Epilogue

Epilogue

The garden was in full swing as friends and servants rushed to get the preparations ready.

Benches were carried while dry leaves were swept up. Candles were being hung from trees while someone checked the lawn to make sure it was pristinely clean.

There had never been such commotion at the house before. It was the only party that Diana was interested in planning.

A year since their engagement, and finally, Diana was standing in front of the mirror, getting ready to be married. She had come a long way since she had met Mark, and he was largely to thank for that.

The people and things that used to bother her before were no longer an issue in her life. Diana had put in the effort to ease her workload so that she could be a present mother for Evangeline.

By the end of that day, Diana would have a family of her own. Something that had been missing from her for quite some time. And she wanted it more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life.

Emma and Anna were on hand to help her make sure that she looked as perfect as she possibly could. They had spent weeks planning the colour of her dress and accessories. It had become almost a weekly meeting between the women. They would get together for tea and cake and discuss another important part of the wedding planning.

Her hair was done up with curls that tucked back, exposing her neck where a diamond necklace nestled into the contours. Anna was doing up the laces of her dress while Emma prepared the small decorations for her hair.

In another room, all of Diana's most favourite possessions were packed and ready to be moved to Blackwood Manor. She was truly leaving her old life behind.

It had taken Diana some time to get used to the idea that she would no longer live in the home she'd grown up in. She had simply always assumed that she would die there.

But as the days rolled on, she learned to let go. And it freed her from so many other emotional struggles in her life.

Mark had made her a healthier and happier person, and she could not wait to see what a lifetime at his side would do to her.

"You look incredible," Anna said. "Nobody could look better than I did, of course."

"I'm afraid that's an argument that neither of us will win," Diana said with a laugh.

"Just wait until I get married," Emma said. "I'll make a bet right now that I'll look better than both of you."

Anna was teasing Diana. She and Hugh had been married just the month before, and the two friends had been in some competition to see who could plan the better wedding. It didn't matter to Diana. Not really.

She had seen how happy married life had made Anna. Her friend glowed with pride and purpose whenever they met and had taken to her role as a wife perfectly. And there was no denying that Hugh was madly in love with her, too.

What mattered was that at the end of it, she would be the wife of the Duke of Blackwood. That she and Mark would spend eternity in each other's company and in love. That was more than anybody could ever ask for.

"Wait here," Anna said. "I've left your shoes in the other room. I'll be right back."

Emma was quieter than expected that morning. Diana was happy to have the time to speak with her alone.

"What bothers you?" Diana asked, turning to face Emma directly.

"I don't know what will become of me once you are married," Emma finally confessed. "It is safe to assume that you will be living at Blackwood Manor?"

"Yes," Diana said. "That will become my new home."

Emma's eyes fell to the ground as she bit back words that she was too afraid to say. Diana wondered just how long the concerns had been bothering her.

"Emma, you know that this will always be your home," Diana said. "I would never put you out."

Her cousin nodded but remained silent.

"I want you to stay on here," Diana said more sternly. "You know the house. I'd like for you to live here and take care of it as if it were your own. I trust you."

Emma looked up at her. "Is that really what you want?"

"Definitely," Diana said. "It would make me so happy if you'd stay here."

"Of course I will!" Emma said with a sigh of relief. "I couldn't imagine leaving this place. In fact, the very thought of it has depressed me for weeks!"

Diana laughed. "I have only one rule. Your parents and sister may not come back here. I do not trust them to be good to this house, and I do not trust them to be good to you."

Over the last year as Diana had been preparing to become a wife and mother, she had trained Emma to be in her employ and help her run the properties. Emma had proven herself to be trustworthy, and it was the best way for Diana to ensure a successful life for her cousin.

They had grown close.

"I'm here!" Anna said, bursting through the door. "And we better hurry. We don't have much time left until they expect you."

Diana had often thought of her wedding day as a child. She had imagined many large and extravagant things, like the weddings she had often read about in books. Mostly, though, Diana had expected to feel nervous.

In every book she read where the character was married, they spoke about being absolutely riddled with nerves, so much so that they felt as though they couldn't go through with it.

That was far from how Diana felt that day. She felt confident in herself and determined. More than that, she was excited to meet Mark down the aisle.

Evangeline entered the room in her dress. She held a basket with rose petals in her hand.

"Will you put these in my hair, please?" Evangeline asked. "I want to look pretty."

"Of course," Diana said kindly.

She sat Evangeline up on the bed and tucked the rose petals in with pins everywhere that she could.

"How are things looking out there?" Diana asked the child.

"Perfect!" Evangeline said. "They even have the right kinds of daisies!"

Evangeline had been involved in the planning where she could. On the day that she'd learnt of their engagement to be married, Evangeline had been so excited that she'd cried. Then, she immediately ran to her room to draw down an altar at the pond. She'd even included the swans floating by in the background.

That's precisely what Diana had done. With some clever planning, she'd got a licence from the church to be married in her own garden. And they'd constructed an altar just like the one in Evangeline's drawing.

A small crowd was invited to attend the ceremony. That was how Diana liked it. That was how she was comfortable with it all.

Emma and Anna had already prepared to head down and stand in wait for her. Diana had asked Evangeline to accompany her down the aisle, considering her own father could not do it. The young girl had gladly accepted.

"Are you ready?" Diana asked.

Evangeline checked her appearance once more and nodded. "Yes."

Diana held out her hand and led Evangeline down the stairs and towards the garden. Her footsteps were slow despite the fact that she really wanted to run.

Diana was so eager to be Mark's wife that every passing second was like agony to her. It felt as if it had taken a lifetime to get to that day.

Finally, she made her way down the garden and towards the pond. There, accompanied by the perfect backdrop of blue skies and gliding swans, the Duke of Blackwood awaited her in his best suit. The sight of it took Diana's breath away.

On rows of benches, their closest friends and family waited eagerly for her to make her way down to him. She did not see them. All Diana could see was him and the future they were so close to having.

Evangeline held her hand tightly as they made their way to the altar. Once there, the young girl found Anna, who stood with her as they watched what would be the happiest day of Diana and Mark's life.

The ceremony started, and Diana barely heard a thing. She stared into Mark's eyes and felt her entire world fall away.

She waited out the moments, holding still so that she could not possibly do anything to delay it. Then she prayed that she would not wake up from the dream she was in then. It felt as if it couldn't possibly be real and true.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

The words rang in her head as a small applause rang out around them. That was it. They were bound together forever then. She would be known as the Duchess of Blackwood, wife to Mark Goldenthorn.

Diana smiled so much that day that her cheeks hurt. They had a small reception in the garden, too, where food and drinks were passed around while everybody celebrated. And when they were finally on the dance floor, Diana snapped out of it.

They were married; there was nothing more to wait for. Her new life would begin right then.

Mark held her so close to him that there was no gap between their bodies as they danced then.

"You have made me the happiest man alive today, Mrs Goldenthorn," he said softly in her ear.

"I like the sound of that," she teased.

Every table at the reception was filled with daisies grown in her garden. Servants carried out continuous plates of food while they danced and enjoyed each other's company. Evangeline danced, too, and told everybody stories about the wedding planning and the plans she had now that she had a new mother. It was far from what Diana had always imagined as a child, but it was the perfect wedding for her.

And he was the perfect husband.

"What do you say we sneak away from here?" he finally asked.

"I say that sounds like an excellent idea," she answered.

Mark took her hand and led her into the house. They could go where they pleased now and without a chaperone. They could do what they pleased as well. Diana laughed as Mark pulled her into the sunroom and closed the door behind them.

She collapsed onto a chair and sighed. "I think I've danced too much already," she confessed. "Either that or these are just terrible shoes."

Mark bent down near her and reached under the hem of her dress, where he slipped her shoes off her feet.

"Oh, we're barely married, and already you spoil me," she teased. "I'd be careful if I were you. I'll expect you to keep this up, you know."

Mark laughed and joined her on the seat. She sat together, hand in hand, until he wrapped his arm around her. So close to him she felt as if a warm glow blossomed inside her. She felt safe in his arms, as if nothing in the world could ever touch her.

"Remind me to buy Spot a steak," he said as she nestled into him. "If it weren't for him running off, none of this would have happened."

"I suppose that's true," Diana agreed.

"You know you leave me with a predicament now," he said. "How am I ever supposed to get any work done knowing that you're constantly in the house?"

Diana laughed. "That's for you to figure out. Because if you think even for a moment that I'll be leaving you alone, you've misunderstood me entirely then.

They then shared a moment of peaceful quiet as husband and wife. In each other's arms, they could say nothing at all and yet understand each other perfectly. There was nobody around who had to keep an eye on them.

Mark and Diana were free to be together. From inside the sunroom, they could hear the laughter and conversation from outside where the wedding guests celebrated their nuptials. It was the only party Diana had ever enjoyed attending.

The following day they were set to take a trip out to the countryside, just the two of them. There, they would celebrate in private together for a week. Diana very much looked forward to it. She had not been able to take a holiday in many years.

"I suppose we can't sit here forever, can we?" Diana asked. "They'll start to wonder where we went."

"Let them wonder," Mark said.

He placed a gentle finger underneath her chin and tilted her head up to face him. Then, he closed the distance between them until there was nothing at all. Mark pressed his lips against hers, and they shared their first kiss.

An excited, buzzing feeling burst through Diana's stomach, and they kissed. His lips were soft, and he tasted ever so slightly of brandy. Her hand reached up to rest on his chest as they kissed deeply. It was a moment she wanted to cherish forever.

She took a deep breath, drinking him in as they pulled their bodies towards each other. There was a kindness, a gentleness to their kiss that seemed to soften the very fabric of reality around them.

"I don't think I want to go back there anymore," she finally whispered, breaking away from him for just a moment.

"Then let's stay right here," he suggested. "This is perfect."

She leaned up to kiss him then, as gently as he'd kissed her. Their lips met, and again, she felt the excitement fill her up. What made her most excited was that she knew she could be that way with him every day of their lives.

There, in the privacy of the sunroom, they kissed until the sun had long set on the horizon and most of the wedding guests had already left. Neither of them would ever be alone in their lives again.

THE END