Epilogue

EPILOGUE

“Ithink it’s wonderful. I always said he was the right man for you, Sophia. The house party was the perfect place to make the match. I knew it would work. And how fortunate to think we’re no longer to be troubled by Henry, either. I trust Jasper told you the two of us made certain of that?” Ethan said as they rode in his carriage towards Weston House later that day.

Sophia nodded, amused by her cousin’s words, though having no desire to argue. The past was the past. There was no point in arguing over it. She was willing to forgive Ethan for his failings, knowing she had now found the happiness she had longed for.

“He did, yes. And I’m sure Henry won’t have any trouble in making alternative arrangements for himself,” Sophia replied.

Her cousin raised his eyebrows. “He’s lucky Jasper didn’t ruin him after what he did. But let’s not dwell on such things,” he said, and Sophia smiled.

“No, let’s not. It’s you we need to be concerned about now, isn’t it?” she said, and Ethan looked at her in surprise.

“Me?” he asked, and now Sophia’s mother interjected.

“Do you know, Sophia, I was thinking just the same thing only this morning. You’re the heir, Ethan. You need to be married – and soon,” she said.

Ethan looked somewhat uncomfortable at having the tables turned on him like this, but Sophia could see nothing unreasonable in the suggestion. It was high time her cousin married and produced an heir. The line – her father’s line – depended on it.

“Mother’s right, Ethan. We should start looking immediately. You’ve done so much for me – playing matchmaker. It’s high time I did the same for you. I’ve been thinking, the Gibson ball was the perfect opportunity to meet eligible women. We should make arrangements to attend other balls, and make it known you’re looking for a match,” Sophia said, warming to the idea, and knowing just how uncomfortable it was making her cousin feel.

“Yes, well… all in good time, I’m sure,” he said, and Sophia smiled.

“Oh, yes, all in good time,” she replied.

When they arrived at Weston House – just as dusk was falling – they were greeted by a welcoming party of Jasper, Penelope, and the Dowager Duchess.

Jasper had gone on ahead on horseback to break the news of the engagement to his mother and sister, and there was much excitement as Sophia climbed down from the carriage. She had been somewhat nervous at seeing Penelope again, knowing the opinion her friend had surely formed of her since their last encounter. But it seemed any previous ill-will was gone, replaced with the delight of welcoming her sister-in-law-to-be.

“Oh, Sophia. I’m so excited. I can’t tell you how wonderful this is!” Penelope exclaimed, throwing her arms around Sophia, and kissing her on the cheek.

“We knew it, didn’t we? We knew you’d be the one, Sophia,” the Dowager Duchess said, and she, too, kissed Sophia on the cheek, squeezing her hand as she did so.

Now came the reunion between the two mothers, and it, too, was the happiest of occasions. Sophia and Jasper smiled at one another, watching as their mothers berated one another for their remaining apart for so long.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you, Emily,” Sophia’s mother exclaimed, and Jasper’s mother said the same, ushering her friend into the house, as the others followed.

“I’m so happy for you both,” Penelope said, taking Sophia’s arm in hers, and Sophia turned towards her and smiled.

“And I’m happy you’re happy. I was worried… well, I thought you’d think rather badly of me,” she said, but Penelope shook her head.

“Nonsense. It was Henry’s lies that caused this. You’re not to blame, Sophia. And besides, it’s all in the past now, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re here. Jasper’s here. And we’ve got a wedding to plan,” she said, leading Sophia inside.

Returning to Weston House was like a homecoming. There was a familiarity to the place, and Sophia could not have felt happier to have been there. She thought back to the first day of the house party – filled with uncertainty and trepidation, her first impressions of the Duke, and the opinions she had formed. But Penelope was right. It was all in the past, and none of it mattered anymore.

That evening, they stayed up late, despite the long day they had spent together, and it was agreed there should be no time lost in making arrangements for the wedding.

“We can invite a few people – not too many. Lord and Lady Trellis, Sir Arthur Knight, Aunt Helen, and Aunt Nora,” Jasper’s mother said.

Jasper raised his eyebrows, but it seemed he had no choice but to agree, and a date – the coming Saturday – was decided.

“But aren’t there formalities? The banns to read, and so forth?” Sophia’s mother asked, but Jasper shook his head.

“The rector’s living is in my land. I’m the patron of the church. If I want to get married on Saturday, I will. Besides, I’ve already arranged it with the Archbishop – he and my father were friends. Some good, at least, can come out of my father’s legacy. He’s granted us a special license – I took the liberty of arranging it beforehand,” Jasper said, and Sophia smiled.

She could not think of anything she wanted more, and the fact of Jasper’s haste, only made the whole thing more exciting.

“Isn’t it amazing what a few ribbons and a trim of lace can do to a dress?” Penelope said, stepping back to admire her handiwork.

It was the day of the wedding, and there had been no time to order a new dress or make one themselves. Sophia was wearing one of her own dresses, and Penelope had attached a trim of lace to each cuff and tidied up the neckline. Sophia’s hair was tied up with red ribbons, and she was wearing a brooch her mother had given her, and pearls belonging to the Dowager Duchess.

“It looks lovely, Penelope. Thank you so much,” Sophia said, and Penelope smiled.

“You’re my sister now, it’s the least I could do,” she said, and Sophia smiled back at her in the reflection of the mirror on the dressing table.

“It was very kind of your mother to give me these pearls. I hope I’m not taking an heirloom from you. Won’t she want you to wear them on your wedding day?” Sophia asked, and Penelope blushed.

“Well… I don’t yet have a wedding day, do I? Besides, I have my grandmother’s pearls to wear. They were a gift on my eighteenth birthday. My mother wanted you to have them. And they look so pretty on you. You make them look pretty, Sophia,” Penelope said, smiling back at her.

“But what about you, Penelope? Isn’t there someone?” Sophia asked, and Penelope turned away in embarrassment.

But Sophia did not want to embarrass her. She was asking out of genuine hope – and concern. Penelope was such a delightful woman – witty, charming, intelligent, and ever so pretty. She deserved to know the same happiness as Sophia now did – the same happiness as any young woman deserved.

“Well… there is, yes,” Penelope replied, blushing again as Sophia turned to look at her curiously.

“Is he here now?” she asked, pressing Penelope for an answer.

A number of guests had arrived the evening before, and amongst them was Peter, for whom Sophia knew Penelope had a weakness.

Penelope nodded. “Oh… all right, it’s Peter. He and I… well, it’s very early, isn’t it? But… I like him, and I think he likes me, too,” she said, and Sophia smiled.

She was glad to hear this, and she knew Jasper would be, too. They had talked about Penelope’s prospects in the previous days on their walks, and Jasper had told Sophia of his hope that Peter would do the right thing by his sister.

“How could he not?” Sophia replied, just as a knock sounded at the door.

It was her mother, coming to tell them the carriage had arrived and was waiting for them. With their final preparations complete, Sophia and Penelope made their way downstairs, finding Jasper’s mother waiting for them. The Dowager Duchess was dressed in a flowing blue dress, and a large bonnet on her head, and she beamed at them as they came to the bottom of the stairs.

“Oh, my darlings, how wonderful! Don’t you both look beautiful?” she exclaimed, and Sophia and Penelope smiled at one another, trying hard not to laugh at her over-exuberance.

But it was a day for laughter, a day for joy, a day for all the happiness that was theirs, and making their way outside, they found the carriage waiting for them, decked in flowers, and pulled by liveried horses.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Penelope exclaimed as a footman helped them each to climb in.

At that moment, the front door of the house opened, and Sophia’s mother – whom, to her embarrassment, Sophia had forgotten about – came hurrying out.

“Don’t go without me,” Caroline exclaimed as she climbed in next to them.

“Where have you been, Caroline?” Jasper’s mother asked, and Sophia’s mother fumbled in the pockets of her dress, before pulling out a small box.

“I had to find this. It’s for you, Sophia,” she said, holding the box out to Sophia, who took it curiously and opened it.

Inside was a gold band – a ring – and Sophia took it out, slipping it onto her finger and smiling.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, and her mother smiled back at her.

“Do you like it? Your father gave me it as a gift – an engagement ring. Your own engagement to Jasper was so swift. But I wanted you to have it. I think it’ll fit you,” Caroline said, and Sophia held it up for her mother to see – it fitted perfectly.

Sophia and her mother had put their differences aside. Her mother had sided with Ethan over her potential marriage to Henry, but she had been equally quick to realize the cruel manner in which the Viscount had behaved and had sided with Sophia against the possibility of any scandal. It was all water under the bridge, and Sophia was not about to allow past differences to sully the happiest day of her life. The ring was a token – the past left behind and the future awaiting.

“Pearls, a brooch, a ring, lace, and ribbons – you look ever so pretty, Sophia. I can just picture Jasper’s face when he sees you,” the Dowager Duchess said as they pulled up outside the church.

It was a small church, just as Jasper had described, surrounded by trees and with a brook running on one side. There was no bell tower, just a single bell, now tolling in welcome. The walls were whitewashed, the sunlight reflecting off them, and the air was perfumed with the smell of flowers growing all around in the dappled shade of the overhanging trees.

“What a simply perfect, little church,” Sophia said, and Jasper’s mother smiled at her.

“I was married here, too. It’s not as grand as some of the estate churches you might know, but it has a certain charm,” she said.

The rector – a tall man, with white hair, wearing a billowing white surplice and a preaching scarf – was standing at the door, waiting for them, and Ethan now appeared behind him, ready to walk Sophia down the aisle.

“Good morning, Your Grace. Good morning to you all,” the rector said.

“Is he terribly nervous?” the Dowager Duchess asked, and the rector smiled.

“He’s as nervous as any man should be on such an occasion as this,” he replied, and Sophia smiled.

The sound of a pipe organ could be heard from inside, and Ethan now stepped forward, offering Sophia his arm.

“It’s time, let’s not keep him waiting any longer,” he said, and Sophia nodded.

Only a small number of guests had been invited, and as they entered the church, with its smell of flowers and beeswax polish, heads turned to catch a glimpse of the bride.

Lord and Lady Frighton were there, along with Sir Arthur, and the Batley sisters, all of them watching as Sophia made her way down the aisle, her arm linked with Ethan’s, who smiled and nodded to the guests as they passed.

“You got there eventually, Sophia,” he said, and Sophia smiled.

“And you got your business deal – your cotton mill,” she replied.

“And I wish you all the happiness in the world,” he said as Jasper turned from his place facing the communion table at the front of the church, his eyes wide with amazement at the sight of Sophia, who smiled at him.

“You look… beautiful,” he said, and Sophia blushed.

It still seemed like a dream – to have met him, to have fallen in love, to be standing here, about to marry him…

“And you look very handsome,” she replied, looping her arm through his as the rector came to stand before them, opening his prayer book and clearing his throat.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this Congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in the time of man’s innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church…” he said, beginning the opening verses of the marriage service.

Sophia and Jasper made their vows, promising love and fidelity towards one another. In sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, they vowed always to be faithful and to keep the promises they were making. There was no doubt in Sophia’s heart as to the sincerity of what she was doing – and in Jasper’s sincerity, too. She knew he would do all those things he now promised, and more.

“I love you,” he whispered as the final blessing was pronounced.

“I love you, too,” she replied, and leaning forward, he kissed her, as the rector stood back and closed his prayer book.

Arm in arm, the two of them walked down the aisle, and Sophia could not stop smiling, so filled with happiness was she at the prospect of spending the rest of her life with him.

The others now crowded around them, congratulating them on their marriage, and wishing them every good fortune for the future.

“Venus and Neptune, my dear, Venus and Neptune. We knew it to be true. The stars never lie to those who read them well,” Helen said, patting Sophia’s hand with a knowing look.

Sophia smiled, and though she did not entirely believe either Venus or Neptune had had anything to do with the happy moment of her marriage, there was no doubting the truth in the fortune Helen had told.

“Congratulations to you both,” Peter said, placing his hand on Jasper’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Peter. You’ve always been the best of friends to me, and I hope it won’t be too long…” Jasper said, glancing at Penelope, who was talking to the Dowager Duchess.

Peter blushed. “Not too long, no, I hope,” he replied.

The organ was playing a merry tune, and the church bell was being rung with vigor by the verger as Sophia and Jasper stepped out into the sunshine. It was a perfect day, a perfect moment, and as Sophia turned towards Jasper, he looked down at her and smiled.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and he leaned down and kissed her.

“Thank you, too,” he replied, and at that moment, Sophia knew that nothing about the past mattered now, and that the future was theirs to embrace.

The End?