A very large and very happy wedding party walked down the main street of Birdwell from the little white church, right past the little office where the newly lettered window read James Brookford, Solicitor. Then everyone crowded inside the dining room of the Robbins Inn, which had been beautifully, perfectly set up, for the most wonderful wedding breakfast that the town had ever seen.

Almost everyone who lived in and around Birdwell had accepted the invitation – everyone who could be spared from their farms and businesses – and, of course, Lord and Lady Worthington attended as well. At one point, while Merope greeted the excited young women who had crowded around to congratulate her, she saw the earl shake hands with James and then give him a sealed letter.

That was the deed to the inn. Her mother had seen it, too, and they looked at one another and smiled. Now the inn would always be in the family and could not ever be sold or lost. Merope felt as though a very great weight had been lifted from her slim shoulders.

There was so much food that the tables seemed hardly able to hold it all. There were four different kinds of bread; big plates of cold fresh butter; crocks of honey; huge platters of roasted chicken and sliced baked ham; and what looked like every last piece of fruit, and all of the vegetables to be had in the entire town.

Among the guests, were two that Merope had especially hoped to see: Sally Henson and Daniel Bird. To the best of her knowledge, the pair of them had not spoken since the disastrous events at the Albany House ball.

As the guests started on the final courses being served, Sally and Daniel sat at opposite ends of the room and went to great lengths to avoid each other. That would simply not do. Merope wanted both of them to find some happiness of their own, but they were not going to find it this way.

Merope caught her mother’s eye and gave her a slight nod. At that, Mrs. Robbins stood up from her place at the table to make an announcement.

“My honored guests,” she began. “At this lovely event, I have an additional bit of good news for our town. Next spring, there will be another series of assembly balls, here in Birdwell. After the success of the ones held last year, we could not go without having them again!”

There was genuine applause and happy cheering in the room. An assembly ball was open to anyone with the price of a ticket, so in theory, all were invited, and the gatherings certainly gave everyone in town some fine amusement to look forward to.

“And I wish to add,” Mrs. Robbins went on, “that I am calling on two very special people to work closely with me on every detail of the planning of all three events, and I am sure they will not turn me down. I should like to ask Miss Sally Henson and Mr. Daniel Bird to stand up here beside me now.”

Merope quickly took a sip of her coffee to hide her smile. She saw James glance at her with a gleam in his eye, for he knew exactly what she had done. “They will be forced to work together for months to create all three of those evenings,” he whispered to her. “There will be no escape for either one of them.”

“I should hope not!” Merope said, and laughed with him as they watched Sally and Daniel go up front to stand beside Mrs. Robbins.

“Ah, I knew I could count on you both,” she said to them. “I will have much for you to do in the months to come!”

Daniel and Sally glanced at each other and smiled faintly. It was clear that they were not pleased about this, but there was little they could do now after being put on the spot by Merope’s mother. Which was, of course, the intention all along.

The two of them started to return to their places, but Mrs. Robbins had one more request. “Miss Henson has also very generously agreed to help us return the inn to working order this evening, so I would like to ask Mr. Bird to drive her home tonight once she has finished here.”

He took a deep breath, and then bowed to Mrs. Robbins – who looked quite pleased with herself. Then he and Sally went and sat down again at their places, looking quite morose among the happy wedding guests.

“Very good work,” whispered James to Merope.

She smiled triumphantly. “I want them to be as happy as we are, before that can happen, we’ve got to get them together.”

“Indeed.” As the servants – most of them from Worthington – began clearing away the plates in preparation for bringing out the wedding cake, James turned to Merope once again. “I have a wedding gift for you.”

“A wedding gift? What do you mean?”

“You have given me a gift: This inn, which is now in my name. The least I could do was give you a gift as well, although it is not anywhere nearly as wonderful as the Robbins Inn.”

She shook her head. “I cannot imagine.”

He reached beneath his coat and drew out a very fine, leather-bound book. “I think you may enjoy this one.”

Merope took the book and looked at the inlaid gold lettering on the cover. “Much Ado About Nothing,” she read. “By William Shakespeare – ”

Quickly she set the book down. “Oh, my dear husband . . . please, you know how the other Shakespeare only left me heartbroken and weeping.”

He smiled and pressed the book into her hands again. “I promise you, this one will not. I chose it because for a time, all looks lost and hopeless, then all is well in the end. Even better, those involved find themselves stronger, and closer together, for all they have been through.”

She looked up at him and held the book close. “Then I will risk it,” she said.

“I knew you would,” he answered.

As soon as they had seen their guests off, James and Merope snuck upstairs, to the room that they would be sharing. The anticipation of this moment had been building for Merope, as the day progressed. She knew, from the night of the Albany House ball what to expect.

James undressed her slowly, trailing kisses along the back of her neck. “I missed you,” he murmured as he slid the fabric of her dress off of her shoulders. She smiled, turning towards him.

He had already loosened his cravat. She unbuttoned his shirt, as he threw off his jacket. Merope reveled in the fact that the daylight revealed more of him than she had seen the first time, in the dark of the mill. He unbuttoned his trousers, as she pushed the fabric off of his shoulders.

He lifted her, setting her down on the bed, kissing her lips, then trailing kisses down her neck. Merope moaned, wrapping her fingers in his dark hair. He looked up at her, kneeling in between her legs.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Trust me?”

“Always.”

He pushed her legs open with the flat of his palms. He teased her with his tongue. Merope lay back, letting him pleasure her. She could feel it building inside of her. She moaned, as her skin heated.

She felt her muscles contract. She felt like she was blooming. When she opened her eyes, he was watching her, a smile on his face.

“Come here,” she said, opening her arms. James leaned over her, his breath was warm against her neck. His eyes were on hers as he entered her. Merope moved her hips upward to meet his. As she lay there, her arms wrapped around his neck, she felt desired and loved. James pressed his forehead to hers. Their eyes locked.

This was a love story, Merope knew. One which had a happy ending.

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