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6 months later
The sweet melody of two birds singing outside the window gently woke Emma from her peaceful slumber. Silk sheets brushed against her skin and a soft moan escaped her lips as she stretched her legs. Her eyes opened, her vision still blurry from the sweet dreams she’d encountered the night before. Her arm reached out to Charles’ side of the bed, but it was empty.
Emma sat upright in a sun-drenched, charming room she and Charles had been occupying for the past three nights. It had immediately felt like home as soon as they stepped inside. A large glass paned door led out to a balcony overlooking the entire city of Paris.
Many things had happened in the past six months, but Charles and Emma’s relationship was stronger than ever.
After her mother had sadly passed away, Roland had accepted Charles’ offer to reside at Finlay Hall. Of course, Catherine, Sarah and Lilly were ecstatic, and thrived having their grandfather at the estate. Although Charles kept the townhouse in London, he only visited if his wife and daughters accompanied him, and they did not stay for extended periods of time.
Most of Charles’ correspondence of his Parliamentary duties were done via post, and it allowed him more time with his family. He had become a different man, but still the Charles she had cared for. He was attentive now, and listened to her. He adored her and treated her with the tenderness and love she had always hoped for.
Emma was not only merely content with her life, she was happy. Truly happy.
After they were married, Emma and Charles didn’t go on a honeymoon, as his responsibilities had gotten in the way of that, but Charles had insisted that he wished for them to travel together. That was precisely what they had been doing, and Emma could not be happier.
She rose from the bed and noticed the glass-paned door was slightly ajar. It was nothing odd, as she and Charles had been enjoying breakfast on the balcony every morning since their arrival. Attired in her sleeping dress, which was much less conservative than the ones she wore at Finlay hall and left little to the imagination, she quietly stepped outside. She found Charles lounging on the wooden bench, only in his breeches, bathed in the morning sunlight. He smiled when he saw her, and Emma could not help but smile as well, the happiness in her heart overflowing.
“Good morning,” he said and reached his hand out to her.
“Good morning,” she said.
Emma sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. She gazed at the magnificent view before her and sighed happily.
“Did you sleep well, my love?” he asked.
“Indeed, I did. I expected you to sleep in this morning, especially after the rigorous lovemaking last evening.”
“It certainly tired me out, but it also invigorates me,” Charles said. “It feels as though I am twenty again, and not the old man I am now.”
Emma pouted and wrapped her arms around him. “You are certainly not an old man. An old man would not be able to possess such virility and stamina.”
Charles chuckled and shook his head. “You flatter me.”
“I speak only the truth, my dearest.”
An extended moment of silence passed between them as Charles held her close, lightly stroking her back.
“Are you happy, my Emma?” he asked.
“I am. Unbelievably and indescribably so. Are you happy?” she asked.
For a moment, she wondered what his answer would be. The only thing Emma was concerned about was the state of his mind. She wished for him to be content as well. She wished for him to want to do all these things to make her happy. She did not wish for him to be secretly miserable. She would never forgive herself for that.
“Generally speaking, yes, I am. I am happy and blessed to have you in my life. I do miss London at times, and the Parliamentary meeting as well.”
“Charles,” Emma said and turned to him. “If those things make you happy, I do not wish to stand in your way of them. You are still allowed to enjoy things without me and the children. I would never keep you from going to London.”
“But I want to stay at Finlay Hall. I want to see my children grow into wonderful young ladies. I want to spend time with my beautiful wife. I do not wish to miss anything as I had before.”
“And I do not want you to one day resent me by thinking I kept you from doing the things you love.”
Charles smiled tenderly and nodded. “There is nowhere in the world I would rather be than beside you, and there is no one in this world who is more important to me than you.”
“And what of yourself?” she asked.
“Oh, my dear Emma. I have placed myself at the top of my list for much too long. My actions have been selfish, and I will spend the rest of my life making things right between us.”
“But things are right between us.”
“I completely and utterly agree, my dear Emma. I’ll love you until the day I leave this earth, and perhaps even long after that.”
Emma smiled happily as she gazed upon his face. It was filled with contentment and sincerity, and it warmed her heart more than she ever thought possible.
“As long as you promise me something, Charles.”
“Anything, my sweet Emma.”
“Promise me that no matter what, you will always share your heart with me, your feelings, your desires, and your thoughts. We have spent many years living past one another, and I do not wish for that to happen again. You are more important than anyone to me, and your happiness is all I desire,” she said.
“I promise you, Emma.”
Emma nodded, satisfied with his answer and kissed his lips tenderly. Their lips met and her skin tingled once more, as though it had been the first time she kissed his lips, but certainly much better than the first time.
Charles’ hands slid under the soft fabric of her nightdress, and even though it was daylight and they were outdoors on a balcony for the whole of Paris to see, she made no attempt to stop him.
Not only because she didn’t want him to stop, but the excitement of it all fuelled the desire within her that had been awoken by none other than Charles.
Her Duke.
For all eternity
The End