Dalton’s Challenge by Penny Fairbanks
Epilogue
One long month had passed in the blink of an eye. Dalton had missed Winnie so terribly while she remained in Wiltshire as the banns were read and the wedding prepared. Yet somehow the wedding day itself seemed to arrive more quickly than Dalton had imagined. The wedding, of course, had come and gone in a blur of excitement.
Dalton stood in the foyer, watching as the remainder of Winnie’s belongings arrived from Wiltshire, footmen carrying them upstairs to their living quarters. Something about these last few trunks of dresses made everything seem so final.
Winnie was his wife. She would live here at Attwood Manor with him for the rest of their days. They would raise a family of their own here. His heart nearly burst at the thought of all the adventures they would have in the decades to come.
“Good afternoon, husband.”
Dalton turned around to see Winnie coming down the hall, arm-in-arm with Harriet while Sandy ran ahead, jumping up at Dalton’s legs.
“Excellent news, Mrs. Harcourt. The last of your items have just arrived. You are officially a resident of Attwood Manor.” Dalton grinned, holding his hands out. Winnie floated through the foyer, pushing Dalton’s hands aside so she could wrap her arms around his neck instead. She stood on the tips of her toes, planting a bold kiss on Dalton’s lips.
Harriet groaned in disgust. “Come, Sandy. I would rather have you chew on my slippers than watch this.”
Winnie chuckled, never taking her eyes off her husband’s face.
They heard the soft sound of Harriet’s feet on the staircase as she quickly escaped. Quite alone now, they sank into a deeper kiss, passionate and purposeful. Dalton loved the way Winnie’s curls tickled his cheek when they were this close. He loved the way the small of her back felt beneath his broad hands. He loved the way Winnie’s fingers cupped the back of his neck.
“What were you two doing just now?” Dalton asked, breaking the kiss after several long moments.
“Harriet wanted to show me some tricks she has been teaching Sandy. Unfortunately, the pup got a bit too rambunctious for the drawing room so Patrick banished us. He is nearly at the end of his play.”
“Ah, yes,” Dalton sighed as he brought Winnie’s hand to rest in the crook of his elbow, leading them back down the hallway. “Patrick always needs his full concentration when he gets to the end of a story. What tricks has Sandy learned?”
“I am not sure they can be called tricks yet,” Winnie said with a good-natured laugh, “but Harriet is very determined. I rather think Sandy is just toying with her. But where are you taking me, Dolly?” Winnie asked as they approached the back doors.
“You will see.” Dalton’s mouth pulled up in a half smile in response to his wife’s pout. In truth, Dalton did not know where they were going either. He simply wanted to walk with his beloved wife, letting his heart lead the way.
They emerged into the soft autumn sunlight, a cool breeze pushing Winnie further into Dalton’s side for warmth. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, the action feeling both exciting and comfortable all at once. They had only been married for a week, and Dalton still relished every touch they shared. Yet everything about Winnie felt so natural. He had not thought it possible, but he felt even more at home with Winnie by his side.
As Dalton stared out at the sprawling fields, walking without a clear direction, a wonderful realization dawned on him. Though he had grown up at Attwood Manor and loved it wholeheartedly, he knew that from now on, Winnie would be his home.
He had always known that he would spend his life here, just as his father and his father’s father and so on. Only now did Attwood Manor truly feel complete—at least, until a new little family member came to join them.
“Dalton, are you sure you want to go here?” Winnie’s nervous question brought Dalton back to the present. His eyes refocused on his surroundings. They stood at the foot of a hill—the hill where he had broken both their hearts.
He craned his neck to look toward the crest. He frowned for a moment before giving a small nod. “Yes, I think so.”
Winnie gave him a curious look, though she remained by Dalton’s side as they walked up the gentle slope. Dalton tried to suppress his smile when Winnie grasped his arm tighter for balance, feeling like the luckiest, most smitten man on the planet.
Just as they reached the top, a strong gust of chilly wind swept past them. Winnie threw her arms around Dalton’s waist, burying her head in his chest. He could not fight his smile any longer as he let his chin rest atop her head.
“Is there any particular reason why you wanted to visit this spot?” Winnie mumbled, her voice vibrating through Dalton’s body.
“As a matter of fact, no,” he admitted sheepishly. “I did not even realize we had come here until you mentioned it. It seems my feet had a will of their own today.”
“Today?” Winnie propped her chin on Dalton’s chest, grinning up at him.
Dalton gave a fake exasperated sigh. “Today and every day,” he chuckled. “My wise wife knows me so very well.”
Dalton gently pried Winnie’s arms away, already missing her warmth. He bent his knees, sitting down on the hilltop. When Winnie did not sit beside him right away, he looked up to see her watching him with surprise.
“Will you not join me?” he asked, holding his hand out.
Winnie smiled fondly. “I suppose just this once.”
As soon as his wife’s fingers closed around his, Dalton pulled her down next to him and she nearly spilled into his lap. Her laughter rang out loud and clear, filling the air, filling Dalton’s heart with warmth and bliss.
“I love you, my silly husband,” she said through her giggles. Winnie leaned into Dalton, her lips brushing against his cheek.
“I love you, too, darling.”
Dalton looked from Winnie’s face out to the landscape stretching before them. As a child, he had loved this view. As a man, he had feared it. Now, with his wife in his arms, Dalton loved it again. He loved it even more than when he had been a child because Winnie was here now.
Winnie had shown him that he did not need to live with his fear alone. She rested her head against his shoulder with a deep sigh. Dalton had never felt safer or more certain as he gazed at the lands that would one day be his—theirs.
“Thank you, Winnie,” he whispered into her hair.
“For what, my love?” she asked softly. Her eyes swept over the landscape, too, calm and content.
“For being you. For being with me.”
He tightened his arms around her, longing for her to be even closer. His head fell to the side, his cheek coming to rest on top of Winnie’s head.
“I will always be with you, Dalton,” she responded, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“And I will always be with you. Can you believe you and I will manage all this one day?”
From the corner of his eye, Dalton saw Winnie smile.
“Of course I can. We can manage anything together, and we will do a wonderful job of it.”
Dalton laughed quietly, his hands engulfing Winnie’s. “I can only do a wonderful job thanks to you.”
“Do not underestimate yourself, darling,” Winnie scolded, only half-serious. “Are you warm enough? Should we return home?”
Dalton breathed in the fresh, cool air. “I am warm enough with you here. But yes, we should return home soon. We still have quite a bit of unpacking and rearranging to do.”
Winnie nearly leapt to her feet, invigorated by the idea. She reached a hand down to Dalton. “Shall we?”
With a smile, Dalton took her offered hand. Winnie pulled him to his feet, causing him to stumble into her. For a terrifying moment, Dalton feared that they would tumble right down the hill.
Winnie giggled as she grabbed Dalton around the middle to restore his balance.
“You are so full of surprises, dear Winnie.”
Dalton grinned, threading his arms around his wife’s waist and lifting her off her feet, spinning them both around until she squealed with laughter.
She was full of surprises indeed. Dalton thanked God that he could spend the rest of his life discovering them all.
***
Thankyou for reading Dalton’s and Winnie’s story! If you want to stay updated on my new releases, you can sign up to my newsletter and receive my stand-alone novella, A Lifetime Of Love.
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