He smiled and placed a kiss on her palm. “Will you marry me, Sophia Marie Elliot?”
“I will.” A tear escaped, and he thumbed it away as she smiled. “I had promised myself to never shed another tear over you, Anthony Blake.”
“Hopefully this is a good tear.”
“The best kind.” She leaned forward and kissed him, not minding that her aching body protested every movement. She decided love was worth a bit of discomfort.
Epilogue
Sophia sat on the sloping lawns of the Wilshire country estate on the shore and enjoyed the shade of the early summer day. Her daughter, Elizabeth, was five months old and cutting her first tooth. The only thing that seemed to help the child forget her aching gums was rolling around on the blanket under the shade tree.
“And how is our queen bee after her rest?” Anthony squatted down on the blanket, picked up Elizabeth, and nuzzled her tummy with his nose. It made her laugh, so he did it frequently. He kissed her cheek and set her back down on the blanket on all fours, where she rocked back and forth before collapsing on her stomach.
“She will be crawling before long.” Anthony sat just behind Sophia on the blanket, knees bent on either side of her so he could wrap his arms around her middle.
She leaned back against his chest and closed her eyes. “Will she, now?”
He kissed her neck. “Mm-hmm. Jack told me Catherine began crawling at five months. Since you and Jack share the same bloodline, I would assume the same will prove true for Elizabeth.”
“Their little David is six months now, and all he does is roll from side to side.”
“That is because he is chubby. Are you happy, Lady Wilshire?”
She smiled. “So very happy. Content. I got exactly what I wished for.”
“Look at what arrived in the post!” The call came from the door to the kitchens, and Charity Denney ran to them, clutching a letter. She flopped down on the blanket next to Elizabeth.
“Who is the letter from?” Sophia snuggled comfortably against her husband.
“Amala. She says Charlie is nearly as fluent in Hindi as she is, and his tutor at the Residency believes he shall move into his next reader before they return from the Hills at the end of summer!”
“I am so glad.” Lady Pilkington had surprised them all by allowing Charlie to remain in India and learn from tutors and the local British schools. Lord Pilkington was not necessarily pleased at the thought that his son was receiving a “substandard” education like a middle-class working family’s child, but Lady Pilkington had insisted so he relented.
“Is there a letter from Princess Beatrice Darzi?”
“No, but she did say in her last letter that she, Mama, and the prince are visiting a few more royal families while the summer is still in full force. We will hear from her again when they are not traveling.”
“She seemed very happy in her last letter,” Anthony remarked.
Charity nodded. “She is, and I am happy for her. I know much of my fear for her safety was also fear that she was planning her life with someone else and leaving me behind.” She smiled. “But we must march forward and all that nonsense.”
Sophia nodded. She, Charity, and Mrs. Rachael Scarsdale Gerald had shared experiences in India that bonded them forever, and while they didn’t often discuss those events, they were as close as sisters because of them. Charity had come to live in England with Anthony and Sophia just after their wedding. She loved India and always would, but felt she needed some time and distance from painful memories. She was flourishing in England, and Sophia was glad to see happiness returning to the girl’s eyes.
“Are you ready for your first Season, Miss Charity?” Anthony asked. They could have launched her two Seasons ago, but she’d said she wasn’t ready, and they respected her decision.
“I am.” She lay back on the blanket next to Elizabeth and looked up at the swaying leaves. “No sense in postponing the inevitable.”
Sophia felt Anthony’s smile as he nuzzled her earlobe with his nose. “You can wait one more, if you prefer.”
Charity sighed. “I’m ready. And if all else fails, I shall be a nanny to this one for the rest of her life.” She picked up Elizabeth and set the baby’s feet on her own midsection. She proceeded to bounce the baby gently until she laughed. “And I shall read you silly novels and feed you sweets when your mother is not looking.”
Sophia smiled, her eyes burning with tears of contentment.
Anthony looked at her and put a fingertip beneath her chin, turning her face to his. “Are those the good kind of tears?”
She leaned in and kissed him. “Yes, dear man. I am so very, very happy. And so very, very glad I waited for you.”
“As am I.” He produced a flower he’d been hiding behind his back and she smiled.
“An orchid.” The tears continued to gather. “Reminds me of our wedding.” Anthony and Sophia’s wedding at the primary Wilshire country estate had been filled with orchids of every size and color. Anthony had told Sophia that he had learned the beautiful flowers were common in Indian weddings, that they signaled strength and wisdom, and represented a deep love and commitment between two people. Jack had overheard the explanation and then berated Anthony for making all other husbands in England pale in comparison to him.
Sophia touched a finger to the bright red petal with a smile, and Anthony popped the stem of the flower short. He tucked the flower behind her ear and kissed her temple, then settled his arms back around her, holding her close against his chest.
“I love you, Countess Wilshire.”
Sophia laughed softly when he added, as he did every night, “And you are my very best friend.”
Acknowledgments
Thanks go, as always, to my sweet family and friends for their love and support. I add again my heartfelt thanks to Lisa Mangum, Heidi Taylor, and the Shadow Mountain team, as well as Bob DiForio and Pam Howell for taking care of me and my career. You are all so good to me, and I am humbled and grateful.
Thank you, also, to the many readers who have emailed, messaged, tweeted, posted, or told me in person how much you’re enjoying my books. Each time I am filled with a sense of awe and gratitude. I am truly living my dream, and that others find joy in it with me is the best thing a girl could ever want.
My love to you all!
(By the way, in chapter 23, I make reference to a book called Le Language de Fleursand although it wasn’t published until 1819, which is actually a handful of years after this story is set. Communicating with flowers and plants became quite the thing to do in the nineteenth century, and it was fun to include it here.)
Discussion Questions
1. Sophia originally worked as a ladies’ maid before being raised to a higher status in society. Do you feel that her humble beginnings gave her a different perspective of society? How do your past experiences influence your present circumstances?
2. Do you believe Anthony made the correct decision to write Sophia a letter saying they were “just friends”? Should he have told her the truth from the beginning? Is it ever appropriate to keep a secret from someone you love?
3. The Fishing Fleet was an actual option for ladies to find an eligible husband. How have dating and courtship practices changed over the years? How have they improved? How have they made dating and marriage harder?
4. One of the reoccurring motifs of the novels is the idea of wearing a mask. Anthony is unhappy at the necessity of working undercover and pretending to be someone he is not. A murder takes place during a masked ball. And Sophia has to pretend that she is not still in love with Anthony. Have there been times when you feel you have had to “wear a mask” in a difficult situation? How did you feel? How often do you feel that you reveal your true identity to others?
5. Sophia and Anthony struggle as their relationship fluctuates between romance and friendship. Can you
have one kind of relationship without the other? Discuss the ways in which their relationship was strengthened by the combination of both romance and friendship.
6. The story touches on the Indian practice of sati, which involves the living widow being cremated along with her dead husband. What are your thoughts about that practice? What are some of the customs in your country that may seem foreign to an outsider?
7. Sophia quickly makes friends with Rachael Scarsdale and the Denney sisters. What elements of her personality make her a good friend? What makes for a deep and lasting friendship between women? How is Sophia’s friendship with Rachael similar or different from Anthony’s friendship with Dylan?
8. Did you know much about India before reading this novel? If so, what details were familiar to you? If not, what did you learn about the culture or the country?
9. Children play an important role in the story. Compare the Pilkingtons’ parenting of Charlie to the Denneys’ parenting of Beatrice and Charity. In what ways are the parenting styles similar? In what ways could they be better parents to their children?
10. Where you surprised by the ending? What clues did you see in the story that lead you to suspect the person you did as the villain?
About the Author
Nancy Campbell Allen is the author of thirteen published novels, which span genres from contemporary romantic suspense to historical fiction. In 2005, her work won the Utah Best of State award. She has presented at numerous writing conferences and events since her first book was released in 1999. Nancy received a BS in Elementary Education from Weber State University. She loves to read, write, travel, and research, and enjoys spending time laughing with family and friends. She is married and the mother of three children.
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