprised. She could only imagine how it weighed on Caroline.

Which was why everyone did all they could to make her feel better, in subtle ways. Mary, Irene, and Agnes never left her side. Johnathan was always offering her distractions, whether that may be hearing her play the pianoforte to playing chess. Paul talked incessantly about useless things and, being the polite person Caroline was, she didn't dare tune him out.

As the weeks went by, Agnes watched Caroline shed the weight of her pain. It helped to know that Lord and Lady Reeds had been sentenced for conspiracy to murder. Mary had swooped in to take Caroline as her ward, since Caroline had no more relatives willing to take her.

George remained by Caroline's side, of course. A constant presence who had followed them to London and received a position from Mary at their London townhouse so that they could remain close. They couldn't be married. Not yet. Not until they worked out how they would be able to do it without too much scrutiny.

But the support they received was unmatched. Even now, Caroline's eyes swam with happy tears.

"Oh, don't cry," Agnes admonished lightly, smiling. "I do not want to see any tears on my wedding day."

"Oh dear." Caroline hastily tried wiping them away, making them all laugh.

"I doubt there will be a dry eye present when the vows are exchanged," Mary said. "Your father may shed a few himself."

"Father?" Agnes repeated incredulously. "I doubt that."

"Would you like to place a bet on it?"

"Mother, that is quite improper of a lady to do."

"Who cares? It is just us, is it not?"

Agnes sighed, stifling her laughter as she stood. Now that the maid was done with her hair, she was finally ready for her wedding.

"Let us not tarry any longer," she said. "I'm sure everyone is getting impatient waiting for us downstairs."

"They shall have to wait for as long as they need to for you to be perfect. Let me see you." Mary stood and made her way over to Agnes. She held her by the shoulders, sweeping her gaze from Agnes' hair to her feet. "You look absolutely beautiful, my dear."

"Thank you, Mother. Shall we?"

"Aren't you nervous?" Caroline asked as they all filed out of the room.

Agnes shook her head. "I thought that I would be, but I am not to my surprise."

"That's great," Caroline said as they linked arms. Behind them, Mary and Irene did the same. "I do not think I will be nervous when George and I are married either."

"Judging by the way you two look at each other, I am surprised you are patient enough to wait until talk surrounding your aunt and uncle dies down."

"Oh, I am not," Caroline assured her with a laugh. "I am hardly keeping it together. But I know that everything will end well so I am holding my tongue about it." Caroline paused, then added, "I do not think I have properly thanked you for everything you've done for me, Agnes."

"It's nothing," Agnes began but Caroline firmly shook her head.

"You did everything you could to help me, before I even realized what you were doing. When you thought I was in love with Christopher, you did everything in your power to ensure we spent time together. When you learned of George, you did not judge me or try to convince me to find someone others might find more suitable. You simply supported me in any way you could. Had it not been for you, I do not think I would have mustered up the strength to stand up to my uncle and announce my love for George."

"As I said, Caroline, I did nothing," Agnes gently told her. "I always knew you had it in you. It was only a matter of time before you realized it yourself. But I shall accept your gratitude all the same."

"Good, because you deserve it. And you deserve to be happy with the duke. I have no doubt that you will be."

Agnes didn't doubt it either. She wasn't nervous or apprehensive as she drew closer to the gardens, a section of which had been decorated for the small wedding, her heart began tripping over itself in its excitement. They lapsed into silence the closer they came, music already filling the air. The scent of roses was at its strongest this time of the year and served as one of the reasons Mary thought it best that they have the wedding during the fall. Now that the day had come, Agnes was grateful for her mother's foresight.

At last, the small clearing came into view. Agnes supposed she should have paid keener attention to the decorations, knowing her mother had poured sharp detail into it, but the moment Johnathan appeared, she was all he could see. He straightened when their eyes met, his conversation with the priest ending quickly. Agnes watched his jaw grow slack, watched his gaze run down the length of her. He swallowed, ran his hand down his face, and straightened his shoulders. She might not be nervous but he certainly was.

Solomon appeared at her side as Caroline slipped away to the side. "Are you ready?" he asked her.

Agnes looked up at her father, blinking in surprise. His eyes were rimmed red as if he had been crying.

"Do not start," Solomon warned her, facing ahead.

Agnes hid her smile and nodded. "I'm ready."

He took her arm, clearing his throat. Agnes was tempted to tease him but as they began the walk to where Johnathan and the priest stood, her mind empty.

And she could focus on nothing but him.

She couldn't believe that she was finally here. A part of her she would never address thought she would never find the love her parents had, that she would never find her match. But as she stood there, gazing into the eyes of a man who had walked through a storm willing and ready to dedicate his life and love to her, Agnes knew she was one of the lucky ones.

When they arrived, Solomon did not move right away. He held on to her, eyes boring into Johnathan. Johnathan met them without a word. For a few seconds, the men only stood there staring at each other, clearly communicating something that could not be understood by anything else. Then Solomon kissed Agnes on the temples before stepping away to join his wife.

"Should I ask?" Agnes murmured to Johnathan, raising a brow.

"Perhaps later," he suggested. "You look…" He seemed to be at a loss for words, swallowing harshly. Finally, he settled on, "Radiant."

Agnes's cheeks warmed as she smiled. "You look rather dashing yourself."

He took his hand, threading their fingers together before they faced the priest. The priest glanced down at their hands but said nothing before he began.

"We have gathered here today…"

Agnes wanted it short and sweet. She knew he would recite from the Book of Common Prayers, that a wedding was not a short affair. But now that she was here, she wanted nothing more than for it to be over. For her to become the new Duchess of Claymore and kiss her husband like she had been wont to do for weeks. She itched with urge, mentally urging the priest to speak faster. When she glanced up at Johnathan, he was looking back at her as if he could tell exactly what she was thinking and he wanted the same thing.

"Repeat your vows after me," the priest said at last.

Agnes felt her heart pounding against her chest as she faced Johnthan. Gazing into her eyes calmed her. He recited the vows with conviction, like every word he spoke was felt in the depth of his soul.

Then it was her turn and she did the same, needing him to understand just how much she planned to love and cherish him for the rest of her life.

When the priest asked Johnathan if he took Agnes to be his wife, he answered before the priest could get the rest of his sentence out. The onlookers laughed. Agnes hardly heard them.

"Do you, Miss Caroline Agnes Parsons, take Johnathan Harken to love and to hold, in sickness and in death, until death do you part?"

She felt tears prick her eyes, her throat constricting, her heart palpitating as she poured every ounce of love in her body into her next two words.

"I do."

The End?