EXTENDED EPILOGUE

Samuel rubbed one hand over his eyes, feeling them a little gritty. It was already much too late to be working on his business affairs but some matters had become a little urgent and thus, he had resolved to work through them all as quickly as he could.

Though now, the desire to make his way to bed, to curl himself around his wife and sleep soundly beside her was almost too strong to deny.

“A few more minutes.” Muttering to himself, Samuel rose to pour himself a small glass of brandy in the hope it might encourage him to finish his letters, only for the door to open just a little. Having already sent the servants to bed, Samuel frowned and came closer, only for Florentina to step through it towards him.

“Florentina, why ever are you still awake?” He came to her at once, pressing his hands to her cheeks before dropping his mouth to hers for a moment. “You should already be asleep. The moon has been in the sky for many hours, and you have little Jonathan to nurse.”

“He has been asleep for hours already.” She smiled again and then leaned into him, yawning gently. “As have I. But I awoke and realised that you were not in bed beside me and thus, I came in search of you.”

Samuel kissed the top of her head. “I had some business matters to complete.”

“Oh?” She looked up at him, her eyes clouded a little from sleep. “What has kept you so busy that you could not come to bed?”

Smiling, Samuel wrapped his arms tightly around her and then kissed the top of her head again. “The tenants.”

“The tenants?” Her eyes went to his again as Samuel released her, gesturing to his desk. “The winter is coming, and the tenants have written to me with some concerns about their homes. I confess I am a little frustrated.”

“Because they have written to you?”

He shook his head quickly, hearing the surprise in her voice. “No, not in the least! I am a little frustrated because I have not been aware of it before now. I would have much preferred to have seen to these concerns in the summer time, when the weather was fine and repairs could have been made without delay.”

Florentina, however, did not berate him nor even frown. Instead, she only smiled and, reaching up on tiptoe, pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Ah, but you must not be frustrated with yourself. It is quite clear to me as to why you were unaware of such things.”

“Why?”

She laughed softly, her eyes twinkling. “Do you not recall? You spent the entire summer worrying about me, and then, in the late season, all your concerns proved unnecessary, for the arrival of our son went perfectly—and he’s quite perfect, too.”

At the mention of his firstborn, Samuel’s heart lifted. “I suppose that I was a little concerned about you.” Florentina’s pregnancy had been a wonderful, beautiful thing and he had been greatly excited at the prospect of the arrival of his son, but at the same time, greatly concerned about Florentina. She had been rather unwell with it all, pale and tired and most unlike the Florentina he knew. The doctors had reassured him, Florentina herself had promised that all would be well but still, he had fretted. He had done as much as he could to care for her, to the point that Florentina herself had been a little irritated at his presence at times! But she had been proven correct in the end, for the arrival of Jonathan had gone just as it should have and Florentina herself had been stronger than he had ever expected her to be.

“I suppose that I might have been a little distracted, yes,” he admitted, now seeing her point of view. “But all the same, I mayhap ought not to have been so caught up that I forgot my tenants.”

“You did not forget them,” she answered, quickly. “They have written to you now, rather than before, not because you failed to answer their first letter—because I know you would have responded immediately upon receiving it—but simply because they themselves have noticed these concerns. There is no failure on your part here, my love.” Her eyes twinkled. “Besides, don’t your tenants think very well of you now? I am certain they will not think poorly of you. You’ve changed the opinions of so many people with your shift in character, and I cannot imagine that such a transformation has gone unnoticed. Clearly, they expect you to do what must be done, as quickly as you are able—just as you are showing here.” She gestured to the table, then ran her fingers through his hair, making Samuel sigh contentedly. “You are fatigued, my love. Come to bed.”

Samuel looked back to the papers on his desk and then down into the eyes of the woman he loved. “I am tired, I will admit, but I want only to do what is right.”

“And you shall,” Florentina assured him. “But you shall do so upon the morrow.” Her head tilted just a little. “You need to rest and…” A slight blush came into her cheeks as she looked away. “To be entirely truthful, I sleep well only when you are beside me.”

Samuel melted inside, his heart overflowing with a fresh love for Florentina. These last eighteen months of their marriage had been the most wonderful of his life and he knew it all was because of her. The sweetness she brought to him, the joy that she placed in his heart and the overwhelming happiness that filled his every day was solely because she had accepted his once-foolish offer of becoming his bride. How glad he was that she had accepted! He would never have known such daily contentment otherwise. “You cannot imagine that I would say no to such a request, Florentina,” he answered, bending his head to kiss her. What was meant as a small, brief moment lingered into a longer one and Samuel pulled her against him again, feeling himself suddenly more awake.

“Oh, wait a moment.” Florentina looked up at him, pulling back sharply. “There was something—well, perhaps now is not the moment, for you were so busy with your papers before I retired, and mayhap now—”

“Is there something you wanted to tell me?” A little concerned, he searched her face, only to see her smile.

“Yes, there was. As I said, I did not think that tonight was the right time given just how much you have been attending to but all the same, there has been something on my mind that I needed to share with you.”

“Then what is it?” Samuel caught both of her hands in both of his, a tightness in him as he waited for her to respond. Was she about to tell him that something was very wrong indeed? That she had found something out that might bring a sudden end to their happiness?

“You need not look so concerned, Samuel!” With a gentle smile, Florentina took his hand and settled it against her stomach, looking up at him with clear hope in her eyes.

It took Samuel a few moments to realise what she meant. It was only when Florentina’s eyebrows lifted that Samuel snatched in a breath, his eyes rounding as she nodded, answering his unspoken question.

“You… you are with child?”

Her eyes began to fill with joyous tears as she squeezed his other hand. “I am.”

“Again?”

This time, she laughed and Samuel joined in with her, his breathing still a little tight and ragged as he took in the news, only for a fresh joy to flood him.

“Yes, my dear Samuel, again,” she answered, as Samuel closed his eyes tight, feeling a sense of overwhelming happiness practically crush him, making him want to both explode with outward exuberance and, at the very same time, hold her as close—but as gently—as he could. “The physician confirmed that with me yesterday.”

“The physician?” He pulled back and looked at her. “The physician was here?”

She smiled. “I asked him not to say a word to you until I had spoken with you,” she said, gently. “I wanted it to be my news to give.” Her smile faltered just a little. “You are happy, are you not?”

“Happy?” Samuel bent down just a little, resting his forehead against hers as his eyes closed. “Florentina, I can hardly believe it. You have already brought me so much fulfilment, filling my life with bliss, that I can barely take it in that I am to have yet more pleasure, more wonder brought into my life. Though, as you know, I shall, unfortunately, begin to fret over you, as I have done before.”

Laughing, Florentina threw her arms around his neck and Samuel lifted her body off the floor, twirling her gently as she clung tight to him. Then, he set her down ever so gently, still holding her close.

“You know that I only worry about you because of how much I love you, do you not?”

A gentleness came into her eyes. “I do, Samuel. Of course I do.” Her hand lifted, her fingers pressing against his cheek. “You prove that to me every day.”

“Which is all that I have ever wanted to do, ever since the day I first realised I loved you.”

Florentina tilted her head up for his kiss, her words whispering sweetness towards him. “And just as I could not go a day without falling in love with you even more.”

THE END