Epilogue

Lily bent over the table in the small workroom of the new jewelry store they had opened in Ashton-under-Lyne. It wasn’t nearly as big nor as prosperous as the one Papa had held in London, but here, she was free to create whatever she pleased. Lately, that had been Egyptian-inspired brooches, necklaces, and other jewelry. Word had spread from here all the way to Newcastle and brought in commissions through the post. Lily knuckled her back, sore but satisfied at her progress.

As she used pliers to shape a particularly intricate knot in the center of this brooch, she listened with half an ear to Adam’s voice, letting it soothe her. It drifted in from the storefront, which he handled as her partner when she didn’t need him on the forge.

“I’m only the face. My wife is the talent. You’ll have to ask her regarding your request. Let me fetch her for you.”

With a groan, she straightened, cracking her back. She set aside her pliers and turned on the stool just as Adam entered the doorway. He was dressed in London fashions to impress the rare nobleman who ventured past the shop. At home, he usually walked around in his shirtsleeves and stocking-clad feet. Although Lily preferred him that way, she had to admit, he filled out a jacket to distraction.

“Let me help,” he said when he noticed her trying to stand.

She shook her head, bracing her hand against the bench to gain her feet. “I’m not laid abed yet.”

Despite her protests, he braced her elbow and let her use him for leverage. “You promised to share your burden with me.”

Upright, she rested her hand on the pronounced bulge of her belly. “I’m afraid this is something I have to carry on my own. I’ll be happy to share the burden with you after the birth.”

He kissed her cheek, lingering. The brush of his mouth, as always, made her shiver with anticipation.

“There’s a young man up front asking about commissioning a ring.”

Lily strode for the door, leaving him to follow. “Let’s not keep him waiting.”

The man in question appeared younger than she, though not by much. His clothes were simple but in good repair. He toyed with a gray beaver hat between his hands. As he spotted her, he straightened. Anxiety was written in the lines of his body.

“Madam, I’m told you create one-of-a-kind rings? I need one for my betrothed. A ring fit for a queen, only…” His cheeks turned ruddy.

Lily smiled kindly. “Without costing a year’s wages?” she guessed.

He nodded, abashed.

She had been asked to make that sort of thing from the townsfolk a few times since opening her shop. Although the village was flush with jobs, the number of wealthy patrons nearby were few. That suited Lily well enough. Her commissions from Newcastle upon Tyne would carry her through lean months, and she had learned to shape intricacies in silver wire that looked as resplendent as the jewels of the rich. Willa’s newest passion, fashioning beads made of pottery, had contributed to a new style of accessory slowly catching on in Ashton and the neighboring towns.

“I’m certain I can devise something that won’t reduce your income overmuch.”

Bald relief crossed the young man’s face. “Thank you. You see, her father isn’t particularly keen on me. My family doesn’t come from as great a wealth as hers.”

Lily beckoned the young man closer to the counter near the front of the shop. When she turned in search of a stool, she found that Adam was already hefting one. She waited for him to position it before she sat.

“What sort of woman is your betrothed?”

A smile teased at his lips. “Stubborn. Outspoken. She told old Murdock she’d accept no one but me.”

He looked as proud as a cockerel.

“She sounds like a worthy woman. Is she tall? Short? What color is her hair?” Lily narrowed her eyes. “Murdock… She wouldn’t be one of the granddaughters, would she? Eloise or Clarissa?”

The young man brightened. “You know her? Clarissa, she’s to be my bride.”

“I know her. She’s close in age with my youngest sister.” Eloise, on the other hand, had been one of the first friends Lily had made in town. With her family to help in the shop and contribute in other ways, she no longer had to spend her every waking moment at work. She’d made several friends.

Thinking, Lily tapped out a contemplative beat with her fingers. “If it’s a ring fit for a queen you want…”

She turned on the stool. Adam had already fetched the satchel of letters she kept handy. She smiled at him warmly. “Thank you, darling.”

He kissed her temple. “My pleasure.”

She found the letter she searched for near the top. The latest from Miss Granby, who was not currently in London but in Egypt. With each of the many letters she sent to Lily and her sisters, she included a sketch of the latest items her expedition had unearthed. Lily smoothed the page, showing it to her customer.

“The one I would make for you would be simpler but drawing on this one for inspiration. If you want a ring fit for a queen, why not begin with one worn by a queen?”

He looked simultaneously hopeful and stricken. “But…”

She patted his hand where he clutched the edge of the page. “I’ll work within your budget, never you fear.”

Half an hour and two quick sketches later, the young man left the shop with a skip in his step. As the door shut behind him, Lily caught a glimpse of her younger sister walking on the arm of a young man. A local squire’s son, who seemed smitten. Although Willa leaned against him and laughed, something in her expression hinted at reserve. Willa had been far more cautious in love since leaving London, though she hadn’t given up hope.

However, as Willa fell out of sight with the shutting of the door, Lily frowned. Where was her chaperone? With Adam’s help, she stood and hurried to check the neat square where the shop rested between awnings and troughs of water for horses. Spring had barely started to bloom, a chill yet in the air that couldn’t keep her sisters indoors. Lily held the door open, searching for her sister’s form again.

There—and half a dozen paces behind, with her nose buried in a book, was her chaperone. Sophie turned the page and glanced at the pair before continuing to walk, enveloped in her reading. Since arriving in town, she hadn’t given the slightest inclination that she intended to seek out love or marriage. Despite that part of herself lost in the years since Papa’s death, Sophie seemed happier, freer. Lily had even caught her scribbling down the beginnings of a romance novel.

Adam stepped up behind her. He laid his hand over hers on the door, at eye level. The other, he slipped around to rest on the bulge of her belly. His breath tickled the shell of her ear, making her shiver.

“I hope you’re not considering fencing that ring.”

She laced her fingers through his and drew him around to hold her. The door fell shut, enclosing them in their own private sanctuary. She turned in his arms, sliding her hands around his neck, and gave him a smile. “Why would I? I’ve already stolen your heart. That’s good enough for me.”

As his lips touched her, the door flung open again, bringing with it a brisk breeze that made her shiver. Heat staining their cheeks, Lily and Adam broke apart. Lily turned, mustering a professional mien.

Mama stood in the door, her cheeks flushed with color and her bonnet askew. Over the past several months, she had gained weight and liveliness, taking over the management of the house and their small roost of chickens. Today, however, her gaze sparkled brightest of all.

“Where are your sisters?”

“They aren’t here. Mama, are you bleeding?”

Mama waved her hand as she caught her breath. She seemed far less concerned about the scratch than the letter she clutched in her fist. “That blighted hen again. I’ll get the better of her. This is more important. This just came for your sister from Edinburgh.”

“From Edinburgh—for Sophie?”

“Yes. It says—”

“Mama, you opened it?”

“Trust me, she’s going to want to read it straightaway.”

With the page fluttering in front of her face, Lily caught it long enough to read the opening line: We very much enjoyed your novel, The Unlikely Providence of Sisters, and are pleased to offer—

Breathless, Lily pointed toward the door. “I think they were headed toward the bakery.”

Mama stood on tiptoe to mash her lips against Lily’s cheeks before she hurled open the door and ran, heedless to the image she made. Adam fetched his hat from a peg next to the latticed shop window and drew the key to the shop out of his pocket. He slid his arm around Lily’s shoulders and steered her to the door.

“Come, darling. This sounds like a cause for celebration.”

As she stepped into the square, her husband at her back, the baby kicked. She laid her palm on her round belly with a smile. “I believe someone is inclined to agree with you.”

“I should hope so,” he said and laid a kiss on the top of her head. “I have a lot more wisdom to impart.”

Like FREE Books?! Download one of Entangled’s bestselling books here!