Epilogue
Candace and Corin returned to London with the three gentlemen. As they had agreed, Candace moved into Corin’s townhouse, and Corin sold the one she had been living in. Corin gave her liberties to decorate his townhouse as she wished, truly making it a home that belonged to both of them.
From time to time, Candace picked up on some gossip from people who wondered just what had made the married couple, who had once lived separate lives, agree to come together. She was surprised no one else knew what Celia had done.
In the past, she suspected Celia would have found a way to let the Ton know the good deed she had done, if for no other reason than to gain the upper hand in the rivalry she had with Lady Eloise. Most people would have been impressed that Celia had managed to pull off such a feat. But, she had chosen to keep quiet on the matter, which made Candace suspect Celia really had changed her ways.
During their time in London, Candace and Corin did many things together. They no longer avoided each other at social activities. They went to the balls together, dinner parties together, and the theatre together. Even better, Corin and Jason became friends, allowing her and Anna to get together often.
But even with all the fun London had to offer, Candace was excited when they returned to the country where Daphne and Reuben were waiting for them.
She still had not gotten to meet Reuben’s instructor, though she did catch a glimpse of him one time when he was handing Reuben a new easel for his painting projects. He had quickly run off as soon as he realized she’d seen him. She had to resist the urge to chuckle. He had no reason to be so terribly shy around her. However, it was probably just as Daphne had said: he had nearly died of fright while in London. He just wasn’t meant to be around people in general. It was good he even managed to be around Reuben and some of the staff.
Before she gave birth, she, Corin, and Reuben took a couple of horseback rides. Now that she had plenty of her own clothing, she didn’t feel quite so awkward on a horse, especially since she could go sidesaddle. She didn’t think she would ever get the hang of riding like a gentleman. The three also took a couple of walks to the lake and the gazebo.
Corin and Reuben went fishing a couple of times, but the weather still was not warm enough to spend too much time out there. Candace was happy enough to sit and do some sewing with Daphne, who had now turned her attention to working on a quilt for the baby.
Daphne liked to talk about the upcoming birth of her grandchild, and that was pretty much all she discussed. Candace didn’t mind that in the least. She was just as excited about the birth as Daphne, if not more so. And then, late one night, she went into labor. By the afternoon, she had given birth to a girl.
At first, she thought Corin might be disappointed since she hadn’t given him a son, but as soon as he held the child, his smile grew wider than she’d ever seen it, and he said, “She’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen. What do you want to name her?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “Should we name her after your mother or some other female ancestor you have?”
“No. I want something unique to her.” He thought for a long moment as he studied the tiny child with a patch of curls on her head. “I’ve always liked the name Judith.” He glanced at her. “What do you think?”
“Judith is a lovely name. Let’s go with that.” She paused. “So, you don’t mind that she’s a girl? I know having an heir is important to a gentleman.”
He shrugged. “We’ll just have to try again. And if we don’t have a son next time, we’ll have to keep on trying.”
Unable to resist teasing him, she asked, “Does that mean if I do have a son next time, you won’t be coming to my bed?”
“Don’t be silly. Of course, I will. We need to have more than one son. You know what they say: an heir and a spare…or two…or three. Quite frankly, I don’t think you can have enough spares. You know, just to be safe.”
She laughed at his joke. At least he wasn’t like other gentlemen who were disappointed when they found out they had a girl instead of a boy. And for that, she was grateful.
Daphne and Reuben were just as excited to see the newest addition to their family. Daphne spent as much time with the girl as possible, holding her and telling her all sorts of stories from books she had read.
Candace had no idea Daphne knew so many stories, but Corin had told her when his mother wasn’t sewing something, she was often reading a book. “My mother doesn’t read when you’re here because you’re more interesting than the books,” Corin had explained.
Reuben, who was now nine, was already telling his niece about his plans to teach her how to ride a horse and fish. “And,” Reuben added, “if you’re any good with a paintbrush, I’ll teach you how to paint.”
“I have a feeling Judith will enjoy spending time with you,” Candace told Reuben. “You’ll be a very good uncle.”
At that, Reuben beamed.
“I think after all the time Reuben’s had an older brother teaching him things, it’s time he got a chance to teach someone younger than him what he knows for a change,” Corin whispered in her ear.
Candace smiled, thinking Corin was right. If there was anyone who could be patient and gentle, it was Reuben. There was no doubt Judith would enjoy learning what he knew. She might even look up to him as a hero, just like Reuben looked up to Corin.
If someone had told her at the beginning of their marriage that she would be enjoying a love match, she wouldn’t have believed it. But, as Corin had said, sometimes it took a scandal to get to a happy ending, and of all the wives in London, she considered herself the happiest of them all. And every night before she went to sleep, she couldn’t help but be thankful for scandals.