Epilogue

ENGLAND
THREE MONTHS LATER

Elissa smoothed the skirt of her pale blue silk gown, then reached up to straighten the spray of white roses she wore in her hair.

“Your hands are shaking,” Nina said. “Let me do it.”

They were standing in an anteroom off the small, ivy-covered chapel in the pretty little village next to Wolvermont Castle. A week ago, Adrian had finally come home. There were times Elissa had wondered if he would change his mind, forget the promise he had made to wed her, and remain instead in the army. But the moment she opened the door and saw the love in his magnificent green eyes, she knew that nothing had changed between them.

“I missed you every moment,” he said, sweeping her into his arms. “I should have married you before you left Austria. I never should have let you leave.”

But the fighting was not yet ended and she had wanted him to have the time he needed to be sure. The war for the Austrians had been costly. They had won at Aspern-Essling, but the price of victory had been high. The French had lost their beloved Marshal Lannes and three of their top commanders. General Steigler and Captain Holdorf had also been killed in the fighting. Elissa thought that perhaps in their case God’s vengeance had played a part.

General Klammer was dead, hanged for the traitor he was, along with the men who had aided him in his cause. Adrian had left the country as soon as the Fifth Coalition was officially forged. The war had gone on, but a decisive battle had been lost to the French at Wagram the first week of July, and the emperor had been forced to surrender. Wily as he was, Francis had managed to wed his daughter, Louise, to Napoleon, insuring his country’s future as well as his own.

In the meantime, Adrian had arrived on Elissa’s doorstep, his uniform gone but looking even more handsome in his dusty traveling clothes. Jamison and Nina were already back in England, married and living happily with the children at the major’s small estate not far from the castle, both of them terribly in love.

Elissa glanced toward the door leading into the chapel. Her mother was there, seated next to Peter, who’d been granted leave to attend the wedding, a grateful archduke’s gift for the service Elissa and Adrian had performed in helping to unmask the Falcon.

Nina’s voice cut into her thoughts. “It is time for you to go in. You do not wish for your colonel to worry.”

Elissa smiled. The last time he was supposed to marry, the foolish woman had left him standing at the altar. “No,” she agreed, knowing how nervous he was. “We wouldn’t want him to worry.”

Nina opened the door to the anteroom and Elissa stepped out into the hall. General Ravenscroft was waiting, acting in the stead of her father. He smiled as she accepted his arm.

“You look lovely, my dear. Shall we join your future husband? I believe if we tarry a moment longer, we may have to scoop him off the floor.”

She laughed, a carefree, joyous sound. She had never been quite so happy. Everyone took their places and the organ started to play. It was an intimate wedding, with only their dearest friends. She smiled at her mother on the way down the aisle, thankful to see the bloom back in her cheeks, then flashed a happy smile at her brother, who looked incredibly handsome in his dark green uniform.

Several close friends of Adrian’s sat in the pew ahead: Matthew Seaton, the Earl of Strickland; his lovely wife, Jessica, and their two towheaded children; Adam Harcourt, Viscount St. Cere, and his fiery, dark-haired wife, Gwendolyn. Then her gaze swung toward the front of the church and her breath suspended in her chest.

Dressed in spotless white breeches and a silver-trimmed dark blue tailcoat, Adrian stood rigid, his eyes fixed on her as if she were the only one in the room. His gaze held so much love, so much joy and happiness, a painful ache swelled in her throat. He lifted her fingers and pressed a soft kiss into her palm, and she noticed a tremor in his touch.

The ceremony began, but Elissa barely heard the vicar’s words. Her gaze remained on Adrian. She listened to him speak the vows in a deep voice filled with pride and love, and she repeated them as well, meaning every word. A few moments later, the ceremony ended. Sliding an arm around her waist, Adrian kissed her, a fierce, possessive kiss that had soft laughter coming from their friends and made the color rush into her cheeks.

“You’re mine,” he whispered. “I love you, angel. I love you so much it hurts.”

Elissa smiled, blinking to hold back tears. They walked toward the rear of the church and had almost passed through the portal when a tall, dark-haired man stood up at the back of the chapel. Stepping into the aisle, he blocked their way, his green eyes turbulent with emotion.

Adrian stared at him, his jaw clamping down, but he made no effort to speak.

The Duke of Sheffield met his hard look squarely. “I know you are surprised to see me. Perhaps I shouldn’t have come, but your wife was kind enough to invite me and I have wasted too much time already.”

A muscle jerked in Adrian’s cheek. “What do you want?”

The duke smiled softly. “I wanted to be here when my son got married. I wanted him to know how pleased I was and that I wished him every happiness in the years ahead.”

Adrian’s fierce gaze swung to Elissa. “You gave me your word.”

A thread of worry slid through her. She prayed that she had done the right thing. “I never promised. I only said your secret was safe with me. I do not believe your father poses any sort of threat.” She turned to the tall, handsome duke who looked so much like his son. “Is that not so, Your Grace?”

“I never knew about you, Adrian,” his father said. “If I had guessed … if I had believed for an instant that you were my son, I never would have left you in that miserable household.”

Adrian said nothing, just continued to stare at the duke, his jaw flexing, his eyes a very dark green.

“I don’t suppose you will ever forgive me,” the duke went on. “If you do not, I will certainly understand. But I would have you know that I am proud to discover that you are my son. I have learned a great deal about you these past few months. I know the kind of man you are and I am proud that my blood runs through your veins.”

Something flickered in Adrian’s eyes, something desperate, yet uncertain.

“It is my fondest wish,” the duke said, “that one day you might find a place in your heart for the man who is your father.” His mouth curved into a sad, wistful smile. “From the moment I saw your face, from the instant I realized you were truly my own, I have loved you as a son.”

Adrian’s throat constricted. He glanced away, but not before Elissa caught the fine sheen of tears. He turned back to the tall, dark-haired man who looked so much like him. When he spoke his voice sounded deep and rusty.

“Until I met Elissa, I didn’t believe I would ever find love. I’ve never had a family. I’ve never had a father. Perhaps, now that my wife has shown me the way, I can learn to accept those things, too.”

The duke’s own eyes glistened. His hand came to rest on his son’s broad shoulder. “Thank you.”

Adrian simply nodded. When he turned to Elissa, the darkness in his eyes was gone. The green depths shone with love and joy and hope for the future.

“I believe they are preparing a wedding celebration at the castle,” he said. “’Tis past time for us to go home.”

Elissa smiled. Home. She would, make it so, she vowed. She would care for him and give him children. She would help him accept his father and make the duke a part of their family. She would love him with every ounce of her heart, and he would never be lonely again.

Adrian seemed to know what she was thinking, for his green gaze turned suddenly fierce. “You’ll never regret marrying me, angel—not for a single moment. I promise you that, my love.”

Elissa did not doubt it. Her beloved colonel always kept his word.