Part VII Epilogue
As requested by Motherof8…
Three years later….
Dearest Aunt Jane,
I thank you for your letter earlier this week. Time seems to literally take wing nowadays, and I rarely have adequate time to keep up my correspondence. I gladly welcome you home from your three months' wedding travels in France and thank you for the beautiful lace from Paris that you sent for Elizabeth's christening bonnet.
Edward and I have decided to hold Elizabeth Anne's christening ceremony during Christmastide so that you and my new uncle may attend when you travel to Brandon Abbey for the holy days. Young William is extremely excited about the Christmas festivities now that he is nearly two years of age; I believe that Cook has been slipping him Yuletide sweets to encourage this new enthusiasm. I love how this house, large though it is, takes on the most amazing scent of spices and the happy suspense of Christmas secrets at this time of year.
Speaking of Young Master William, Nurse Milsom, whom you recommended to us, is a dream; I cannot thank you enough for finding her for us in London before your nuptials. Nursie completely understands my need to spend several hours each day in the nursery with the children, very unlike our previous nurse who openly resented my encroaching upon "her territory" so frequently. I simply cannot understand how some mothers in London do not wish to see their children above a formal quarter-hour visit per week—and the fathers see their children often less than that! I could never be content if I did not play and cuddle with my babies for an extended time each day.
My father will also travel to Yorkshire for the holy days although he dislikes leaving the relative warmth of Kent. But at least the air here in the North is fresh and untinged by the smoke and smuts of London and other large cities which Father detests, as well you know. Brandon is such a sweet village, and Brandon Abbey boasts many fine walking paths in the Park that surrounds the gardens. Edward encourages me to walk daily, as the weather permits, now that my lying-in after Elizabeth's birth is completed, for he claims that too many hours inside—during my lying-in and afterward in the nursery enjoying my babies—has taken the blush from my cheeks. He does worry so! But I do adore a nice walk, and on particularly fine days, Nursie and I take the children out to enjoy the sunshine along the paths closest to the house, one of us carrying a well-bundled Baby Elizabeth while the other walks with (or rather chases after) William. Edward approves when he sees me return from the Park, windblown and rosy.
As you know, Edward is still overly-solicitous regarding my health since Elizabeth's birth. His parents were here, of course, and they insisted once again on a London doctor along with my choice of Mrs. Hale, the local midwife, but Elizabeth's birth was long and difficult despite all precautions. And once I had delivered my child, the complications that arose immediately afterward—the severe hemorrhaging followed by the delirium due to childbed fever—frightened him greatly. I remember little of the first ten days of Elizabeth's life as I fought to maintain my own. When I finally returned to myself, I shall never forget Edward's joyous relief when I finally knew him—the only time I have ever seen him weep. His mother told me that he rarely left my side throughout the se'nnight of my illness. So I allow him to spoil me and monitor my health with the utmost care, for doing so brings him comfort, and I want nothing more than my husband and my children's happiness.
As I wrote above, my father may prefer Kent, but he has confessed to enjoying his visits to Brandon Abbey. Even he admits that our home, ancient though it may be, has been improved wonderfully and has scarcely any drafts—which is quite rare for so large an edifice. Edward has worked very hard in improving both the house and the lands since our marriage as he wishes myself and the children to be comfortable and happy here—and we are very much so.
You yourself know, dear Aunt, that I was a little unsure of moving so far North when Edward proposed marriage, but my loving husband does everything for my comfort and enjoyment, and I could never imagine spending my life with another. I never knew true happiness until I joined my life to that of my dearest Edward; he is my heart—as I am his. I must confess that his every glance still gives me shivers—of the best sort, of course! Our wedding day was the happiest day of my life, with the exception of the days of birth of little William and now Baby Elizabeth.
And I am nearly as happy for you, for after Uncle Carville's untimely death following my engagement to Edward, your remarriage to a truly good and kind man in Robert, Earl of Southey—and a love match at that!—has done much to strengthen our ties to you. I now look upon you as another mother, and I am so very thankful that our relationship as aunt and niece has warmed so these past three years. I rejoice greatly in your newly-wedded happiness; attending your lovely nuptials in London was indeed more than a pleasure.
On a more serious subject, I thank you for the news of Lord Newton. We should have known that he would flee the country once his attack upon my person occurred, and over the years we have heard reports of his living in various capitals of Europe. But now knowing that he has emigrated to America with barely a penny in his pocket gives me no little satisfaction. If I had been forced into his company in London, I am not certain that I could restrain Edward from seeking him out and causing him serious injury—once again.
We shall be a merry party this Christmastide, for in addition to you and Uncle Robert and Father, Edward's parents—Sir Carlisle and his lovely wife Esme—both now my parents also, shall be joining us, along with Edward's elder brother Emmett and his wife Rosalie who expects to be confined soon after the holy days in order to give birth to their first child. My heart goes out to them, for after so many miscarriages and a stillbirth, they have been disappointed again and again in becoming parents, so I beg you to continue in prayer for a healthy child for them.
Edward's good friends, Lord and Lady Whitlock, and their two children, Catherine and Alexander, will be joining us this Christmastide as well, so we shall be quite the busy household. I have asked Nursie if she shall require more help in the nursery with the addition of two more children, and she has requested the assistance of a young nursery maid. But Nursie also she said that she looks forward to "more wee bairns to love on" with the addition of the Whitlock children. As I said before, dear Aunt, she is perfection!
William will be wanting his tea momentarily, so I must stop writing. Edward, as always, shall make certain that he is home from estate business in time to enjoy tea with our children. After tea, my husband insists on a wrestling match with our son, stating that a boy is never too young to win against his father. Watching them romp together as I cuddle Baby Elizabeth is one of the joys of my day.
I wish you all health and happiness, dearest Aunt Jane, and look forward to seeing you and my new Uncle Robert in a fortnight.
With much love from your niece,
Isabella Masen
The End
I hope that you all have enjoyed this little tale. It's just one of those pieces of writing that took over and cried to be its own story. The whole time I was writing the dream sequence as part of Only by Moonlight, I struggled to keep it in the 20th century while I "saw" it occurring during the Regency time period. So really, it's a relief to finally place this story in the setting it has wisely demanded all along. :)
And thank you to Motherof8 who mentioned wanting to see a baby in the epilogue; I gave her not one but two! I could just envision Isabella as she wrote her now happily-married Aunt Jane, her dark head bent over her letter as she dips her pen into the inkwell every few words. (I love writing by candlelight with a brass-nibbed pen and a bottle of ink—it's amazing how much plot-planning one can do while dipping the pen into the ink every few moments! I am quite convinced that I was born in the wrong century—just so you know.)
Thank you so much for reading my wee tale and for your wonderful reviews; you have encouraged me so greatly—and just when I needed it the most!
Now it's back to grading final research essays for me; I did manage to prepare the next week's assignments for my online Romeo and Juliet class before giving this epilogue a final polish! ;)
Warmly,
Cassandra :)
xxxooo
