by Martha Keyes
Anne's heart galloped, and she balled her hands into fists to stop their trembling. "It is not true."
Tobias paused and then looked at her, scanning her eyes.
"In fact," Anne said, "I think that I was never really in love with him." She smiled sadly at Tobias. "I loved feeling loved. I loved the idea of marrying for love, and I let myself be caught up in his charm without considering things as I should have."
He nodded slowly, still watching her.
"It took marrying you," she continued, averting her eyes, "for me to realize that." She was too petrified to watch his reaction. "I know that we had agreed that this was a marriage of convenience, that we would let one another live life undisturbed, and I truly meant to abide by the agreement we set forth, but I have had to admit to myself that, for me, this is no longer a marriage of convenience."
Silence.
Terrible silence.
"I am afraid I cannot agree with you," he said.
She bit the inside of her lip and shut her eyes. This was precisely what she should have expected.
"After all, what could be more convenient," he said, "than having fallen in love with the woman I have already pledged to live my live with?"
She whipped her head up, not daring to believe what he was saying.
He was smiling at her, though, with his soft, laughing eyes, and he reached for one of her hands, tugging her closer to him and resting his forehead against hers. "For I do love you dearly, Anne."
He put a finger under her chin and tipped it up, then grimaced, looking down at his injured arm and letting his other hand drop in frustration. "Confound this useless limb! A man needs use of both arms to kiss his wife properly."
Laughing, she wrapped her arms around him. "I will simply have to assist you then, won't I?"
He raised a brow, intrigued, and put his hand behind her neck as she pulled him in toward her, touching her lips to his softly and breathing him in for a moment before kissing him with all the emotion she had been restraining for weeks.
When she finally pulled away, he kept his eyes closed for a moment before opening them, staring at her, blinking, and then looking down at his arm thoughtfully. "I think I should thank Hackett for shooting me. I was clearly wrong about needing both arms to kiss my wife properly."
She smiled and looked down, her cheeks warming. Laying back and resting her head on his shoulder, she sighed contentedly. With such happiness in her heart and the world feeling so very right, she felt relaxed, which in turn made her realize how very tired she was. She nestled down into his arm further, saying, "It is getting dark, and I should call for some candles to be brought in"—she covered a yawn with her hand.
Tobias planted a soft kiss on her hair. "Nonsense," he said softly, resting his head on hers. "You must stay right where you are until morning."
She smiled, giddy at the thought of waking up beside Tobias.
His head lifted off hers, and she looked up to see him narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously. "If I wake to find that you have sneaked off in the middle of the night like the last time you fell asleep beside me..." He shook his head menacingly.
"I wouldn't dream of it," she said, laying back and smiled mischievously to herself. "Unless, of course, you begin to snore."
Tobias let out a snort. "I wouldn't dream of it."
"Well you certainly did so last time," she said matter-of-factly, but she couldn't resist raising her head for a moment to shoot him a teasing grin and plant a kiss on his protesting lips.
She nuzzled her head back into the part of his shoulder that felt perfectly formed for it, laughing as Tobias asked incredulously, "Do I truly snore?"
Epilogue
“I could almost imagine myself to be riding down the streets of London,” Anne said, watching with a pleased smile as two men hammered nails into a long, wooden beam at the end of the village lane. The carriage wheels rumbled over the dirt road, adding to the din.
The house was taking shape quickly, the walls of the first floor already raised and secure.
Tobias chuckled. “It is certainly louder than usual. But I imagine the majority of the work will be finished within the month.”
Anne shifted the baby in her arms so that she could grasp Tobias’s hand, looking up at him with a rush of love in her chest. The new house would be able to hold eight women, and she knew that Tobias was just as eager as she was to have it finished and ready. There was such a need for it.
Tobias leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her cheek, then glanced down at the baby. “Toby seems not to mind.”
Anne took her hand from Tobias’s and brushed a lock of hair away from her son’s forehead, scanning the soft skin of his pink cheeks and the way his eyelids fluttered as the carriage jolted in a small dip. “No, indeed. But I have no doubt he will wake immediately upon our arrival at Hazelhurst, just in time to demonstrate the power of his lungs for our guests.”
“He wouldn’t be my son if he didn’t make himself the center of attention. Besides, between Izzy and Charles, Cecilia and Jacques, and William and Kate, I am afraid our evening is bound to be full of crying babies—theirs and ours.”
“Very true.” Anne was content that Toby would grow up with plenty of cousins his age, and she hoped that this evening would be the first of many such gatherings over the years, surrounded by the people she loved so well.
She glanced ahead of the carriage and nudged Tobias. “Look.”
Mrs. Childress carried a large sack over her shoulder, hugging the side of the lane to give the carriage ample room. She was nearing her middle age, with wisps of gray hair streaking from her temples into the cap she wore, and Anne was pleased to see that her figure had filled out during her year in the village. She had been skin and bones upon arrival, but taking up the task of coordinating laundry for Hazelhurst and the village had restored her in many ways.
“Mrs. Childress,” Tobias said, slowing the carriage as they came up alongside her. “How do you do?”
She curtsied, moving the bulging sack to the ground and breathing relief. “Very well, thank you. And how are you?” Her eyes moved to the baby in Anne’s arms. “And Master Toby?”
“Still small for his three months, but growing every day,” Anne said, tipping her arms so Mrs. Childress could see him.
She looked admiringly at baby Toby. Mrs. Childress doted upon all the village children and had become a well-loved pillar of the community. She was particularly loved by the toddling James Hackett, who was shaping up to be quite the mischief maker for a boy of less than two years.
“He is a perfect combination of the two of you.” Mrs. Childress sighed and hefted her load back onto her shoulder. “I should be getting on my way. The vicar and his wife are waiting on these linens.”
Anne and Tobias bid her goodbye and continued on their way to Hazelhurst.
“She looks well,” Tobias said, glancing over his shoulder at Mrs. Childress’s retreating figure.
“And all thanks to you,” Anne said, adjusting the blanket around Toby.
Tobias glanced down at her, frowning. “Certainly not.”
“Certainly so. Imagine what life she would be living, and Miss Farrell too, if not for you. Imagine the eight women who will come to live in the village house when it is finished—given a means of supporting themselves with their dignity intact, surrounded by a supportive community.” She blinked rapidly, but Tobias hadn’t missed her reaction, and he slowed the carriage, pulling it to the side of the long, tree-lined lane that led to Hazelhurst.
He let the reins rest in his lap and turned toward her, resting a hand on her leg. “Don’t cry, my love.” He looked down into her eyes, his own soft in the glowing afternoon light. “It was you, not me, who led the way in all of this when you extended a helping hand to Louisa Hackett. Any kindness on my part has been inspired by you and your unfailingly charitable heart.” He looked down at Toby with a half-smile. “Toby may be a perfect combination of us in appearance, but I cannot help hoping
that he will take after you in both heart and mind.” He looked up at her and put a hand to her cheek, brushing softly at a tear with his thumb.
Anne gave a watery chuckle. “If this is your idea of helping me not to cry, then you are failing miserably.”
He smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly, one hand on her cheek, the other resting on Toby’s small body. “When I married you, I thought you were the key to my treasured independence, to freedom from the meddling and nagging of my parents. I never imagined that my desire for independence would give way entirely to my overwhelming desire to love you and be near you—that nothing else would matter but your happiness.” He looked down again at their son. “And now little Toby’s too.”
“Well,” Anne replied, watching with overflowing joy the tenderness that filled her husband’s eyes as he looked at Toby, “you have made me happier than I ever dared dream I could be. You have turned all my pain to joy, taken all my brokenness and made me whole again.”
He grasped her hand in his and squeezed it. “And together, we will spread as much of that joy as we can to those most in need of it.”
Other titles by Martha Keyes
If you enjoyed this book, make sure to check out my other books:
Families of Dorset Series:
Wyndcross: A Regency Romance (Book One)
Isabel: A Regency Romance (Book Two)
Cecilia: A Regency Romance (Book Three)
Hazelhurst: A Regency Romance (Book Four)
Phoebe: A Regency Romance (Series Novelette)
Other Titles:
Goodwill for the Gentleman (Belles of Christmas Book Two)
Eleanor: A Regency Romance
Join my Newsletter to keep in touch and learn more about the Regency era! I try to keep it fun and interesting.
You can also join the group I run along with eight other authors of sweet Regency romance.
OR follow me on BookBub to see my recommendations and get alerts about my new releases.
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading Hazelhurst. I had a wonderful time writing this story, and I hope you enjoyed getting to know Anne and Tobias.
I have done my best to be true to the time period and particulars of the day, so I apologize if I got anything wrong. I continue learning and researching while trying to craft stories that will be enjoyable to readers like you.
If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review and tell your friends! Authors like me rely on readers like you to spread the word about books you’ve enjoyed.
If you would like to stay in touch, please sign up for my newsletter. If you just want updates on new releases, you can follow me on BookBub or Amazon. You can also connect with me on Facebook and Instagram. I would love to hear from you!
Acknowledgments
There are always a few key people who are instrumental to the creation of a novel. My mom has rooted for me and all my characters from the very beginning, helping me believe in myself as an author when I wanted to give up.
My husband has given up precious work hours of his own in order for me to write, edit, write, edit, ad nauseum. My little boys are almost always good sports about their scatterbrained mom and my constant sneaking away to the computer to get down an idea while it’s fresh.
Thank you to my editor, Jenny Proctor, for her wonderful feedback—I’m so glad I have you!
Thank you to my Review Team for your help and support in an often nervewracking business.
And as always, thank you to all my fellow Regency authors and to the wonderful communities of The Writing Gals and LDS Beta Readers. I would be lost without all of your help and trailblazing!
About the Author
Martha Keyes was born, raised, and educated in Utah—a home she loves dearly but also dearly loves to escape whenever she can travel the world. She received a BA in French Studies and a Master of Public Health, both from Brigham Young University.
Word crafting has always fascinated and motivated her, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that she considered writing her own stories. When she isn’t writing, she is honing her photography skills, looking for travel deals, and spending time with her husband and children. She lives with her husband and twin boys in Vineyard, Utah.
