Cousin Andrew, who hadn’t married his childhood fiancée after all (but that was a whole other story), had accepted the living at Norwich and now served its community alongside his lovely wife, and together with the Brandons and all their adopted children, implemented numerous charitable and educational programs in their parish.
They needed all the help they could get, since the Norwich wing of the Foundling Hospital, which had initially only held babiesand wet nurses, had, over the years, expanded to include a summer program for the older children from the city.
“The air is cleaner here, and how else are they going to learn how to swim?” Colin had said nonchalantly, but his wife knew the truth; namely, that her husband wholeheartedly believed that every child deserved a childhood and was doing his part to make that happen, both through their charitable work and in Parliament.
These days, the Talbots mostly lived in Norwich, but they gladly went down to London whenever Colin was needed in sessions. When they had returned to the city in the autumn of 1821, they had slowly started going out into polite society again, mostly for political reasons, since Colin was championing many initiatives that needed the support of his peers.
Elizabeth had quickly noticed that everyone in theTonhad suddenly adopted an unexpected view of her husband as this romantic hero and were all rather charmed by his infatuation with her, if in a slightly patronising way, like one would be by a precocious child.
And he played along extremely well – he was glued to her side, behaved very lovingly and attentively, and was always pulling her into empty rooms to kiss and touch and pet her in the most scandalous of ways.
“Admit it, Colin, you’re only doing this so people would comment on how unfashionable you are instead of remembering how we got wed?” She’d told him once as he was unlacing the front of her dress just enough for what he wanted to do.
“You caught me,” he’d responded dryly.
In the end, it didn’t matter too much to either of them what theTonthought, for their real life was elsewhere. And that life soon included the first new member of their family.
Nothing could have prepared Elizabeth for the reaction her husband would have when she announced to him that she was expecting, nor for the attentiveness and protectiveness he would exhibit during every one of her pregnancies.
He’d been both elated and terrified, and she’d never felt more precious or taken care of than during those months when she carried their three children under her heart. And once they were born… Colin, as apapa,was the most intoxicating and attractive thing in existence.
Seeing him gently cradle their children’s tiny heads in his large hands always infused her heart with safety and joy, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her children would always be loved and cared for, and that their father would be the strong oak they would be able to hide under during the storms that life would inevitably throw at them.
In the summer of 1822, however, during her first confinement, those future joys had been just a prayer that she’d say whenever she’d felt her baby move inside her.
That August, Baron Waldegrave and Louisa had come to stay with them for a while. They’d been accompanied by the Baron’s father, Earl Slaymaker, who had taken one look at Elizabeth’s mother and was instantly unable to leave her side for the next several weeks.
Catherine had been both confused and flattered by the charming man’s intense attentions, but as she got to know him better, she had slowly started looking forward to walking down the stairsevery morning and diving into one of their long and interesting conversations that only meals or bedtime could put an end to.
On the morning when they had originally been supposed to say goodbye to each other, Catherine and the Earl were wed right there in Colin and Lizzie’s home. The bride was radiant and overwhelmed with happiness, and a very pregnant Elizabeth was all snot and tears. Even Colin was seen surreptitiously wiping his eyes several times.
Catherine’s mother and brother had also been present at the wedding; Talbot had managed to contact them and facilitate the reconciliation some months prior. Unfortunately, Catherine’s father had already passed away before they’d had a second chance at a relationship, but the rest of the family were eager to accept her (and her daughter) back into the fold.
Colin felt like he had thereby finally managed to give Elizabeth something that she had truly wanted, whereas Elizabeth had long felt like she already had everything she could ever need.
And here they were, years later: together, happy, healthy, and striving to raise their children right and to teach them about the unmerited favour of God and about loving their fellow man, in addition to respecting and honouring their titles and heritage.
The Talbot children, two boys and a girl (Edward, Nathaniel, and Victoria), were growing up surrounded by relatives and friends. Among those who often stayed with the family were the Corporal and his wife. Amelia had published several acclaimed gothic novels throughout the years, but despite her great success, the couple preferred a modest life in Wexcombe with their five children.
“Harding, may I suggest increasing the number of hours you spend at the prizefighting ring, or another hobby to fill your time and utilise some of that energy?” Talbot had jokingly proposed when they had recently gone to Wexcombe to celebrate the birth of Amelia’s fifth child.
“You ought to take your own advice,” Lizzie, who accidentally overheard, had retorted, and that’s how Colin learned they would soon welcome a fourth little Talbot into their safe and loving home.
“Perhaps we both need to talk to Powell,” Harding said as he put his hand on Colin’s shoulder.
Miss Woodhouse ended up marrying Gideon Powell after all. The extremely agitated man had boarded the ship she’d been on to berate her for running away, but instead kissed her in the heat of their argument. As soon as they both realised neither of them ever wanted to have children, they never looked back.
“I’ve finally had a letter from Elinor this morning. They’ve arrived, thank God, and they’re not alone. It turns out thatsomeonesent Gideon Powell a letter informing him of her plans and the fate she was escaping, together with a ticket securing passage on the very ship she was on,” Colin’s wife told him accusingly when he joined her for breakfast one morning, about two months after their last meeting with Miss Woodhouse and Lady Burnham.
“What a lucky coincidence,” Colin replied with a sly smile. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. It’s not my fault that, in your excitement, you forgot that I had originally booked three cabins. I felt Powell needed a gentle shove in the right direction, but I was uncertain of the outcome, so I didn’t want to worry youunnecessarily. The worst that could have happened was that the ticket would go to waste. And the best, well, that remains to be seen. Keep reading.”
“You certainly like shoving people to where you think they need to go,” she mumbled, already less angry and more excited for her friend.
When not in Scotland with Caroline (whose genuine joy over being perpetually pregnant would forever remain a source of confusion for Elinor), the Powells were busy travelling England and the world with Lady Burnham and Elinor’s younger siblings, and just enjoying their lives with their friends and their patchwork family. They had never given Elinor’s gambling father a penny of Powell’s money. According to the last information Talbot had, the man was in a debtor’s prison.
The one thing the framed coin in the library consistently reminded Elizabeth of every day wasredemptionand the human ability to transformthe badintothe goodthrough their actions and decisions. Charlotte, for instance, had managed to rebuild her marriage to Ian, as well as her sisterly bond with Elizabeth.
It also made her think of her nephew Charles, who was inexplicably drawn to it every time he visited, which was often, since both of Elizabeth’s siblings were frequent guests in her home, together with their spouses and children.
