The carriage came to a stop in front of their house. Reed pulled away, letting down the window.
“Circle the block a few more times, man,” he called out to the driver. “And drive slowly.”
He put up the window once more and drew the curtains. She felt his arms slip around her and his warmth settle over her once more.
“Now, my dearest Lucy, where were we?”
Bonus Epilogue
Sussex, Christmastime
Lucy Stanthorpe had every intention of making the very most of the Christmas season. She was returning to her childhood home, the first Christmas she had spent there as a married lady.
She would get to introduce her beloved Reed to the many traditions and celebrations that had made this time of year so wonderful growing up. There would be games and singing. Christmas Eve would see them all gathering greenery, creating Christmas boughs, decorating the drawing room, sitting room, and entryway. They would visit neighbors, attend services at the chapel, assemble baskets for the tenants. Before their two weeks at the family home came to a close, they would celebrate Twelfth Night with all its singing, games, food, and merriment.
This Christmas season would be utterly delightful.
“You will love Christmas at Mapleforth Hall,” Lucy said as the carriage rolled along the familiar path toward the front door.
Reed leaned forward enough to look out the window. “I do enjoy Christmas. It is such a peaceful time of year.”
“Last Christmas was not very ‘peaceful,’” Lucy said with a laugh. “Not calm, at least.”
He smiled broadly. “Moving house is not very conducive to peace and quiet, is it?”
She leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling at the memory of that bit of chaos. The timing of Reed’s inheritance of a tidy estate in Oxfordshire had not been ideal—they were relatively newly married in addition to it having been the holy season—but they loved their home too much to be truly upset about the disruption to their previous Christmas.
“This year, we will have our quiet Christmas at last,” Reed said.
“Oh, dear.” Lucy straightened her posture once more with all the earnestness of a lady about to stumble into a difficulty she had passed through once already. She turned enough to face him more directly. “What do you anticipate this ‘quiet Christmas’ involving?”
“Very little,” he said. Then his eyes pulled a bit wide. “Oh.” Reed took her hands in his. “We had best decide on our balance for the next few weeks.”
It was the agreement they had made during the Season: whenever they discovered that they had very different expectations for a situation, they would discuss it and decide how to balance what each of them wanted and needed.
“Which Christmas activities are most important to you?” Reed asked.
“Gathering greenery and decorating on Christmas Eve,” she said. “An evening or two of games or music. Twelfth Night.”
He nodded. “I would appreciate at least two evenings each week without obligations, having time together with just the two of us.”
“I’m certain we can claim at least two.” She gave him a slightly saucy smile. “Perhaps eventhree.”
He chuckled. “You spoil me, Mrs. Stanthorpe.”
“Will you tell me if you find your quiet evenings insufficient rest from the chaos of the family?”
“I will.” He pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “And please tell me if there is an activity that arises that you would be disappointed to not share with me.”
“I will.”
The carriage stopped in front of the house in the very next moment, fate having provided them with precisely enough time to avoid the trouble they’d waded through in London.
They were greeted warmly by Lucy’s parents, siblings, and siblings-in-law, as well as her two little nephews, both of whom were excessively fond of their uncle Reed. Lucy would need to remember to discuss with him how he could let her know, without wounding the boys’ feelings, when he needed an escape from their exuberance. He loved children and was the most delightful uncle, but Reed needed time spent on his own without noise and people every bit as much as Lucy needed the opposite.
They balanced each other. And now that they understood each other better, they appreciated their differences. Neither expected that they would never have moments of frustration or misunderstanding, and they knew they would need to keep working at the balance they needed. But they would work through those difficulties when they arose. Being together and happy was well worth any effort.
“You have arrived just in time,” Father said, hugging Lucy tightly. “The Grahams mean to host a dinner party this evening, and it promises to be every bit as festive as in years past.”
