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One year later, Spencer Estate
“You cannot seem to sit down, can you?” Charles asked Caroline as she stood by the window of the sitting room.
“Of course not. He has just come to the country, and I want to see how he is. He’s been away in Bath for far too long, and I know he will be pleased to see how little Albert is faring.”
“Yes, I know.” Charles wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her cheek. “He will wish to know how happy you are as well, my love,” he whispered, his breath warm against her ear. “And what will you tell him?”
Caroline smiled and leaned back, her hands on her husband’s strong arms. “I will tell him that I am the happiest woman who ever lived. There are no walls, no traps, no restrictions that keep me miserable. I am free to do as I wish, to walk the meadows with my basket if I want to.”
“To dip your hand into the pond,” he teased.
“Yes, and,” she turned around in his arms and put her hands on his shoulders. “to kiss my husband whenever I should like to.”
“Now I do enjoy that aspect of your freedom,” he said, leaning down.
But just before he kissed her, the butler entered the room and cleared his throat. “Forgive me, My Lord, My Lady, but Lord and Lady Fitzroy are here to see you. And it appears that Mr and Mrs Blackwell are coming down the lane.”
Caroline’s heart skipped with excitement. “Excellent! Please do send them in, Mr. Harding.”
He bowed and left, and Caroline scurried to the door to await them. When they entered, it was a flurry of greetings and smiles and laughs. Her best friends had found love together, and besides herself, Caroline was certain that she had never seen such a couple in love in all her life.
“Come in, come in!” she cried. “Do sit down. Tea is on its way. Oliver and Emily will be here soon.”
“Oh, I do wish I could have seen their wedding. Lady Keenan must have made such a lovely bride.”
“She did. It was beautiful.” Caroline sat across from her friends and couldn’t stop smiling at them. “How was your European trip?”
Matilda sighed and gazed with such love at Alexander that Caroline nearly cried. “It was so wonderful, truly. Caroline, we cannot thank you enough for what you did.”
“Yes.” Alexander shook his head. “I still wonder what might have been if I had not been pushed by you to have enough courage to tell Matilda what I felt.”
“Well, if you are thanking her,” Charles said, “then I will have to thank you both as well.” He took Caroline’s hand and said, “You forced me to stop being an idiot, to get out of my head and do what was right. And you nearly sacrificed everything to save Caroline.” He turned to look at her, and she squeezed his hand.
“But I’m glad you didn’t have to. I’m so happy for you both.”
“Thank you, Caroline,” Matilda said as the tea arrived.
Caroline rose to glance out the window again. “Ah! He is coming!” she cried, clapping her hands and watching in amazement as her father rode on a horse, coming up the lane to the house.
“He is riding; he looks so very fine!” she said to her friends, and Charles came up behind her to look.
“Very fine indeed, my love. Let us go and greet him. I see Oliver’s carriage as well.”
Caroline rushed to the door of the house, and when she saw her father jump down from his horse and hand the reins to a waiting footman, she raced down the steps and into his arms.
He laughed, holding her tightly, and she sighed with relief. “You look so well, Father. Bath has done wonders for you.”
“Yes, it has.” He shook Charles’ hand as they walked up the steps. “I am myself again. And very glad to see you both and to meet my grandson.”
“Yes, do come in!” Caroline said with tears in her eyes, taking his arm and walking with him up the steps.
“I will greet Oliver and Emily,” Charles added, and she took him into the sitting room.
He greeted Matilda and Alexander warmly, and when Oliver and his wife arrived, they greeted them excitedly, as well. Tea was served, and they all sat together, cups in hand, plates of various biscuits on the table in front of them.
She looked around at each of them and sighed with contentment. She hadn’t really known it, but this was the life she’d wanted. A life of happiness and joy and good friendships.
“Did you hear?” Matilda asked. “Max has married a rich heiress from Europe.”
“Oh, really?” Charles asked, and Caroline’s father nodded.
“Yes, I have had a letter. So, now the two of them can be very happy.”
He spoke without bitterness, and Caroline knew the situation and the separation from Penelope was also part of his good health. They had gone their separate ways, only coming together for appearances when necessary.
“Yes, I do wish them well, in truth,” Caroline said when a baby’s cry cut through their conversation.
She rose with a chuckle, Charles at her side. “Forgive us for a moment. But Father, would you like to come and meet Albert?”
His eyes were glassy as he rose. “I would very much so.”
Upstairs in the nursery, the nurse was trying to soothe young Albert when Caroline appeared, reaching out for him. “I will take him, Ellen,” she said. “You may go and have your tea.”
“Thank you, My Lady.” Ellen curtsied and left, and Albert cried in his mother’s arms for a moment before he eased. “Here, Father, this is Albert.” She turned to her father, who had tears in his eyes as he stroked Albert’s cheek.
“Such a hearty lad with a good voice on him.”
Charles chuckled. “He certainly has that.”
They spoke of him for a little while longer before Caroline said, “Father, I will put Albert to sleep, and then later, I will bring him down to spend time with you.”
“Good, my dear. I shall like to get to know him properly, of course.” He winked and left the room, and then Charles wrapped his arms about her while she held the baby.
His chin rested on her shoulder. “He will sleep soon. I would, too, if I was in your arms.”
She laughed softly. “No, I think you have other ideas when you are in my arms, Charles.”
She could feel his smile against her cheek. “That is true.”
When Albert was finally asleep, she laid him back down in the crib, and she and Charles sat on the edge of the nursery by the large window, watching him.
“We should go back downstairs,” he whispered, and she took his hand.
“Just a moment longer. I’m so happy, Charles. Our friends are downstairs, and my father is here, and Albert is well and healthy.”
“Yes. It is a beautiful thing to see everyone so happy.” He pulled her close, her head on his shoulder. “You did this, you know. Bring everyone together.”
“I cannot take all the credit. But I hope we can continue to help people find love, for I have so much joy to give.”
“I’m so glad, Caroline.” He rose to his feet and held out his hand for her. “Let’s go back and experience the happiness we so enjoy.”
She took his hand, and they waved softly to Albert before leaving the room and shutting the door behind them. He held her hand through the hallway and down the dim passageways. They were about to walk down the main staircase when he pulled her into a side hallway that was hardly used. Its lights were dim, and there was no one about.
“What are you—?” she asked as he pushed her against the wall and leaned down to kiss her lips.
As always, even a year later, Caroline’s body was filled with delicious heat and shivers as her mouth opened and she pressed against him. He kissed down her neck, nibbling a little before he started to move her bodice from her shoulder.
“Charles,” she said, breathlessly, “we have guests.”
“They can wait, can they not?” he asked, his voice the same husky tone she knew and loved so well.
When he moved from her shoulder down her chest and licked between her breasts, she sank back against the wall, forgetting all propriety. She allowed him to pull her bodice down in front, exposing her nipples to his warm mouth, and she bit her lip to keep from moaning as he pulled one between his lips, lathing it with his tongue.
“Charles,” she said again, her mind dizzy with need.
He moved to the other, and her hands tangled in his hair before he rose again to take her mouth. Their kiss heated desperately, but she knew it could not continue, and she pushed him away, chuckling a little.
“You are a bad man,” she said, straightening her bodice and turning out of the hallway.
“Am I?” he asked, whispering in her ear as he took her hand to walk next to her. “I think I did a very kind thing there and gave you pleasure.”
Her cheeks heated, and she knew he noticed, for he laughed. “I think I know exactly how to get my revenge,” she said as they approached the door to the sitting room.
His eyes flashed. “I like that idea very much.”
They paused for a moment, and she looked up at him. “Did you think it would be like this, Charles? So much… between us?”
“No, I did not know marriage would be like this, but as soon as I met you, I knew that it could be. You are more to me than ever I thought a wife could be.” He kissed her hand and nodded at the door.
Just then, laughter broke out in the room, and Charles and Caroline turned to each other with bright smiles.
“It will be a lovely summer,” Caroline said, “with all our friends at our sides for the next few months.”
“Yes, it will, my love.” They opened the door and found Oliver telling a story, and everyone listening had tears in their eyes.
Oliver turned at their arrival, and he called over to them. “Come and join us. You will never believe who we ran into in the nearby village. Lord Martin, his new wife, and of course, Mr Merryweather.”
They sat down, and Oliver continued. By the end, Caroline and Charles were laughing so hard their sides hurt. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief and watched with happiness as Oliver looked down at Emily, reaching out a hand for her to hold.
Emily was near to crying too, and the young woman Caroline had known for so many years but had not spoken much to seemed to have bloomed like a flower from Oliver’s love.
That is the way of it, I suppose. Love makes us bloom.
Her father began to tell another story that had everyone’s attention, and Caroline stole a glance at Charles, who winked at her. She looked around at all her dear friends and family and knew that all the trials she’d gone through had been worth it. For love was worth everything.
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OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Scandalous Regency Affairs", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello there, my dearest readers! I hope you enjoyed the story and you let yourself get lost in the forbidden yet irresistible romance of Caroline and Charles! True love blossoms in the most unexpected situations! And passion thrives in the most perilous ones! I will be eagerly waiting for your thoughts and comments here! Thank you – always! 🔥♥️✨
Lovely story. I must say I expected to find out that Penelope was poisoning her husband and causing his sickness and I am disappointed that you did explain his sickness. All the others except Max were all lovable characters. The extended epilogue was a nice way to wrap up all the individual romances. Well done!
Thank you so much dear Madhu! I am glad you enjoyed it! ✨
I loved this beautiful story. Penelope was a typical ugly step-mother, only caring about herself and her nephew. So happy that Caroline and Charles got their happy ever after ending.
As an ARC reader for eight different authors, I must confess that about a year ago I read a book very similar, with a step-mother trying to push her nephew onto her step-daughter to acquire the inheritance that she felt she deserved. Was that a book of yours?
Thank you so much for your feedback and support dear Terry! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I try to make my plots significantly different and always develop new characters and plot twists! Maybe someone else had the same idea but there are so many books in the world that you can’t know if you have written a similar story with someone else! 🥰
Enjoyed this story about the wicked stepmother ?poisoning? the father and trying to marrying off the daughter to a penniless nephew. But the best was the love story between Charles and Caroline and the happy ever after love story. Throughly enjoyable story !
Thank you so much my dear! 🥰 I am glad you enjoyed it!
I loved the story. It kept one on the toes. Well constructed and had all elements of romance. Thanks for a great story.
Thank you so much dear! I am so glad you enjoyed it as much!