Epilogue

EPILOGUE

" H ow do you feel…Dr. Seyton?" Bastian buried his face in Jane's hair, kissing her.

She laughed and turned in his arms, planting a nibbling kiss on his lips. "I like it when you call me doctor."

"Good, because I plan to call you that often. Earning your PhD is a big accomplishment. I've never been more proud of you." He raised her left hand to his lips. The small, elegant sapphire surrounded by a ring of diamonds glittered on her ring finger.

"And I have never been more proud to be with you, my lord ." She winked at him, but the teasing was only a mask for the intense surge of love she had for him and knowing she would soon be married to him.

"Can you believe in a month it will be official?" she asked.

He cupped her cheek, gazing down at her. "The day I call you mine cannot come soon enough."

"I'm already yours in every way that matters," she assured him.

The smile that curved his lips made her heart skip a beat. "Come. I want to show you something."

She followed him into the garden. Late spring had filled the castle grounds with an explosion of color and scents. Flowers bloomed, and birds chattered enthusiastically. Life was everywhere. She let her fingertips trail over the velvet petals of roses as they approached the old dovecote. He brought her to a stop and held her close from behind as he pointed to the top of the structure's roof.

A pair of doves peeked out from one of the holes. Their little heads bobbed as they studied the humans below. Then they emerged from the hole and perched on the thatch roof. Their white bodies snuggled close, and the small female buried her face in her mate's neck. He nipped her gently.

"How long have they been here?" she asked. Doves had returned to Stormclyffe Hall. Something inside her was both happy and yet sad at the same time.

"A few days. They appeared, just after we returned from your graduation ceremony."

"Really?" She stared at the birds, her heart beating a little faster.

The way the birds returned her gaze gave her an oddly familiar feeling. Her throat tightened.

"I'm so glad Isabelle chose to bring me here…to you." She covered his hands with hers where they rested on her shoulders.

"Then I owe her everything." He placed a lingering kiss on her temple.

Love grew inside her like an oil lamp coming to life, burning steadily, shining through a storm of emotions.

"I wish they hadn't died, Bastian. They were so in love, had so much life yet to live and they lost each other." It was the one thing that still haunted her. Isabelle and Richard had been robbed of the joy they deserved. It wasn't fair. She would have given almost anything for them to have the happy ending they deserved.

"I know, darling, I know," he murmured. "I think," he pointed to the doves, "that perhaps they have found a way to be happy." He turned her to face him. All around them the sound of the sea and the birds calling out encompassed them. He watched her, his eyes rich with promises.

"A love like theirs outlasts everything. A love like that…" His voice grew hoarse. "A love like ours …cannot die."

He bent his head, and she raised up on her toes to meet him in a kiss. Everything else faded away except that kiss, the love she felt, and the sweet coo of a pair of doves.