Epilogue

One Year Later…

The letter sat in the middle of the breakfast table, waiting to greet William as soon as he sat down to eat.

Curiously, he grabbed it and peeled it open as the maid poured him tea. The seal burst apart, and the words started to jump out at him.

"What is that?" Violet asked curiously as she took a seat beside her husband.

"It is a letter from my associate in the Colonies. It is the sum of money agreed. It seems like your brother is really working hard, just as is expected of him."

Violet fell in to a stunned silence.

"I know, it has come as a shock to me also. But he is doing what we expected of him. Perhaps Paul has learnt his lesson after all."

"Will this truly repay the debt?" Violet gasped. "How long will it take?"

William smiled to himself. He supposed it was time to finally come clean. "To actually repay the debt this way, it would take more than seven years. But I have no plan to actually do that."

Violet furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

William chuckled. "I have been collecting this money for you, if it is what you want. And if there is any money left over, I will send it back to Paul in a year"s time when he will be released from this arrangement. I am hoping by then that he will have truly learned his lesson and he will be able to start again in a decent manner. It will be a hard lesson for him to learn, but I think it is essential for him."

Violet looked stunned. She paled before all the color came rushing back to her cheeks.

"Are you serious, William? That is wonderful news. I am stunned. I never knew that you would find kindness in your heart for Paul again."

William laughed, pleased by his wife"s surprise. "Well, that is why I have also kept Eagleton Manor. If it is a place that he would like to return to, it is there for him. It is not like I ever wanted to punish him, I just wanted him to realize that he has potential, and that there is more to life than gambling. With hard work and time away, I am sure he will learn."

Violet clapped her hands to her mouth in surprise. "My goodness, William, you have truly been far too kind to my brother. I can only hope that he repays you in the right way by living a good life. I do pray that this assists him in overcoming all the challenges that he seems to face always."

She grinned as she threw her arms around William and kissed him, all over his cheeks at first, but eventually finding his lips.

It seemed like she was so pleased with his plan that she could not stop herself from kissing him. This was a surprise to William, but a very pleasant reaction to his secret.

"This is wonderful news," Violet whispered again as she pulled back. "But I do have some concerns. Especially if Paul might end up back in London."

William cocked his head to one side in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I have to admit that I am not sure how good an uncle Paul will be, even with all of his lessons learned. I am not sure I want our child to know him."

Just as William was about to make a joke in agreement, Violet"s hand fluttered down to her stomach. She pressed her hand to her belly and smiled warmly at him.

"Wait, what are you saying?"

He rested his hand on top of hers, trying to see if he could gain any sense of life in there. It was hard for him to tell when he did not know a thing. But the sparkle in Violet"s eyes made his heart race faster.

"I am saying exactly what you think I am, dear husband."

She giggled, and he so desperately wanted to join in, but William was so afraid of getting the wrong idea, he continued to stare at her with wide, shocked eyes, until she spelled things out for him.

"Oh, William, you are going to be a father." She rolled her eyes with amusement. "We are going to have a baby."

William had never seen himself as a father. Aside from producing an heir, it was not something that he had ever really considered, but hearing Violet say those words swelled up an intense emotion in him that he was not expecting.

He liked the idea of small feet pitter-pattering around the home. Of him and Violet being able to share their love with a family. To even being able to tell their children one day how they met and came to be married.

Perhaps on the outside, it might not seem like the most romantic story in the world, but to himself and Violet, it had all led them to find love and happiness. It had led them to a happy ever after that neither of them were expecting.

"This makes me so happy," he admitted while grinning happily at his wife. "I do not know what to say."

"You do not need to say a thing," Violet reassured him as she leaned down to kiss him. "We just need to start planning this new adventure. We are going to need a nursery for our little one, with a crib and clothing."

William chuckled, more genuinely this time. He was finally wrapping his head around the idea of being a parent, and it thrilled him. "I do not think we need to get all that done right now, do we? I am sure we have time."

"Oh?" Violet wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "So what do you suggest that we do now? We have to celebrate this good news somehow, do you not think? This is a very special day for us."

William did not hesitate.

He scooped Violet up in his arms and he kissed her as he walked her towards the bedroom. There was only one way that they wanted to celebrate, and it was behind closed doors…

The End?