The Colonel and the Lady (A Matter of Trust) Chapter 30, a pride and prejudice fanfic

~~H~~

Thanks for all your good wishes, we are on the mend.

I also appreciate the feedback you have provided.

I believe that I have outdone myself – I think I managed to go in 2 directions at once. 😉

Here is the rest of the previous chapter and a slightly scrappy epilogue.

Once I have finished tweaking and editing the story, I will have to remove it to publish it on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

Thanks everyone for reading and commenting.

Till next time

Sydney

~~H~~

The rest of Chapter 29

Richard's eyes widened in shock as he surged out of the chair.

Edith would have been spilled onto the floor if she had not had her fingers laced behind his neck. Although the sudden movement caused her to stumble, she did not fall.

Fitzwilliam's instinct to back away was foiled by the chair. 'Forgive me, I thought that I was dreaming. I meant no disrespect,' he babbled while his automatic reaction to help steady Edith warred with his ingrained habit not to touch her.

Edith regained her physical equilibrium without removing her hands from his neck. While that was their only contact, each of them could feel the heat radiating from the other since the were only separated by an inch or two.

'There is nothing to forgive. After all, I was wide awake and was only too happy to cooperate,' Edith assured him with an open smile. 'The important question is, what do you plan to do about this now?'

Perhaps Fitzwilliam's brain was fogged from having been awakened in such a fashion, but his old fears came back to haunt him and sapped his confidence.

'I wish that I could do something that would give me the greatest pleasure imaginable, but I cannot.' Richard gave her a pleading look as he kept his hands firmly at his sides. 'I am not safe for anyone to be around. I love you more than life itself and cannot bear the thought that I could hurt you to way I tried to do the other day.'

'Do you not remember what happened when you tried to hurt me? You ended up flat on your face on the carpet.' Her face clouded over as Edith remembered something. 'Have you forgotten what happened to my husband? He tried to hurt me, and he paid the ultimate price. Or perhaps you do remember and that is why you are reluctant…'

'Good heavens, no. That is not the reason. That man deserved exactly what he got.' Richard's resistance broke and he crushed Edith to him. 'All I want is for you to be safe and happy.'

Edith tilted her head up to him and smiled. 'If you want me to be happy, then marry me.'

'Did you not understand? I cannot marry you. It might not be safe for you.'

'And I told you that you could be in just as much or possibly even more danger if you try.'

Richard fought a rearguard action. 'But I could hurt you while you are asleep and unable to defend yourself.'

'You said that you never had nightmares when you had someone guarding your back,' Edith countered.

'But there is no guarantee, no way of knowing what might happen if I should go to sleep while in your company,' Richard pleaded in a last-ditch effort to make Edith see sense.

'There is a way to find out. All you need to do is go to sleep in my company.'

'Edith, once we are married it is too late to change your mind, and I would not want you tied to me when you could be happy with someone else.'

She gave him a pitying look. 'Are you being deliberately dense? There is a perfectly comfortable bed in my suite. By morning you could know the answer to your question. Will you or will you not have nightmares when sleeping next to me.'

This time it was Richard who gave her an exasperated look. 'My hurting you is not the only danger you face. You are a beautiful and enticing woman. I have never before tried to simply sleep next to such an attractive lady.'

'I trust you to be a perfect gentleman. And if you are not, I trust you to be a perfectly considerate gentleman.'

'But what about your reputation?'

'My staff are discreet, and they are loyal. And you seem to forget that widows are allowed a certain amount of latitude.'

Richard gave Edith a long searching look. When he saw no fear and no tension, only complete trust, he capitulated. 'Lead the way, my lady,' he said at last with a resigned sigh.

~~H~~

Fitzwilliam slowly drifted towards wakefulness, feeling unaccountably relaxed and refreshed. He also felt rather warm.

As awareness caught up with him, he noticed that he was holding a small hand which was attached to an arm draped over his side. The arm, in turn, was attached to a delightful female form snuggled up to his back and the scent of citrus pervaded his senses.

He inhaled sharply as his memory supplied him with the reason for this situation.

A slow, contented smile spread over his face as he pulled the small hand to his lips to lavish it with a lingering kiss before turning over so that he could look into Edith's sparkling eyes.

She returned his smile in full measure as she murmured, 'good morning, my love.'

'Good morning to you too, Mrs Fitzwilliam,' he replied and kissed her. 'I hope that you are not too disappointed with your decrepit husband,' he murmured against her lips.

He could feel the mischievous smile as she told him, 'I shall not be disappointed if you prove to me again how much you love me.'

Mr Richard Fitzwilliam, who had resigned his commission during the fortnight since his new bride proved to him that his nightmares eased when she guarded his back, was only too happy to grant his new wife's wishes.

~~H~~

Epilogue

After their wedding, Richard, Edith, and James moved to her father's estate in Warwickshire.

The decision to live at Meadowfield rather than Netherfield Park, was made due to the proximity to Wentworth Hall.

Edith had no wish to return to the home of her first husband, but it was her son's birthright. Living at Meadowfield gave her the opportunity to teach James about his responsibilities and still have a home which was not overshadowed by the past.

Those shadows were always present for both Edith and Richard, but they faded with time and became less intrusive.

The occurrence of nightmares became less frequent and less intense. They both learnt and recognised the triggers which would set them off. Being aware they usually managed to distract each other or themselves to avoid unfortunate reactions.

But even the knowledge that there was always a chance that their demons could wake from time to time, the couple refused to let those fears rule their lives. They dealt with the remnants of their past when something brought those memories to the fore, but the majority of their time they spent enjoying life, like most others.

Perhaps they were a little more considerate, and they talked to each other more than others. As a consequence, they minimised their misunderstandings, and on the whole, they were happy with each other and their lives.

~~H~~

Since Richard did not have to use his savings to buy an estate, he was able to expand the stables at Meadowfield and buy breeding stock to follow his dream and breed horses.

While the horses from his stud would have been ideal for light cavalry, he was determined not to expose the animals he loved to the horrors of war.

Fortunately, by the time his first generation of horses was old enough, the war with France was over.

~~H~~

The size of the herd was not the only increase they enjoyed.

Richard and Edith were pleased to add a son, Peter, and a daughter, Clare, to their family.

By the time the children reached their teens, they all thought it perfectly normal that they all took lessons from Blake.

~~H~~

As it turned out, there was no need for Richard to find a husband for Caroline Bingley amongst his friends.

Since she decided to be realistic in her expectations, she discovered acceptance amongst the well-to-do businessmen and their families.

Through her aunt's connections, she met Mr Gerald Tarrant, a youngish man who had a flair for business. He had an opportunity to expand his business interests but needed additional funds to achieve his goal.

Caroline was impressed with his no nonsense attitude and realised that they were kindred spirits. Within three months they were married.

Thanks to Aunt Mathilda's negotiation, Caroline became a partner in Tarrant's business as her dowry provided the investment he needed. To everyone's surprise Caroline had an aptitude for trade and within a few years the couple were very wealthy indeed.

They had two sons and a daughter who all married well.

The irony of the situation was that years later Caroline found out that her husband was the youngest son of a Viscount, who had been disowned his father for his chosen career. But in the end Tarrant and Caroline were wealthier and more influential than his parents, by which time Mrs Tarrant did not care about such trivialities.

~~H~~