Epilogue

Two weeks later…

Alden stood in front of Skye’s stall and offered her an apple. The horse eyed him cautiously, her ears flicking back and forth, before finally accepting the proffered treat with a gentle nudge.

He brought his hand up and rubbed the horse’s neck, feeling the softness of her coat beneath his fingers. “Why don’t you like me, Skye?” he asked.

Calen, who was sweeping the stables, chuckled as he leaned on his broom. “Aye, that’s a tricky question, seeing as Skye has only really taken tae Lady Elinor.”

Alden dropped his hand and sighed. “Well, I don’t blame Skye. After all, I am rather taken by my wife, as well,” he said with a hint of amusement. “But it would be nice if Skye didn’t try to nip at me when we all go on a ride together.”

“Give it time,” Calen encouraged, offering him a reassuring smile.

Alden took a step back. “All the other horses seem to like me, especially when I give them apples. ”

Elinor’s voice came from the doorway of the stables. “You poor man,” she teased. “Why are you insistent that everyone has to like you?”

“Not everyone, just Skye,” Alden said with a smile, turning to face his wife.

Elinor approached him, her black cloak trailing along the floor of the stables, the soft rustle of fabric mingling with the quiet sounds of the horses. “Isn’t it enough that I like you?” she asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“You just like me?” he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

She grinned, coming to a stop in front of him. “Perhaps I like you a little more than that.” She went on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he repeated, wrapping his arms around her.

Calen leaned the broom against the wall and cleared his throat. “I’ll give ye two a moment. I have work tae dea on the west fence anyways.”

Once the groom was gone, Alden asked, “Now, where were we?”

“I think you were going to tell me that you are madly in love with me,” Elinor said with a playful smirk. “And how you cannot live without me.”

Alden chuckled. “Both are true.”

“I know. That is why I said them,” Elinor retorted.

Remaining close, Alden said, “I received word from my mother this morning. My family intends to visit us within a fortnight.”

“Wonderful,” Elinor responded, her eyes lighting up.

Alden shook his head with a wry smile. “I daresay you will change your mind once you meet them.”

Elinor gave him an amused look. “I will love them, just as I love you.”

“You love me now?” Alden teased. “I thought you only ‘liked’ me a moment ago. ”

She laughed, the sound warming his heart. “I love you more than the horse farm.”

“That is quite a lot,” Alden responded.

“I know, which is why you should be nice to me,” Elinor said.

Alden leaned closer and kissed her, a slow and gentle kiss that conveyed his deep feelings. “Would it help you to know that I spoke to your uncle’s solicitor and your dowry will be released within the month?”

Elinor beamed. “That is wonderful news. Have you considered where you want to buy up land?”

“I was thinking Kendal.”

Elinor gave him a baffled look. “By my uncle?” she asked, her brow furrowing. “Why would you ever want to live by him?”

“He approached me about selling his country home, being as it is not entailed,” Alden said, his eyes steady on Elinor’s. “I thought you might want it.”

Her eyes went wide. “Are you in earnest?”

“I am,” Alden replied.

In the next moment, Elinor pulled him into a tight embrace. “Thank you, Alden. I can’t even begin to explain what this means to me.”

Alden smiled. “I take it that it pleases you.”

“It does,” Elinor declared.

Just then, the door to the stables opened, and a footman stood in the entryway, looking slightly hesitant. “I apologize for the interruption, but Lady Edith has come to call.”

Alden’s brow shot up. “My great-aunt is here?”

“Yes, sir,” the footman confirmed. “She is waiting in the drawing room.”

Elinor dropped her arms but quickly reached for his hand. “We mustn’t keep her waiting,” she said as she practically dragged him out of the stables.

Once they arrived at the manor, Alden followed Elinor into the drawing room and saw his white-haired great-aunt gracefully sitting on one of the camelback settees. Her body looked frail and tired, but her eyes sparkled with liveliness.

When she saw them, she rose slowly and held her arms up. “My dear Elinor,” she greeted warmly.

Elinor hurried over to her and threw her arms around Lady Edith. “It is so good to see you, my lady,” she said, her voice brimming with affection.

“My lady? Since when have you started standing on formalities,” Lady Edith said before turning towards Alden. “And how are you?”

“I am well,” he replied.

Great-aunt Edith waved him forward with a playful gesture. “Do I not at least get a kiss on the cheek since I gave you a horse farm?”

“Yes, of course,” Alden said, moving to kiss his great-aunt’s cheek.

Once he had done so, he waited until the ladies sat before he claimed the seat next to Elinor.

Great-aunt Edith beamed at both of them. “It makes my heart happy to see you two together,” she said. “I knew the moment I met Elinor that she would be perfect for you, Alden.”

“You did?” Alden asked, slightly incredulous.

Great-aunt Edith nodded. “Yes, and I had to come up with the perfect reason to bring you two together,” she said. “Furthermore, you have always been rather cocky, especially when it came to the ladies, and I knew that Elinor would knock you down a peg or two. Was I right?”

Elinor giggled. “You were,” she agreed.

Alden shrugged, trying to hide his own amusement. “I am a smart enough man not to argue with that.”

Mrs. Hardy entered the room and sat down next to Aunt Edith. “I am happy to see that you do not look worse for the wear,” she said, her words light .

Lady Edith merely smiled. “I meant to arrive earlier, but I had to stop in York to speak to my great-niece, Rose.”

“How is she faring?” Alden asked.

“With any luck, she is married now,” Lady Edith said. “We had a good heart to heart talk, and I hope she heeds my advice. Unlike Cecilia did.”

Mrs. Hardy looked the epitome of innocence. “In what way did I not heed your advice?”

“When I told you that I intended to play matchmaker with Elinor and Alden, I said to make yourself scarce, not dress up like a ghost,” Lady Edith remarked.

Not appearing perturbed by Lady Edith’s chiding, Mrs. Hardy responded, “It worked, did it not? It gave them the opportunity to speak freely.”

The lines around Lady Edith’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “I suppose it did,” she admitted, turning back towards Alden. “My solicitor will arrive shortly with the deed to the horse farm and papers to transfer it to you. I do hope you will take good care of it.”

Alden tipped his head. “ We have every intention of doing so.”

Great-aunt Edith’s face softened with satisfaction. “I am so glad that you two found one another. Love is not something one should take for granted.”

Reaching for Elinor’s hand, Alden said, “I always thought I was destined for a loveless marriage like my parents, but then I met Elinor. I found that she is the one person that I can’t live without.”

“Then my work here is done,” Great-aunt Edith declared, rising. “I need to take a nap from my long journey, but we shall continue this conversation later.”

“Come, I shall show you to the guest bedchamber,” Mrs. Hardy said, offering her arm to Lady Edith.

Once they had departed from the room, Elinor shifted to face him, her eyes shining with affection. “You manage to say the nicest things to me.”

“It is merely the truth,” Alden said, leaning closer to her. “Life led me on a journey to you- one that I would never have gone on if it wasn’t for Great-aunt Edith. I owe her everything.”

Elinor pressed her lips against his in a tender kiss before pulling back slightly to whisper, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, my love,” Alden murmured, wrapping his arms around her. He didn’t know what his future held, but he knew that Elinor held his future.

The End