EPILOGUE(S)
Hayden gazed out the window of the manor at Wallace Downs. He was in a deserted salon on the second floor and peering down into the driveway. His daughters, sisters, and fiancée were climbing into carriages, heading to the church for the wedding. There were so many of them it would take two vehicles to convey them all.
Attired in new gowns, with their hair curled and braided, they were all so pretty, like a bouquet picked from a beautiful, well-tended garden.
He too had fussed over his clothes and had dressed like the earl he was. He’d groused and complained about it, but Helen had demanded he look like an aristocrat and not a pirate. He was wearing a formal gray suit, as were all the men in the wedding party, and he was ignoring how the tight coat rubbed the scars on his back, how he felt as if the cravat was choking him.
It was to be a triple event, with Abigail, Catherine, and Sarah speaking their vows before a vicar. All three of them had married in a hurry. Sarah had eloped to Scotland while Abigail and Catherine had used a Special License.
They were simply affirming their hasty decisions, and he had to admit that they’d all made good choices. Even Abigail—who’d shackled herself to his old foe, Alex Wallace.
Mildred Farnsworth, Helen, and Becky were with his sisters. Mildred had become the twins’ grandmother, so she would have a seat of prominence in the front pew. Helen and Becky would sit with her due to the fact that Helen was his betrothed and they would have their own wedding the following spring.
His sisters had urged him to join them in the ceremony, to have the vows repeated four times instead of three, but he was too vain to proceed that way. He intended to show off with Helen, but to honor his ancestors too. As was expected when the Earl of Middlebury took a wife, he would marry her at the cathedral in London, with the organ blaring and five hundred of England’s premier citizens watching them.
He was eager to have the whole country commemorate his nuptials. He wanted the streets lined with cheering crowds as he rolled by in a golden carriage like a bloody king. It was an enormous amount of conceit, and Helen had protested that it was too ostentatious, but he would flaunt himself anyway.
For the rest of their lives, they would reside quietly and modestly at Middlebury, but at the beginning, on the first day of their wedded life, they would celebrate as was appropriate to his rank and station.
His part in the current ceremony would be to walk each sister down the aisle and deliver them to their husbands. When the vicar read the section of the vows that said, Who gives this woman in holy matrimony?, he would be present to state, I am their brother, and I gladly do.
He heard someone enter the room but didn’t turn around to see who it was. It was either Robert or one of his brothers-in-law. They would ride to the church together after the ladies had departed.
A cork was pulled from a decanter, two glasses of liquor were poured. A minute later, he glanced over to discover Alex Wallace standing next to him. Wallace handed Hayden a whiskey, and they stood in a silence that should have been awkward but wasn’t.
“Have they left yet?” Wallace asked.
“Not yet, so you shouldn’t peek out. You might catch a glimpse of the bride, and I’m certain Abigail would consider it to be bad luck.”
“We simply won’t tell her. She doesn’t need to know everything, does she?”
It was exactly the sort of comment Hayden might have uttered about Helen, and he snorted as if they were male conspirators. Wallace stepped nearer and stared down, and they tarried, secretly observing as their women smiled and chattered with merriment.
Over the past month, many stories had been bandied about Wallace and the misfortunes he’d suffered after the duel. Because of their quarrel, they’d both had a decade where they’d been alone and adrift. It was strange for them to suddenly find themselves in the middle of an entire pile of relatives that seemed to be growing bigger by the moment.
“The twins look so pretty today,” Wallace murmured.
“They’re so excited I’m surprised they don’t float off into the sky.”
Down below, the final passenger climbed in, and the drivers called to the horses. The heavy vehicles lumbered away. Abigail had arranged for them to travel in open barouches so they could wave to all the local people when they went through the village. The coaches were festively decorated, trailing flowers and streamers of ribbon.
They disappeared down the lane and were swallowed up by the trees, and he and Wallace were brooding, pondering, as a third carriage rattled up to the front door. It would convey the men to the church in a few minutes. Hayden figured he and Wallace would march down at once, but Wallace was in no rush. They sipped their whiskey, a companionable mood obviously settling in.
After a bit, Wallace astonished him by inquiring, “Do you ever think about our duel?”
Hayden shrugged. “Not so much about the duel itself, but I’ll always be dealing with the aftermath.”
“We were so young.”
“And stupid.”
“Occasionally,” Wallace said, “I try to remember why Eugenia stirred us to such a tempest. Can you recollect what it was?”
“I don’t believe she was much of a factor,” Hayden said. “Back then, you and I were obnoxiously vain. We might have fought for any reason.”
“And we just agreed we were young and stupid.”
“We definitely were.”
“I’m glad I married your sister,” Wallace announced out of the blue.
Hayden froze, then said, “I guess I am too.”
“Are you going to take my daughters away from me?”
Hayden’s initial impulse was to be cocky and unbearable, to declare that they were his children and Wallace should butt out. But he glared over and saw real concern there, real worry and regret. Hayden couldn’t be his usual arrogant self.
“How about if we share them?” Hayden suggested. “They like having two fathers. They brag about it. We don’t have to bicker over it.”
Wallace nodded. “That sounds fair.”
Hayden held out his glass, and they clinked the rims in a toast. Then they downed the last of the contents.
Simon Barnes popped up in the doorway. “I was sent to fetch you. Your grand selves are expected down in the driveway. The ladies are away, and it’s time to leave for the church.”
“We’ll be right there,” Hayden said, and Simon hurried off.
“Are you really planning to wed Miss Barnes?” Wallace asked after Simon’s footsteps faded.
“Yes, I really am.”
“It means that annoying, disgraced roué will be your father-in-law. Have you thought about that?”
“Yes, I have, but I’m marrying her anyway.”
Wallace barked out a laugh and—together—they headed for the stairs.
* * * *
“Is everyone here?” Abigail Henley Wallace asked.
She was greeted with a hushed chorus of yes, yes! They were in the vestibule of the church, so they couldn’t chortle or shout or jump up and down with glee. But they were all so ecstatic they couldn’t rein in their joy.
It had been a hard decade of loss and agony and constant problems. Then, over one wild summer, all their dilemmas had been erased. She and her sisters had picked the best husbands ever. She’d found her nieces and had been allowed to assume control of their custody and care. Against all odds, her brother had returned from his lengthy ordeal.
Mildred had become part of their family, and she’d been reunited with her great love, Robert Stone. Hayden had brought him home to her, and they would wed in the fall after all the Henley excitement was over.
Middlebury would gradually be repaired by Hayden and Helen, and Jasper and Desdemona were out of their lives and would never plague them again. Helen—as Desdemona’s cousin—had received a beseeching letter from the doomed shrew, where she’d begged Helen for assistance and shelter.
All of the Henleys were debating what—if any—aid should be provided. They weren’t cruel by nature, but honestly! What was owed? What wasn’t?
Desdemona claimed that Jasper had fled the country, that he’d urged her to divorce him and had sworn he was never coming back. Abigail and her sisters were still tittering over the ending.
In light of the misery the dastardly pair had inflicted on them, it was humorous to hear about their troubles, but difficult to generate much sympathy, especially not with Des having tried to murder Hayden. But at the moment, Abigail wouldn’t fret over their plight.
It wasn’t a day to reflect on the past or to mourn old heartbreak. It was a day for celebration, a day to look to the future.
The church was packed to the rafters, with the wedding being the premier event the neighborhood had witnessed in generations. Invitations had been sought by all—particularly with Hayden being present—and they’d been doled out like gold trinkets.
A door opened, and the three bridegrooms walked out to the altar with the vicar. In their wedding finery, they were handsome and amazing, and Abigail sighed with pleasure. She was overwhelmed by how everything had worked out perfectly.
For many years, she’d decided Fate had abandoned her, that Fate was determined to crush her every aspiration, but not anymore. Anymore, she felt as if she’d been tested and had passed every obstacle set in her road.
The organist was playing a hymn, and with the bridegrooms having appeared, people were fidgeting, glancing to the vestibule to see when the service would begin. She lined up groups in the appropriate order.
Mildred and Robert went first, sauntering down the aisle arm in arm to the front pew, with Will and Tom following them. Helen, who would be the new Countess of Middlebury, was next, her father escorting her and her sister, Becky, to the front too. Then it was Alex’s sister and brother and his half-sister, Faith. His mother had declined to attend, but she was malicious and horrid, and no one would miss her.
Very quickly, it was just the Henley siblings in the vestibule, with their two nieces. They smiled at each other, a powerful wave of affection sweeping over them, binding them forever.
Her brother grinned down at his daughters. “Are you scamps ready?”
“Yes, we’re ready!” Millie said.
“Can we start?” Mary asked. “Is it time?”
“You can go in one second,” Abigail said. “Come here for a minute. I want everybody to stand in a circle. I’d like to say a prayer.”
She thought Hayden might complain, but he didn’t. They all joined hands, even her brother, and bowed their heads.
“Dear Lord,” she murmured, “thank you for this incredible day. Thank you for our wonderful husbands. Thank you for delivering the twins to us so we can cherish and spoil them. Thank you for keeping Hayden safe, for bringing him home.”
They all whispered, “Amen.”
But she wasn’t finished. “Bless our marriages, this day and throughout our lives. And please, please, dear Lord, let our parents watch over us from Heaven. Let them watch over us every day.”
There were more whispers of Amen!, and her sisters burst into tears. Then they were all hugging, laughing, sobbing quietly.
“Stop bawling!” Hayden commanded. “All of you stop, or you’ll have me weeping too, and I refuse to blubber like a baby with all of you looking on. I’m much too manly.”
Millie peered up at her father. “Are Grandmother and Grandfather watching the wedding from up in Heaven?”
“I’m sure of it,” he said.
He urged them down the aisle, and they strolled in tandem, tossing flower petals on the floor. They arrived at the altar, their baskets empty, and Mildred drew them into the pew to sit down. Their father, Alex, grinned and winked, their uncles too, and the twins beamed with delight at being noticed, at being singled out.
Sarah went then, holding Hayden’s arm as he took her down to Nicholas. He returned and took Catherine to Christopher. Then he returned again, and it was just Abigail and her brother, the two of them alone in the vestibule.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She was weeping, and he pulled a kerchief from his pocket and dried her eyes.
“You can’t cry at your wedding,” he told her.
“I’m so happy. I can’t tamp down all my joy.”
“Neither can I.” He extended his arm. “Let’s go. Let’s get you to your husband. He’s waiting for you—and he’s not a very patient fellow.”
They walked slowly, promenading, making the moment last so they would never forget. Yet despite how they delayed, they eventually reached the altar.
Hayden clasped her hand and placed it in Alex’s. Alex snuggled her to his side.
The vicar opened his prayer book and gazed out at the assembled congregation. He inquired, “Who gives these three sisters in holy matrimony?”
Their brother, Hayden Henley, Lord Middlebury, replied, “I give them away. I give them to their husbands—with my greatest love and blessing.”
The End