The Doxy and the Duke by Caroline Lee

Bonus Epilogue

FIVE YEARS LATER

Raina sighed happily as she sat back against the settee in Cashingham’s front parlor. This room was one of the larger entertaining spaces the estate boasted, but it wasn’t her favorite. She much preferred the more intimate room in the rear of the house, beside Cash’s study, where she responded to correspondence and dealt with the details of her various organizations.

However, over the last few years, it had become apparent that this parlor was the only one which could hold their growing horde.

Oh, not that her and Cash’s family was all that large: The two of them, plus Matthew, Ewan, Julian, Charles, and now, sweet Victoria, who was doing her best to pull up on her mama’s lap so she might chew on the ear bobs Raina wore.

But when she looked around the parlor, at her friends and their gathered family, “horde” really was the only applicable description.

The summer after the Fangfoss house party, Raina had taken her husband’s suggestion and hosted a gathering of her five closest friends and their families. In the years since then, each summer, they’d gathered as able. Oh, there was the one year Angeline and Rothbury couldn’t attend because their son had decided to arrive early, and the summer Olive and Phineas had chosen to spend in St. Petersburg on request from the tsar’s Minister of History…but they all cherished the opportunity to see each other once a year when they could.

Little Victoria yanked extra hard on her ear lobe, and Raina winced. “Nay, darling. Ye ken yer mama doesnae like that.”

Chuckling, Olive joined her on the settee, her eyes sparkling behind her spectacles. “She’s a curious little thing, isn’t she?”

“Too curious,” Raina admitted with a sigh. “With four aulder brothers, I worry what mischief she’s going to get into.”

Now that Matthew was away at school for part of the year, Ewan was reveling in being the eldest of their own little horde, and while his older brother had tempered his shenanigans a bit, he had in turn taught Julian and Charles to be quite the little terrors.

But Olive just scoffed and leaned over to tweak the bairn’s nose. “They’re going to get her into mischief, aye, but they’ll also get her out of it quickly enough.” Raina smiled to hear her sister-in-law speaking with a hint of Phineas’s and her own Scottish brogue. “Is she ready to walk yet?”

“Almost.” To demonstrate, Raina lifted her daughter from her lap and bent to place her on the floor. Victoria immediately pulled herself up, using her mama’s skirts, and stood on her own for a moment, before plopping down on her padded rear end.

Raina and Olive chuckled as the bairn lost no time to crawl toward the group of youngsters gathered near the cold hearth, where Cash and Ewan had brought down some of the toys from the nursery. Angeline’s youngest son was playing there with Melanie’s lad, and it looked as if one of Clementine’s twin daughters was directing them all. Her older son, Augustus, was part of the group of unruly youngsters which included Charity’s wee James, as well as Angeline’s older son. The whole boisterous pack were being led by Raina’s lads in what appeared to be a reenactment of the Battle of Hastings, judging from the wooden swords and tin helmets.

“I’m looking forward to spending more time with her at Christmas,” Olive said shyly.

Raina, who’d been smiling as she watched her husband chatting amicably with Phineas, the Marquess of Rothbury, and Frank Crymble, slowly turned to her sister-in-law. “But…” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Ye usually spend the winter months abroad at one of your Mediterranean dig sites.”

It was something about the way Olive glanced down, her fingertips brushing against her stomach, which offered Raina an explanation, and she gasped. “Olive!” She grabbed her friend’s hand. “Really?”

Her brother and his wife had spent the last five years gallivanting around the globe, having the sorts of adventures Raina could only imagine. They hadn’t seemed interested in starting a family, and frankly, they didn’t seem to have time for one.

But Olive was glowing happily, and she nodded with a smile as she squeezed Raina’s hand. “It’s time. I’m not getting any younger, and we think we should be able to take off just this one season. Phineas can use the time to properly catalog his own collection and catch up on investments. And then, next winter, when the bairn is weaned, we can take him or her with us to whatever dig site we’re assigned to next.”

Unable to help herself, Raina leaned over to hug her sister-in-law and close friend. “I’m so happy for ye,” she whispered against Olive’s coiffure, thrilled by the strength of the return hug. “Ye and Phin are going to be wonderful parents, and ye’ll give this little one an education my bairns will envy!”

Chuckling, Olive straightened. “You’re welcome to send any of them along with us. We can teach them all sorts of things—” Her eyes widened. “Except maybe not Ewan. Not for a few more years.”

Raina had to laugh at her friend’s expression, realizing the trouble Ewan could get into at an archaeological dig. “Och, I cannae even bear to send the lad away to school, how could I send him to North Africa?” She sent a mock glare. “Now, ye might want to offer to take Charity’s Louise; I ken she’s a handful!”

They both turned to watch their friend, who was seated with Melanie, trying to pick something out of her daughter’s hair. A stick? A bug? Oh dear.

At that moment, Angeline came bounding over; a huge smile plastered on her face as she reached down to pull Raina to her feet. It was amazing how, in the years since their time at Twittingham Academy, dear Angeline still managed to retain her enthusiasm for life.

In fact, all Angeline wanted was Raina on her feet so she could give her a hug, apparently. Raina happily returned it. “What’s this about?”

“I’m just so happy to be here! We all are!” Angeline enthused, her hand dropping to cradle her rounded stomach. “Clementine and I were just saying how wonderful it is that you host us each year, allowing us the opportunity to see one another. Rothbury and I adore the chance to catch up with all of you!”

Raina glanced at Angeline’s husband, who was still chatting with the group of gentlemen. Frank had broken away to speak with Dorset and Wilton, Charity’s husband, but Rothbury was still speaking solemnly to Phin and Cash.

“I dinnae think I can imagine Rothbury thrilled about anything.”

Giggling, Angeline poked her. “Don’t let his serious mien fool you. He’s a big squishy softy.”

“I don’t think I want to hear this,” murmured Olive.

Clementine, who strolled over with one of her bairns on her hip—Raina still couldn’t tell the difference between Lily and Violet, to her shame—nodded seriously. “I don’t need my daughters hearing about squishy man-bits.”

“Thank goodness Charity dinnae hear that,” Raina replied, smirking, “or we’d have to hear jokes about all sorts of things.”

“No,” giggled Angeline again. “Now that little Louise is turning into as much of a hoyden as Charity used to be, she’s trying to pretend to be proper to set a good example.”

There was a pause as they all considered that unlikelihood, and then they all burst into laughter.

That was when Melanie and Charity chose to join them, and Olive stood, until the six of them formed a tight group.

“What’s so funny?” Melanie demanded.

Instead of explaining, Raina changed the topic. “We were discussing our planned shopping excursion to Crymble’s the next time we’re in London. I only buy my underthings from ye, ye ken.”

“Oh, Lord,” muttered Olive, “we’re talking about underthings instead?”

But Melanie, who could always be counted on to discuss her department store, launched into an explanation of how she and Frank planned to expand in the next year. She and Clementine began a discussion about expected fashion trends in the coming year; since Clementine had started her own matchmaking business for gently bred ladies, helping them find love, she did her best to stay abreast of the latest trends. Her husband, Dorset, was content to stay at their home of Tildon Court, renovating as necessary and supervising their growing family.

Charity snaked her arm around Raina, and the pair stood in happy silence for a long moment. The two of them had been the least marriageable of the lot of them, but Raina knew they were both explicably happy. Although they only saw one another during the summers, Charity wrote to her often. That’s how Raina knew her dear friend had recently taken up painting, despite her lack of talent back in her finishing school days. Raina was trying to commission her friend to paint a Venus to hang in Cashingham’s library, but Charity had thus far refused.

But Raina was confident she’d wear her friend down, and was already holding a space for the future painting. It was, incidentally, right by the shelf where the place of honor was held by the first printing of Viscount Wilton’s book of puns. Anyone who’d spent any time around Charity’s husband understood the man’s use of puns to keep his mind ordered, and her group of friends were all exceedingly proud that the man had published them, even if more than a few were groan-inducing.

Angeline tilted her head against Raina’s other shoulder and sighed happily. “Who would’ve thought so much joy could’ve come from that summer at Second Chance Manor? I was only looking forward to a few weeks with my closest friends to recover from my father’s death, but we all found so much more, didn’t we?”

Slowly, Raina turned to frown down at her friend. “What did you call it? Second Chance Manor?”

Who understood how Angeline’s brain worked, especially now that she was pregnant again?

But her friend blinked and straightened, as the other conversations trailed off and the five other women faced her. “Oh. Well, that’s what I call it to Rothbury, that summer at Fangfoss. Are the earl and countess joining us for dinner again this evening? I so enjoyed meeting their little boy. He’s adorable!”

“Focus, Angeline,” Olive said in exasperation. “We’re asking about your name for Fangfoss Manor.”

“Oh, Second Chance Manor!” Angeline beamed and cradled her stomach. “Well, why not? It was a second chance, for me anyway. I missed out on so much, since I had to leave England immediately after school to return to nurse my father. When Miss Julia—”

“Lady Fangfoss,” her friends corrected in a chorus.

“When Lady Fangfoss invited me to her house party, she was really giving me a second chance at finding happiness.”

Some of the others looked doubtful, but Clementine shrugged. “It was most definitely a second chance for me. I lost Walter so soon after we left school and assumed I’d never find love again. Meeting Dorset—being forced into an engagement with him—was the second chance I needed. Now I can help others find that same love.”

Olive looked doubtful. “I suppose I could agree that it was my second chance as well, although I didn’t really have a first chance, did I? I thought I was happy being a wallflower, living my life in the library, but meeting Phineas reminded me of my dreams to travel, and together we have all sorts of adventures.”

When her hand dropped to her stomach as well, Raina knew her sister-in-law was thinking about her next adventure: Motherhood would be unlike any of her exploits thus far!

Charity had removed her arm from Raina’s waist, and now dropped her hands to her hips. “Well, I know that summer was a second chance for me, because I was able to overcome the scandal that was chasing me. Thanks to Wilton, I realized I didn’t have to flee England to find happiness, and I learned the truth about my mother.”

As everyone nodded, Melanie spoke up. “I don’t know about second chance. I’d had so many chances to follow my dreams—and failed each time—I might say that summer was my last chance. But it worked, and not only did I find my Frank, and happiness, but I finally managed to fulfill my dream with his help.”

Well, that was impossible to deny, certainly. Raina reached out and took Charity’s hand, and Olive’s as well. Olive reached for Melanie’s hand.

As Clementine used her free hand to grasp Angeline’s, and Angeline took Melanie’s, Raina smiled. “Well, nae one can doubt that house party was my second chance. No’ just my second chance to see all of ye, my dearest friends again.” She squeezed the hands she was holding. “I’d made my choices, and although the consequences werenae easy, I didnae regret it. But that summer…” Shaking her head, her gaze traveled across the room to find Cash, who was smiling at her. “I found a happiness I didnae think possible.”

Angeline beamed. “See? Second Chance Manor is appropriate.”

Her friends murmured in agreement. Raina glanced around the unbroken circle, six women who had faced and overcome so much, and smiled at them, her sisters.

“Second Chance Manor, indeed.”

* * *

Don’t worry: The story continues in The Duke’s Virgin Sister! Check out this romp of a romance between Cash’s hoydenish little sister and a thoroughly unsuitable prizefighter…full of laughs and naughty bits!