by Gayle Callen
After somehow acquiring a special license—she thought Colonel Whittington might have had a hand in that—they were married in a private ceremony with only the staff and Sam’s family in attendance. Julia had never felt so welcomed and loved by his family—the only real family she’d ever had. Now she was one of them, beloved in Sam’s eyes.
Epilogue
“When is that baby going to be born?” Nick Wright demanded, pacing in the sitting room.
“It’s not even your baby,” Sam said, smiling. “Julia is doing just fine.”
Will Chadwick put a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “It can take forever. When we had our daughter in Italy—”
“Oh, stop going on about that!” Nick pushed him away and sank down on the sofa. “Yes, yes, you’re the first father among us. But Sam will be a father today, and I’ll be one in a couple months, and—I don’t feel very well.” He put a hand to his stomach. “Getting shot was easier.”
Will harrumphed. “Oh, please. As an earl, you’ll have dozens of servants surrounding your wife. You won’t even have to be there.”
“Not be there!” Nick thundered.
Shaking his head, Sam walked over to his bedroom door, softly knocked, and went inside. Julia was sitting up in bed, her lovely face full of concentration, but she spared him a smile. Sam’s mother was helping with the birth, so he felt confident everything would be fine. A woman who’d had seven children would know what to do in any situation.
Jane Chadwick, the newly experienced mother, was pouring a glass of water for Julia. He was so glad she and Will had decided to return to England for a brief visit, before they were off on their next adventure together. Charlotte Wright, Nick’s wife, was seven months pregnant, and she wore a look of peace and anticipation. She brought Julia a wet cloth for her face.
Sam looked at these three young women, once enemies, now united by marriage and friendship. He had never imagined his life would turn out so wonderfully. He was at peace, and his memories no longer haunted him. He had Hopewell Manor to run, his wife and family and friends all around him, and soon a baby to love.
And the baby had decided on sooner rather than later. The women tried to shoo him away, but he stayed near Julia as she gave birth to their son, whom she’d already insisted on calling Samuel. After holding his son and kissing his wife, Sam left them to sleep and rejoined his friends.
Will grinned when Sam came back to the sitting room. “A boy, Jane tells us. Congratulations! You’ll enjoy being a father.”
“So how did she handle the laboring?” Nick asked with concern.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “You act as if you have to feel the pain.”
Nick took her in his arms. “No, but you do, and that’s worse!”
“Enough,” Sam said, laughing as the two broke apart. “We need a toast.” When they’d all had a glass of wine, he raised his. “To new friendships, new families, new love.” He looked at the door behind which Julia lay peacefully sleeping. “And to a love that began long ago and never died.”
About the Author
GAYLE CALLEN
There have always been people running around in my head, so I started writing when I was thirteen years old and never stopped. I loved creating whole other worlds for my friends to read about—and that’s still what motivates me today.
I live in central New York with my wonderful husband, Jim; my three children; and our dog, Apollo. I spend a lot of time cheering on my children at lacrosse games. Besides writing, I love to read, sing, and delve too deeply into historical research. Come visit my website at www.gaylecallen.com.
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STEALING SOPHIE by Sarah Gabriel
WHAT AN EARL WANTS by Shirley Karr
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A WOMAN’S INNOCENCE. Copyright © 2005 by Gayle Kloecker Callen. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Microsoft Reader April 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-194617-2
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