Epilogue

5 Years Later

There was a certain sense of serenity Clara always felt when she looked out on the meadow, but this morning, it was a special sight. A doe had come out to graze among the luscious green and her three-year-old son in his undying curiosity, had gone out to take a closer look at the animal. Maybe it was because they lived so close to the forest and at some point, the animals had lost their fear of humans that the doe allowed it - or maybe it was a special gift that had been passed on by the boy's father. Either way, both child and animal seemed to properly enjoy getting to know each other.

Several years ago, the local vicar had told Clara that the forest needed protection and she hadn't really realised why that was until this morning. This forest was a refuge. It was a place where plants could grow undisturbed and animals could live without the fear of being hunted. Seeing her son and the doe so at ease with each other was all the confirmation she needed to know that they were doing it right.

Suddenly, both the animal and her child were gone from view and her word plunged into darkness as a hand covered her eyes. Clara started to chuckle. She had been wondering when he would wake up at last.

"Happy anniversary," John said and placed a kiss on her cheek, obviously referring to the proper wedding after his recovery and not the secret ceremony that had bound them together in the middle of the night.

She giggled in response. "I think we already celebrated that last night," Clara said in amusement.

Still, John was hiding something behind his back and as he moved his hand into view, Clara spotted a single red rose that she knew had probably come from the flower bed in front of the house, but it was the thought that counted. In a swift movement, he placed it in the small vase that stood on the breakfast table. She wasn't entirely sure when John had prepared it because when she had woken up, he was still fast asleep, but upon going downstairs, she had found the table already set.

All those doubts she had had before the wedding, all those fears and false promises of never wanting to marry again after her first loss - Clara now knew that they had been in vain and she felt incredibly grateful to have made that step regardless of all those worries. John wasn't perfect, but that didn't make him any less of an amazing husband and even her father had eventually accepted the strange match even though she was sure that he still didn't fully understand. But the most important thing was that she loved him and their son with all her heart and both of them loved her in return. And Clara had a little surprise for him that she had kept specifically for their anniversary.

The door to the patio opened and when she turned her head, Clara saw that Martha was approaching their table with a tray of coffee and fresh rolls, Coco trailing after her in hope of treats. Clara wasn't entirely sure when it had happened and she was sure that scraps of food were to blame for it, but her dog had eventually formed a very close bond to their maid.

"Thank you, Martha," John said kindly as she sat the tray down on the table. "Looks great as always."

"This smells delicious," Clara agreed.

"There is also a letter from your father that arrived this morning," the maid explained. "He says he would like to visit next weekend when he's travelling to London."

"Will he be bringing Linda?"

Martha smiled. "No, it's just him."

Next to her, John breathed a sigh of relief and Clara wanted to agree with him. One more thing they both had in common was the mutual dislike for her stepmother. However, none of them felt the need to point it out once again and while John called for their son to join them at the breakfast table, Martha excused herself and went back inside.

"There's something I have to tell you," Clara said, biting down on her lip as she watched their son still play in the distance. He seemed to have no intention of leaving his newly made friend the doe.

John had reached for a coffee cup, but he instantly set it back down and raised his head to look at her. "That sounds serious," he replied, the worry suddenly audible in his voice. "Is it serious?"

Clara smiled at him in reply. "If by serious you mean it's going to change our lives and we have to free up another one of those many rooms in the house, then yes, it's kind of serious."

In response, John frowned at her and his reaction looked so adorable while he failed to comprehend what she was saying that Clara couldn't help but laugh. "I'm with child, you idiot."

It took another moment, but eventually, his feature lit up and a smile appeared on his face. It broadened with every second that passed.

"Did you just call the father of your children an idiot?" he asked.

Clara chuckled. "I did, idiot."

In a swift movement, John leaned across the table and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was short but sweet and when he looked at her again, her husband was grinning broadly.

"I love you," he said and even though she had probably heard it a million times, Clara thought she would never grow tired of the sound of those words.

"I love you, too," she replied sincerely. Somehow, their love story seemed almost like a fairytale and this was their happily ever after.

Thank you guys so much for all your lovely reviews and overall amazing support! I'm so glad you've all enjoyed reading this story because this is an idea that I had carried around for years before writing it down, so here's another big THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

I hope to see you all again for my next story called "Alibi" which I will post at some point in the not too distant future :)