by Abigail Agar
But she had worked hard for this. She had done everything she could to prove herself, and finally, she saw that she never had to do any of it anyway. All she ever had to do was be herself. Ronan saw her for who she was, and he loved her, despite her lack of fortune, despite her lack of a title.
She wished that her father could be with her that day. That was the one thing truly missing from making the day perfect. If her father had been with them, everything would have been perfect. But knowing how hard that was for her, Ronan had contacted the artist who had formerly painted a portrait of the well-known doctor.
And that morning, delivered by Lady Beckman, Lavender had received a small locket with a miniature portrait of her father inside. The detail had been exquisite for the size. She could hardly believe that the artist had managed to capture her father in such a skilled way.
The locket was so thoughtful, and she put it on with ease. It was the perfect complement to the dress.
Lavender looked at herself in the mirror and was astonished by what she saw. Was this really her? Was she really going to be the wife of a marquess? How had any of this come about?
With great toil. With great suffering. But with wonder and love and help.
By the time Melora arrived, Lavender was ready and hopeful to leave.
“Oh, you gorgeous woman! We shall both be married, can you even believe it? I am so thrilled to know that we are both going to have this joy. Lavender, you deserve this happiness more than anyone I know,” Melora said.
“You think so? I can hardly believe it has finally come to this. I love him so much, Melora. I want nothing more than to spend my life with Ronan, and I am going to do so now,” Lavender said.
“He is a very fortunate man, Lavender. He really is. And his love for you is evident in every way,” Melora said.
“I think I am the fortunate one. He is so different from the man he was when I first met him, and yet, I believe he always had this goodness inside,” she said.
“You are, perhaps, too gracious. But I know that he has become someone who is truly good and full of care for others. That is because of you,” Melora said.
“You think so?” Lavender asked.
“I do not doubt it,” Melora replied.
They departed and made their way to the church. They arrived just in time, and Lavender walked down the aisle to the vision of the man she loved standing at the end.
Ronan was smiling broadly. He looked every bit as delighted as her. It was amazing to know that this man loved her enough to go through all of the things they had faced. It was amazing to know that he loved her enough to face the future together.
But as she reached him, she knew that this was just the beginning. They still had so much ahead, and their life together was going to be beautiful.
“Do you, Lord Ronan Beckman, take Miss Lavender Philips to be your wife?” the reverend asked.
“I do,” he replied.
“And do you, Miss Lavender Philips, accept Lord Ronan Beckman to be your husband?” he asked, looking at Lavender directly.
“With all my heart,” she replied.
The reverend smiled at that, but not so widely as Ronan, who was practically swooning as he held Lavender’s hand.
With their vows declared and their hearts full, they were pronounced husband and wife.
Ronan took her hand again, and they rushed out of the church and made their way to the reception.
“Oh, my wife! I cannot believe that I am finally allowed to call you that. My wife! Can you believe it?” he asked.
“I cannot, but I also cannot believe that you even want me for a wife, so you must be patient with me,” Lavender replied with a laugh.
“Never say such a thing, Lavender. You are the most wonderful woman in all the world, and I am so glad that we can spend our lives together,” he said as they climbed into the coach.
“Ronan, I am just happy that the past is behind us, and the future is ours to make. You know that I care for you more than I have ever cared for anything in all the world, do you not?” she asked.
“I do. And as we go to continue this celebration, know that I am not only happy about the wedding, but about all the days we have ahead,” Ronan replied.
The reception was hosted in a hall nearby. There were refreshments, and all their guests were waiting for them.
Before long, the whole crowd was up, dancing and enjoying themselves. Lavender noted how Lady Beckman was being eyed by Lord Damien Whalpole, a rather notoriously handsome and wealthy widower. She wondered if there was more bliss ahead in the future.
But Ronan grasped his cane, and he and Lavender danced together in their clumsy way, enjoying every moment even if it was not so flawless as it was for the others throughout the room.
“Are you happy to dance with a limping man for the rest of your life?” he asked.
“Nothing brings me greater joy,” she replied.
“In that case, let us enjoy our life and share our love and spend all our days in the company of one another. Forever. You and me,” Ronan declared.
Lavender smiled. She knew that Ronan would never walk the same again. The accident forever changed him, and there was nothing about his condition that could be cured or fixed in the long-term. But, for now, he was well. That was all that really mattered.
They made their way around the dance floor, and there was so much joy and excitement and celebration surrounding them that Lavender thought she would never again be this happy.
However, she knew that was false. She knew that this was only the beginning, and there was so much ahead for them. She would have every opportunity for this joy to continue as they made their life together.
Yes, they had already made their mark on England, and that was not going to change any time soon. They had already caused a noblewoman to be arrested—a woman who was likely to spend many more years, if not a lifetime, behind bars.
They had also made a significant impact in that they were of different classes—drastically different classes. There was no precedent for someone like Lord Beckman to marry a maid like her, but Lavender was grateful that she had been accepted by many thus far.
Indeed, there were certainly those at the wedding who held some strange curiosity regarding the couple. There would always be those who did not truly support them but were rather fascinated by them and wanted to understand the union between the two.
But Lavender did not care about those opinions. She cared only for the man she was now married to, the man she could finally call husband.
By the time the dancing began to slow, Lavender and Ronan were sitting and enjoying the fruitcake prepared for them to indulge in.
“This is delicious,” Ronan said.
“No. It is better than that,” she replied with a laugh.
The two of them continued to enjoy themselves, watching Lady Beckman and Lord Whalpole as they laughed with one another and eventually had one of the final dances together.
“Do you think there shall be an announcement at some point?” Lavender asked.
“Only if we greatly encourage it,” Ronan replied.
But before long, Ronan and Lavender were tired and ready to retire for the evening. After saying their farewells to Melora and her husband, as well as Harold and Lady Beckman, they departed from the reception and returned to their home.
“What do you think, my love? Are you happy with the estate that shall be your home?” he asked.
“It has been my home for some time already,” she replied.
“True. But that was in a very different capacity,” Ronan pointed out.
Indeed, Lavender had lived at the estate as his maid, and then, upon their engagement, had arranged for her to stay at a townhouse in London until their wedding for the sake of propriety. But now, she returned to the estate as his wife.
Lavender had been nervous that the other maids could take issue with her transition, but they had expressed nothing but support for her thus far. It meant so much to L
avender to know that they cared about her and were happy with the way she had found love.
Once they went inside, Lavender made tea for them. Ronan had initially objected, but Lavender insisted, saying that she preferred it this way.
“How is it?” Ronan asked.
“Wonderful. I love this tea … when it is not poisoned, that is,” she replied, making a similar comment as they so often did. For some reason, as much as they enjoyed it, the memory of what had taken place before would always taint their tradition.
But they sat on the balcony, as they had so many times before, looking out over the grounds of the estate and into the night sky. It was a deep, inky blue. Lavender found it exquisite, and she realized that Ronan was staring at her instead.
“What is it?” she asked.
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known. There is nothing I would rather gaze upon than you,” he said.
“Oh, Ronan, you are too sweet,” she said.
“No, I am simply honest. You, my wife, are beautiful,” he said.
Lavender felt shy from this admiration, even if it was from her husband, and she ought to have been perfectly comfortable with it.
Still, he managed to make her stomach churn with excitement. He still managed to fill her with joy and happiness at every turn.
They would always face struggles, but they would never be anything like what had come before. Lavender was confident that the good things ahead were going to bring them blessing and the joy they had fought to have.
“Do you remember the first time we danced?” Ronan asked.
“I could never forget it. We were in the study, and I wanted to make you feel better about missing … missing the ball hosted by the woman whose name we do not utter,” she said, laughing.
“Yes, precisely. And you danced with me as I was in my chair,” he said.
“And you decided to stand,” Lavender reminded him.
“And you allowed me to lean on you. I think about that now, when I leaned on you all those times. Now, as husband and wife, we shall lean on one another. Equally. I shall be your strength just as you are mine,” he said.
Ronan turned his face, and Lavender took in the sight of him. He leaned towards her and kissed her sweetly, his lips warm and inviting.
This was everything she had ever hoped for.
THE END
Can't get enough of Lavender and Ronan? Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…
How will the charming Lavender manage to exceed society’s expectations?
Why will Harold be worried about Ronan and how will he react?
Why will Ronan be extremely proud of the sweet Lavender?
Click the link or enter it into your browser
http://abigailagar.com/lavender
(After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “A Duke's Garden of Love”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)
A Duke's Garden of Love
Introduction
With her mythical abilities to grow and restore any garden in England, Rosamund Fleet is living a happy life in the midst of nature. Unfortunately, she is engaged to be married to Horace Filbert, a man with no respect to her abilities or the work she does for her father. Just when life starts feeling meaningless, she gets a surprising invitation by a mysterious Duke and instantly packs all her belongings. Moving to the brooding Duke’s mansion, the last thing she expected was to fall for him and get herself into trouble... Soon, she finds herself determined not only to save his precious garden, but the Lord himself. Will this bright Lady find her soulmate in this magical garden of love?
Lord Albion Brightling, the Duke of Somerfield, is a lonely soul. After the death of his entire family during the war, he dedicated his garden to those who mattered most to him. He would rather die alone than love and lose again, so he chose isolation and he decided to spend his days at his estate far away from everyone... But when Albion’s roses grow sick, his butler calls in the only person in England who can save the garden, Rosamund. What he would never expect, though, is that this charming lady will soon threaten to destroy the walls he has built to protect his broken heart with her soft tenderness. Will this compassionate Lady help him fight the demons of his past and start all over again by believing in true love?
As Rosamund brings his flowers back to life, love and hope are also finding their way back into the Duke’s life. The more the two of them emotionally connect within this magical garden, the more the Duke’s reputation as an isolated madman is challenged. When Rosamund’s betrothed discovers this unexplainable connection, he will do anything he can to stop the two from growing closer… With everyone set against them, will their love come up roses? Or will they be pricked by society’s hurtful thorns?
Chapter 1
Lord Albion Brightling, the Duke of Somerfield, was not known for his sparkling personality or indulgent parties. At times, he wished that he could be the sort of man who entertained others, who made them happy to be near him. But it simply was not in his nature.
He had always been a serious man, but since the war he had grown ever quieter and overwrought by his need for solitude.
His dark eyes scanned the garden, taking in the image of all that he had built in memoriam. The sunflowers were a tribute to his older brother, who had always brightened their days. He passed away early on in the war.
The baby’s breath was for his younger brother, the baby of the family who had made it nearly to the end. And the roses were in honour of his mother, who had passed away from her grief.
And now, Albion was alone. He had been left with the family estate, the title, the fortune. All of it was meaningless, but he wished to use it wisely. And a part of that use, he decided, would be building this garden to remember them.
The previous four days had been awful, not being able to come out and see the garden, to smell the beautiful flowers, and to relive the memories of his family. Albion had been bedridden with a brief but terrible cough.
The fresh air was a delight, as was the process of inhaling without descending into a fit of coughing. But when Albion reached the roses, the part of his walk when he typically stood and lingered over thoughts of his mother, he was immediately shocked by what he saw.
A handful of the blooms were covered in ugly, black spots.
They appeared diseased, hideous and ruined. Albion had never seen anything like this before and could not understand what was happening.
Was this normal? Was it something that he had done to the flowers or had they grown this on their own? Was it an insect that had poisoned the roses?
He couldn’t imagine what it was.
Albion needed to speak with his gardener. Perhaps the man knew something about this. But why had he not told Albion? Why was he not, this very moment, handling the problem?
Rushing back to the house, Albion quickly found one of the maids.
“Miss Potter, where is Mr. Hillsborough?” he asked.
Miss Potter appeared alarmed and confused by his sudden need for the gardener.
“Honestly, Your Grace, I cannot say. I have not seen him at all this morning. Actually I have not seen him for the past few days, now that I think of it,” she said.
