Epilogue

"Aaron, old man! I haven't seen you here or anywhere else for a full three months!" Nicholas exclaimed, jumping up from the seat in the clubroom where he had been enjoying a solitary glass of brandy, and clapping his friend on the arm.

"I've been very occupied," Aaron said with a smile, "but I'll join you now, if I may?"

"Occupied, indeed!" Nicholas laughed. "That's a fine way of admitting that you've been busy giving the Talbots the thorough trouncing they deserve and returning as much money as possible to their victims."

"I was not alone in that," Aaron said modestly. "The testimony and evidence provided by Lord Carfax and Admiral Bigelowe encouraged many others to come forward and press charges against Lord Frampton and his children."

"They've fled to the Continent, haven't they?"

"So rumor has it," Aaron responded. "It seems credible enough when all their English assets are being forcibly sold to repay Carfax, Bigelowe and others. They don't want to run the risk of prison as well as social ruin. Still, I dare say Frampton will raise his head somewhere in Italy in a few months, playing his old tricks on Italian aristocrats and foolish expatriate Englishmen."

"There's always someone out there with more money than sense," Nicholas commented. "The Talbots and others of their kind will always find their prey."

Aaron shook his head. "Perhaps you might say that Carfax lacked sense, but Bigelowe and others like him? My mother long ago? No, elderly men of confused minds and vulnerable widows should be defended, not exploited or blamed, Nicholas."

"You are right," his friend conceded. "I spoke hastily. They have been lucky to find a defender in you. How is the old man?"

Now Aaron laughed to himself. He had spent a fair amount of time with Admiral Bigelowe over the past few weeks and grown to like the bluff, old fellow. Being accustomed to his own mother's mental confusion for so long, Bigelowe's occasional time lapses and determination that he must join the fleet were not greatly disturbing.

"Very well, indeed. Did you know the Admiral was even an acquaintance of my father's long ago? His house is now his own once more, and his fortune is in a trust that a reputable solicitor will manage on his behalf. My wife found him an excellent housekeeper, with the added benefit of being the mother of two small boys who would one day love to go out at sea."

"That sounds rather a handful for a man of eighty," Nicholas noted doubtfully, himself still being a determined bachelor for whom even one child would be considered a handful.

Aaron shook his head, knowing better how good Toby and Jack had been for Admiral Bigelowe and vice versa. The children saw nothing odd in the old man at all and thought it a fine thing that he should still wear his uniform, keep a chart of the tides, and look through his telescope each day at all the boats sailing on the Thames.

"Oh, I believe they all spend half their days pretending to be aboard a ship on a long voyage, even roping in the housemaid as the ship's cook or surgeon when needed. Bigelowe has taught the older boy how to read the stars and use a sextant, and both children can now tie a variety of knots. I don't know who enjoys their games the most."

"Rather him than me." Nicholas smiled. He refreshed himself with another mouthful of brandy and then raised his hand to summon a waiter. "Have you ordered a drink already, Aaron? If not, let me get you some of this brandy. It's a fine spirit…"

"Not for me, thank you. You do not seem convinced about the joys of welcoming children into one's home," Aaron observed.

"I am neither a married man nor in my second childhood, like your friend Admiral Bigelowe." Nicholas laughed. "There is no place for children in my life, as I'm sure you can tell, but I'm sensing that there will be in yours."

"One day," Aaron answered briefly. "I hope."

It was more than a hope for him now—it was a longing too deep and emotional to put on a club table with Nicholas. He hoped that Dorothy would one day bear his child not just to give the Duchy of Dawford its heir, but also because that child would be theirs, a part of each of them, conceived with love.

When he thought of such a future, his only concern was how Dorothy might feel when she became pregnant, having previously expressed her fears in that regard.

Before the conversation could go any further, the clock struck seven, and Aaron rose.

"My Duchess is expecting me for dinner at eight. I must leave you now, but do call on us soon, Nicholas."

The two men shook hands, and then Aaron took his leave.

Dorothy came to meet him in the hallway as soon as he walked in through the front door, giving her special, secret smile that she reserved only for him, and usually only in the privacy of their bedroom.

Once Toynton had stashed away Aaron's coat and hat and departed, Aaron took his wife in his arms and kissed her.

"You're looking particularly beautiful tonight, Duchess," he observed, stroking the velvety skin of her cheek and looking into her eyes, where the fire tonight was more lambent than sparkling.

"Am I?" She smiled back, still some secret thought playing at the corners of her lips.

"Although, you looked particularly beautiful to me yesterday too in that pale blue silk dress with the gold sash, or the day before in only your stockings and garters, washing at the stand in the washroom, or the morning before that entirely naked and astride my cock on the bed?—"

"Aaron!" she scolded him in jest, but she still looked around to make sure they were definitely alone.

"Your skin is so glowing, my love. Your breasts are so rounded," he whispered playfully, kissing her lips and then her bosom. "You are the most wonderful wife, and I would give you any gift I have."

Dorothy's eyes filled with desire but were still unusually soft as she took his hand and placed it lightly over her abdomen. "You already have given me something of yourself, Aaron," she said quietly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, allowing his hand to rest where she had placed it, although there was no physical sign yet of her expectant status.

Dorothy nodded. "I spoke to a physician today, but I was already fairly sure before that. Annie somehow knew I was with child when she saw me in the garden weeks ago and we spoke across the gate. She's never wrong, apparently. Something to do with growing up on a farm."

"How do you feel about it?" Aaron asked carefully, not wanting to unnerve her with his joy if she were still uneasy about the prospect of bearing a child.

"I feel wonderful," she admitted, blushing deeply. "A little tired, but happy. Happy that we're going to be parents."

Now Aaron did not hold back any longer, lifting Dorothy off her feet and swinging her around in a circle as he whooped with elation. Kissing his wife's lips, he set her back on the ground and took her hand.

"Mother!" he called as they heard the sound of Mary's and Miss Hughes' voices on the landing upstairs. "We have some good news…"

The End?