EPILOGUE

One month later…

Nicholas stood in the church with all of his friends and family before him and could not believe where his life had led him.

He was impossibly happy. Happier than he had ever been. Since Clarissa had accepted him, the joy in his heart had only increased day by day.

As the organ began to play and the congregation stood, he held his breath.

Clarissa appeared at the bottom of the aisle, standing beside Lord Crompton. He had trimmed his hair and eyebrows to a more socially acceptable style in the last week or so, and he looked proud and handsome beside his daughter.

Clarissa was a vision. He could not take his eyes off her. Her long honey-blonde hair was tied about her head and adorned with white flowers and pearls. The dress she wore was intricately decorated with silk and beading that sparkled as she walked. She looked open and happy, and as her eyes met his, she smiled that dazzling smile he adored.

He watched her eyes glance about the church as she approached him. They soon settled on her sister Catherine, who sat in the congregation with her husband and their young boy.

After the whirlwind of their engagement, Clarissa had spoken to Nicholas at length about her fears for her sister. She had been adamant that she wanted to find her, for good or ill.

They had spoken endlessly about how she might raise the topic with her parents. Clarissa was terrified of causing them more unhappiness, and the last thing she wanted was to begin a fresh scandal.

In the weeks following their betrothal, a part of her had always been missing somehow. She was incredibly happy but just a little sad. After watching her wrestle with it for many days, Nicholas finally took it upon himself to open the topic to her parents. It had been an unpleasant prospect. He had sat in the drawing room, nerves raging in his stomach, but determined to get it settled once and for all.

Lord and Lady Crompton had been uncertain and nervous about speaking of their eldest daughter. Lady Crompton particularly had been civil to him during the discussion, but only because of her eagerness for the wedding. He knew she hated discussing Catherine, and he had only continued to do so for Clarissa’s sake.

After many days of back and forth, Clarissa had agreed with her father that they would make inquiries in Italy as to their whereabouts. He had watched her heart break a little further as they had recovered Catherine’s address relatively easily. He knew it had hurt Clarissa to think that over all these years, they might have found her sooner.

Their reunion, when it came, had been swift and turbulent. Clarissa had been beside herself to see Catherine again. Her initial letter had been answered instantly, and it was not long before their ship was arriving in London. As they stood on the dock in the chilly January air and waited for her arrival, Clarissa had been positively vibrating with wild excitement.

Nicholas had recognized Catherine immediately. An elegant lady with Clarissa’s features and dark brown hair was suddenly before them, and the tears that had flowed that day had not just been between the ladies. Nicholas had felt quite overcome to see Clarissa’s world complete once again.

The joy of all the family when they were introduced to Edgar had been unmatched. Mr Harrison was a gentile, quiet sort of fellow, but Nicholas had liked him immediately. Nicholas could hardly judge a man on his past, after all.

He let out a long breath as his bride finally reached him. Up close, she looked even more breathtaking, and his heart fluttered nervously as he smiled down at her.

“I am unworthy of you,” he said with a catch in his voice.

She took his hand, squeezing it gently. “We are worthy of each other,” she said forcefully, and he could not help but smile.

How I love her. I never believed I could love anyone so much.

His wife would be a pillar of strength for all he had to face in this world. It had never been clearer to him than at this moment.

Nicholas caught Rosemary's eye. She was sitting at the front of the church and grinning at him with much glee. His aunt sat beside her with Lady Crompton, both of them dabbing at their eyes and glowing with pride.

Behind them, Nicholas saw Henry and Emily. Not long after they announced their own betrothal, Henry had shocked Nicholas beyond all expectation by telling him he was in love—and with Emily Crompton, no less.

Clarissa had not been so surprised, and much joy had been felt by all that Emily, a sweet and kind girl, would never be tainted by the scandal that had dogged the Cromptons for so long.

As Nicholas turned to the priest, holding Clarissa’s hand in his and feeling the depth of emotion that only she could trigger in him, he believed himself to be the happiest man in the world.

***

After the ceremony, the wedding party returned to Crompton Manor, where Lady Crompton had outdone herself with the lavish wedding breakfast.

Nicholas was getting used to Lady Crompton’s somewhat severe nature. He had learned from Clarissa that she was a guarded woman, but once you had won her favour, you never lost it. The atmosphere was one of joy and excitement as everyone gave a toast to the happy couple.

Nicholas had never seen Clarissa looking more beautiful and he told her so just to see her blush. They could not stop touching one another as they walked about the guests. Nicholas’s hand was rarely empty, always searching out Clarissa’s as they talked happily together as man and wife.

“Have you heard the rumour that is going around?” Clarissa asked him in a quiet moment. He was pouring her a fresh glass of punch and looked up in surprise.

“Dearest, I did not think you held with rumours,” he said teasingly as she rolled her eyes at him affectionately.

“Lady Wilde has moved to Scotland with a wealthy widower,” she said, her lips a little tight. Nicholas immediately handed her the glass of punch and pulled her to his side.

“Is that so?” he asked, feigning interest.

“It does not intrigue you?”

“Not in the slightest,” he said evenly. “The woman was a nuisance and constantly interrupted me when I was trying to speak to you.” He said happily and watched adoringly as she laughed at him with light in her eyes.

“She has secured the marriage she missed in you,” Clarissa concluded.

“She did not miss me, for I was never aiming in her direction,” he said blithely, placing a kiss on her head and hugging her to him all the more tightly. “And thank God, for I would not be without you. How else will I ever win at charades?”

She hit him playfully on the arm and then they were interrupted by Edgar who always wanted his new aunt’s attention.

As the festivities continued and the whirlwind of guests ebbed and flowed, Nicholas was desperate for some time alone with his wife. It seemed she shared his thoughts as they both quietly gravitated toward the terrace, hand in hand.

The guests were occupied, and they managed to steal a few moments alone outside. They walked out into the snowy wonderland. The cold had persisted into February, and they had both talked of how pleasant it would be once the spring came.

They stood side by side, surveying the garden, whilst observing the snowdrops at the foot of the trees bobbing their delicate heads in the gentle zephyr. Nicholas could not imagine a better future or a better person to share it with.

He glanced at the milling guests behind him and then turned to face his wife.

“I love you, my darling,” he said solemnly, and she smiled up at him.

“I love you, too. More every day.”

He leaned down and captured her lips with his own and just as he did so, the snow began to fall again. As she pulled back from him, he was finally able to see the snowflakes settling on those long, beautiful eyelashes.

He could not help the smile that spread over his face as he leaned down to kiss her again.

~The End~

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