Epilogue

Three weeks later

"I thought we'd find you hiding in here." Calloway's voice was full of amusement.

Nick didn't bother looking up from the floor as he paced. "I am not hiding." He was absolutely hiding, though he clearly hadn't done a good job of it if Calloway and Harstone had found him this easily. He supposed the library at Harstone Court wasn't exactly a secluded place. Sighing, he turned to find his friends standing in the doorway with grins on their faces. "Please tell me you were both this nervous."

Harstone shook his head at the same time Calloway said, "Not in the slightest."

Nick groaned. "I thought you found me so you could help me feel better."

Chuckling, Calloway came into the room and wrapped his arm around Nick's shoulders so he could force him onto the sofa. "What made you think that? We're only here to ensure you don't run away before the deed is done."

"I'm not going to run away," Nick snapped, clenching his hands into fists. "I'm more worried about Emma. She hasn't changed her mind, has she?"

His friends looked at each other, apparently having a silent conversation between them, their brows furrowed.

Nick gulped. "What? What's happened?"

Calloway and Harstone burst into laughter, which didn't exactly make Nick relax, but at least he could assume nothing was wrong.

"Whatever happened to the man who was afraid of nothing?" Harstone asked as he settled beside Nick on the sofa. "I think your age has softened you, no?"

Calloway took a seat in an armchair, his eyes dancing. He hadn't been happy like this in years, since before his father died, and Nick enjoyed the sight of his friend laughing. Even if it was at his expense. Marriage had been so good for the man, and Nick was eager to see Calloway's wife, Lucy, again. At least, he assumed Lucy was here, though he hadn't seen her yet. He hadn't seen anyone.

That was what happened when a man took to hiding in a library before the sun had even come up.

Nick forced in a deep breath, holding it in his lungs in the hopes that it would settle his nerves. But no, it only made him lightheaded. "You really weren't nervous on your wedding days?" he asked his friends.

Calloway's smile softened. "I was terrified. I kept wondering if Lucy would realize she could do a lot better than a boring old baron like me."

"Always selling yourself short," Nick muttered at the same time Harstone said, "Don't be ridiculous, Calloway."

Shrugging, Calloway seemed to be thinking back on how he and his wife met as his eyes grew distant. Their circumstances had been less than ideal—like Nick, Lucy had been pretending to be someone she wasn't—but somehow they had still managed to build a friendship of trust between them. Nick had liked Lucy immediately, partially because he had seen her lies (and the necessity behind them) and recognized a kindred spirit.

"I can't help wondering what would have happened if we hadn't met the way we did," Calloway said wistfully. "We may have both been in London, but I don't think we would have found each other."

"I know that feeling," Harstone agreed. "Meeting Tabitha on the road in Tutbury felt like fate; we wouldn't have met if I had remained in Town."

Nick grunted. London was overrated. "Perhaps I'll never set foot in London again. It has never done me any good."

Calloway frowned. "About that... Olivia is going to make her debut this Season, and I was hoping you could assist with her come-out. No one knows Society better than you do, Forester."

Cringing, Nick wished he could argue that fact. If it was anyone but Calloway's sister, he would absolutely refuse, but he had known the girl almost since the day she was born. He could hardly leave her to face the gossips on her own. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked hesitantly. He hadn't told Calloway all the details of what had happened over the last couple of months, and he still wasn't exactly certain where he stood with the ton . There was a high chance he would do more damage than good by associating with her.

"Of course it is," Calloway said with a laugh. "You know how much Olivia looks up to you, and she would be a lot more confident going into her first Season if she knew you were there to walk her through. I'm likely to make a mess of it, and technically this will be Lucy's first Season as well. Besides..." He got a ridiculous grin on his face. "Lucy and I may be a bit distracted, considering she is with child."

Nick's jaw dropped as Harstone cheered. "So soon?" Nick said breathlessly.

"We've been married for five months now."

"I know, but..." Nick shook his head. It was strange enough that Harstone had three children, and Nick had almost lost hope that all of them would find their happy endings. He and Calloway were both thirty years old at this point, and for a time, it had seemed as if they would both be on their own for the rest of their lives.

Calloway narrowed his eyes. "Forester, are you crying?"

"No!" But he cringed. He had promised himself he would stop lying, but it was a deucedly difficult habit to break. "Yes. I am happy for you, Simon. Truly."

Grinning, Calloway stood and pulled Nick up with him so he could wrap him up in an embrace. "And I am happy for you, my friend. You deserve this. So do you think you could stand to spend a few months in London with me in the spring?"

Nick had rather hoped he could avoid the ton a bit longer, but how could he abandon Olivia? "I will have to talk to Emma first."

"Good answer," Harstone said with a grin. "Now, are you ready to speak your vows and give Mackenzie a reason to stop fretting?"

Thankfully, Emma's grandfather was still holding on, though he seemed to get more ill with each passing day. Nick and Emma had both spent a good deal of time with the old man, learning together about the estate and what had made it thrive over the years. Not only had Nick been grateful for the education, but it had also given him a chance to see how skilled Emma already was. He trusted her to keep him from doing anything that might damage their future, and that had made the last few weeks far less terrifying than they could have been.

"He and your housekeeper have both been complaining all morning that you are likely to run away," Calloway added with a smirk.

"I have not been complaining," a soft voice said in the doorway.

Nick brightened at the sight of Mrs. Murray, tears filling his eyes again when he saw her smile. It had been years since he had been able to visit her, and letters had most definitely not been enough. "You came," he breathed, hurrying forward to offer his arm to her.

She snickered and patted his cheek. "You think I would miss a joyous day such as this? Come, or you will be late to your own wedding."

Though he dearly wished his parents could have been here, having Mrs. Murray at his side as he made his way to the waiting carriage outside felt as close to family as he could get. He had half expected her to remain at home rather than make the journey. Choosing between Derbyshire and Tutbury to hold the wedding had been a nearly impossible task. Mr. Mackenzie may still be alive, but there was no plausible way he could have made the journey from Staffordshire, and Nick couldn't have deprived Emma of having her grandfather give her away.

"I will be honest with you," Mrs. Murray said as they walked. "I wasn't convinced this day would come while I was still alive."

Nick laughed. "Yes, we are all surprised someone settled for a lout like me."

She swatted his arm in the way she had when he was an unruly boy dragging mud into the house. "That is not what I meant, you silly boy. No, I feared you would be too afraid to open your heart again after what that wicked woman did to you."

"How do you know about that?" Nick had never confided in her everything that happened with Lavinia. Perhaps, if he had trusted Mrs. Murray with his heartache, she might have had some advice.

She clucked her tongue. "Your letters changed after you broke off your engagement, and I knew you couldn't have made that decision to part ways on your own. She hurt you, and I had half a mind to hie myself to London and give her a stern talking-to. She could have begged you to take her back."

"I'm glad you didn't," Nick said, though he wouldn't have thought so three years ago. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have met Emma."

As they reached the carriage waiting to take them to the church, Mrs. Murray hummed while Calloway and Harstone stopped a ways away to give them privacy. "You found a woman who is entirely suited to you, my dear Nicholas. And I can see she makes you happy. That is all I have ever wished for you."

Nick swallowed the emotion that threatened to choke him. "Have I ever told you how deeply grateful I am to you?" he asked, bending to place a kiss on the old woman's cheek. "I don't know where I would have been if you hadn't stepped in after my parents were taken from me."

After dabbing at her wrinkled cheeks shining with tears, Mrs. Murray swatted him with her handkerchief. "Now you've gone and made me cry," she snapped, though her smile spoke of her happiness. "You were the son I never had, Nicholas, and I thank God every day that I was given the chance to know you. Now, let's get you to your bride!"

When they arrived at the church, it seemed all of Tutbury had shown up to celebrate the union, though Nick knew they were there for Emma, not for him. He couldn't blame them. Emma Mackenzie possessed the most beautiful soul he had ever known, and he was lucky she had settled for a man like him.

When he caught sight of her walking toward him from the back of the church, smiling behind her veil and wearing the blue bonnet he had recommended when they first met, his breath caught. Suddenly he felt as if all of this was a dream. The words of the vicar sounded muddled and hazy, and Nick wasn't entirely certain he said the words he was supposed to when it was his turn. But the moment they were declared husband and wife and Emma leaned in to accept his kiss, everything fell into place, like all of the broken pieces of his life finally fit back together.

"Are you ready for this?" Emma asked as they stood hand in hand and gazed at each other, like they were the only two people there.

Nick grinned. "With you by my side? I am ready for anything. I love you, dear Emma, and I will love you always. My wife."

She brushed her thumb across his cheek with a giggle. Lud, he was crying again. "My husband," she replied, and she said the words as if they meant the world to her.

Nick had been chasing this moment his entire adult life, but no matter how wonderful he thought his wedding day would be, he never could have expected Emma. She was so much more than he could have dreamed, and as he led her out of the church and to the carriage waiting for them, he knew the future would be nothing but bright.