Extended Epilogue

Six Months Later

“I can’t wait to play on my old pianoforte,” Kitty announced, leaning forward in her seat, eager to get the first glimpse of Langdon House from the carriage. “To think I couldn’t even manage my scales when we left.”

Anna chuckled fondly. “Yes, you’ve certainly come on in leaps and bounds with your music. We shall have to have musicales soon, with you playing for everybody.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t do that,” Kitty said, but she flushed with pleasure all the same.

Kitty had taken up the entirety of one seat with her new hobbies. She had decided that, as a nearly-grown woman of over eight years old, she should start improving her mind by reading.

Reading novels, naturally. The seat was strewn with books, mostly half-read, along with a puckered sampler and a few hunks of thread, and a sheaf of new music which she was keen to learn.

Martha had gone on ahead of them, leaving the family to travel up alone.

Anna and Theodore shared the opposite seat, their arms linked. Anna glanced briefly up at her husband, enjoying the fond amusement on his face as he listened to his daughter prattle on.

A wave of affection washed over Anna. As if sensing it, Theo glanced down at her, and when Kitty was not looking, he gave her a wink.

“Are you glad to be going home?” he asked, his voice low.

“I am, yes. I’ve missed Mama and the girls dreadfully. I even missed London, can you believe it?”

After a great deal of discussion, it was decided that Daphne and Emily would not come out that Season, but the next one, to give them more time to prepare. Anna was glad. There was no sense in forcing girls to marry without discovering who they were first. And, now that the St. Maur finances were stable, and the girls’ dowries were taken care of, what was the rush?

There were more reasons, too. Anna and Theo’s marriage had begun on distinctly rocky ground, and it had felt for quite some time as if they were only courting.

Not that courting couples shared a bedroom, of course, but still. The time away in the Stanleys’ country seat was perfect. It had been an excellent six months, but now Anna was more than ready to return home.

Watch out, London, she thought with a wry smile. The Duchess of Langdon is coming.

They had stayed abreast of the news, of course. Octavia wrote frequently, as did Emily. Daphne less so, but then she could scarcely sit still long enough to write as much as a paragraph. Anna knew that her sisters were well but missing her and that Octavia was sulking at having her first grandchild—Kitty—kept away from her.

Kitty was delighted when she heard that—she had already begun calling Octavia ‘Grandmama.’

It was always a pleasure to see Theo’s face light up when his daughter said that. It felt, Anna reflected, as if they were a family.

Lord Downton was in debtor’s prison. Theo had not put him there, despite his threats, but the man had racked up more debts in an attempt to buy back his home and was subsequently arrested and locked up.

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of Langdon House. Mrs. Haunt, Timmins, and Martha stood on the front steps, waiting to greet them. Kitty let out a shriek of delight and tumbled out, leaving her books on the seat beside her.

Smiling to herself, Anna met Theo’s eyes and moved to climb out next.

It feels as though we’ve come in a full circle.

The house was newly refreshed—dusted, polished, swept, the windows thrown open to let in air, the dust sheets removed from the furniture. It did feel as though they’d never left.

Kitty went racing to the music room, and a few moments later, a simple melody began to play, slowly and hesitantly.

Anna smiled to herself. “She’s getting better and better. She’s going to be truly gifted at the pianoforte.”

When she glanced to her side, though, Theo was not there. He had crossed the room and was standing at the window, peering down at the street.

Anna bit her lip. “He isn’t due to arrive for another hour or two, Theo. It might be longer—you know how travel can be around the docks.”

Theo sighed. “I know. I just… I meant what I said, Anna. I want to patch things up with Henry. I suppose I’m just afraid that… well, I’m afraid that he won’t want to patch things up with me. Harsh words were exchanged between us, once upon a time.”

Anna came to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest and resting her chin on his shoulder. “We’ve arranged it as best we can, Theo,” she said softly. “Henry should be here well before my family and Beatrice arrive. Beatrice will want to see him, but Mama… well, she might be a little cold. We’ll have to be ready to deal with that. We’ll have time with him. Everything will be fine.”

“I hope you’re right. But then, you are usually right.” He turned back to smile at her. “Everybody in London will be saying your name, I can guarantee it.”

Anna pulled a face. “I’ve had quite enough of that. I’d rather just concentrate on Daphne and Emily’s coming out. Emily is too quiet for Society, and Daphne is too loud.”

Theo chuckled. “Amen. For my part, I’m concerned about Stephen. He’s out of the country again, and I never have any idea where he goes. He needs a nice wife, I think. Somebody to settle down with. But then, who’d marry Stephen?”

“I don’t know, he’s very handsome. A little bit of a rake, I suppose, but lots of ladies like that sort of thing.”

Theo arched an eyebrow. “Ladies like you?”

She grinned mischievously. “Perhaps.”

He leaned down to kiss her, and she rose on her tiptoes to meet him. Their lips were almost brushing when Theo abruptly pulled back, turning to the window.

“What is it?” Anna asked, a little disconcerted.

“He’s here,” Theo gasped. “Look, I told you he’d be here early. He’s here!”

Anna peered out the window, to where a hired cab was rolling to a stop before the house. There was a pause, and then a tall, blond, handsome man unfolded himself from the interior.

It was Henry, more tanned and a little more vibrant than she remembered, dressed in the style of a demure, unobtrusive country gentleman.

Another man followed him—dark-haired, dark-eyed, noticeably shorter, with a square jaw and a grim expression on his face.

The two men paused in front of the house, Henry’s face paling with fear. For one awful moment, Anna thought he was going to leap back into the carriage and drive away at top speed.

But no, he summoned his courage and knocked.

Theo let out a ragged breath. “It’s time.”

They greeted the men in one of the parlors.

For a moment, there was perfect silence in the room, the four of them staring at each other. All of Anna’s carefully planned icebreakers and throwaway comments died on her tongue. All she could think of was how terrified Henry looked.

She took a step forward. Henry flinched, eyeing her nervously.

“I can’t believe you’re back,” she said, at last.

“I missed you, Anna,” Henry whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should never have… I just couldn’t…”

Anna crossed the distance between them, flinging her arms around his shoulder. For a moment, they stood still, clinging to each other.

“Welcome home, Henry,” she whispered.

“Are you happy, Anna?” Henry whispered back.

“Happier than I ever could have imagined.”

The tension left Henry’s shoulders. He stepped back, a little color returning to his cheeks, and he glanced across at Theo.

“Hello, Theodore.”

“Henry,” Theo grunted, extending a hand.

Anna caught his eye and glared. Theo pressed his lips together and abruptly pulled his younger brother in a tight, bone-crushing hug.

“Oof,” Henry wheezed.

“Alright, Theo, that’s enough, don’t kill him. Introduce us to your friend, Henry.”

Anna hadn’t thought about a better word than friend, so that would have to do. Henry straightened his waistcoat and turned to his shorter companion.

“Theo, Anna, this is George Mancini. We’ve been traveling together for the past six months and have been friends for a great deal longer than that. George, this is my brother, Theodore Stanley, the Duke of Langdon, and my oldest friend, Anna, the Duchess of Langdon.”

George lifted his chin belligerently and spoke with a faint Italian accent, “A pleasure to meet you, I’m sure. I did not want to come.”

Henry looked vaguely horrified.

Theo, to his credit, chuckled. “Well, well. A man who speaks his mind and tells the truth. A rarity in London, indeed.”

George blinked at that, missing a beat, and glanced up at Henry.

“Theo likes to tease,” Henry muttered by way of explanation.

George shifted his weight and tightened his jaw.

Nerves, Anna realized. Meeting us all like this must be rather nerve-wracking, especially on account of my being Henry’s jilted bride.

How odd it was, to think that she’d once been such a creature. Miserable, humiliated, alone, racing around the streets of London in a grubby wedding dress, her last hope having slipped away.

What a change half a year can make. What will my life be like in a year, or five years?

“Your rooms are ready,” Anna said, smiling encouragingly at George. “They’re side by side in the gentlemen’s wing—Henry knows where that is.”

George smiled uncomfortably. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

“You might as well call us Theodore and Anna,” Theo spoke up. “After all, we’re practically family.”

Henry beamed at that, and George looked more bemused than ever. Abruptly, Henry stepped forward to speak to Theo, the two of them moving aside. Anna turned her back, giving them a little space.

The brothers needed to have a long talk, and they would likely need privacy.

George seemed to be thinking the same thing, shifting from foot to foot as if he were dying to be gone.

“I’ll take our things up to our rooms,” he said.

“Oh, no need,” Anna assured him. “I’ve arranged for your things to be brought up already. They should already be there. And… and George? I want you to be comfortable here. Henry will settle in as if he never left, since it’s his childhood home, but I know from experience that this house can be… well, intimidating if you aren’t familiar with it. I can give you a tour if you like. We have a library, an art room, and a music room. You can stay with us as long as you like when you’re in London.”

George gave her a tentative smile. “That’s most hospitable of you, Your Gr—Anna. I wanted us to rent a room nearby, but Henry wanted to come here. Frankly, he’s talked of little else ever since your invitation arrived.”

She nodded. “I understand that you must have wanted your privacy. It’s good for you to make sacrifices for Henry. Theo wants to fix their relationship, you know. They only have each other, and I think… I think it’s important.”

George exhaled. “I do too. And thank you, Anna. This…” He paused, waving his hand vaguely toward her, Theo, the room—all of it. “… wasn’t what I expected. I imagined it would be worse.”

She reached out, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. “We’re family. Now, let me show you around, and then you can see your rooms. My family and another old friend of Henry’s are coming tonight—we have an announcement to make.”

***

The house was full.

Well, not full, exactly, but it seemed full. There was light, music, laughter, and conversation.

Anna had positioned herself behind the pianoforte to turn the pages for Kitty as she played. Henry sat near the front, beaming at his niece. George sat at one side and Beatrice on the other, both of them whispering to him at once.

Theo sat behind them with Octavia, Daphne, and Emily. They were all smiling encouragingly at Kitty.

The little girl played remarkably well. Not perfectly, of course, but then it was her first exhibition. She finished with a flourish and turned to beam at her family.

Applause broke out, and Anna bent down to kiss Kitty on the cheek. “You did very well, my dear. You were excellent.”

“I played some wrong notes,” Kitty mumbled.

“Well, next time, you will play fewer wrong notes, and fewer and fewer, until you are perfect. That is how practice works, I’m afraid.”

This seemed to console Kitty. She kissed Anna back and then skipped off to sit beside her father. Anna remained on the platform with the pianoforte, waiting for the chatter to die down.

“Before we go in for supper,” she said, feeling a rush of nerves all of a sudden, “Theo and I have an announcement to make. Perhaps it will not be a surprise to some of you.”

She breathed in deeply, meeting Theo’s eyes across the room. Kitty was perched on his knee, and he was feeding her spoonfuls of jelly from a small bowl. He raised an eyebrow, giving her an almost imperceptible nod.

“In a few months—five or six, I think—Kitty will have a baby brother or sister.”

There was a brief pause, then everybody spoke at once. Octavia was on her feet, announcing that she knew it, Daphne and Emily were shouting out name suggestions already, Henry was beaming, Beatrice was beaming, and George was smiling.

Kitty had paused eating the jelly. “A little brother or sister?”

Anna smiled at her little girl. This was the part she had dreaded. One could never tell how a child would react to a new sibling, especially one that had enjoyed eight years of being an only child.

She held out a hand to Kitty, and Kitty came to stand beside her. “Yes, Kitty. I’m not sure which. Which would you prefer?”

Kitty considered. “I don’t think I’d mind. I would like a sister, I think, so that we could be like you and Daphne and Emily.”

“So, you’re pleased about it?”

Kitty nodded fervently. “I always wanted a sibling. It’ll be your proper baby, won’t it?”

Anna kissed Kitty on the top of her head. “Yes, but don’t forget that you are our proper little girl, too. A new baby won’t change that.”

Kitty smiled up at her. “I’m not afraid, Anna. I’m excited. Are you excited?”

Anna chuckled. “Very much so.”

Theo moved across the room to stand beside Anna, his arm snaking around her waist. “A toast, I think,” he said, raising his glass of champagne. “To the Duchess. To Anna, who is too good for me, and we all know it.”

There was laughter at this, and everybody obediently raised their glasses. While they drank, Theo bent his head to whisper in Anna’s ear.

“My study,” he murmured. “In ten minutes.”

A shiver of excitement rushed through her, and she bit back a smile.

I love you, she mouthed as he pulled away from her. Theo gave her a wink and then slipped out of the room.

There was chatter all around her now, everybody wanting to talk about the baby, about gossip, about Kitty’s playing, about everything and anything. Anna smiled politely and tried to make conversation as much as she could, yet she kept an eye on the clock.

Two minutes passed, then five.

Six minutes after Theo had left, she set down her glass of lemonade with a determined clack.

That’s long enough, she decided with a grin.

She slipped out of the noisy room and into the dark hallway, and then padded off to find her husband.

My happily ever after.

The End.