The Baroness’ Empty Bed (Extended Epilogue)
Four years later
“Mummy! Daddy! Look at me!” Penelope shouted, holding onto the strings of a kite as Charlotte and Robert looked on, smiling, laughing.
“Very good, Penny!” Charlotte called. “Listen to grandfather carefully!”
“Don’t worry, Charlotte dear, me and little Penny have this all under control!” Charlotte’s father called back. He was bent over the little form of their three-year-old daughter, helping her guide her red kite in the breeze. He had a protective hand resting against her red-blonde curls.
“Oh, careful on the strings, grandfather!” Charlotte’s mother called in a good-natured way, sipping on her glass of lemonade as she sat with Charlotte and Robert.
“He adores her so,” her mother commented, her happy eyes never leaving the sight of her husband playing with her grandchild.
“Yes, he does,” Charlotte said softly. When she had given birth to her daughter three years ago, she had been afraid that her parents would be disappointed. That they would mourn that the child was not a boy, not another opportunity to have a boy like Ernest all over again. Yet her parents had surprised her. They doted on the little girl as soon as they saw her, and their devotion had never wavered.
“She is the spitting image of you at that age,” her mother commented, smiling indulgently, watching the way Penelope laughed as the kite dipped and dove in the air. “Right down to her reddish hair.”
“She’ll be quite the beauty then,” Robert quipped, taking Charlotte’s hand across the table.
“I hope the next one has your hair, Robert.” Charlotte smiled, looking down at her swollen stomach, the bump of the child that she hoped to be a son. She had a feeling it would be. She had been dreaming, night after night, of Ernest and she couldn’t help but think it was God’s way of telling her to expect a son. The future Lord Lisle.
“A little dark-haired baby,” her mother sighed with a surprisingly maternal tone. “What a little blessing that will be.”
Charlotte smiled to think of it, a little boy to love and care for just as she loved and cared for Penelope.
“Oh, it looks like Grandfather has got his kite strings knotted,” Robert said, starting to rise from his seat. “I shall go and help.”
“Let me, he’s always been useless with knots,” Charlotte’s mother said, rising from her seat with a smile. “You sit with your wife. She could be due any moment!”
Robert smiled and sat back down, placing his hand protectively over Charlotte’s stomach, stroking the taut flesh softly.
“What do you wish to call your son, my love?” Charlotte said as they watched their little family laugh and play together. It was miraculous what a difference a child made. Charlotte had never felt closer to either of her parents.
“As long as it’s not Odysseus,” Robert rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I understand your penchant for classical names, but that is a bridge too far.”
“I was thinking we could name him for your father,” she said, reaching down to hold Robert’s hand on her belly.
“That’s interesting,” Robert said softly. “I was hoping that we might call him Ernest.”
Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat.
“You were?” she asked, looking up at her husband in amazement.
“The little one shall carry his line,” Robert shrugged gently and leaned forward to kiss Charlotte’s forehead. “He should be remembered.”
“Really?” Charlotte choked out, touched by her husband’s love and consideration. “Are you sure, darling?”
“Very sure,” Robert murmured, pulling back to kiss her lips. “We shall have many children, my darling. Let us name the next one for my father.”
“I am glad you think that,” Charlotte whispered, feeling a familiar tug in her abdomen and the sensation of warm liquid trickling down her thighs. She smiled up at her husband, feeling the anticipation begin. “Because Ernest is on his way.”
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I really enjoyed the story.
Thank you, my dear Jackie, for your comment!
Very enjoyable story with realistic characters.
Thank you, dear Andrea, for your kind words!
Wonderful!
Thank you, my dear Patty! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This was a very enjoyable read with likeable characters and an engaging storyline. The story itself had some interesting and surprising occurrences that kept me reading.
Hello, my dear,
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the story!
This was a wonderful story that keeps you wanting to know what happens next. Great characters and the emotions so real.
Thank you so much for your kind words, my dear Melissa! I’m glad you enjoyed the story!
Charlotte and Robert had a bumpy start to their marriage because of the lies Oscar Declined told. They took almost losing each other to admit their love for each other and that they wanted a family of their own. Now they have children o the way they cannot be happier.
Thank you for comment, my dear Gail. Indeed, their love won in the end!
i liked the book but it was a little too long and drawn out and i would of liked to know the new baby was indeed a boy , wish the epilogue ended with the birth
Thank you for your comment and your feedback, my dear Ernice!
Beautiful story. So well written. Thank you
Thank you for this beautiful comment, my dear Amina!
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and the plot was intriguing.. A very good ending!
Thank you, my dear Sylvia. I’m very glad you enjoyed the story so much!
Another wonderful book by Lisa Campbell. I enjoy how her characters coming to life and evolving to become real. This story was so enjoyable and seeing the happiness in the family as the book progresses was wonderful. I can’t wait to read more of the books. Love this writing style and the twist and turns each chapter takes.
Thank you for your kind words, my dear Lynn! I’m so glad you loved this story and I hope you enjoy my other books as well!
Thoroughly enjoyed reading a well developed story line that included a great love story, mystery and family problems that eventually worked out for the greater good for all. Couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed it immensely.
Thank you so much for your kind words, my dear Phyllis. Your enjoying the book so much means the world to me!
Really enjoyed this book loved the characters couldn’t put it down. So happy her family finally came to appreciate their daughter. Also the truth about her brother and his father
Thank you for your comment, Mary! I’m glad you enjoyed this story.
Love it. Beautiful story. Excellent writing.
Thank you for your positive comment, dear Marisu!
Excellent story, very well written. Interesting characters and real emotions.
Thank you so much, dear Maria Teresa. I am so humbled by your comment!
Totally enjoyed this book.
Thank you so much, Sherry! I’m glad to hear it.
Robert and Charlotte make a great couple even though they started out as a revenge plot. They had to learn the truth about Ernest and Robert’s father before they could commit to each other. Now they are more in love than ever
Hello my dear Gail, thank you for your sweet comment!
I enjoyed every minute of this book
So grateful my dear! 🙏