The Earls lie or a scoundrels promise

Epilogue

Epilogue

9 months later

Lizzie walked through the long grass of the fields. Spring was finally breaking through after a long, cold winter. The sun had begun to make its long awaited appearance. The air was fresh and the sky clear, the perfect weather for a walk. The breeze whipped the wild waves of her hair from its pins, and she loved the feeling. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with as much fresh air as she could. After long months spent mostly indoors, it felt wonderful. What a difference it could do to one's mood. She stopped and stood still, closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, savouring each breath before exhaling and feeling her lungs deflate. Her hands rested outstretched slightly to her sides, the tips of the tall grass every so often tickling her palms. On her way back to the house she stopped by the rose bush that had recently been placed there by request. The best time of year, to produce the best roses was early spring. She was eager to see just how beautiful they would be; however, she would have to wait a little while longer.
She hoped they would be deeper in colour and powerful in scent, more so than any she had seen before. She made her way inside and the warmth hit her cool skin making her cheeks feel icy cold. She removed her coat and hat and made her way upstairs to the nursery. She heard the soft cooes from inside and smiled.

'Thank goodness' Her sister in law looked relieved as the door opened wider, she was rocking the small bundle in her arms, wondering about the room. 'See, I told you she would be right back' she spoke to her niece.' 'she's hungry again? So soon' Lizzie walked over and Elise handed her daughter to her, laughing as she did 'she is always hungry!' Lizzie kissed her beautiful baby girl and began to rock her 'shhhh now Ellie. Mamas here'
Both woman stood smiling down at the beautiful little girl, a head full of dark curls and sea blue eyes stared back at them. A smile that melted both their hearts and a tinkling of laughter
'Did you hear that! I think she really laughed' Elise was amazed by the ever rapid growth of her niece. Lizzie sighed 'I wish Blake was here to hear that. Her first laugh' 'She's so beautiful Lizzie, i know I'm being biased because she is my niece. But she really is perfectly good looking.' Lizzie agreed, because this tiny beautiful being was hers, her and her husband's, made from their love.

'You must be talking about me.' Lizzie turned toward the doorway and there stood, yes, her perfectly good-looking husband leaning carelessly against the door frame. Cheeky boyish smile, dimple and all.
' No, actually' Elise corrected her brother, sounding rather like she wanted to stick her tongue out and say so there! 'I was talking about my beautiful niece. We think she just laughed!' He strolled into the room, dropping a kiss on Lizzie's cheek , then taking his daughter in his arms. Ellie rewarded him with one of her biggest smiles and squeals of utter delight. Pretty much how Lizzie felt every time she saw him walk into a room too.  'Did she now? Laughing at her silly Aunt Elise no doubt' He placed his free arm around his wife. She mentally saved the moment forever in her mind, because not too long ago this future had seemed a mere dream. 'You're back early, I wasn't expecting you to return until tomorrow' 'Well I could not stand to be away any longer than needed. How are my girls today?' 'Perfect'  he laughed. 'Well then, I am perfectly hungry.' 'and so is your daughter, I must feed her' He placed their baby girl in her mother's arms once more and they both looked on in awe. Elise took the opportunity to slip from the room leaving the three of them alone. He kissed her firmly on the lips as soon as they were alone, stirring that familiar need within her. She could not put it into words, how happy she was, and she didn't need to because he knew exactly what she was thinking. 'I know' was all he said, how he did that, she still didn't know. 'She looks more like you every day' she loved to see the resemblance between her husband and her daughter. 'But she has her mother's beautiful eyes. See' he beheld there daughters beautiful face softly, 'Her eyes are blue not green.' 'Blue yes, at a first glance. To say her eyes are merely blue, is like saying your eyes are merely green. It does not do the colour justice' he turned back to her and kissed her softly this time, long and soft savouring her lips, he pulled away enough to hold her gaze 'I have got lost in those mesmerising mix of colours so often, I know every colour that makes them so beautiful. I know hers will turn the same.' He smiled at his wife 'I'm so certain, I'd wager any amount of money on it' she tutted. 'You charmer, A wager, really?' he laughed. 'Well if you worried you'll loose...' 'You scoundrel' she teased him, before placing her bet.
He lifted his right arm in an oath, like she had seen him do all that time ago. 'Promise'

How far they had come, from the day they met. From the day he agreed to help her. From the day they married. It felt like years had passed when in fact it had been barely one.
Lizzie thought this day would never have come. That they had been fighting against the odds for this, and finally they could enjoy it, the fight was won. So many times something or someone had shattered her dreams of a future with the man she loved. When she had envisioned what was to come, this was it. Here in the arms of her husband and a family of her own. It had been within her grasps several times, then cruelly plucked from her hands and put back out of reach. She thought that was all she would hope to hold onto, an image, a creation in her mind of what their life could have been. A life filled with what if's, she would have been wondering for the rest of her life, how it could have been. First, when she had resigned herself to a life alone, with only Blake as a memory to warm her on her lonely nights, then when she thought she was going to lose her and her unborn babys life, and in a twisted cruel trick of fate, she almost lost her husband instead.

She remembered the way his eyes rolled back, only now can she begin to comprehend what had been going on around her. The numerous people buzzing around. The Blood that poured from her husband's lifeless body, as it stained her hands as she desperately tried to stop the constant crimson flow. The doctor had come so quickly, Blake had sent for him as soon as he realised she had gone missing which meant he arrived just after the chaos had unfolded. He had managed to stop the bleeding wound to her husband's side just in time, thanks to an extensive stay on the continent as an army medic, he had been very adept to treating such traumatic wounds. It had taken a long time for him to regain his strength after being on the brink of death, weak from blood loss. the long days and weeks that had passed slowly and painfully by had her exhausted. She stayed by his side as he battled a fever, as he went through hell. She'd moped his brow and held him, talked to him as his fever dreams took over, he screamed her name and she knew he was reliving all they had been through, she wept, but she had never left his side. He had saved her, again. He was her rescuer from day one, and that had never changed.

They had been informed Melissa was badly injured from her fall, she died not long after. She felt sad, at a life lost, but she was relieved to know the past was well and truly behind them, that this time, it would stay in the past. She had a very small spot that sympathised with her, with a woman who had lost hope and her mind. A desperate woman, desperate for love, after a life with so little of it, Blake being the only one to ever come close to what she sought, She lost her mind in the effort to have it. Lizzie had been desperate once, and she done something quite out of character, something dangerous, luckily for her, she'd asked the right person for help that day. But she had grown up with love, her family, her siblings, her aunt, it seemed Melissa had lacked the luxury of family and of love, even as a child. She did feel sorry for her, she really did. The world they lived in did not cater to woman, especially a woman alone in the world. She imagined she had made some difficult misguided choices, and she was choosing her words nicely, but all out of desperation.
She only thought of her once, on the day they received the news of her passing. Then, never again.

She had her life, her family and the knowledge that she possessed a great love, that was returned.
She knew she could always count on the love of her scoundrel.