“If only,” Frederick whispered back, planting a soft kiss on her temple.
Looking up, Ellie smiled at him. “I am glad you are back.”
“As am I.” A soft smile touched his lips as he leaned down and kissed her softly, pulling her into his arms where she belonged. “My Ellie, what would I do without you?”
Epilogue
Ten Months Later
Sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery, Ellie smiled down at her little son. At three months old, Leopold Kenneth Lancaster cooed up at his mother, his bright blue eyes following her every movement. Gently, she placed the tip of her finger on his forehead and slowly ran it down to the tip of his nose.
Watching her with rapt attention, Leopold blinked as her finger reached his nose, then giggled and waved his little fists about as his mother’s delighted laughter filled the sun-bathed room. Ellie could not remember ever having been happier than at this very moment.
“You look beautiful together.” Smiling, Frederick came walking in through the door that connected the nursery to their bedchamber.
After sharing a temporary bedroom in another part of the house for the time it took to have their old rooms fixed up−for in the first few weeks after the fire, nightmares had haunted Ellie’s sleep−they saw no need to change what had turned into a comfortable routine. Falling asleep with Frederick’s arms wrapped around her, Ellie could not imagine ever giving that up. At the same time, she felt an almost desperate need to be near her child after almost losing him so early in her pregnancy.
Today, the three of them were inseparable, and it filled Ellie’s heart with joy to see Frederick so devoted to his son.
“Rick.” Rising from the chair, she came toward him, and he instantly held out his arms to receive his son. “Are they here?”
“They are,” was all he said before his son claimed his undivided attention. Grinning stupidly, sticking out his tongue or wiggling his eyebrows, Frederick did his utmost to make him laugh again and again until even his wife joined in, unable to keep a straight face at the silliness that seemed to have overtaken her otherwise serious husband.
Sinking into the rocking chair once again, Ellie brushed the tears from her cheek. “Are they in the front drawing room?”
Finally looking at her, Frederick nodded, bouncing in his step.
Ellie took a deep breath. “They will love him, don’t you think?”
“Of course,” Frederick agreed, frowning at her in feigned outrage. “He is their nephew. We are family.”
“I know. I think Stephen will be taken with him the most.” Feeling excitement bubble up, Ellie rose to her feet, almost dancing as she took a turn about the room. “After having only sisters, he probably welcomes a male relative a little closer to his age.”
“Closer to his age?” Frederick gawked at her. “Isn’t Stephen already nine years old? He seemed quite grown up as he bowed his head to me just a few minutes ago.”
Ellie sighed. “That’s my father’s influence. Maybe we should invite him to spend the summer here with us.”
“I have no objections,” Frederick said, an amused curl to his lips. “However, I doubt that he’ll be wanting to spend his time with an infant.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. However, in a few years−”
“In a few years, Stephen will still be nine years older than Leo. I doubt a twenty-year-old will want to spend much of his leisure time with a ten-year-old.”
“Oh, forget what I said,” Ellie sighed, waving his comments away. “I just thought…”
“I know,” Frederick interrupted. Walking over with a sleeping baby in his arms, he gazed down into her eyes. “It was a lovely thought, and I do agree that Stephen might benefit from a little distance to his father. That man certainly is a stick in the mud.”
Ellie giggled. “You have no idea.”
As his gaze returned to their sleeping son, Ellie thought to detect a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Is something wrong?” she asked, placing a tender hand on his arm. “You seem to have a dark cloud hanging over your head.”
The ghost of a smile travelled over Frederick’s face. “You know me too well.”
“What is it then?”
He took a deep breath, and an apologetic smile drew up the corners of his mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spoil your day.”
Ellie swallowed, bracing herself. Had something happened to her family? “Then it is bad news?”
“Yes, I suppose it is.” Walking over to the crib, he gently laid Leopold down before he re-turned to her side. “There was a fire at the Winham Institute.” Ellie drew in a sharp breath, and Frederick squeezed her hands. “From what I heard, there are few survivors, especially among the patients, which is not surprising considering that most of them were locked up when it happened and, thus, could not save themselves.”
A cold shiver went down Ellie’s back as memories of the night of the fire returned in startling clarity. “Charlotte?” she asked as heat suddenly surged through her body.
Holding her gaze, Frederick drew in a deep breath. “As far as I know, she was not among those recovered alive.”
Ellie closed her eyes, and instantly, her husband’s arms came around her. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and onto his coat as she whispered a quiet goodbye to a woman who had lost everything: the man she loved, her sanity and now, her life. Despite everything that had happened, Ellie had never wished her ill.
Lifting her head from Frederick’s shoulder, she searched his face. “How are you?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted as a slight tremble shook his broad frame. “To tell you the truth, a part of me is relieved. Would you want to spend your life in an asylum after losing everything you loved?” He shrugged. “I know I wouldn’t. At least now, she is at peace.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
Again, his arms came around her, and his eyes held hers as though with an invisible force. “I don’t know what I would have done had I lost you that night,” he choked out. “I owe you my heart, my life and my soul for without you I would have been lost. You brought me back from a place that I never want to see again, and now, every day, you are the reason that life is precious to me again.” His arms tightened around her possessively, and the breath caught in Ellie’s throat as she read his love for her in his eyes. “Promise me that we will walk through life together.”
A smile on her lips, Ellie nodded as tears ran down her face. “I promise. We belong to each other−now and forever.”
About Bree
Bestselling author, Bree Wolf has always been a language enthusiast (though not a grammarian!) and is rarely found without a book in her hand or her fingers clued to a keyboard. Trying to find her way, she has taught English as a second language, traveled abroad and worked at a translation agency as well as a law firm in Ireland. She also spent loooong years obtaining a BA in English and Education and an MA in Specialized Translation while wishing she could simply be a writer. Although there is nothing simple about being a writer, her dreams have finally come true.
“A big thanks to my fairy godmother!”
Currently, Bree has found her new home in the historical romance genre, writing Regency novels and novellas. Enjoying the mix of fact and fiction, she occasionally feels like a puppet master (or mistress? Although that sounds weird!), forcing her characters into ever-new situations that will put their strength, their beliefs, their love to the test, hoping that in the end they will triumph and get the happily-ever-after we are all looking for.
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Also By Bree
Historical Romance:
Historical Romance:
Love's Second Chance Series
#1 Forgotten & Remembered - The Duke's Late Wife
#2 Cursed & Cherished - The Duke's Wilful Wife
#3 Despised & Desired - The Marquess' Passionate Wife
#4 Abandoned & Protected - The Marquis' Tenacious Wife
#5 Ruined & Redeemed - The Earl's Fallen Wife (Coming summer 2017!)
#6 Betrayed & Blessed - The Viscount's Shrewd Wife (Coming fall 2017!)
Middle Grade Adventure:
Airborne Trilogy
#1 Fireflies (Now Perma-free!)
#2 Butterflies
#3 Dragonflies (Coming 2017)
Paranormal Fantasy:
Crescent Rock Series
#1 How to Live and Die in Crescent Rock
#2 How to Love and Hate in Crescent Rock (Coming 2018)
Dear Reader,
The journey of Ellie and Frederick is one that I particularly enjoyed writing, and I am certain we will encounter them again in future novels. After all, don't we all want to know what happens to our heroes and heroines after they have finally won their happily-ever-after and the book closes?
So, stay tuned.
In the future novels of this series, the previous couples will often do a short appearance and reveal a little about what they've been doing and (my particular favorite) how many children they have by then! I often consult those readers subscribed to my mailing list with regard to naming the little ones. So, if you would like to put in your vote, sign up!
I have one quick request before you can move on to the sneak-peek of 'The Wrong Brother'.
If you enjoyed this story, would you mind leaving an honest and fair review?
Would it help if I said pretty please with a cherry on top?
In all honesty, reviews and recommendations are so important for attracting new readers, especially for indie authors like me. I would greatly appreciate your support! Thanks so much for reading!
Here is a direct that will quickly get you to your favorite retailer. (Click me! Click me! Click me!...Okay, I'll stop now!)
All the best to you,
Bree
Love's Second Chance Series - Overview
#1 Forgotten & Remembered - The Duke's Late Wife
One night, they found themselves under some mistletoe. Now he owes her a kiss. And she is determined to claim it.
His heart torn in two, Graham Astor, Duke of Kensington, mourns his wife. As he distances himself from everything that reminds him of happier days lost forever, he comes to realize that there is one thing he cannot run from.
Graham needs a new wife, if only for the sake of his daughter.
Disillusioned with love, Rosabel only wishes to not remain a burden to her uncle’s family much longer. After seeing her parents’ love turn against them, Rosabel dreams of an independent life as a governess.
But then a stranger asks for her hand in marriage, and to her utter shock her uncle instantly agrees.
Will Rosabel find love after all? Or will the memory of Graham’s late wife keep him from finding happiness?
#2 Cursed & Cherished - The Duke’s Wilful Wife
One night, she stole his kiss. Now, he is determined to steal it back.
Edmond Dunsworth, Duke of Cromwell, is bankrupt. The solution to his problem: a wife with a sizable dowry.
Not worried in the least, Edmond takes his pick. After all, what woman could resist his charms?
Anna Hanford, a merchant’s daughter, is faced with a difficult choice: allow her sister to marry the duke and see her happiness shattered…or marry the duke herself.
Determined to ensure her sister’s future, Anna makes her choice. After all, isn’t marriage just a minor inconvenience in life?
#3 Despised & Desired - The Marquess' Passionate Wife
Long ago, he kept her secret. Now, she will save his soul.
Elsbeth Munford is set to marry the man she loves until an accident destroys her life. Her beauty tainted by ugly scars, Ellie resigns herself to a life of spinsterhood.
Frederick Lancaster, brother to the Marquess of Elmridge, returns home from war. A hero in the eyes of others, he is haunted by nightmares. Unable to make his peace with the past, Frederick retreats into the dark until his brother dies and he not only inherits his title, but with it the obligation to produce an heir.
When two damaged souls find themselves tied to one another, will they pull each other under? Or will they help each other rise again from the ashes of their shattered lives?
#4 Abandoned & Protected - The Marquis' Tenacious Wife
He forced her hand. Now, she will deny him her heart.
After what her father did to her mother, Henrietta’s worst fears are to be realised when her uncle decides to marry her off to a Scot. Gentleman or not, Henrietta knows that at his core he is still a barbarian. What will she suffer at the hands of this savage?
Connor Brunwood, Marquis of Rodridge, can’t believe he fell head over heels in love with this thin, pale twig of a girl. However, the moment he saw her, he knew he had to make her his wife. If only she didn’t hate the very sight of him!
However, when his life is suddenly in danger, an assassin lying in wait, everything they thought they knew is put to the test.
Will Henrietta betray her husband or stand by his side? Will she take the opportunity to rid herself of him forever? Or will she risk everything to save his life…as well as her heart?
#5 Ruined & Redeemed - The Earl's Fallen Wife (coming summer 2017)
She was the victim of a heinous crime. Then, she sought revenge.
He seeks to punish his father and finds more than he bargained for.
Once Lady Charlotte Frampton had been a young debutante, hoping to find a husband who would win her heart. Then, one night shattered everything and turned her life into a nightmare and herself into a monster.
Determined to leave her past behind, she buries Lady Charlotte and becomes Lotte, the temporary companion to a Viscount’s younger sister.
Everything seems to take a turn for the better until the Viscount’s best friend visits and makes her an offer.
Sebastian Campbell, Earl of Weston, will never forgive himself. During his grand tour on the continent, his father, driven by the desire to increase the family’s standing in society, forced Sebastian’s younger sister, Victoria, into a miserable marriage that threatens not only her happiness but her life as well.
Haunted by guilt, Sebastian seeks to punish his father wherever possible. So when he meets ‘Lotte’, she seems the answer to his prayers. Marriage to an unsuitable woman would just put his father where he belonged: in an early grave.
While Charlotte finds that her past is not as dead as she’d hoped, Sebastian realises that protecting his sister might be more important than punishing his father. Does love have any chance at all to blossom under these circumstances? Or is it the worst times in our lives that bring out the best in us?
#6 Betrayed & Blessed - The Viscount's Shrewd Wife (coming fall 2017)
His days are numbered. Her curiosity is piqued.
Only together can they protect themselves from the lies of their past.
Tristan Turner, Viscount Elton, is haunted by a night he cannot remember.
After his parents’ untimely demise, he has done his utmost to live up to his family’s…or rather his uncle’s…expectations. However, despite his best intentions, his reputation is far from respectable. More than once he thought his life forfeit: for a reason he cannot fathom, he seems to be a preferred target for every highwayman in London. Aside from being robbed on a monthly basis, Tristan stumbles from one bar brawl into another, has a knife drawn on him repeatedly and is called out more often than he can count. If it weren’t for his best friend, he’d already be in the grave a dozen times over.
Wary of the life
he cannot escape, Tristan wishes for nothing more but a family of his own with a wife who knows the best and the worst of him and loves him nonetheless. However, so far he hasn’t had any luck finding the woman of his dreams among the ladies of the ton.
Until one night when he comes upon a young maid in the Earl of Radcliff’s household.
Elizabeth “Beth” Walker is faced with a terrible truth.
Brought up in less than favourable circumstances, Beth has often watched the ladies of the ton with envious eyes only to find out upon her mother’s death that she ought to have been brought up among them. All her life, she believed her father to have been a simple man who had died before his time. However, according to her mother’s letters, her father is none other but the Earl of Radcliff. Although stunned beyond imagining, Beth is determined to discover the truth of her mother’s past as well as her own.
Accustomed to hard work, she finds a position in the earl’s household only to discover that life holds surprises where she would least expect them. Before long, Beth’s priorities shift as the future suddenly holds more sway over her than the past ever could and her heart leads her down a different path.