Extended Epilogue

One Year Later

“My Lady?”

Tereza looked up at the butler’s voice behind her. She paused what she was doing, cocking her head to the side in question. “Yes? What is the matter?”

Mr. Burns bowed deeply. He was an aging man who had once served in the Queen’s castle and valued propriety above all else. Even though Tereza had told him several times upon coming to London that he need not be so stiff and polite in her presence, she feared her words were only falling on deaf ears.

He didn’t say anything until he’d straightened fully and clasped his gloved hands behind him once more. “You have a visitor. It is Miss Beatrice.”

Tereza let out a low breath. She turned away from him, returning her attention to the little ball of energy that would certainly disappear if she did not keep her eye on him at all times. “Goodness, Burns, with the way you approached me, I thought you came bearing bad news.”

“My sincerest apologies, My Lady. I shall work on my delivery.”

Tereza smiled. She supposed there was really no use trying to teach an old dog new tricks. So, she shook her head and said, “It’s quite fine. You can show Beatrice to me.”

“Yes, My Lady. As you wish.”

Without turning around, Tereza knew that he had bowed deeply once more, held it for three seconds and straightened up like a stiff board before swiveling on his feet and turning away. The day they’d first met, when they had come to stay in London just a few months ago, Tereza thought his movements were mechanical, unnatural. Now, they were just the same, only she was far more used to seeing it.

Shaking her head, she focused her attention on what she had been doing before Burns had interrupted. Ellis clearly hadn’t minded the butler’s approach, even though it meant that Tereza was a little too busy to focus on playing with him. He decided to busy himself with a bee that was buzzing over his head, too out of reach for his little fists and tiny jumps.

It has been a year since he’d joined the household, and Tereza was still taken aback by how much love she felt when she looked at him. She easily saw that he was not her child, that he looked nothing like Phillip either. With white-blond hair and green eyes, she imagined that this little four-year-old boy was the spitting image of his late mother. But even so, Tereza felt as if he was hers. They’d spent nearly every moment together since he came to live with them and had become attached to each other almost instantly. Kindred spirits they were, and though he was not hers, she could see so much of herself in him.

With a smile, she rose. Ellis forgot all about the bee and turned to face her so quickly that he lost his balance and fell over, landing on his hands. He pushed himself back to a stand and blinked his big green eyes at her. “Mama? Are you leaving?”

Warmth spread through her at the way he called her ‘mama’. Tereza shook her head at the sweet child and said, “No, my dear. I’m just going to sit down. You can continue playing, if you wish.”

Ellis didn’t look convinced. He stood there and watched as Tereza turned and retreated to the gazebo that stood behind them. She’d been sitting on a blanket with him as they had a picnic, while Ellis’ governess sat under the gazebo and watched. She joined the elderly lady’s side now, gesturing for Ellis to continue playing.

Once he was satisfied that she would not leave him, he went on to pick flowers.

“Such a sweet child, isn’t he?” she said absently to the governess, Mrs. Wilson.

In her peripherals, Tereza saw Mrs. Wilson nod. “He is by far the sweetest child I have had the pleasure of caring for, My Lady.”

Tereza smiled. Before she had the chance to say anything else, however, she noticed Burns returning with Beatrice on his heels.

“My Lady—” he began, but his sentence was cut short when Beatrice rushed by him with a squeal.

“Tereza!”

“Beatrice!”

Tereza shot to a stand and wrapped her arms around her ecstatic friend. It had been a few months since she’d last seen Beatrice, even though they exchanged correspondence regularly. Tereza pulled out of her arms to take a good look at her. “You look absolutely lovely, Beatrice!”

“I could say the same about you! Goodness, have you always had this marvelous glow?”

Tereza touched her cheek with a blush. She knew exactly what might have caused such a glow but decided not to say anything. While Mrs. Wilson went over to occupy the curious Ellis’s time and Burns retreated, Tereza and Beatrice went to sit in the gazebo.

“How have you been?” Tereza asked excitedly. “I know you have told me nearly everything that has been going on with you through your letters, but I would still like to hear you say it all, like old times.”

“I have no time for that,” Beatrice said, waving her hand dismissively. “It is you I wish to hear about. How was the honeymoon? You neglected to provide much detail in your last letter.”

“Did I? I did not even notice.”

“Goodness, Tereza, you’re breaking my heart,” Beatrice said dramatically.

Tereza laughed. “Scotland was as beautiful as I thought it would be. We stayed indoors for the most part and only left whenever we wished to go for a stroll through the lovely woods surrounding the cottage. Sometimes, we would go on a horse ride or two as well.”

“Stayed indoors, did you?” Beatrice’s brown eyes glinted with mischief. “I suppose you would have more than enough reason to do that.”

Tereza resisted the urge to touch her belly, laughing. “There’s no use denying it. Heavens, there are times we would not even leave our bedchambers.”

“Oh, Lord, I do not think this is the sort of conversation I would like to hear about my brother. Forgive me for even bringing it up.” Beatrice patted her ears dramatically, and Tereza nearly barked an unladylike laugh. “Where is my brother, by the way? I did not see him when I passed through the house.”

“He has been on a business trip for the past week, but you came at a very good time. He should be returning today. Ellis is quite excited about it.”

“Is he? That’s quite sweet. I’m happy to see how well they’ve taken to each other despite the fact that Phillip was absent for the first few years of his life.”

“Children have fragile memories, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Certainly, a blessing in this instance. Those two are inseparable.”

“Then I am even happier that you offered to have him use your dowry to pay his way out of the agreement with Ellis’s grandparents. Had you not done that, I feared they would have tried to hold on to him.”

“Money was what they really wanted in the end. I’m just happy we’ve all gotten our happy ending.”

“Ah, speaking of happy endings,” Beatrice turned to face her, an odd smile flitting over her face. “There is something I’d like to—”

“Beatrice!”

All heads turned towards Phillip’s unmistakable bellow. And then chaos erupted. Tereza shot to her feet, already rushing out of the gazebo. She was right on the heels of the adorable toddler who let out a squeal when he noticed his father and went running. Ellis reached him first, and Phillip scooped him into his arms as the little boy wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Did you miss me?” Phillip asked him with a grin.

Ellis nodded, smiling shyly. “Mama and I missed you a lot, Papa!”

“He speaks no lies,” Tereza said, coming to their side. Her heart was beating rapidly more from the excitement of his return than the little unexpected run she’d made. Heat pooled in her stomach as he wrapped his free arm around her waist and rested a gentle kiss on her cheek.

“I missed you two dearly,” he responded. “Every night I went to bed thinking about what you two were doing and how well you fared.”

“You could have come home earlier,” Tereza pointed out in a teasing voice.

Phillip chuckled. “I would have if I could.”

Then, he set Ellis down as Beatrice approached. The little boy lingered a bit, clearly wanting to be around his father for a little longer, but Mrs. Wilson quickly came and led him away.

Beatrice smiled at her brother. “Surely, there are a few words of desperate longing you have for your dear sister?”

“Pardon me, Tereza,” Phillip drawled. “Who is this stranger?”

The ladies laughed, even as Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes. I know it’s been a while. There is no need for you to be bitter about it. Can I have a hug at the very least?”

“Only because I cannot stay mad at you,” he said and then quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. “I had half a mind to go to the house to see how you fared myself.”

“There’s no need to worry. Our aunt is taking good care of me.”

Because Beatrice was not yet married, she could not live alone. And so, when Phillip and Tereza went to Scotland for their honeymoon, Beatrice left to reside with their aunt, the Dowager Countess of Dorset, for the rest of her Season. Now that another Season was nearly upon them, she would be her host.

“I still think you should come to stay with us,” Tereza said to her, taking her hand. “It could be fun!”

Beatrice looked as if she was considering it for a moment. “That would certainly be fun,” she admitted. “Now that you are married, you could be my chaperone. We could attend balls and events together like we did the last Season.”

“Of course. That is, until—” Tereza broke off, realizing she’d nearly let it slip.

It didn’t go unnoticed by the observant siblings, however. Phillip frowned at her. “That is, until what?”

Tereza folded her lips into her mouth as she thought of how she should respond next. In truth, this was not how she wanted it to happen. She’d planned on waiting until later, during dinner when Ellis was already being put to bed. But she knew now that they wouldn’t let it slide until she told them what she’d nearly said.

She bit her lip nervously, then rested her hand on her stomach. “Well…I was going to wait to say this but…”

Beatrice gasped. Phillip’s eyes grew wide as he breathed, “Say what, Tereza?” It sounded as if he didn’t want to assume, like he wanted her to confirm what they were already guessing.

She couldn’t hold back her grin any longer. “I found out two days ago that I am with child!”

“Oh, Tereza!” Beatrice exclaimed, but Tereza was already being swept up into Phillip’s arms. He buried his face into her chest, twirling her around the narrow path.

“Are you crazy?” she laughed. “Put me down!”

“I am crazy,” he said. He set her down, their hair now a little rustled. “I am so in love with you, Tereza, and so happy, that I cannot help but think I’ve gone a little mad.”

“Does that mean you’re happy?” she asked, framing his face with her hands as he pulled her against him.

“You do like asking the most obvious questions,” he murmured.

“I want to hear you say it,” Tereza giggled. “Are you happy that I will bear you a child? That Ellis will have a little brother or sister?”

“I don’t think there is anyone in this world filled with more joy than I am in this very moment. I love you so much, Tereza.”

He buried his face into her neck, holding her tightly. Tereza caressed the back of his head as she held him back. “I love you, too, Phillip.”

At that moment, it didn’t matter that they had a bit of an audience. They were in their own world, where only their happiness mattered. Their love. Their future. And the family that they would create through their beautiful matrimony.

If you want to know what lies ahead in our story, you may want to get the sequel…

Lady Beatrice Radcliff prefers a carefree life, avoiding marriage. But when the most handsome physician comes to her aid and steals her heart, everything turns upside-down. For when she is ready to have the man of her dreams, she gets caught in a compromising position with another gentleman. And how could she ever prove that she was an innocent to a sick game?

Healing the Tempting Lady