Epilogue

Three years later

A s the sun flooded their bedchamber, Ophelia looked at her husband lying prone between the sheets in sound sleep.

Last night, he'd turned to her with that naughty glint in his falcon eyes. "Do you think we could do a little more of catching up?" By ‘catching up' he meant all those months they had to abstain from, say, vigorous bed sport.

She'd eyed him from under her lashes. "We have been doing that for quite a long while, wouldn't you say?"

He arched his brows. "Not by my calculations, no."

An open smile drew her lips. "I will pretend you are good with numbers in this case." And rejoiced as he folded her in his muscled arms. They could make up for lost time any day, she thought.

No wonder the man slumbered like there was no tomorrow.

When she looked back at these last few years, she held no regrets about accepting to give a go at their marriage. The sheer happiness she lived in more than made up for the initial strife.

And then little Edward happened.

As her time drew near, Emily and Sarah were there to give her all the support she needed. Emily had travelled from London to the Earl's seat, leaving her busy apothecary's shop to dedicate her entire time to Ophelia with her brisk and practical outlook. The doctors offered their advice, but the actual work came from her dear friends and their extensive knowledge of childbirth and herbal medicine.

The countess's gratitude knew no limits, and she ensured both women received a generous reward for their time.

Her beautiful boy came to be after not so many hours of labour. Holding her son for the first time turned out to be a powerful memory she would take to the grave. Because of his nervousness, Leonard could not remain in the room, being sent away by an unapologetic Mrs Slater. In those hours, the apothecary had become his sworn enemy. But she explained it would only add weight to Ophelia's state of mind.

The Earl had come inside as she held Edward. At the sight of his son, Leonard sat by her side as though thunderstruck, his gaze wide on the little bundle between them.

"Ophelia," he'd rumbled. "You did all this by yourself." His palm covered her sweaty cheeks. "It is just mind-blowing!"

After a couple of minutes, Sarah intervened, warning that the Countess needed to rest. Her dear friends helped her wash, and she fell into an exhausted sleep.

Suddenly, the chamber door burst open now by small chubby hands as though an army marched inside. The nanny ran but failed to reach the toddler before he barged in. Ophelia signalled it to be alright, and the door closed back.

Edward climbed up to post himself on his father's very spine. "Papa," the boy blurted as part of his recent vocabulary. "'Orse." The small legs tried to span his father's broad back to ride him with no success.

Leonard groaned, with not a hint of a bad mood. "Which one is this, the two-legged or four-legged beast?"

Following the heir, all their kittens also breached into the room. The felines had assigned themselves as guardians of the little boy and never left him alone.

"Hm," she answered. "We have a mixed batch of species here this morning."

As if on cue, Autumn and Midnight leapt on the Earl without ceremony while Winter, Drizzle and the recent addition to their family, Storm, jumped to roam the mattress. The latter's name did not relate to its colour but to its playful temper. Leonard had suggested it with no small amount of sarcasm.

"Mama," Edward came to her since the ‘horse' did not set out on a gallop. Autumn and Midnight joined the other cats and set camp on the counterpane in purrs.

Lightened of his burden, Leonard deigned to move, lying on his back. "I suppose I will have to awake at this ungodly hour." His voice was still thick with slumber.

"The sun has been up for several hours," she informed him with a meaningful expression on her face.

"Well, other things would have been up if we were not in company."

"Goodness! After everything that transpired last night?"

"The account books are not adding up yet." He gave her a pointed glare.

"I am glad to be the one to check the ledgers around here," she taunted.

"This is a different math, my lady."

"How different?"

He neared her and embraced her and Edward. "Love." He kissed both. "It is called love."

"I can't disagree with you there, my lord." And kissed him back as sunlight and love overflowed in their family.

The End