Epilogue

"I can't believe how gorgeous you look, Maggie," Eleanor said as she hugged her. "And I can't believe you're my new sister now."

"It's all feeling a bit surreal," Maggie admitted. "But in a good way."

Sabrina laughed, nudging her before slipping an arm through Maggie's.

"It had better be in a good way. I like that we've got another sister now."

"And she's a sister who's going to be less annoying," Eleanor shot back with a sly smile. "Unlike someone I don't care to mention."

Sabrina stuck her tongue out at her sister, which made Maggie smile. It was strange having gained a couple of sisters now she was married to Adam, but she loved it. She had always wanted a sister but had only had Ben as her brother. Now, she had two younger sisters, who were just as warm and lovely with her as they had been when she was simply a maid. The girls didn't discriminate.

A brief wave of sadness washed over her as Maggie thought about Ben. It was a shame that he couldn't be here, but he would probably be in the corner getting grumpier with the crowds and muttering about how the ton was a pretentious lot.

Perhaps it was a good thing he wasn't here; he would know how to bring the mood down, and Maggie and Adam had just about managed to get a lot of the ton on their side with their union. Plenty still didn't care for what had happened and thought it was a scandal – in a way, it was – but Maggie didn't care about that now.

She let all the comments roll off her back. Lady Banbury always told her to let everyone think what they wanted, and not to care about anyone's opinion except those of her own family. And Maggie's family all supported her, especially her parents. Once they got over the shock, they were more than happy with their daughter's choice of husband.

She had more than enough to make up for her brother's absence.

"I must say," Sabrina said as she looked around the busy ballroom where the rest of the wedding guests milled around, "I'm very glad that Adam didn't decide to marry Lady Phoebe Cavendish. That would have been one of the worst mistakes ever."

"Sabrina!" Eleanor scolded gently. "Mind your grammar. There was no need for the ‘ever' part on the end of that."

Maggie smiled.

"It's fine. Nobody's going to complain, are they?" She winked at Sabrina, who grinned back. "And she does have a point. Your brother and Lady Phoebe were not suited to each other at all."

"Has she actually found a better duke?" Eleanor asked. "I heard from Adam that Baroness Atterbury was going to find a much better duke for her the day he proposed."

"If she has, nobody's heard about it yet. But I'm afraid that things might not be as they planned."

Given how rude and obnoxious Lady Phoebe was – and rumours of how she treated Maggie when she worked for her had circulated around the ton – it would be nothing short of a miracle if she found someone who met her standards and was willing to marry her.

Maggie knew that she should have some sympathy for a girl who just wanted a husband, but she found it hard to do that after how she had been treated. Lady Phoebe was just rotten all the way through, and her parents had never stopped her.

Maybe they would now and mould her into a better person before it was far too late.

They hadn't been invited. Maggie thought it would be too much to invite her former employers after how they treated her. They would certainly lower the mood, sulking in a corner. Adam hadn't wanted that, and he wasn't happy with Lady Phoebe after how she treated Maggie. It could have been a disaster waiting to happen.

If Lady Phoebe managed to find that husband who was ideal for her, good for her. But Maggie was sure that the gentleman in question had to have a very thick skin and a lot of patience.

"Are you monopolizing my wife's time again?" Adam appeared behind Maggie and placed his hands on her waist. "I'm her husband, and I've barely spent any time with her since the ceremony."

Eleanor laughed.

"Well, if you will get spirited away to talk to someone, darling brother. Someone had to look after Maggie."

"I'm sure Maggie's big enough to look after herself," Adam retorted with a laugh. "By the way, Mr Hay had something to ask you two. Why don't you go to him now before he forgets? He's getting a bit merry on the drink at the moment."

"What is it about?" Sabrina asked.

"You won't know until you ask. Now off you go."

Eleanor and Sabrina walked away towards Mr Hay, who was talking to George in the corner. Both of them looked very relaxed, and Maggie could see that Mr Hay was talking to Adam's friend about his business. From what Maggie could gather from spending time with George, he was very interested in business, no matter what it was. He probably had more investments than anyone she knew.

"What was all that about?" Maggie asked.

"Your father was talking about gifting a few of their chickens to us after my sisters expressed an interest in them."

"Chickens?"

"It would keep them busy. They're both really interested in animals, and your father thought it would be useful for us to have our own eggs instead of buying them. He does have a point." Adam slipped an arm around his wife's waist. "Come on, let's go for a walk outside for a moment. It's getting a bit crowded in here."

Maggie's immediate reaction was to ask if this was wise, but then she caught herself. She was married to him now, for goodness sake. She was the Duchess of Banbury. If they wanted to have a moment to themselves, nobody would argue.

Duchess of Banbury. That still sounded odd, but Maggie knew she would get used to it. As far as she was concerned, she didn't care about the title. Adam could have been broke with nothing to his name at all, and she would still love him. It was all about the man, no matter what anyone else thought. He could lose the title tomorrow, and Maggie would still be content with him.

Leaning against her husband, she allowed him to lead her outside onto the terrace. It was a gorgeous day, the late September afternoon still as warm as if it was in the middle of summer. The colours were changing on the trees, giving the leaves a coppery tone. Maggie always loved looking at the trees when they were changing colour.

"Do you realize how lucky I feel right now?" Adam said as he turned to her, slipping his arms around her.

"As lucky as I feel?" Maggie asked.

"Probably that, and then some." Adam kissed her. "I'm just glad you didn't run away from me after everything, and you had every right to."

Maggie knew what he was talking about. Adam had told her everything about what he had done, what had happened for Ben to get into trouble. Once he started, he couldn't stop and told her pretty much everything. While Maggie had been shocked that he had done it and hadn't owned up to it at the time, she understood where he was coming from. It didn't make what happened to Ben any better, but she did understand the situation.

She still loved him. Ben would understand. Eventually.

"Isn't love meant to be about hardship as well?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands. "We're supposed to take everything, whether it's easy to accept or not."

"I have a feeling we're not talking about the same thing," Adam mused with a wry smile.

"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't. It all comes down to the same thing." Maggie kissed him. "I still love you, Adam. We didn't have the best start, and the journey was certainly not ideal, but I like the outcome of it all."

"I can't argue with that." Adam cuddled her close. "I'm just glad that I could have what I wanted for myself for once. If I couldn't …"

"Well, you've got me now. And I'm not going anywhere."

"I'll hold you to that." Adam kissed her nose. "After the trouble it took to make you mine finally, I'm not inclined to let you go."

Maggie would hold him to that promise.