Epilogue

EPILOGUE

T hey announced it to Aunt Beulah and Finn first, of course. Marianne had braced herself for her brother's renewed anger, but she'd been surprised that he had accepted the engagement with nothing but what seemed like true happiness. Now she followed him out onto the terrace after their celebratory supper and found him staring up at the stars, a frown on his face.

"How are the stars tonight?" she asked as she stepped up next to him.

Finn shot her a quick smile. "Lovely as always. But nothing compared to you. Love becomes you, Mari."

"I do love him."

"I know. And I think he truly loves you." He glanced back into the parlor where Sebastian was making their aunt laugh with what had to be ribald tales judging from her pink cheeks. "How could I deny you that?"

She took his hand. "Now I hope you can find the same."

Something troubled crossed her brother's expression but then he smiled it away and turned her toward the parlor where they would return. "You worry about your own joy, my dear. That's all you need do to see me happy."

They entered the parlor together and Sebastian stood, his gaze locking on hers immediately. Finn cast her a side glance and muttered, "See, entirely besotted."

He stepped away and went to their aunt, allowing Sebastian to cross to her and take her hand. "I think we should have a very short engagement," he said with a wicked wink at her.

She laughed. "As tempting as that is, I think I'd like to show you off as my fiancé for a while. Let everyone be vastly jealous about the prize I've won."

"You're the prize. But I'm happy to be at your service. Perhaps we can complete Claudia's list. I'm sure we could fill your dance card at the engagement ball we'll hold soon."

She smiled. "As much as I love you for wanting to grant me that, I think I'd rather start our own list. A list for what we want for our life together."

"Oh, very interesting," Sebastian said. "You mean how I'd like to make love to you in every room in every estate I own?"

She shivered at that thought, even as she slapped at his chest. "Certainly, we can put that on the list. But I was thinking more about seeing some of the world together."

"Ah, I see. Well, then I'd like to add dance with you in the moonlight in our garden."

She smiled. "That's a very nice one. What about learning duets on the pianoforte and making guests absolutely sick by how in love we are when we play them together?"

He chuckled. "I'm terrible with any instrument, so I might make them sick with my lack of talent. But I will soldier through bravely if it makes you look at me like you are now."

"I will never stop looking at you like I am now," she said, and then she lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed him, propriety be damned. Because there was nothing else in her world in that moment but him.