Epilogue

Epilogue

Two Months Later

Louise gasped and spun around as the door opened, staring at Lara and Archie as they entered the room quickly and shut the door behind them.

"What are you two doing in here?"

"We came to see you." Lara grinned as she crossed the room, clasping Louise's hands. "I couldn't wait to see what your dress looked like."

"My dress?" Louise looked down at her attire. "I didn't think it looked that spectacular."

"It's a wedding dress! Of course, it's going to be spectacular!"

Archie laughed.

"I thought it was best to get her a sneak peek before we went to the chapel, Louise. Otherwise Lara was going to be talking about nothing but the dress. I don't know why, though. I think she's gone a little mad."

Lara stuck her tongue out at him, and Louise couldn't help but laugh. It was surprising how easy it was for the three of them to carry on as normal, even despite the familial dynamics. In a few short hours, Louise was going to become their stepmother, and both Lara and Archie were excited about it.

She never expected that, especially when she was closer to their age, but Lara had assured her that nobody cared about it. Nobody who mattered cared about it, anyway. Archie had simply smiled and said that he was happy if his father was.

Louise had no idea how they were so mature about this. But she was glad that they were happy with her. She didn't want to be like a mother to them, but as long as their relationship was good, she would be content with that.

Charles was certainly happy about it as well. She couldn't have asked for a better family.

"Also, there's something we wanted you to know about," Archie said, his smile fading as he glanced at his sister. "We heard news about Aunt Elizabeth. She's going to Swansea."

"Swansea?" Louise blinked. "I thought she went to a sanatorium in the Lake District."

"She's been there for the last six weeks, and from what we were told, she's gotten better. However, the nurses there are not confident that she will be like she is with them once she returns to London." Archie sighed. "A distant cousin of hers said that she would take her in, on the condition that she made no attempt to contact anyone from her family again. She would be closely monitored, but she would be looked after."

Louise was surprised at this. She knew that the sanatorium wasn't a long-term solution, but she was worried about what would happen once Lady St. Simon left. To hear that she was being taken care of was a relief.

She did feel sympathy for Lady St. Simon and her feelings, but she didn't condone what she had done. It was only due to an accident that Mary had died, and if the viscountess had been in a different state of mind, she would have murdered her husband or her daughter, and she would have targeted anyone who got in the way.

The conditions of her care were clear, though: Charles understood that it was an accident, and he could see how fragile his sister-in-law was. Having her charged with murder and hanged was not going to make anyone feel better, as Lady St. Simon clearly needed help. He had made those looking after her promise that she would be kept away from him and his family.

If she was leaving the residence she was living in, he needed to be told so they wouldn't cross paths. And he would call for more action if everything was ignored and Lady St. Simon came looking for him anyway. He was worried that she could end up hurting his family, especially Louise.

Louise couldn't deny that she wasn't worried about Lady St. Simon finding her again, but she was confident in Charles' ability to take charge of it.

"How's your uncle taking it?" she asked.

"He's sad about it," Lara sighed. "Despite knowing how she felt about him, Uncle Harvey did care about her. However, he's recovering well from whatever Aunt Elizabeth was giving him. Once the wedding is over, he and Lucy are going to stay in their cottage near Dover to get away from it all. I think both of them need some time away. I would, too, if I had a mother like Aunt Elizabeth."

"You mustn't say something like that about your aunt, Lara," Louise reminded her. "She is still family despite everything."

Archie cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I'm surprised by your stance toward this, Louise. She did try to kill you, after all."

"Sometimes, we have to look at things with a different perspective. It's not all two specific color shades." Louise smiled at him. "You two will understand that once you've grown up."

Archie threw back his head and laughed, and Lara gasped, swatting Louise on the arm, which made Louise laugh as well. Through their giggles, Louise was aware of a knock on the door. Archie heard it, too, and he moved toward it.

"I'll get it. Then I'll go and join Father at the chapel. Don't take too long…" His voice faded away as he opened the door and saw the person in the hallway. "Lady Holmes."

Louise stiffened. What was her aunt doing here? This was Charles' family home, so how did she get in? Surely, the staff would have stopped her. Aunt Harriet stepped into the room, shoulders back and head high, with a stern look on her face. Nothing had changed with that. She ignored Archie and Lara, focusing on Louise.

"Louise."

"What are you doing here?" Louise demanded. "How did you get in?"

"Everyone's so busy with getting the place ready for your wedding reception that nobody noticed me come in. It took a while to find you, though." Aunt Harriet barely glanced at Archie, although she glowered at Lara. " Do you mind if I have a private word with my niece?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lara said, but Louise held up a hand.

"It's fine. I'll speak to her."

"Are you sure about this?" Archie asked.

"Of course. It's not a problem. Just stay outside the door, Archie."

Not looking convinced, Archie beckoned for his sister to follow him, and they left the room, closing the door behind them. Then Louise was alone with her aunt, someone she hadn't seen in more than six weeks. She had stayed with Clarissa and Mark, having her belongings taken out of Aunt Harriet's home, and she had cut her off from getting any of her money from the bank, so they shouldn't have anything to do with each other.

Despite not wanting her present, Louise had even extended an invitation to her wedding, but it had been returned ripped into pieces.

It had been for the best, Charles said. Neither of them wanted her there.

So why was she here now?

"This isn't me begging to come to your wedding," Aunt Harriet said coldly. "I'm not going to apologize to you, either."

"I wasn't expecting you to do either," Louise replied. "You've never begged for anything in your life, and I know you've never apologized before."

"I thought you should know that I've sold my home in London," Aunt Harriet went on as if Louise hadn't interrupted her. "The properties that were in my name, the ones your parents left to you, only one is left, and that's the cottage. I had to sell everything else to pay off my debts and barely have anything left over. So don't expect any of them to come to you now."

If Louise hadn't been expecting this, she would have been horrified and furious with her aunt. But she had seen this coming. If Aunt Harriet couldn't keep her end of the deal with the Earl of Mansfield, she would have to sell her priceless possessions.

While she was sad that her parents' assets were being sold, she had come to accept it. Louise had the money in the account, and that was still surprisingly plentiful. Charles said she could keep hold of it and have it for herself instead of giving it to him, wanting her to have something of her own.

She had made her peace with it. There was no point in getting upset with Aunt Harriet over the inevitable, and from the look on her face, the older woman was expecting an argument and had prepared for a fight.

"Have you managed to pay off your debts, then?" Louise asked.

Aunt Harriet blinked, looking a little put out that her niece didn't lose her temper on her.

"I…yes. It's all sorted. I've got a small amount left over for one servant and the upkeep of the cottage. But I'm going to have to find ways to make money." She scowled. "That's going to be the hardest part."

"If you want any help…"

"Help?" Aunt Harriet scoffed. "I don't want any help from you."

"Then why did you come here? If you're not attending the wedding and you don't want my help…"

"Because it's because of you that I'm like this," Aunt Harriet hissed. Her lips tightened. "If you had done as you were told, then this wouldn't be happening to me. All you had to do was do as you were told."

Louise wasn't going to have this argument again. It was her wedding day; she wasn't about to let that happen.

"Even after everything you've done, Aunt Harriet, we're still family. If you want some help, you just have to ask and Charles and I will help. Within reason, of course."

Aunt Harriet looked shocked at that. Louise wondered if she had taken the wind out of her sails.

"But…why? Why would you do that?"

"You might not have raised me, but the servants who did made sure that I had a good heart and a forgiving personality." Louise smoothed her hands down her skirts. "I won't forgive the Earl of Mansfield for how he put us in this situation, but I can forgive you a little. We do need some time apart to let things calm down, but I do want to try. After all, you're the last family member I have. If I didn't make an effort, I would regret it."

Now, her aunt was staring at her with her mouth open. Louise would have started laughing if the situation wasn't so serious. Louise thought that she would never forgive her aunt for how she treated her for all those years and her actions, but Charles had reminded her how she had helped him with forgiving Lady St. Simon despite everything she did. Louise needed to do it for herself as well.

She had also heard about Mansfield after he had been sent away from Clarissa's house with a flea in his ear. He had been furious that he hadn't gotten what he wanted, and he had done his best to smear Aunt Harriet's name in Society. He called her a fraud and cut contact with her completely after discrediting her to her friends. Naturally, he wouldn't have paid her debts, so Aunt Harriet was on her own.

She had been taken in by a charismatic man who thought he could get what he wanted by manipulating everyone around him. Louise was glad she didn't have to see him again.

"You…you really mean that?" Aunt Harriet sounded a little dazed about that.

"I'm not going to be doing all the work, though," Louise said, drawing herself up. "You need to make an effort on your side. I don't know if you actually want a relationship with me, albeit a superficial one, but if you want my help, you need to show that you're willing to change our relationship as well. If you don't, I'll decide that you're a lost cause and cut you off for good. I'm not going to help you if you don't help yourself and change your behavior."

With her aunt still staring at her in stunned amazement, Louise picked up her small bouquet of flowers and headed toward the door.

"I'll make sure you're escorted from the property, Aunt Harriet. I have a wedding to attend. If you make a decision, you know where I live."

"How did you end up becoming so grown-up?" Aunt Harriet murmured.

Louise paused while she was opening the door, turning back to the older woman.

"I suppose that's what happens when you go through what I've been through. You have a bigger perspective on life, and things become a lot clearer. Life's too short to be hurt over things in the past, isn't it?"

Before Aunt Harriet could answer, Louise left the room and shut the door. Lara and Archie were hovering in the hallway and hurried to her.

"Are you all right?" Archie asked.

"I'm fine. She'll leave shortly." Louise took a deep breath. "Let's go to the chapel. Where's Bethany? She said that she would be here."

"I think she's a little occupied." Lara giggled and pointed toward the stairs. "I just saw her and Duffy downstairs. They were…in a clinch. Where anyone could find them."

Louise shook her head with a smile. With the way things were going, she wouldn't be surprised if Duffy and Bethany decided to get married themselves. She slipped her arm through Lara's.

"Shall we get going, then? I don't want to be late."