Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Five years later

Blackchurch Guild

A stride him as he lay on his back, their naked bodies already joined, Elisiana grabbed her husband's hands and pressed them against her bare breasts.

"This way, Sin," she whispered. "Love me this way."

What little control Sinclair had when making love to his wife was gone with those quietly uttered words. Her soft breasts against the flesh of his hands undid him.

With a groan, he fondled one breast as he pulled her down to him, kissing her deeply until she was gasping for air as she rode his manhood, coming down on him again and again. He pinched her nipples until they were hard pellets, and Elisiana's moans were muted against his fevered lips until he sat up and his mouth took possession of a taut nipple. He suckled her hard, from one breast to the other, and Elisiana's hands were in his hair, tugging.

The harder she pulled, the more he liked it.

In a flash, he flipped her onto her back, being very careful not to put any weight on her swollen belly. At nearly eight months pregnant with their third child, she was at the point where she had to make love to her husband every night and sometimes even during the day. Not that Sinclair minded, but sometimes she was so demanding that he'd had to set some boundaries for her. For example, not during his classes. Not when they were with their friends at the Black Cock.

But anywhere else was fair game.

Carefully, he lay beside her, lifting her legs up and entering her from behind. Elisiana groaned softly with pleasure as he not only fondled her breasts, but her belly as well. He found his pregnant wife to be wildly arousing, this glorious creature who had given birth to two children so far, a son and a daughter, with a body that was made only for him. Since the day they were married, it seemed that all they did was make love, even after five glorious years.

And Sinclair had loved every single one of them.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, kissing her hand and wrist. "God, I love you."

His kisses were sweet and tender now, his hands roaming her soft body. Elisiana writhed beside him, her legs instinctively parting even though he was lying beside her with his pelvis against her bottom as he thrust into her. His hands began to rove between her legs, stroking the pink folds. She was unbelievably hot and wet, a safe and satisfying haven for a manhood that could not be satisfied. He withdrew from her for a moment, slipping his finger into her sheath and feeling the familiar pleasure of it. Her tight passage contracted about his finger, pulling at him.

It was all he could do not to spill himself at that moment.

Removing his finger quickly, he thrust into her again, and she immediately climaxed as he filled her with his body. Just as he found his release, he could hear someone knocking on the front door of their cottage. He knew their children were with Marina, who tended the children of the trainers by keeping them busy, feeding them, and taking them to their lessons with St. Denis, so he couldn't imagine who was at their door.

Elisiana had heard the knocking, too.

"Whoever it is, I am going to murder them with my bare hands," she said, frustrated and unhappy. "We hardly have any time alone. Who in the world would violate that?"

Sinclair shifted so he could kiss her on the mouth before pushing himself out of the bed. "You will not have to kill them," he said, heading over to the window naked and in a state of semi-arousal. " I will do it and take pleasure in it."

"Sin!" Elisiana hissed. "Get away from that window."

"Why?"

"Because the sill is below your waist!" she said, getting out of bed as quickly as she could and pulling the shift that had been bunched up around her shoulders all the way down to her ankles. "Get back, do you hear?"

He paused in the middle of the floor, giving her a lazy smirk. "Why?" he said. "You do not want the other women to see the size of your husband's manhood? They will be quite jealous of you."

She slapped him on the bottom as she walked past him, heading to the window. "You are very naughty," she said, struggling not to grin at him. "Go put some clothing on."

He laughed softly at her, heading off to find his breeches as Elisiana made it to the window and opened it. Their chamber was directly above the front door so she could look down and see who it was.

"Lady de Reyne," Axton Summerlin greeted her politely. "I am sorry to disturb you, but I am looking for your husband. Might you know where he is?"

Elisiana forced a smile and nodded. "Just a moment, Axton," she said. "I will send him to you."

Shutting the window, she came back in and found her husband sitting on the bed, pulling his boots on.

"Axton is waiting for you," she said.

He nodded. "I heard."

As he pulled the other boot on, she found the tunic he'd yanked off in the heat of passion and handed it to him. Finished with his shoes, he pulled the tunic over his head and stood up. Elisiana helped him straighten it.

"I am making meat pies for supper," she said. "Can we eat together tonight? Just the four of us? You and me and Cristofer and Bethania?"

Sinclair nodded. "Of course," he said. "You do not want to eat with Tay and Fox?"

She shook her head, turning away to hunt for her comb. "I love our friends, but there are so many children now," she said. "Eating with Tay and Fox and all of their children is like eating in the middle of a cattle herd sometimes. I just want a little peace and quiet tonight."

As she ran the comb through her hair, he came up behind her and put his arms around her, his hands inevitably falling on her big belly. "Whatever you wish," he said. "Do you feel well?"

"Aye," she said, giving in to his hug for a moment. "I feel perfectly well. But I would just like to eat with my husband and children tonight."

He kissed her on the side of the head. "I would like that, too," he said as he released her. "I will see you later on."

"You certainly will."

Leaving his wife to finish her hair and dress, Sinclair came downstairs only to be greeted with vellum drawings that had blown off the table near the hearth. Elisiana was still drawing these days, though far less titillating pictures. These days, her focus had switched to drawings of animals and fae for all of the children at Blackchurch, and she even sold some in the village. That was the extent of her rebellion these days, but the picture she'd once drawn of him was nailed to the wall in their bedroom. Every time he looked at it, it reminded him of her, and every time she looked at it, it reminded her of him.

Putting the drawings back on the table, Sinclair opened the door.

"Axton," he greeted the man on his stoop. "What are you doing here? Today is a rest day. I thought you would be in town, at the very least. I hear the weekly market has grown quite large."

Axton smiled weakly. "I have gatehouse duty today," he said. "In fact, that is why I came. Santiago de Fernandez is here. He asked for your wife, but she is in a delicate condition, so I wanted to tell you first and let you decide to tell her or not."

Sinclair frowned. "Santiago is here?" he said. "Why on earth is he at Blackchurch?"

"He would not tell me," Axton said. "He wants to speak with you. But he has a woman with him. I thought you would want to find out his purpose first."

That seemed very puzzling to Sinclair. With a shrug, he and Axton headed back to the main gatehouse of Blackchurch. It was nearing the nooning hour on a cool autumn day and the leaves were turning colors all around them. There was one rest day a month for the Blackchurch recruits and their trainers, and it happened to be this day. Sinclair had big plans of inspecting practice weapons and other things alongside Anteaus, but he'd slept past dawn that morning and languished around the cottage, so he truly had no idea where Anteaus even was. But seeing Santiago first was going to have to take precedence over locating Anteaus.

He was more than curious about the man's appearance.

In the five years since his marriage to Elisiana, not much had changed, except Santiago and even St. Abelard seemed to be more frequent guests at Blackchurch—St. Abelard because he felt as if he had more of a right to come after he'd helped Sinclair and Santiago because Elisiana was there. The first time he'd come to Blackchurch, he'd tried to buy the new Portuguese-built cog that St. Denis purchased to replace the one St. Abelard had demanded, but St. Denis wouldn't budge on it. That had become a running joke between the pair, so Sinclair wondered if that was why Santiago had come—to try to negotiate a boat away from St. Denis again.

He would find out soon enough.

The enormous southern gatehouse of Blackchurch loomed ahead and Sinclair headed for the guard room that was inside the gatehouse itself. It was where visitors usually waited, although he knew that Santiago would be upset because he'd not been allowed to wander into the trainer's village. In fact, even as he approached the gatehouse, he could see a horde of Santiago's men lingering outside. He picked up his pace until he hit the guard room.

Inside, it was relatively comfortable but dark except for a barred window. He immediately spied Santiago standing next to a small woman seated in a chair. She was wrapped in a cloak and next to her stood a boy about fourteen or fifteen years of age. When Santiago saw Sinclair enter the room, he rushed in his direction and practically shoved him back outside.

"Greetings, mi hijo ," he said. "It has been a long time. But where is my Lisi? I wanted to see her."

Sinclair smiled at the man he'd genuinely come to like. "She is heavy with child now," he said. "She is back at our cottage. Axton said you had asked for her, but I have come to make sure you are not bringing any upsetting news that I must help you deliver to her. I do not want to upset her right now."

Santiago looked stricken. "When have I ever upset her?"

Sinclair waved his hands to ease the man. "I did not mean it the way it sounded," he said. "But your visit is unexpected. I just wanted to make sure it was not a visit that will distress her."

That didn't help Santiago's sense of outrage. "How have I ever distressed her?"

Sinclair cocked an eyebrow. "Then you've not come to tell her anyone has died?"

"Nay!"

"That her father has fallen from his horse?"

"Nay!"

"That her Uncle Robert has returned home?"

Santiago snorted. "He lives aboard the Navia and tends the galley," he said. "He will continue to do so until I decide he has been punished enough."

Sinclair breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," he said. "Then you've not come to tell her anything at all?"

"Nay, mi hijo , I swear it."

"Then why have you come?"

Santiago eyed him as he scratched his beard. "I've come because…" He trailed off before starting again. "I've come because she has asked something of me and I've come to tell her that I found it."

Sinclair's brow furrowed. "Found what?"

"You cannot become angry with her."

"Why would I become angry with her?"

Santiago grabbed his arm and began to walk him out of the gatehouse, away from nosy gate guards. "Listen to me, Sin," he said. "You know I love Lisi as if she were my own daughter."

"I know."

"You know I would do anything she asked."

"I know."

"Then you should know that she has expressed concern to me about your lack of family," he said. "I know that Lisi and the children are your family, as am I, as are Adriano and Sybil and Aristeo. She means your family. Your mother and father and siblings."

Sinclair came to a halt. "She has expressed that to you?"

Santiago nodded. "She has."

Sinclair rubbed his chin for a moment before shrugging. "It seems to bother her much more than it bothers me," he said. "I cannot miss what I never really had."

"I understand," Santiago said. "But she asked me some time ago if I could discover what became of your mother and your sisters, and I told her that I would do my best, though I did not know what I could truly do."

"What did you do?" Sinclair said. "And why would you do it without speaking to me first?"

"Because she did not want me to," Santiago stressed. "If my search did not turn up anything, she did not want you to be disappointed."

Sinclair was starting to become irritated. "That's ridiculous," he said. " Tio , I appreciate that you wanted to do this for her, and that she wanted to do it for me, but there is really no need. My family is here, at Blackchurch. It is at Fremington. It is even on the Navia and, oddly enough, on the Argos . I do not need to look anywhere else."

"Then should I tell your sister to go home?"

That wasn't something Sinclair had been expecting. His eyes widened. "You found my sister?"

Santiago held up a finger to beg for patience. "It was Abelard who found her," he said. "He knows England much better than I do. I told him Elisiana's request and he went to Kenilworth. Did you know they have an enormous lake there? With ships? Anyway, he went to see if he could find out what happened to Eloise de Reyne and Ophelia de Reyne. They do keep records of the people who have passed through their halls."

Sinclair nodded quickly. "I know they do," he said. "I suppose I should have asked years ago, but I never did. I went on with my life and assumed they went on with theirs. What did he discover?"

Santiago put his hands on Sinclair's arms. "He sent men out to trace them, including your mother," he said. "I am sorry to say that your mother passed away long ago at Coldingham Priory, and your sister Eloise married an Eynsford living near Canterbury, but she has also since passed away. However, your other sister, Ophelia, married a man from York. She was found there, living in poverty with her son. She has nothing, Sin. They found her working as a seamstress. Abelard's men brought her back and turned her over to me, though Abelard demanded a cache of weapons before he would give her to me. I paid the greedy man and have brought your sister and her son here."

Sinclair was so stunned that a gust of wind could have knocked him over. "Ophelia," he said weakly. " Here? "

Santiago nodded. "I was going to tell your wife so that she could break the news to you, but you did not give me the chance," he said. "Would you like to meet her?"

Sinclair could only nod. Santiago led him back to the guard room and ordered the two guards inside to step out. They did, leaving room for Santiago and Sinclair to enter.

"My lady?" Santiago said kindly. "This is your brother, Sinclair."

The woman turned to him, sharply, and Sinclair could immediately see that it was, indeed, his youngest sister. He would know that face anywhere, even though she was a grown woman. She bolted to her feet, her eyes wide with shock and perhaps a bit of fear.

"My God… Sinclair," she breathed in a small, delicate voice. "It has been a very long time since we last saw one another. Do you remember me?"

When Sinclair looked at her, he saw his mother. She looked just like her. Small, fair, and with the same pale green eyes that he had. Ophelia was into her thirtieth year, at least, but she looked young and lovely.

And very, very thin.

"Of course I remember you," he said, reaching out to take her hand. "The question should be, do you remember me ?"

Ophelia nodded, but the tears came. "Of course I do," she whispered tightly. "My big brother, whom I never really knew. But look at you… A Blackchurch trainer? You have done so well for yourself, Sinclair. I am so very happy for you."

Sinclair grinned. "I can hardly believe this," he said. "I've thought about you and Eloise over the years, but I never… I never thought to reach out to you, Ophelia. I am so sorry I never discovered what became of you after you left Kenilworth. I assumed you married well and were living a good life. Forgive me if that was not the case."

She was shaking her head before he even finished. "We were never close," she said. "You have nothing to apologize for. I assumed your life took you elsewhere and we all simply drifted apart. Sometimes that happens."

Sinclair was studying her, taking a good, long look at the little sister he never really knew. It was overwhelming, truly. He could still hardly believe it. But he noticed the boy standing next to her, and when Ophelia saw where his attention was, she pulled the boy forward.

"This is my son," she said. "I named him Rhodes, after our father. My husband and his father, Albus St. James, was a knight with the Earl of Howsham, but an injury forced him to retire. Drink eventually killed him. But Rhodes is a good lad, a hard worker. He has been an immense comfort to me."

Sinclair looked at the lad as he removed his cloak respectfully. He was tall and lanky, fair and handsome, but like his mother, he was far too thin. A lad that age should have been filling out, building muscle to last a lifetime.

She was found living in poverty.

Santiago's words came back to him, and Sinclair could see that right away. He also realized that standing before him were people who were in desperate need of help. Even Abelard's man, who had found them, must have seen that. So, they'd come south to meet a long-lost brother and hopefully find a better life than the one they'd had.

He realized that he was very glad to see them.

"I am happy you have come," he said to both his sister and nephew. "I must say this is quite a shock, however. But a good one."

Ophelia nodded quickly. "I realize that," she said. "We will not be a burden, Sinclair. But I was told that you were looking for me, so we decided to come. Mayhap we will find a home closer to you, and to Blackchurch, so that we may keep in contact with one another. If you will allow it, of course. I just wanted you to know that I was, indeed, alive and am sorry we never had the opportunity to be closer than we were."

Sinclair shook his head. "You will not find a home closer to Blackchurch," he said frankly. "You are going to live here, with me, for now. I will find you work, and Rhodes… You look like a strong lad. I can find work for you, too, if you are willing."

Rhodes looked at his mother in surprise before answering. "I am strong, my lord," he said in his newly minted man voice. "I learn quickly."

"Where did you foster?" Sinclair asked.

Some enthusiasm drained out of Rhodes. "I have not had the opportunity to do so, my lord," he said. "My father died before he could secure a position for me in a good house."

He was well spoken, with intelligent eyes, and Sinclair put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Not to worry," he said. "You can foster at Blackchurch with your uncle and his friends. There will be no finer education in the world."

Rhodes' eyes widened and he looked at his mother, who was in a flood of tears.

"Truly, Sinclair?" she said. "It will not be too much trouble for you to foster Rhodes? I do not care about myself, of course, but if you could only help my son… give him the education he deserves… that is all I would ever ask for."

"But what about me?" Santiago spoke up, looking at the boy. "Would you rather come to sea with me and learn the ways of warriors upon the water?"

Sinclair rolled his eyes and put himself between Santiago and his nephew. "He does not want to become a pirate, Tio ," he said, pulling the boy out of the guard room as his mother followed. "Your offer is very generous, but let him learn to be a knight first. If he wants to be a pirate once he has been properly educated, then that is his choice."

Santiago smiled joyfully, as he always did, but he put himself between Sinclair and Rhodes, putting an arm around the boy's shoulders and pulling him away from Sinclair and his mother. As he headed into the compound of Blackchurch, Sinclair could see that the old man was keeping up a running conversation with the youth.

Probably trying to talk him into becoming a pirate.

Exasperated, Sinclair shook his head.

"He is going to try to lure him into a life of theft for profit," he said to his sister. "I'm surprised he hasn't done it already."

Ophelia smiled as she watched her son walk away. "I do not know that much about Lord Santiago, truthfully," she said. "We were taken from York to Hull, where we took a ship all the way around England to Fremington, I believe. At Fremington, we were met by Lord Santiago. And he brought us here."

"So you do not know who he is?"

She shook her head. "He has been very kind to us," she said. "The man who brought us from Hull to Fremington was also very kind. Lord Abelard?"

Sinclair snorted at the ridiculousness of the situation. "You do realize that you have been transported by two of the most feared pirates in the known world, don't you?" he said. "Abelard de Bottreaux is the leader of a band of pirates called Triton's Hellions and Santiago is the leader of a group called the Demons of the Sea. They are vicious, deadly men, but somehow, they seem to become decent when it comes to my wife and me. All Elisiana has to do is lift her finger and Santiago comes running."

"Elisiana is your wife?"

Sinclair nodded. "My wife," he said, looking at her. "My love. My everything."

Ophelia laughed softly. "That is good to hear," she said. "I am so glad that you are happy, Sinclair, truly. I have often thought about you often over the years and wondered how you were. Did you ever return home, to Ebchester?"

Sinclair nodded. "Once," he said. "About three years ago, after my son was born. It occurred to me that Ebchester was his legacy, too, so I made the trip."

"What did you find?"

"A small manor inhabited by the remnants of the servants our parents left behind," he said. "The land is rich, but it has not been managed well. I finally hired a man who used to work here, at Blackchurch, to go north and begin seeing to the land and the villeins. Mayhap someday I will want to live there, so it is time to restore the lands of our ancestors. Ebchester is our legacy, after all. I have neglected it for too long."

Ophelia smiled. "I am glad you did that," she said. "Showing respect for our forefathers and for the title that has become yours."

Sinclair held out his elbow, which she gratefully took. "I am sorry to say that along with tending our ancestral lands, I should have paid more attention to where you were and your living situation," he said. "I have been a terrible brother, Ophelia. Santiago said you were found living in poverty."

Her smile faded, but her expression was brave. "You were not a terrible brother," she said. "How could you have known? Sometimes life is not always kind. I will admit that I was hoping to start a new life, living closer to you, for Rhodes' sake. He's such a good lad, Sinclair. He deserves so much more than I can provide, and when the man told me that you were looking for me, I thought… I had hoped…"

She faded off and Sinclair patted her hand. He knew what she meant. "I promise you that Rhodes will be trained as a knight, as he should be," he said. "And you… I will find you work here at Blackchurch. You'll never have to worry over food or money or safety again. You are home, lass. We'll make sure you are taken care of."

Ophelia was tearing up again, but they were tears of joy. "I will admit that I did not know how you would react to seeing me again," she said. "The last time I saw you, you barely looked at me. I always thought you did not want to be troubled with me, so I was afraid to come."

He smiled. "I hope you are fearful no more."

"No more, I promise."

"Good," he said. "This is a joyful day, Ophelia. I get to introduce you to my wife. She is heavy with child, as you will see, and is very emotional these days, so if she cries all over you, please do not judge her harshly."

"Never," Ophelia said. "As I understand it, she has made this possible. I am very grateful to her."

Sinclair could see his cottage in the distance, thinking of the woman who meant everything to him and always would.

"As am I," he said quietly. "Truly… as am I. For everything."

With that, Sinclair took Ophelia to his cottage, where Elisiana did, indeed, greet the woman with tears. So many tears. But tears of great joy and of great anticipation for the future that awaited them all.

And what a future it was.

From Rhodes' fostering to the son born to Sinclair and Elisiana the following month, and to Ophelia and one of the Blackchurch trainers falling in love, life was meant to be full of joy, anticipation, and most of all, family.

Family by blood.

Family by friendship.

Sinclair and Elisiana had, indeed, found their paradise.

* THE END *