The Lady’s Dirty Letter (Extended Epilogue)
It was a bright and sunny day, and Caroline was in high spirits. She had spent the early hours of the morning throwing up, but now she felt fine and ready to conquer the world, or in her case, conquer motherhood. She smiled as she picked her son, Thomas from where he played on her bed, and placed him on her waist.
Thomas patted her slightly protruding belly as he had seen his father do so many times, making her laugh. As she made her way to the washroom to bathe him, she thanked the heavens for the men in her life. A ritual she had formed since the day her son was born. Caroline and Alexander had decided to be involved in their children’s lives like their parents had been in theirs, as opposed to leaving them to the servants to take care of.
When she was done with his bathing, she hurriedly dressed him up so she could join the others. She and Alexander had invited their families for tea, and everyone was already in the drawing room, waiting for her to show up with their nephew. As she made her way to the drawing room with her babbling son, Caroline thought about how blissful life had been so far.
She and Alexander had struggled in the first few months of parenting, unaware of the amount of attention babies required until Thomas had come and put an end to their perfect illusion. Instead of making them angry, that moment had only served to bring them even closer as they teamed up to take care of their needy infant, taking turns so neither of them was too exhausted. Despite the deeper bond Thomas’s birth created between them, they were glad when he finally became quiet, a few months later, although it had taken a while to get used to.
She laughed now when she remembered how they had woken up every day for a week running to his bassinet to make sure he was still breathing after he had finally settled and stopped crying every night. She had spoken to her mother who explained that it was normal for babies to settle down after some time and sleep all night.
Caroline was also thankful for the supportive family she had. She and her mother had put away their constant bickering and bonded more over the birth of this tiny little human. Her mother-in-law had made it a habit of dropping by almost every day to check in on her grandson, glad to finally have a baby once again that she could tend to. Ann had dubbed herself Thomas’s favorite aunt, always wanting to hold him whenever she visited.
Between both families, Thomas had amassed so many toys and gifts that Alexander and Caroline had had to tell the family to desist from buying him any more. Thomas was the greatest gift life had offered her for the past two years, and now, with her stomach growing by the day, another one was about to come into their lives.
She knew Alexander hoped this one would be a girl. He had started asking her how his baby girl was doing and talking about how he could not wait to welcome his little princess into his arms, but Caroline thought it would be another boy, although she was not entirely certain about that. The one thing they were sure of, however, was that the baby would be loved no matter what it turned out to be.
As Caroline drew close to the drawing room, she could hear the noisy chatter from the families and rolled her eyes. She knew the moment she walked into the room their attention would be focused on Thomas and they would all start vying to hold him. It was always a funny sight to see, and Thomas was unpredictable, never playing favorites but choosing to share his affection among all of them instead of letting the same person hold him every time. Alexander always bragged about how his son was wise beyond his years whenever it happened.
The chatter in the room suddenly died down as Caroline pushed the door open and walked in. Soon everyone kept asking for her to bring Thomas to them. Caroline set him on the floor and watched him waddle his way over to Ann and reach out to be carried, to the victorious laughter of her who was glad to be chosen. The others laughed, joked, and mocked each other in good fun before moving on to other topics.
“Caroline, how are you and my granddaughter doing today?” Elizabeth Mannfield asked, making Caroline roll her eyes. She turned to look at her husband who was laughing as he served tea and pie to everyone present. Alexander and his mother fully believed it was a girl and she had given up trying to dissuade them.
“We are fine, thank you. I feel great today, better than ever. How are you?” she asked her as Alexander walked over to her and led her to the seat he had reserved for her, placing a kiss on her cheek before continuing with serving.
Caroline chatted with her mother, leaving her father to continue the serious conversation he seemed to be having with Henry. The two were always in a world of their own, bonding over the fact that they were the only elderly men in the group as Alexander had no interest in being part of them.
“So, what were you all discussing so loudly before I walked in?” she asked, looking at the group curiously.
“Oh, nothing serious dear, we were just sharing news about all the recent gossip in town. I believe we were talking about Lady Murphy landing face first in the pond after she tried to show off her horse-riding skills,” her mother said.
“I have never been one to laugh at anyone’s misfortune, but she had it coming. I have never seen someone so proud and out of touch with reality as she is. It makes no sense really, but I suppose now she will be a little calmer. At least for a while,” Lady Mannfield said, shaking her head.
“Oh dear, that must have been terrible. I do not think it is easy for someone who always has to be the center of attention to suddenly be getting the wrong sort. I wonder how long it will take for her to show her face in public again.” Caroline did not know who Lady Murphy was, but she knew that the woman must have been a terror for the ever-loving and positive Lady Mannfield to not care about her misfortune. The fact that she did not know who the Lady was made her feel sorry for her. Sure, the others might dislike her, but it made no sense for her to do so since she had not experienced her malice before.
“Leave it to Caroline to feel bad for someone who would not have cared for her and would probably laugh at her if it had been her in that situation,” Ann said, finally giving her attention to someone other than Thomas. “I wish it had not happened, of course. No one should have to go through such mockery, but if she had not been showing off, none of this would have happened. I think there’s a lesson to be learned there.” Ann went back to playing with Thomas after saying her piece, clearly done with the matter.
“Well, my wife does care about people, no matter what they have done. It is one of the things that I love about her,” Alexander said, finally finishing serving the tea and pie. He returned to his seat next to his wife and offered her a lovely smile before taking her hand in his.
Caroline looked around and saw the mothers watching them with happy smiles on their faces that almost matched the one she had on hers. She was glad that they all got along and enjoyed each other’s company.
“Oh, did you hear that Lord Francis lost his wife recently? It is the saddest news I have gotten this week, frankly. I always enjoyed her company whenever we had the pleasure of seeing her,” her mother added.
Caroline knew Lord Francis and his wife Eugenia, so she was quite saddened by the loss of the woman.
“Yes, I heard. Henry is a friend of his, so he paid him a visit after it happened. He said Lord Francis was not taking it well at all. He seemed to have withdrawn into himself. For a man who was not very good at expressing himself, he cared for his wife,” Lady Mannfield said.
“Well, she’s not the only one to have died recently. It is rather odd because we rarely hear of people dying in this little town of ours,” Lady Mannfield continued. Caroline wondered who else could have died. She never heard these things because she and Alexander usually kept away from gossip, perfectly content in spending time with each other and blocking out the rest of the world except family.
“I’m guessing you are talking about Lord Westworth. It is a shame he died so soon after marrying his young wife,” Lady Campbell rushed to continue. “That is not current news, he has been dead for a while. Long enough for the Dowager Westworth to become bankrupt at least.”
“I heard about that but thought it was just fake gossip spread around because of how young she was. I know the Lord was very rich while he was alive, rich enough to keep her comfortable for the rest of her life, should she choose to not marry again. So how is it possible that she has lost everything less than two months after his death?” Lady Mannfield asked.
“It was because of love or lust. One wonders what it is she must have felt that was powerful enough to drive her to such heights of madness and foolishness. The Dowager set her sights on a younger man she had an interest in and wanted at all costs, but he turned out to be the owner of the new gambling den that recently opened. She started visiting regularly and got into the habit of gambling, just to catch his attention. Unfortunately, it did not take long for her to gamble away everything she owned. Worse is, he never had any interest in her, and now she is bankrupt and alone,” Lady Campbell said.
“Oh, the poor dear, I had thought she would be the first Dowager who was young and had enough means to do whatever she wanted comfortably. To have the opportunity to do as you please with society unable to shun you for it. I guess she just needed guidance on how to handle such wealth, now it is gone and there is nothing she can do about it but marry again so she can have a provider,” Elizabeth said.
Caroline listened quietly as the women spoke about Isabella and, although she had just been accused of caring for those who did not deserve it, she could not find an atom of care to offer up for her situation.
“I know what she has been through would be difficult for anyone but after how she tried to ruin my marriage, I do not think she deserves any pity at all,” she said, finally voicing her thoughts as the others nodded their assent. Maybe Isabella would find someone else to marry, but it made no difference to Caroline one way or the other.
The women discussed other news, sharing their experiences and wanting to know about Caroline’s current pregnancy until it was late evening and time for everyone to leave.
Barnaby knocked and walked into the room. He had been promoted from valet to the family’s new butler after Baldwin finally accepted retirement. The old man was currently living not far from the house.
“Master Alexander, your brother Colin has returned and is here right now,” Barnaby said, letting Colin into the room. Caroline shouted his name in shock, just like everyone else. A smile spread on her face at his return.
“Oh, my dear boy!” Lady Mannfield exclaimed in shock and excitement, running to hug her son. Soon the whole room was filled with noise as everyone bombarded him with questions and hugs. The only people who were not excited were Thomas, who had not met his uncle yet, and Ann, who was sitting there in shock.
Caroline watched in fascination as Colin locked eyes with Ann from across the room. It was clear that the attraction between them was still present. A grin spread across her face, and she could not help but hope that now that they had both had time to think things through, they would talk and find solace in each other again.
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Enjoyed the book. Good love story, and happy ending.
Hello Carol! Thank you so much dear, for your sweet comment!
Lovely story and glad it enjoyed beautifully
Hello, my dear Pauline! Thank you so much for this. I am happy you enjoyed it!
Could not stop reading it really enjoyed it hope there is more soon
My dear Elsie,
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! Yes, you will have more VERY soon!
Best,
Lisa
Enjoyed the plot and shows how people should not jump to conclusions until all facts are presented.
My dear Patricia,
Thank you for your comment. I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Best,
Lisa
Wonderful story. Could not put it down. Had to read it in one seating!
This is the best comment for my work my dear!
Thank you so much for this.
Your friend,
Lisa
What an enthralling storyline. It kept me reading until I didn’t know I’d fallen asleep for two nights. Great characters that made me laugh and cry.
I am so glad to hear this! I hope that you will continue to enjoy my work in the future.
Thank you!
Your friend,
Lisa
Loved this book. Enjoyed the way it began and ended. Would love to read Ann and Colin’s story
Thank you, my dear Bobbie!
You never know, their story might come out as well… wink, wink!
Your friend,
Lisa
Loved this from first page to last page. Great EE I hope we get another story regarding Ann and Colin.
Thank you, dear Mary!
You might see more of Ann and Colin soon… wink, wink!
Your friend,
Lisa
I loved this story! Loved how Alexander was able to get Caroline to hear Isabella’s confession and forgive him!
Thank you, my dear Susan.
I especially loved writing this part as well!
Your friend,
Lisa
Beautiful. There were sad times and happy ones. Love the way the story progressed. Can’t wait to read your next book. Thanks for sharing.
My dear Marisu,
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! The next book will be out soon, I will let you know!
Best,
Lisa
I thoroughly enjoyed this book it’s one I could read and enjoy reading again.
Thank you so much, my dear Patricia.
Your comment is something every writer wishes to hear!
Best,
Lisa
I really enjoyed reading this book. I didn’t put it down for 2 days until I finished it. Look forward to reading more books from this author.
Thank you for the beautiful comment, dear Susan! I’m glad you enjoyed this story so much. I hope you will like my other books too.
I enjoyed the book! I can’t wait to read another.
Thank you so much for your comment, Beth! I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of my stories as much!
This is a very good story
Thank you dear Gwen! I’m so glad you liked it.
A lovely sweet story.Lisa I have read most my books and always enjoyed the series.I hope there is a happy ending book for Ann and Colin.Looking forward to reading it
Thank you for your comment, my dear Manisha! Hmmm, I’ll just ask you to stay tuned, then 😉
I really enjoyed the book but was disappointed with the extended dialogue.
Dear Sylvia, it saddens me to hear that. But thank you for your feedback! May I ask why?
Such a sweet story, absolutely loved it!
Hello my dear Sandy, thank you for reaching out! I am really happy you enjoyed the story!
I enjoyed reading the story. I couldn’t put it down and I enjoyed the extended epilogue. I can’t wait to read more !
Hello my dear Linda, I am so happy to hear that! I hope you enjoy the stories to come!
I enjoyed reading the story about Alex and Caroline. They went through a challenge, but they came out of it and lived happily ever after with their son Thomas and another one on the way. I did not like Isabel who tried to ruin their marriage, but that’s part of the challenge which they were able to overcome. I would rate this story as 9 out of 10……
Hello my dear Doreen, thank you so much for your sweet words! I really value your support!
Isabella got everything she deserve. Want to read the story of Ann and Colin
Hello my dear Mary Ann, I am so happy you enjoyed this story! There isn’t a sequel yet, but stick around for more 😉
Loved this book
Hello my dear Joan, I am so happy to hear that! thank you for your sweet comment!
I loved this story. I am hoping there will be a book about Colin and Ann. If so when can we expect it?
Hello my dear, I am so happy to her that you enjoyed the book! There are many more stories to come 🙂
Love this story but sure do hope Colin and Ann get there’s soon!!
Hahaha maybe they will my dear <3
Excellent storyline and lovable characters… Isabella was justly punished by loosing all her money.
Thank you so much love! ❤️