A Spinster to Heal the Duke

Extended Epilogue

Noah and Anne held hands as they walked through the garden of Grandon.

"What should be planted this year?" he asked.

"I don't know. I was thinking we haven't had red, orange, and yellow in a while," said Anne.

Skipping past them, their youngest daughter Sarah, barely four, suggested, "I want the flowers to be every color like a rainbow."

"Oh, do you?" asked Noah. "I suppose we can consider that."

She paused to pluck a few and placed them in her hair, but they began to fall and hang low when she began to skip once more.

"Of you could keep it simple," said their older daughter, Lauren, now seven years old. "Keep to just one color."

"Only one?" asked Anne.

"Please don't say all white," Noah whispered.

"Pink," said Lauren happily. "Pink as far as they eye can see."

The young girl tipped her face to the sky and twirled in the sunlight with her arms stretched wide.

"I want to spin, too!" Sarah declared, running back and copying her sister.

"Well, I don't want everything to be pink," said Noah and Anne's oldest, a boy of eight named Robert.

"What would you like?" Anne asked.

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "What about the colors of our crest this year? Red, blue, and gold. We could have some areas where they are mixed and others where we only use one color at a time."

"I think that sounds really good, actually," agreed Noah, surprised by Robert's thoughtful answer.

"I like it, too," Anne said, equally impressed. "Girls, doesn't that sound lovely?"

"Red is close to pink," Lauren considered, tapping a finger on her chin. "I approve."

"I 'prove, too," answered Sarah. "Robert's garden sounds fun. I want to help plant the mixed-up flowers."

"Everyone will help plant everything," Noah said.

"Yay!" the girls cheered, starting to run ahead.

"I can run faster than both of you," said Robert, taking off after them and passing his sisters easily.

"Only because you're bigger," complained Sarah, falling further behind. "I'll be as fast as you when I'm bigger, too."

"Not bad for ten years, is it?" asked Noah, directing Anne to a bench along the path.

She sat down then Noah joined her, taking her hand in his once more.

"Absolutely wonderful, I would say," she agreed.

They shared a brief kiss then Anne rested her head on her husband's shoulder as they watched their children play.

"The sound of their laughter still fills me with such joy," she said.

"I agree," replied Noah. "And they are growing so quickly. We need to take them to Reedley Manor. Your brother will be shocked to see how much they have grown and changed in a year."

"Yes, and his little Warren should be walking now," Anne added. "Grandfather would have loved to see all the children playing together at Reedley. He didn't even get to meet Sarah or Warren."

"But he left a lasting impression on Robert and Lauren," Noah said. "Every visit, they each talk about the house having a slight scent of his pipe when we play games in the parlor in the evenings."

"They do," agreed Anne. "Sometimes I think I smell it, too."

They sat quietly a little longer, then Noah called to the children, "If we are all helping your mother make dinner, we should head inside and get cleaned up."

The children seemed just as excited to do that and ran toward the manor shouting.

"I want to make the dough for the breads!" shouted Laurean.

"No, I do. I do," declared Sarah, still trying to catch up to her brother and sister.

"I want to make the salmon pastry," said Robert.

"Hey, I make those," complained Noah.

"Perhaps you can make them together today," Anne suggested.

"As we do everything," Noah said, swinging their hands between them a little as they walked. "I love you, Anne Campbell, Duchess of Grandon."

"I love you, too, Noah Campbell, Duke of Grandon," Anne replied.

The End