Epilogue

TWO MONTHS LATER

"I must admit I never expected your mother to get along so well with Owen's family," Hubert Pierpont said as he and Camilla strolled around the lawn of the country house Camilla and Luella had decided was best left simply called Chesterfield Manor, since any other name they might come up with would undoubtedly be turned into something worse than Moonshine Manor. "I don't believe your mother, Beulah, or Elma have stopped talking since the wedding earlier this afternoon."

Camilla's gaze settled on where her mother was, indeed, chatting with Beulah and Elma, having been joined by Betty Lou, Owen's mother, who'd promptly moved home after Luella sent her a telegram telling her she didn't want to miss out on the excitement happening in Wheeling.

Ada Mae took that moment to join Betty Lou, taking a seat on the bench beside her and bending her head close to Owen's mother a second later, chatting away as if they were finally on their way to becoming friends.

Betty Lou had made a point of apologizing to Ada Mae directly after she returned home, and Ada Mae had responded by inviting Betty Lou to join the whist salon. She hadn't hesitated to accept the invitation and was beyond pleased to learn that, in her absence, the Chesterfields had become a most sought-after family, invited to all the society events in Wheeling and reciprocating with invitations to dinners held outside on the back lawn, ones where Nems, Andy, and a few other men would pull out their fiddles, banjos, and harmonicas and entertain guests for hours, especially when everyone started dancing—something that always lasted well into the night.

"Did I mention that your mother and I have decided to make plans to build a summer house down here?" Hubert asked, drawing Camilla's attention.

"You have not, but ... don't you want to continue summering at your cottage in Newport?"

"We'd rather spend our summers with you. Besides, since you told your mother you've developed an interest in gardening, she knows you won't want to repair to Newport for the summers, which would leave you neglecting your plants."

"Won't the grandparents be upset when you don't make an appearance in Newport?" Camilla asked.

"Considering they told Margaret to make sure we build a house that'll be big enough to accommodate them for a month or so, I don't believe that'll be an issue."

"My grandparents—both sets of them—want to spend time in Wheeling?"

Hubert inclined his head. "I know, it surprised me as well, but I think they're feeling their age and have begun to realize, after seeing how close Owen's family is, that they've been missing out on what's really important in life. They're also apparently of the belief that since Leopold Pendleton, an esteemed Knickerbocker, believes Wheeling is a delightful place to live, seeing as how he'll be living here with Beulah after they get married in a few months, Wheeling is obviously now an acceptable location to summer."

"Huh" was all Camilla could think to say to that, unable to help but smile when her Grandmother Pierpont and Grandmother Rhinelander strolled into view, speaking to Bernadette, whom they'd been wanting to seek out to see if she could fit them into her very busy schedule at her new hair salon.

"You made a beautiful bride today, Camilla," Hubert said, drawing her to a stop and taking hold of her hand. "I don't believe I've ever told you this before, but I've always been incredibly proud of you."

"Even when I turned into a rebellious sort and insisted I was going to marry George?"

Hubert smiled. "I believe I was incredibly annoyed with you at that particular time. Although speaking of George, I'm more than pleased he's been sent back to England with his tail between his legs, as well as delighted that he'll never be welcome to mingle with the Four Hundred again, not after Gideon allowed it to be known what he'd done to poor Eleanor."

"Gideon told me George will probably have to resort to leasing out a few of his homes."

"And curtailing his spending, but thankfully George was never your financial problem."

Camilla released a sigh. "I'm sorry I ever doubted your judgment."

"There's no need to apologize, my darling girl. You were young, and even though I was disappointed over your decision to never marry, if you'd not made that decision, you would have most certainly ended up marrying a man within the Four Hundred. That would have been a shame because you wouldn't have met Owen, a gentleman who suits you in every way, as does this place that's quite unlike the world you grew up in."

Before Camilla could respond to that, Gladys zoomed past her, chased by Cleo and Calamity, El Cid following a few seconds later, although he stopped and rubbed himself against Camilla's skirt, which had her picking him up and giving him a hug, earning a purr in return.

"I'm still not accustomed to seeing a pig meandering about," Hubert said as Esmerelda waddled up to join Camilla, not because she'd become overly fond of her, but because El Cid was nestled in her arms.

Her father grinned when Esmerelda plopped down by Camilla's feet and released a bit of a snort. "It's definitely a different world," he said, shaking his head before he wandered off to join Andy and Nems, who were in the midst of telling Charles and Leopold another one of their tall tales.

"I told you I was right about you being a cat person," Adelaide said, strolling up to join her.

Camilla arched a brow. "Should I assume that statement is soon to be followed by you suggesting I need to make a home for a few additional little darlings of yours?"

"I bet Esmerelda would love to have more cats around," Adelaide said before her eyes took to gleaming. "And you know, I have a feeling that my Puff, a delightful little calico that loves to snuggle, would simply adore Esmerelda, which might improve Esmerelda's surly disposition, as well as leaving her not focusing all of her adoration on El Cid, who isn't what I would call the most affectionate of cats—except with you and Owen, of course."

Camilla gave El Cid another scratch. "Since I have a feeling you're going to turn relentless about the cats, I might as well graciously give in sooner than later." She smiled. "Besides, there are plenty of families around here who'd be happy to take in a few cats, and checking in on your cats would also give you a reason to visit more often."

"Gideon and I are taking on a case in Pittsburgh soon, something about industrial espionage in one of the steel mills, so you'll be seeing quite a bit of me, with or without the cats, although..." Adelaide took hold of Camilla's hand. "We've also been thinking, since we absolutely love Beulah's cabin, that we might buy some land around here and build our own summer cabin."

"That would be wonderful, especially when we can spend lots of time together, wading in creeks, helping Beulah with her garden, and I can teach you how to whitewash a fence."

Adelaide grinned. "We'll definitely be moving here for the summers now because I have a feeling I haven't truly lived until I've whitewashed something."

As Camilla returned the grin, Owen walked up to join them, taking El Cid before he handed her a bunch of daisies he'd clearly picked on his own. He then flashed her a smile before setting El Cid on the ground, which elicited a snort of obvious approval from Esmerelda before she lumbered after El Cid, who was now moving for tables that were groaning under the weight of the feast spread out on them, clearly in the hopes that someone would take pity on him and feed him his new favorite—fried catfish.

"Those are some lovely flowers, Owen," Adelaide said.

"I thought the bride would enjoy them."

Adelaide sent him a wink. "I'm sure she will, just as I'm sure she'd enjoy some alone time with her groom." With that, Adelaide sent Camilla a smile before she wandered away, saying she was off to find Gideon.

"Care to take a stroll with me, Mrs. Chesterfield?" Owen asked as he took hold of her hand and kissed it.

"I would love nothing more."

After tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, Owen began walking with her toward a grove of trees, drawing her to a stop once they were under a large maple, where he promptly leaned forward and kissed her.

The sound of their guests faded away, many of those guests having traveled to West Virginia from New York since Camilla had wanted to get married, not in her family's church in the city, but in Owen's church where everyone had welcomed her with open arms when she'd first arrived in Wheeling.

Reverend Braun had officiated the service and had surprised Camilla when he'd gotten to the part where he was supposed to ask if anyone had any objections to speak now or forever hold their peace. He hadn't asked anything at all, though, simply nodded to Beulah, who'd walked up to stand beside Camilla. She'd then turned to the guests assembled and done one of the sweetest things Camilla had ever seen.

Beulah had announced to everyone that, while she was origi nally supposed to have been given the final say regarding whether she'd found Camilla suitable to join the family, according to Elma, it was up to the whole family to decide the answer to that. She then went on to say that anyone related to the Chesterfield family was to retain their seat if they had an objection to the upcoming nuptials, but stand if they thought Camilla would be a most welcome addition to the family.

Everyone, even those not related to the Chesterfields, had risen to their feet.

"Why do I get the distinct impression you're thinking about something other than our kiss?" Owen asked, drawing back and smiling at her.

"I've always been a lady who can concentrate on more than one thing at a time."

"I've noticed that, but what were you thinking about?"

"The service and how wonderful it was."

"Did you notice that I got rather teary as I watched you walk down the aisle?"

"I did. It made me rather teary in return, although I found myself falling more in love with you at that moment than I was before."

He kissed her again, and this time, Camilla found herself unable to think about anything else because, clearly, Owen was determined to capture her full attention.

"That's better," he said a good few minutes later.

"Indeed."

He took hold of her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers. "Did you tell your mother that Mr. Timken has decided he wants to stay here with us?"

"Mr. Timken already told her."

"And?"

"She says she's fine with that, although I believe she's probably going to want him to assume butler duties for her during the summer months after she and Father build a house here."

"Whatever will we do without a butler for a few months?" Owen asked with a grin.

"I imagine Mr. Timken will find a replacement for himself, what with how he's been busy with finding positions for numerous men who've been injured while working in the factories or mines. He's starting up a training program in a few weeks, one that'll teach these men how to take on roles such as valets, cooks, and even butlers."

"An excellent idea since Charles mentioned he'll be in need of a butler and full staff after he gets his house completed, especially when his mother, Petunia, has decided to move in with him and Luella once they get married."

"Charles told me he's intending on building a very large house, but speaking of parents moving in with their children, are you certain your mother and father are fine with living in the house on Wheeling Island instead of moving here to Chesterfield Manor with us?"

"Mother wants to be close to all the social activities she's now being invited to, and besides, she wants grandchildren and believes she'll get those sooner if we have more time to ourselves."

Camilla blinked. "I'm not even certain how to respond to that."

"Then I shall change the subject to ... hmmm ... nothing springs to mind except ... I've been wanting to ask you something about matchmaking."

"Matchmaking?"

"I've been wondering if you've been missing that, given how many matches you were responsible for making over the past few months."

"I'm not sure I was solely responsible for all the matches, not when it turns out that Beulah managed to get that apple pie recipe into Charles's, Leopold's, and even my hands."

Owen's eyes began twinkling. "Did she really?"

The corners of Camilla's lips twitched. "Technically, no, since Charles just simply helped himself to her recipe box after he de cided he was going to marry Luella, and then Leopold gained access to it by walking into the kitchen while Beulah was making the pie and volunteered to help." She grinned. "And you know how she got it to me—sneaky woman that she is."

"She had Elma sew it into the hem of that apron Lottie gave you before the family reunion."

Camilla smiled. "To give her credit, that was a master move since she knew Lottie would check the pockets and find the recipes there, while also knowing that my guard would be down, thinking Lottie had foiled her, and I wouldn't think to check the hem."

"Meemaw is convinced the recipe, and you taking possession of it, is what had us, as she puts it, coming to our senses and realizing she was right all along about us being perfect for each other."

"I think we would have realized that without the recipe, but since it is a Chesterfield tradition, it probably wouldn't hurt to make certain we always have some copies readily available since..." She nodded to where everyone was gathered on the back lawn. "There's a whole new generation of Chesterfields right over there. I'm thinking that recipe is going to come into play a lot over the next few years."

"And what about people who aren't Chesterfields and don't believe in the power of apple pie?"

Camilla glanced across the lawn to where Nems was speaking with Bernadette, then shifted her attention to Sally Murchendorfer, who was talking to five other Wheeling ladies, none of whom were married or even in the process of a courtship.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I were to nudge Nems along a bit with Bernadette since they truly are well matched," she finally admitted. "And I can't help but think that Sally and her friends are still in need of a little guidance where gentleman are concerned."

Owen grinned. "I had a feeling you were going to say that, which is why..." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a wrapped box, and handed it to her.

"And this is?" she asked.

"Open it."

Biting her lip, she ripped off the paper and opened the box, drawing in a sharp breath when her gaze settled on calling cards, ones that read:

Mrs. Owen Chesterfield

Matchmaker Extraordinaire

Her arms were around Owen a second later as she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his.

"I take it you like the gift?" he asked a good five minutes later as he kept his arm around her and they began wandering their way back to their wedding reception.

"You know I do."

"And you like the Mrs. Chesterfield part?"

"I love the Mrs. Chesterfield part," she corrected.

"And do you also love that you'll be living with me in West Virgina, which I know is a far cry from New York City?"

She stopped walking and smiled. "Beulah recently told me, when we were spending some time together on her front porch, simply rocking back and forth on the rocking chairs your grandfather made, that West Virginia is what she considers almost heaven. She was definitely right about that, because with you by my side, and with us surrounded by this little slice of heaven, I have a feeling the match we've made is only going to become sweeter with age, a match I'm sure you'll agree was always meant to be, and one that will allow us to enjoy this beautiful life we now get to live together."

With that, Camilla gave Owen's hand a squeeze, and together they moved to join their friends and family, Camilla realizing in that moment that she would never be plagued with ennui again, and all because she'd met the man who completed her and made her laugh, and a man who'd helped her discover where her place was meant to be in life—by his side and living in a paradise called West Virginia.