Epilogue

6 months later

"Nigel! Nigel!" Olivia's voice was full of panic as she hurtled through the rooms of Glassley Castle, hurling open doors and trying to find her husband.

Her heart thundered in her chest. She needed to find him; time was running out. "Nigel!" Where is he?

She pushed past panicked looking servants. She cursed the vastness of the Glassley Castle. Behind her, a soft whimper stopped her short. She turned to see Dandelion and her heart sank.

Olivia's screams pierced Nigel's soul, and in his haste to leave his study, he tripped and slammed his knee into his desk. Cursing, he stumbled his way out of the room.

"Olivia!" he yelled. "Where are you?"

Her yells had stopped, and Nigel's heart sank. Oh God, Oh God. What has happened? He ran down the stairs, taking them three at a time, ignoring the protests of his bruised knee.

He spotted a passing servant and grabbed him, his eyes wild with terror. "Where is she?"

"In the drawing room." The servant nodded his head towards the door down the hallway.

Nigel was hurtling towards the drawing room before the man had even finished his sentence. "Hold on, Olivia. I'm coming."

In the drawing room, Olivia gently stroked Dandelion's head as the corgi whimpered sadly. The dogs breathing was laboured, and Olivia's heart broke. Servants brought in blankets and water.

"It's okay girl. All will be well." Olivia whispered even as her heart hammered in fright.

Dandelion gave a long howl. Olivia felt her heart break. "Where is Nigel?"

As soon as he heard Dandelion's howl, he lost all self-control. He flung open the door to the drawing room and saw his beloved Corgi panting, her head in Olivia's lap.

"Has someone sent for Mr. Bridges?" Nigel asked, hastily removing his coat and moving to be closer to Dandelion.

"I had the steward send him a message, but I do not think he will get here in time." Olivia's voice was soft, clearly trying to keep Dandelion from panicking.

"All will be well; do not worry old girl." Nigel stroked the dog's head. "We have done this before, have we not?"

Dandelion whimpered. Olivia turned to Nigel, and in each other's eyes, they could see the panic the other felt reflected.

"How long has she been like this?" Nigel asked.

"A few hours. Where have you been?"

"I was in the study. I was reading this morning's paper, and well, I got caught up in the news."

"It must have been a very interesting story to distract you so." Olivia canted her head. "I thought perhaps… with tomorrow being what it was…"

Nigel shook his head. I will turn twenty-seven tomorrow. "Lord Briston and his father have both been arrested and convicted. The judge sentenced them today."

Olivia's fingers reached towards Nigel. "Then it is over?"

"They have been stripped of their title and their lands." Nigel felt a cold anger settle over him. "The death of my cousin's grandfather spared the man their fate."

"May his soul look up and see what ruin his family now faces." Olivia scowled and would have spat in disgust if she had not been indoors.

"I can see a head!" one of the maids pointed, her words bringing Nigel and Olivia back to the task at hand.

Nigel glanced down, and a moment later, a tiny, wet corgi puppy had been born. His heart twisted, and he looked at Dandelion.

"You're doing so well, old girl. Good girl," he whispered. "I know you do not have your whelping box, but we will make you as comfortable as we are able."

Nigel kept up a steady stream of comforting words to Dandelion over the next few hours. While Nigel comforted his dog, Olivia inspected each puppy as it was born, careful not to get too close or to handle them directly.

"I think we have another on the way," Olivia murmured as Dandelion finished licking her fourth puppy. "God, I hope this is the last."

They had been with the dog for hours. Both Nigel and Olivia looked tired to their bones, but with each healthy puppy that was born, the knot of anxiety in their chests faded.

"Come on, Dandelion. You're almost there," Nigel murmured.

The door opened, and Mr. Bridges, one of the farmers who had helped Dandelion with her last litter, finally arrived. He was a ruddy-faced man, and his trousers were slick with mud.

"Your Graces. I came as fast as I could." He bowed and gestured to Dandelion. "How is she?"

"She is well, I think," Olivia answered, standing to guide the man towards Dandelion.

Mr. Bridges inspected their work. Olivia stood back and took the time to signal to one of the maids to bring some refreshments for them all.

By the time the final puppy was born, it was nearly midnight. Mr. Bridges had left but given instructions to monitor Dandelion. Nigel had cleaned himself while Olivia had stayed with the corgi then they had swapped.

As Olivia re-entered the room, she found Nigel sprawled across the sofa, staring with soft eyes at his beloved corgi and her new litter of puppies. Olivia smiled, feeling her heart constrict. She looked at the clock. There were five minutes to midnight.

Nigel glanced away from Dandelion and caught sight of Olivia, standing in the doorway. My God, she is beautiful. It is as if she is glowing. "Come, my love, and sit with me awhile."

Olivia tucked herself into the crook of Nigel's arms, wrapping herself over him as they snuggled on the sofa together. She breathed in his rich scent of nutmeg and cinnamon.

"I cannot believe she had six puppies. She must be exhausted," Olivia murmured, listening to the sound of Nigel's heart beating in his chest.

"Her last litter was only four. But Mr. Bridges said she is the picture of health. And now we have six perfect puppies." Nigel's voice was full of pride as he said it.

"You make it sound as though this was all your doing," Olivia teased him.

The lavender smell of her washed over him, and he kissed her forehead gently. "I just… well, it is always such a magical thing when you see something like that unfold before your eyes."

"Truly it is wonderous. Although, rather more… visceral than I had been expecting." Olivia wrinkled her nose.

Nigel laughed, the sound reverberating through Olivia. "Yes, it is a rather messy experience."

"I hope my own is not quite so messy," Olivia murmured, a spike of nerves making her heart speed up.

Nigel's muscles tensed, and his breath caught. "Your own?"

Olivia nodded, feeling colour rise in her cheeks. "Yes."

"Then you… are you… are you with child?" Nigel's eyes were wide with panic and excitement.

Olivia laughed quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping Dandelion and her brood. She loved the way Nigel was looking at her. It is as though I have given him his heart's desire and deepest fear all at once.

"Yes. I did not want to tell you before I was certain, but… well, I am now." Olivia flushed. "I have had to have many dresses altered to fit in them. And well…"

Carefully, Olivia took Nigel's hand and placed it on her stomach. Nigel frowned, his own chest beating treacherously fast. For a moment, he looked at Olivia, confused.

"Wha—" he began, but then he felt it. The tiniest kick against his hand.

He gaped, looking at Olivia. "Was that?"

Olivia nodded. "I felt it earlier today and then again just before I found Dandelion."

"I am going to be a father," Nigel spoke the words with equal parts wonder and fear. Oh my God, what if I am a terrible father? What does one do with a baby?

Olivia could see the fear in her husband's eyes, and she kissed him on the lips. When they broke apart, she took his face in hers and met his gaze.

"You will be a most excellent father." Olivia made her words a statement of fact. "Besides, I have seen you with Arthur and Genevieve. You are wonderful with them."

Genevieve was Rose's second child and Olivia's goddaughter. She had been born a few months before. Nigel smiled, remembering the fear he had supported Alexander through.

His own heart started to beat even faster. I shall have to do that when Olivia… Oh God. "But I barely knew my own father. He died when I was so young."

"I know." Olivia curled into Nigel's arms. "And every day I am thankful that our children will not know that same tragedy."

The clock chimed midnight as Olivia said this. For a moment, all time seemed to stop. A minute passed and then another and then another. The slight tension that had been in Olivia's shoulders faded.

Nigel's muscles relaxed, and he began to laugh softly. The laughter was infectious and caught Olivia up in it. Together they laughed and laughed until Dandelion barked her disapproval.

They stopped but could not keep the smiles from their face nor the joy from their hearts. The castle was brimful of new life with more on the way. And they knew that life would remain for decades to come.

All was well.

The End?