“How so?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“It can be so much like these brambles, causing trouble and overtaking happiness. However, if we cut those bad parts away, we begin to clear a path, one that is clean and fertile, much like the dirt in this flowerbed, allowing a place for flowers to be planted where they may grow in abundance, displaying their vibrant colors for all the world to see.”
He gave a low chuckle and then held her chin in the tips of his fingers. “Such poetic words,” he said, his voice husky as he spoke. “And yet, not all paths are meant to be walked alone.”
“No, I suppose not,” she said, though the words came out in a choked whisper.
“Then would you allow me the honor of accompanying you down your life’s path? I wish to be beside the woman I love from now and forever.”
To hear those words brought Cecilia great happiness, for she could not imagine her life without the man who sat before her, the man willing to cut away the brambles at her side. For any man willing to do such hard labor was one worth every prick of the thorns.
Epilogue
Time has a way of passing as quickly as leaves soaring past a window on the current of a fall wind. A year had passed since that day Cecilia sat with Benjamin in the gardens cutting away at the brambles of both the flowerbed and their lives, and they found their love growing beyond anything they could have dared to imagine.
Cecilia strolled through the garden at Bantry Estate appreciating the new spring buds that were forming on the trees and hedges. Several gardeners squatted over the flower beds tending the new blooms and pulling the weeds that threatened to creep into the space reserved for their chosen plants. Not a single bramble could be seen anywhere in the garden, and this brought a smile to Cecilia’s face.
She could not believe how fortunate she was in her current life. Her parents had been thrilled to learn that she and Benjamin had made amends and that she was to return to Bantry Estate, this time of her own free will.
“There you are,” Benjamin said as he came strolling along the path. “I wondered if you would be outside for some fresh air.”
A light flutter in her stomach made her stop and place a hand to her swollen stomach. The sensation caused by the movement of new life was an amazing feeling, and the love she had in her heart grew exponentially.
“I cannot believe that we will be parents in July,” Cecilia said in amazement. “Do you believe we have enough love to share with another person?”
Benjamin stroked his chin as he pretended to consider his response. “Yes, I believe we have more than enough love,” he said after several moments. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I know the love I have for you has no bounds.”
Her cheeks warmed from his words. “I wonder who has more love, you or I?”
His laugh still brought a shiver to her spine and a tingling to her skin. “I must admit that what I have for you is beyond measure, so you will have to decide for yourself.”
She placed her hand on the side of his face. “I cannot imagine life without you,” she whispered. “You have brought me such joy.”
“As you have done for me.”
Their kiss was as passionate as that day before the brambles, leaving them just as breathless and yearning for more. However, a voice called out to them from the veranda.
“Benjamin? Cecilia? Where are you?”
“Your mother certainly has changed,” Cecilia said.
He glanced toward the house. “Indeed. I believe it was your influence that brought her around to our way of thinking.”
“Yes, I believe you are correct in saying so,” she said playfully.
“Well, if it had not been for your persistence in trying to win her over, she would still be in London. Therefore, if you grow tired of her interference, you have no one to blame but yourself.”
Cecilia laughed at this. “Well, she will be our child’s grandmother, so there was nothing to do but cut away the brambles between us.”
“I suppose you are right,” Benjamin said with a sigh, though his smile remained. “Come, we mustn’t keep her waiting. You know how she worries.”
Cecilia placed her arm in his and the two headed toward the house. The Dowager Duchess stood on the veranda, her hands clasping the baluster. When she saw them, she released her hold and straightened her back. Although she and Cecilia had reconciled their differences, the woman remained haughty. However, each day seemed to trim away what discord that remained. On more than one occasion the woman had even deigned to smile; not that artificial smile she had once used, but a true smile, one that reflected in her eyes. Cecilia knew that, if she could continue her pursuits in building the bridge between them, those honest smiles would increase. Perhaps they would never be gone, but at least what they had was a beginning.
“There you are,” the Dowager Duchess said when they climbed the stairs to the veranda. “I wanted to be sure you have eaten breakfast. I do not believe you eat nearly enough in your condition.”
“Mother…”
Cecilia placed a hand on Benjamin’s arm and he went silent. “I very much appreciate your concern, Your Grace,” she said warmly. “I had a few bites before I began my stroll, so you have no need to worry.”
The woman sniffed. “I was not worrying,” she said in her haughty tone, though it held less disgruntlement than it had before. “I was simply looking after your welfare.”
“And I appreciate you doing so,” Cecilia replied and was rewarded by one of those rare smiles.
“Well, Mother, Cecilia and I have made plans for luncheon, so I hope you do not mind if you are left to dine alone.”
“We do?” Cecilia asked and then caught herself. “That is…we do.”
“Well, I am certainly not your keeper,” the Dowager Duchess said. “I have letters to write anyway, so I will more than likely order a tray brought to my room.”
“Very well,” Benjamin said. “We must be on our way.”
Cecilia followed Benjamin into the house, wondering what plans he had made for them. However, when she tried to ask, he shushed her. “You will simply have to be patient,” he said.
Half an hour later, the two were sitting underneath the same tree they had sat beneath almost a year earlier, a picnic lunch between them.
“I cannot believe you did all this without my knowledge,” Cecilia said in mock frustration. “I meet with Mrs. Caplin every day, and she took my suggestion for today’s lunch as if it would happen.”
“Well, she has always taken my side in everything,” Benjamin said playfully.
“Well, I never!” Cecilia said, though she laughed. Then she stopped and stared down at the man propped up beside her, his head supported by his bent elbow. “You have surprised me beyond belief, Your Grace. I cannot imagine where my life would be if you had chosen not to call on me at Brightstone Manor when I returned to my parents.”
“You mean when I threw you out of my house?” Benjamin said sadly. “To this day, I regret doing so.”
“Regret doing so?” Cecilia asked, placing a hand on her hip. “If you had not done that, we might never have come to terms with our relationship, and you know it. Granted, I was not too happy with such treatment, but what followed opened up a whole new path for us to follow.” She softened her tone. “What is already done must be forgotten. We cannot change the past, so we are left only to move forward. You finally did so with the death of your father, now you must do so with what we endured, for we have emerged that much stronger for it.”
His gaze reflected the love she shared for him. “You have always been the strong one between us,” he said quietly. “I have no idea where I would be today if not for you.”
She returned his gaze as steadily. “We need never wonder, for it did not happen. Now, let us focus on the here and now and not on what could have been, whether it would have been good or bad.”
They moved the conversation to other lighter subjects, and Cecilia was reminded once again how lucky she w
as to have been gifted a man such as Benjamin Young.
***
Three years had gone by when Cecilia stood in the garden at Brightstone Manor watching her son chase after a butterfly as it flitted from flower to flower. The boy, Edward by name, looked very much like his father, which pleased Cecilia immensely, for she knew he would grow to be a handsome man.
She and Edward had come to visit with her parents while Benjamin was away on business. He never liked them to be left alone at Bantry Estate when he was gone for an extended period of time, for he became concerned that Cecilia would become lonely. This, of course, made no sense to Cecilia; she could never have been alone in a place full of servants. Regardless, he always insisted she stay with her mother while he was traveling, and if it made him happy, she agreed to do so. Plus, it gave her mother time to play grandmother to her only grandchild.
Angie had taken on the position of governess, as well as continued to act as lady’s maid to Cecilia. The woman spoiled three-year-old Edward, as did everyone in his life; however, Cecilia did not mind, for he was such a joy and a blessing to them all that anyone who came to know him was placed under his spell.
Beside Angie and Edward sat the now flourishing flowerbed that once held a mass of brambles, their vines once choking out the beautiful blooms that had resided there. However, the brambles were not allowed back into the garden; Walter had seen to that on Cecilia’s strict instructions to keep the beds cleared of those weeds above all others. And since that day when she and Benjamin shared what was on their hearts and cut away the thorns that had tried to take over their lives, the Duke of Thorns had disappeared, now replaced by the loving man Cecilia could not wait to return. Now, love reigned above all else and would always continue to do so.
As long as the brambles, both literally and figuratively, were not allowed to return.
About the Author
Much like most Regency authors, Jennifer Monroe fell in love with historical novels of dashing dukes and women wishing to be swept off their feet. She believes that no matter how well a romance story is written, love must be the driving force behind the characters.
Born in France to parents who worked for the United Nations, she found herself traveling the world, until she settled down in New York whilst attending University. As she completed her degree in literature studies, she met and married her loving husband and they soon had two wonderful daughters. She chose to stay home and raise her children, and it was not long before she began to wonder about the novels she loved as a young adult and began to reread some of her favorites. This led her to reading newer authors and eventually to try her hand at writing the stories that bounced around in her head for many years.
If you love Regency with heart, as well as characters who are fun and distinct, then she invites you to escape with her into her world. If you would like to drop her a line or join her exclusive newsletter, just enter the link below into your browser.
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Duke of Thorns Page 15
