Epilogue

"And now we come the giving and receiving of the ring."

Edith could barely breathe, such was her anticipation. She stood by the Duke, waiting for him to take the ring from Lord Eaveswood. There had been so many words spoken, so many vows already given, so many minutes passing them by, and yet still, they were not yet husband and wife.

How much she longed for that moment!

The Duke of Fairglen looked deeply into her eyes, his gaze tender as he took her left hand in his own. With gentle fingers, he pushed the ring onto the third finger of her left hand, the metal cool against her skin. "With this ring I thee wed. With my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow."

Edith's eyes filled with joyful tears as she looked down at her hand. The Duke's ring was settled there, reminding her that she was now his – and he now hers. Their hearts were joined as one, their lives now entwined together from this day onwards.

"And now, let us pray our final prayer." The clergyman smiled and then closed his eyes, his hands lifting so as to bless them both. Obediently, Edith closed her eyes also and listened to the few words which he spoke. "Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all mankind, Giver of all spiritual grace, the Author of everlasting life: Send thy blessing upon these thy servants, this man and this woman, whom we bless in thy Name; that, as Isaac and Rebecca lived faithfully together, so these persons may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant between them made, whereof this Ring given and received is a token and pledge, and may ever remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to thy laws; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder. As these two here before you all have consented together in holy wedlock and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a Ring, and by joining of hands; I pronounce that they be Man and Wife together. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

"Amen," she heard the Duke say, as she too murmured the same. She turned and then, her arm on the Duke's, followed after him through to sign their marriage lines. The next few minutes were something of a blur, for she was told to sit here and write there, her hand trembling such was her joy as she wrote her name. She could not quite fully take it in, could not quite believe that she was now the Duchess of Fairglen. After all of their difficulties, all of their trials, here she was, her hand resting on the arm of the gentleman she had come to care for so deeply.

"If you are quite ready, Your Grace?"

Edith looked up at the Duke, her heart filled with joy. "I am," she answered, as his free hand set on hers for a moment. "We are man and wife, Fairglen. Can you believe it?"

He laughed softly, then, despite the presence of the clergyman, bent down and kissed her cheek. "It is a wonderful moment, is it not? And I have yet more wonderful things for you, my dear."

Edith, not understanding what he meant, was prevented from asking questions by the Duke sweeping her out towards the front of the church. Before she knew it, she was outside, hearing the cheers and the congratulations of the gathered crowd. Her mother embraced her, her sister too, as well as her aunt. Edith found herself crying for the sheer joy of it, feeling more happiness than she had ever anticipated.

"You are so very blessed," her aunt murmured, as she took Edith's hands in her own. "Your kind heart has brought you a happiness that you truly deserve."

"Thank you, Aunt." Her thoughts going back to the London orphanage, Edith's smile faded. "How is Lilly? I am sorry that I was not able to see her before the wedding."

For whatever reason, her aunt's lips quirked. "Oh, she is doing very well indeed, my dear," she said, as Edith's frown flickered across her forehead. "In fact, I think she will have an excellent future."

"Oh?"

Her aunt pressed her hands again and made to say more, only for the Duke's arm to wrap around Edith's shoulders and catch her attention again. She was tugged away gently to greet Lord and Lady Frankton and, with her heart still filled with nothing but light and happiness, Edith went willingly with her new husband.

***

"I know you are tired but I thought you might like to waken before we reach the manor house."

Edith yawned and sat up, only to blush as she realized she had been practically draped across the Duke's lap as she had slept. "Do excuse me." Reaching around, she touched her hair, realizing that the pins had fallen out of it, leaving it loose. "Goodness, I am so very sorry, Henry. I must look something of a mess and – "

The Duke's lips found hers before she could finish and despite the rolling of the carriage, Edith leaned into it. "You look more than wonderful to me, Edith," he murmured against her lips. "I cannot quite believe that I am taking you back home as my wife. It thrills my heart in a way I cannot express."

Edith smiled softly and leaned back. "I feel the very same way." Her heart quickened just a little as she found herself eager to say more. "No, that is not quite true, in fact."

"No?" The Duke's eyebrows lifted a little but Edith only smiled, reaching up to brush her fingers lightly down his cheek.

"No, because I feel more than that," she told him, nervousness threatening to grasp ahold of her before she could tell him all that she had been thinking. "I believe that I am quite in love with you, Fairglen."

The Duke's blue eyes went wide, his jaw a little slack as he stared back at her. Flushing, Edith dropped her gaze, turning her head away just a little. "Though that is not to say that you must reciprocate my feelings," she said, quickly, wondering if she had said too much or embarrassed him in some way. "Please, do not think – "

"I love you too."

Edith turned her head quickly, seeing the Duke's eyes alight as a broad smile spread across his face. "You do?"

"I do. I love you," he said, grasping her hands and speaking now with fervency. "My feelings for you have grown and grown and grown to the extent that I cannot even breathe without so much as thinking of you. I adore you, Edith. I cannot tell you of how fortunate I count myself to have you as my bride! To know that my love is returned is more wonderful than I ever thought!"

He kissed her again and Edith's heart seemed to explode in her chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, only for the carriage to lurch as it pulled to the front of the manor house, making them laugh as they broke apart.

"Come now," the Duke said, grandly. "Let me take my bride into the house." He stepped down from the carriage, turned to take her hand and as Edith descended, she was met by a most astonishing sight.

"Lilly?" She looked up at the Duke, then back to the young girl who was being brought out of the house by the maid. "Is… is that Lilly?"

The Duke nodded. "It is." He smiled and then wrapped one arm around her waist. "I know how much you care for her."

Edith could barely speak as she reached out her arms, only for Lilly to let out a cry of recognition and wrap her little arms around Edith's neck.

"And we have another," the Duke continued, pulling her even closer to him. "I thought that Lilly could do with a friend to play with."

Edith blinked back her tears as another maid came out, this time with Caleb by her side. The child let go of the maid's hand almost at once and rushed towards Edith, his arms going around her knees. Laughing through her tears, Edith bent down carefully and held him close, breathing him in, hardly able to believe all that she had been given.

"We… we are adopting them?" she whispered, as the Duke reached down to pick up Caleb, holding him tight as Caleb slipped one arm around the Duke's neck, looking as happy as could be. " Both of them?"

The Duke nodded. "Of course we are." He smiled. "I want you to be happy. I want these children to be surrounded by love and here, I know that they shall be." Leaning over, he kissed her gently. "Though I have heard that the building of the new orphanage is going very well. We will be able to have double the number of children there now, so you shall be a very busy Duchess indeed, I think!"

"I do not know what to say." Edith wiped her tears and smiled at Lilly, who had not let her go even for a moment. "This is utterly wonderful, Fairglen. I did not know… I could never have imagined for a moment that you would do this."

The Duke smiled at her. "I love you," he said, simply. "I know that you have more than enough love to share with those around you. It is one of the reasons that I adore you, my dear."

Edith swallowed the lump in her throat, her vision blurring as she took in the two children and the Duke himself, feeling as though every single dream she had ever let herself hope for had suddenly been fulfilled. She could never have imagined that this would be the life the Duke of Fairglen would offer her, could never have thought that this was where she would find herself. They had faced so many difficulties, both separately and together, and yet now, there was more happiness here in this moment that it made all of that fade into insignificance. She turned so that she could stand beside her husband, her head going to his shoulder. The Duke dropped his head and kissed her forehead, but Edith lifted her head at once, silently urging him to kiss her again. He did, the happy tears on her cheeks brushing against his, though when the kiss came to an end, all she could do was smile.

"You mean more to me than I could ever tell you," the Duke murmured, looking deeply into her eyes. "I love you with all of my heart, Edith."

She smiled back up at him. "Just as I love you."

THE END