“Brother, I am pleased that you have finally met your match.” Lavinia smiled widely. Charlotte was almost certain she had winked at her, but it happened so quickly that she couldn’t be sure.
The rest of the evening went by quickly with lots of laughter and happiness from both Charlotte and William’s family. It hadn’t been easy, but everyone seemed the better for their union.
All Charlotte knew was that she couldn’t wait for the next few weeks to pass her by, so that she could wake up in William’s bed. This was just the beginning of a dream come true. It was hardly what she had expected herself, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a welcome change. She needed this. This was the beginning of forever.
Epilogue
The next morning, Charlotte and Arabella waited patiently in the living room for any callers to arrive. Sure enough, Lord Stanton made his way to their home, carrying a bouquet of white roses and blue wildflowers. They were wilting over his hand and his expression was sunken.
“I am so sorry,” he said, staring at the flowers. “I think they need water.”
“That is likely a good idea,” Arabella smiled, handing them off to a servant.”
“I am so sorry,” he repeated. “I seemed to think that arranging them myself would be…” he paused, face reddening. “Never mind.”
“Oh my,” Charlotte mumbled, pretending to pay more attention to her cross stitch. “I had no idea you were so artistic, my Lord.”
“Uh I am…” he paused, flexing his hands like he was a nervous wreck. “Not terribly.”
Arabella giggled into her palm and took a seat back in the living room. He smiled sheepishly and sat down on the seat opposite of her. Regina paused, looking between them, but not knowing exactly what to say. “Um, Arabella is a lovely singer. Aren’t you, dear?”
“Oh, I would not say that,” she responded quietly.
“I am sure your voice is lovely,” he said. “I should love to hear it sometime.” Lord Stanton smiled.
It was not Arabella’s face who was reddening. “Well maybe when I have someone to play for me.”
“Charlotte can do it!” Regina shouted. The two sisters rubbernecked to look at her.
“Mama, please.” Charlotte shook her head. “You have to remember how terribly I play.”
“What are you talking about? You’re wonderful!”
Charlotte did admittedly think it was very sweet that her mother had such a bad memory for her downfalls, but she was not about to make the first meeting with Lord Stanton awkward especially after the monumental effort it took to get the prospective couple this far.
“Mother, remember when Lord Holdford called on me?”
Her mother frowned. “You were just nervous.”
“No mama, I truly am that bad.”
The original plan was to go on a promenade, but once Arabella asked him about his travels, his face lit up with excitement. He had been so quiet before, but now he was alight with excitement, sharing all the things he saw, the foods he tried, the animals he spotted, and the traditions he took part in. Arabella listened carefully the whole time, asking him questions.
“I should like to go to Greece,” Arabella said. “I imagine the coast is so beautiful. I have always been so interested in the history and the architecture.”
At first, he didn’t have anything to say, because this was a topic of conversation that had once gotten him into a great deal of trouble. But once Arabella giggled into her hand and told him not to worry, he loosened up again, and began to tell her about the trip he had taken there. She was fascinated, eyes wide. Charlotte’s eyes were growing weary the longer they talked, and her mother seemed equally as bored. They never did go on a promenade. They had gotten so carried away in conversation that they talked for a few hours before Lord Stanton met with Benedict. Exactly as promised, Lord Stanton expressed his desires to court Arabella, and she excitedly agreed.
Even if Charlotte and Regina had been bored beyond their wildest imaginations, Arabella spent the rest of the evening becoming more and more excited about how compatible they were. As it turned out, he was just as interested and twice as knowledgeable about history as she was, and he too had a passion for the arts.
That evening, the family celebrated. It was such a party, that they got a little carried away and Mary Ann had so much wine that she ended up surprising everyone by playing a tavern song on the pianoforte. Everyone was too tipsy to care. Even Benedict had abandoned his propriety, and together the group laughed, talked, and celebrated Arabella and Charlotte’s romances in a way that they hadn’t done since their father was still alive.
It felt good, and it felt especially good to have some good memories of a drunken Benedict that Charlotte could hold over his head the next time he was acting all high and mighty. The fact that Mary Ann knew tavern songs made her so much more interesting. It seemed when she and Benedict let their walls down, the entire family found it easy to also let go of their inhibitions even if it seemed a little crass.
Over the coming weeks, wedding plans for Charlotte and William continued. Regina and Annette spearheaded most of the planning, but their nonstop giggling had put everyone on edge. Every chance the two got, they were whispering behind teacups and pantomiming at each other from across the room. Their friendship was becoming concerning as most everyone had already sensed that they had been the joke at least once or twice. The two were a match to be reckoned with.
* * *
Forever was indeed a very long time, and Charlotte had come to this conclusion only as she stood on the alter, beside William. Forever was welcome though, because after all they had been through, William was more than a lover, he was a great friend. Forever was a promise. Forever was a thrill.