Epilogue

A month later

“Someone's lying,” James said with a sigh.

Charlotte pursed her lips and wiggled to get more comfortable where she was perched on her husband's lap. Her action only made him more uncomfortable, but in a most wonderful way.

“Who do you think it might be?” she asked, kissing his cheek.

James scowled down at the list of possible meddling, letter-writing culprits. “I don't know,” he admitted. “Everyone one of them offered convincing reasons for why it couldn't have been them.”

At the top of the list was Danby.

Harrumph! “Clever lad,” he mused with a thump of his cane. “Not me, I'm afraid.” When pressed, he added, “A gentleman's word should never be challenged, young man. Unless you would like to be challenged.”

James had asked no further questions.

“While Gareth and I are so very excited for the two of you, we played no part in these shenanigans,” Jane said before looking to her husband for a nod of approval.

Charlotte could accept that, but not before showing the missive to Aaron and Daphne who had been on the receiving ends of matchmaking missives from both Danby and Gareth.

“Not his writing,” Aaron had said, presumably his could be either Gareth or Danby. Jane and Daphne's writing was far too familiar to Charlotte for them to have been able to do such.

Jemma's too.

“As relieved as I am that things have turned around for you, and knowing I didn't make a complete hash of your existence, I cannot accept credit for this,” Michael said, his tone solemn. He shot her a slim, self-deprecating smile. “It seems as I'm not the perfect older, protective brother I always thought I'd be.”

Charlotte wrapped him in a hug. “You do have one more chance, you know?”

Michael nodded once.

After two weeks without a weekly visit from the dowager countess, Charlotte went to see her mother-in-law. After apologizing for her words during their last visit, she briefly explained all she dared about her relationship with James and asked about the letter. “Oh dearest, I wish you'd told me sooner. For had I known, I'd have sent such a letter immediately! More scandalous, too.” Charlotte believed that. “I'm just glad you two have worked it out and I shall be looking forward to the news of your grand event.” She wrinkled her nose. “Be sure you use those herbs. It'll reduce your suffering.”

Charlotte wasn't sure she'd term intimacies as suffering, but there are some things better not discussed with one's mother-in-law.

That only left Ravenscar. The very thought of that reprobate writing to Charlotte had sent James' blood to simmer. “If I'd written that letter, she'd—”

Crack!

James delivered a hard blow to the man's nose. All he needed to know was that Ravenscar hadn't written the letter.

“As much as I wanted to know at first, I don't care so much anymore,” Charlotte said.

James arched a brow. “No?”

“No. Whoever wrote it sent it because they wanted to see us happy together, but that's not exactly what came of it.”

James pulled his head back. “You're not happy?”

“Not just happy—” she kissed his jaw “—I'm in love.”

James' lips captured hers. “I'm in love, too.”

Curious about how Jane snagged Gareth? You can read all about their love at first sight (and marginally scandalous) romance in The Perfect Lady Worthe