Epilogue

EPILOGUE

T he next few weeks passed in a flurry. The accident on the road had had what Hamish diplomatically referred to as ‘mixed results’ — but as far as Amelia was concerned, Taffington’s death was a net good for the area. True to his word, Weatherby came to visit the Laird in person the day after the attempted kidnapping, with Sir Baldric as ever by his side. It was a long meeting between the Laird, his advisors, Weatherby and Baldric, one that Amelia couldn’t bring herself to join — but from the faintly relieved look on Laird Donal’s face when they finally emerged, she had a feeling things had gone well.

Hamish filled her in later, and given how lengthy his description of the meeting was, she was grateful not to have been a part of it. Weatherby was famously long winded even on simple matters, and this one was far from simple. Hamish started by outlining the good news. Taffington was definitely dead, and there were enough witnesses to the circumstances of his death that it would be very difficult to frame the death as suspicious. Of particular note was the near-miraculous survival of the driver, who had managed to leap clear of the carriage just in time, suffering a broken arm and a few cuts and bruises from his fall and being dragged, but nothing that wouldn’t heal in time. They were hopeful that the driver’s testimony would come in handy in the eventual inquest into Taffington’s death.

“Inquest?” Amelia had prompted.

“Aye, there’ll be an investigation into all of this, Weatherby thinks.” They were talking in low voices over a meal in their quarters — it had been impossible to talk in the Dining Hall lately, what with everyone in the Keep eager to hear their version of the story that had flown around the area like wildfire. Hamish seemed a little embarrassed to realize he was a local hero for simply doing what he needed to do to save her life, but Amelia had pointed out that his efforts had been nothing short of heroic.

“What will that mean?”

“It’s hard to say,” he said softly. “Could be a quick visit from a couple of bored members of the House of Lords who ask a few questions then call it a day. Could be a great deal worse — especially if someone gets it into their head that this could be used for political leverage, somehow. It’s a wasp’s nest in London, I don’t mind telling you. But either way, Weatherby’s promised that he’s on our side.”

“It’s the least he can do,” Amelia pointed out, a little ruffled by how easily Weatherby had gotten out of taking the blame for the behavior of his guest. After all, it had been Weatherby who’d brought Taffington to the area in the first place. “I still think it’s unfair that there are next to no consequences for him.”

“Politics is never fair,” Hamish agreed with a sigh. “I’m with you in spirit, Amelia. But at the end of the day, it’s best for everyone to keep Weatherby as Lord here. He has his faults, and we’ve had our differences with him… but, well, Taffington was proof of exactly how much worse it could be.”

“Better the devil you know, huh?” She grimaced, rubbing her forehead tiredly. “A great result for Weatherby. Annoying guest gone, debts cleared, just like that.” Taffington, it turned out, had no heirs, which meant Weatherby’s debt to him had died when he had.

“That’s a good thing for us,” Hamish reminded her. “Freedom from debt means freedom to act according to his conscience, not his wealth. And his conscience, as we well know, is Sir Baldric.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” She grinned. The two of them had been discussing getting some kind of gift for Sir Baldric to thank him for all of his tacit support over the last few weeks — but it would have to be something subtle, not ostentatious enough to draw any suspicion from Lord Weatherby that his manservant had been acting beyond his remit again. They’d tentatively settled on a new cloak — black, of course. With any luck, Weatherby wouldn’t even notice the new addition to his guard’s wardrobe.

The inquest was a worry, certainly. But even the knowledge that yet more unfamiliar Englishmen would be creeping around the area couldn’t put a dampener on the ebullient mood in the Keep and village now that word had spread that Lord Taffington wouldn’t be bothering the locals any longer. The first time Amelia and Hamish returned to the tavern, almost a week after Taffington’s death, she’d been genuinely worried the two of them might not survive the night. Every single person in town seemed to want to buy them each a drink.

To listen to the rumors, you’d have thought that Amelia had killed Taffington with her bare hands — or that Hamish had run him off the road himself. They both tried to correct the more extreme versions of the story, but it wasn’t long before they’d both given up on trying to curb the jolliness of the townsfolk. Let them celebrate, Amelia reasoned. It had been a horrible few months with Taffington and his awful guard stalking the town. Sir Gaunt had been confirmed dead at the same time as Lord Taffington, with word sent to London about both of their deaths — though it was unlikely that any kind of inquest would be conducted into Gaunt’s death. Men like him died every day in far more suspicious circumstances than a carriage accident.

But the best part of the situation came a month after Taffington’s death. In the middle of summer, on the most perfect day Amelia could remember, she and Hamish were married. He’d asked her the very night they’d gotten back from the manor, after they’d thoroughly celebrated their survival in the privacy of his quarters. Still breathing hard from their recent exertions, Hamish had rolled over and asked her to marry him, as simple as that. And just as simply, Amelia had said yes. After all, what was left to stand in their way?

He’d been more than willing to wait — had suggested it himself, in fact, after the initial joy of her acceptance had subsided a little. After all, whatever he might have felt about her predecessor, the truth was that they’d only known each other a short time. But Amelia had shaken her head. What was the use of delaying the inevitable? He was the love of her life — some part of her had known that since the moment they’d met. And she didn’t want to put off pledging herself to him for another minute.

“Besides,” she’d pointed out, only half-joking, “we’d better get married before some new Lord comes in and starts talking about Prima Nocta again. I’m not interested in sharing my wedding night with anybody but you.”

And so they’d been married, in a simple, beautiful service in front of all their friends and family from the Keep. Delilah had been thrilled to step in as her maid of honor, and every single one of the other time travelers were in attendance too, as well as the rest of the Clan, Lord Weatherby and Sir Baldric. And with the ceremony concluded, the celebrations kicked off in earnest. The whole Keep was transformed, with the tables in the Dining Hall pushed aside to clear room at its center for dancing. Every table groaned with food and great kegs of ale, and Amelia could imagine the warm glow of merriment spread right out from the Keep to every corner of the countryside around them.

They danced almost until dawn, celebrating their love as well as their survival, but when Hamish finally leaned down to whisper a question in her ear, the two of them almost ran from the dining hall, giggling like errant children. He swept her into his arms and carried her a few paces until she wriggled free, breathless with laughter as they made for their quarters. There was a fire burning in the hearth and a bottle of wine set out for them to share — a nice touch, Amelia thought, just before Hamish wrapped her in his arms and made sure that wine was the furthest thing from her mind for quite some time.

Exhausted from the night’s merriment and their lovemaking, Hamish quickly fell into a deep, restful sleep. Amelia lay with her head against his chest, savoring the feeling of absolute peace that had descended on her like a blanket. No matter what the future held, no matter what this strange medieval world had in store for her, she knew that she could handle it… and what was more, for the first time in her life, she knew that she would never again have to handle it on her own.

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