by Abigail Agar
“I shall, Mother. I shall continue to sew. I do love it and there are always projects that may be worked on. I shall be spared having to hire a dressmaker because all I shall ever need are the fabrics and the thread. I do hope that my husband is prepared for that,” Emma said with a laugh.
“Oh, who cares? Once he sees you in this gown, I am sure that he will give you whatever you want,” Amelia said.
“You think?” she asked.
“Oh, I have no doubt of it, Emma. You look positively perfect,” Amelia said.
Emma grinned and turned back to the mirror, feeling quite perfect.
The gown was a slim cut in white lace with pale blue and grey accents. It was not drab, but it was subtle, and it caused the colour of her eyes to be even more noticeable.
Emma had been excited to share this gown with her mother and with Amelia, to let them both see what she had been working on and how incredible it looked on her. Although she had not been certain that everything would come together this perfectly, she had been delighted that it did.
After everything, she felt quite content to have such a noticeable presence.
It had been a miracle that throughout the entire ordeal they had managed to restore their reputations.
Although Emma knew that everyone would figure out that she was not pregnant, she had thought they would keep their prejudices. She had thought that her reputation was ruined for ever.
And with the fact that her reputation had been restored, her mother and father were able to continue in their work and make the money that they needed. Not only that, but her new husband was going to be compensating them quite generously for all that they had been through.
Emma had insisted that it was not necessary. After all, it had not been his fault that they had suffered.
But her husband was a good man and he knew that he had more than he needed. He was able to help them and that was something that he was delighted to do.
Although his own father’s name had not regained the image that it had once had, at least Eric and his mother were at peace with society. No one spoke ill of them anymore. Everything had been settled and all was at rest.
It was with all of this in mind that Emma left for the church.
With her dearest friend, her mother and her father, she made her way to the building where she would become Lady Thornbury.
“All right. Are you ready? It is time. They are ready for you to walk down the aisle,” Amelia told her.
Emma looked at Amelia, her dear friend who had been with her through so much.
“I am ready. Are you ready? Are you ready to see your brother married? Are you ready to see me married? Are you ready to see us married to one another?” Emma asked, the line of questions all that she could ask.
“I am ready to see two people that I dearly love be made the happiest of people in all the world,” Amelia replied.
With that approval, Emma proceeded forward.
She made her way down the aisle, delighted by the man that she saw at the end. He was a man filled with dignity. He was a man whose character and demeanour carried integrity.
As they said their vows, as they declared the eternity of their love, Emma realised that this was how it had always been meant to be. this was the life that she was born to.
It was a life that had been messy and tumultuous at times. But it was a life that ended with a love that could not have come easily. It was a love that could only be found through overcoming obstacles and facing challenges.
By the end of the ceremony, when they were pronounced by the reverend to be husband and wife, Emma was confident that everything was going to be better than she had ever imagined.
“My darling wife, are you ready to make our way to the feast that has been prepared?” Eric asked.
Emma laughed, excited to see how grand it was.
“I am ready. Do you think there will be enough food? I cannot believe that so many people have come. I do not know most of them. Do you? Are they all friends of yours? I mean, really. Do you know them all?” Emma asked.
Eric grinned at her and shook his head.
“I know many of them, but certainly not all. I imagine that many of those whom I do know invited others. You know how it is in London, everyone wants to know the nobility,” he said.
Emma cocked an eyebrow at him and smirked.
“Oh, yes. The poor girl from Finchley knows exactly what that is like,” she said with sarcasm, a new skill that she had been developing in her more outspoken moments.
“Ha! Fair enough. That was rather foolish of me, now, wasn’t it?” Eric asked.
“Actually, I find it rather charming. You have no way of knowing what life was ever like for me but very soon I shall know what it was like for you,” Emma pointed out.
She looked and saw her mother and father seated on the other side of a large group of people and made a note of the location so that she could greet them very soon. But in the meantime, she and Eric were led to the seats that were meant for them.
Emma looked off to where she saw Amelia standing. But Amelia was not alone. Rather, she was with Reginald.
Oh Reginald, her new husband’s dearest friend. He, too, was a wonderful man. He was someone that she was delighted to know that her husband had by his side.
Only now, it appeared that he was also at Amelia’s side.
There were looks passing between the two of them, looks that conveyed a mutual attraction. And as Emma took in this possibility, she was delighted. She looked to her husband and saw that he was watching the very same thing. She could see that the wheels of his mind were turning.
“Allow me to guess,” Emma said.
“If you must guess then I pity you. My thoughts ought to be perfectly decipherable at the moment,” Eric said.
“Well, yes, I suppose that is true. What do you think? Your sister and your best friend? Is that too strange?” Emma teased, knowing very well that Amelia had been in that same position.
“Oh, yes. Very strange. I cannot think that I would ever allow it,” Eric said, a mock air of arrogance in his voice as he made his pretend objection.
“Truly, though, I would like to see Amelia happily married. Do you think that the two of them would be a good match? I hardly know Reginald, even now,” Emma said, sad that she had not been able to spend more time in London over the previous months.
She had wanted to be with Eric, but she had also known well that it was her final days with her mother and father. Nothing could keep her away from them.
“Oh, they would be ideal. Now that she has tamed somewhat, that is, she has tamed her bitterness. But Reginald is the perfect, patient sort of fellow who would enjoy the fact that Amelia is so outspoken. And he is loyal. Far more loyal than you or I, and certainly more loyal than my sister,” Eric said.
All of these qualities were perfect and Emma hoped that Amelia and Reginald might truly have an opportunity to be together after all. She thought that if she and Eric could help them in that, maybe it would happen sooner and she would see her dear friend made happy. The thought was too wonderful.
“Well, then. I suppose that we must get to work,” Emma said.
“I could not agree more,” Eric replied.
And so it was. They had made up their minds to ensure that their dearest friends would have every opportunity to get to know one another and to be something more than that if they so chose. Although they had no control over the decisions made by Amelia and Reginald, at least they could give them a chance.
Things had been difficult for Amelia since standing up to her mother. Yet, although she had not been home in a matter of months, Emma was proud of Amelia. And she knew that Amelia had arrived at the right decision.
For the time being, Amelia had gone to live with Eric and his mother in London. No one had decided how long that would be for. There was no telling whether it would be short-term or lengthy. But for now it was the right choice.
And so Emma looked once more at her husban
d. He leaned towards her and they shared a subtle moment with their eyes locked upon one another.
Eric was everything to her now. They had a future, they had a past. But now, in that moment, everything was just beginning. Everything had come together.
And she could not have been happier.
Epilogue
A full six months had passed. It has been six months filled with joy and laughter, happiness and delight. But most of all, it had been six months filled with love.
Eric and Emma could not have anticipated such a perfect time with one another in the midst of all of that. Although they knew that the newlywed years were typically the most bright and bold, they had both anticipated significant challenges that had not yet taken place.
Perhaps they were to be spared, or perhaps they would come with time, but regardless, Eric and Emma were prepared.
For now, the greatest challenge that they were experiencing was the fact that Emma had been struggling so greatly with her morning sickness. She hoped that it would be over soon, but she knew that the child would be worth it no matter what sort of suffering she might have to experience and endure.
The two of them had made so many plans regarding this child. Although they had found themselves with child nearly right away, they intensely invested time into the discussion of and preparation for the life that was soon to come.
It was difficult to think of the fact that five months before their wedding, many throughout society had believed an illegitimate child was on its way. But now, a child truly was coming.
Emma may have not quite been prepared, but that did not take away from the joy that she felt when she discovered that a child was, indeed, developing.
With all of the changes that were soon to come, there was nothing that Eric and Emma delighted in so much as a visit from their friends and family.
There, at the estate, they sat with Reginald and Amelia. Playing games and showing off on the pianoforte, the four enjoyed themselves.
Emma and Amelia laughed a great deal when they had convinced Reginald that they would play a song on the pianoforte. The poor man had not considered the fact that the two of them had grown up in poverty as opposed to the lavish lifestyle of the young women with whom they were used to spending time.
So it was that Amelia placed her fingers on the keys and simply played each one, one at a time from the middle of the piano up to the end.
Reginald laughed and teased her about the fact that she had not even managed to find Middle C.
“What on earth is Middle C?” Amelia asked, looking up at Reginald and laughing at him as he rested a hand upon her shoulder.
Emma watched the interaction with delight, hoping that a future truly was in the making for the two of them.
“Middle C, my dear, is quite obviously the C that is in the middle of the pianoforte,” Reginald teased.
“And how am I to know that?” she asked.
“Well, you have stayed in this house now and then. I might have thought that your brother would have enlisted a tutor for you to learn how to play,” Reginald said.
“Oh, there is no sense in that. I am far too old to begin learning,” Amelia said.
“Oh, that is rather disappointing,” Reginald said, taking on a serious expression.
Amelia looked at him closely, her eyes asking the question as to why he was bothered by it.
“You see, my dear, I think I cannot have a wife who does not love to play the pianoforte, for I love it a great deal,” he said.
“Oh?” she asked, not sure whether or not to listen.
“But, as it happens, I do believe that I love you more and I think I am perfectly content to accept you, after all,” he said.
Amelia laughed, throwing her head back and behaving as carefree as she ever was.
Emma was still happy to see the two of them interacting so well. She and Eric had been working very hard to bring the two of them together and find excuses for time to be spent in one another’s presence.
She leaned in close to her husband. He was seated beside her as she stood and he looked up at her, their eyes making contact and holding one another.
“I do hope that they hurry up and marry quickly,” Emma said.
“Why is that?” Eric asked, observing them alongside her.
“They are ideal with one another. Can you even imagine a better union than the two of them?” Emma asked.
“Yes,” Eric replied, causing her to look at him with alarm.
“You can? Who? What better match could one find than Reginald and Amelia?” she asked.
“I do believe that Eric and Emma are the better match,” Eric said, teasing her.
Emma pretended to swat at him, as though she were truly irritated. He knew it to be a jest and she made no attempt to hide that.
Still, she looked back at their friends and watched them as they continued in their own banter.
Amelia had been doing much better of late. She had moved back in with her mother and things had begun to change.
Finally, Liza was beginning to warm to the fact that Amelia and Eric were choosing to have a relationship. She was beginning to understand the importance of the sibling bond that now brought them together.
At times, Emma was more frustrated than ever by this development. She wondered why it was that all of their attempts to convince Liza had not worked. And yet, time. Time had been the thing that had helped her to melt.
Somehow, Liza had decided that she would give Eric a chance. It was a wonder to Emma, but she was glad. At least it meant that there was peace between all of them and things truly were improving.
“Have you heard anything from Liza of late?” Emma asked Eric in a hushed tone. Although things had greatly improved, she did not want Amelia to overhear the conversation and be irritated that they were speaking about her mother.
“No, I have not. Last I knew, she was doing quite well, but you know that she is still rather distant with me. I cannot pretend that she would actually be happy to even see me, much less speak with me often,” Eric said.
“But when you did see her last, she was far better to you. What makes you think that she will not be even better yet now?” Emma asked.
“She likely would be. But who is to say? I cannot pretend that her sudden easing means a full change or that she will not accept me without question. There is still a great divide between us and I should hate to think that I am hoping for a peace that might never truly occur,” Eric said.
Emma nodded, understanding his mentality. He was right. Although things had improved, it did not mean that they were changed forever, or for the better.
“You look beautiful today, you know,” Eric said, giving her a lengthy look of appreciation, which caused Emma to blush. She had not been prepared for the spontaneous compliment and she found herself wishing that she was better at accepting them.
But her husband was always giving her such compliments. He was a kind and generous man who showed his love at every possible turn, indulging when he was given an opportunity to shower her with affection.
The foursome decided that they would make their way to the gardens behind the house. Emma could see something in Eric’s eyes. As though there was some plan afoot.