Until finally, the tension in Alexander’s body disappeared, and he fell on top of her, panting and sweating and filled with true contentment. Charlotte lay beneath him, her own breath shallow, her body shaking from the experience, his manhood still inside her. She kissed his cheek, his ear, his neck, wherever she could reach as he recovered, then whispered, “What you heard was quite correct, clearly.”
Alexander chuckled then raised himself up onto his arms. “It’s no surprise, is it? When love and sexual attraction mingle, it creates the greatest thing in the world. Now, I hear there is a party being thrown in our honor at Ashbourne House. Do you think we ought to go?”
“Ought to?” she said. “I’d love to!”
Later, the party was in full swing. All their loved ones were there, feasting and drinking and dancing and laughing, though mostly dancing. It was a grand celebration indeed, and Charlotte smiled when she saw how truly happy Uncle Elliot was to witness the whole event.
Eventually, she and Alexander fell into their seats at the head of the table, watching everyone else continue the party.
“Goodness,” Charlotte said, “I’m positively exhausted.”
“I’m not surprised. We’ve danced more than ever before, and we’vedanced, too.”
He winked, and Charlotte giggled, her mind reaching back to theirdancein the carriage that afternoon. Her body held the memories all afternoon, the slight ache in her legs and the feeling of emptiness at her center. It made the celebration all the better knowing that she belonged to him in body as well as in the eyes of the law.
“Are you two not dancing any longer?” Chelsea asked as she bounded up to the couple. Her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink, and her eyes sparkled with something Charlotte didn’t recognize. Happiness, perhaps?
“If I dance any more, I think I won’t have feet left by the morning,” Charlotte said with a laugh.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Chelsea asked, indicating the spare chair near them.
“Not at all. You know you are always welcome. You’re as good as a sister to me.”
“Good, because I have some news, and I would really like you to be the first to know. Before even my parents.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Very well, what is it?”
Chelsea paused for a moment, her grin wide, then she blurted the words out. “Charlotte, I’m with child!”
The pair squealed in delight, and Alexander chuckled. “Then congratulations are in order,” he said.
“Oh, I’m so very happy for you,” Charlotte cried, reaching over and taking her friend’s hand in hers. Chelsea’s eyes were wet with tears of joy.
“Thank you. It seems we are both getting what we always wanted.”
“Not quite,” Alexander said, feigning a drop of sadness. “It seems we’re a step behind you.”
“No.” Charlotte shook her head. “We’re not behind. We’re exactly where we’re meant to be.”
Alexander leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her temple, then said, “Quite right, though that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hurry. How wonderful would it be for our children to grow up alongside Chelsea’s?”
“That would be perfect,” Charlotte agreed. She could picture it already, their children running riot around the grounds of Ashbourne House. They would grow to be the best of friends, just as she and Chelsea had. They would be cousins—no, siblings—to one another, a family they have chosen for themselves.
“What is everyone whispering about over here?” Stewart said, meandering over to them and pulling a chair up.
“Just how perfect everything is,” Charlotte said, smiling up at him.
“Ah yes, it does seem rather wonderful. And to think all this almost never happened!”
Alexander snorted. “It always would have happened. It was fated.”
“Not if that awful Lucille had her way,” Chelsea said with a shudder.
“The less said about her, the better,” Charlotte agreed.
“You haven’t heard, then?” Stewart asked. “I would have thought you’d be the first people to know.”
“Heard what?” Alexander asked. He didn’t want her name spoken on his wedding day, but if the discussion had to be had, then he wanted it over quickly.
