That made Catriona smile. “You don’t have to worry about me leaving, my dear. Not ever again.”
Dorothea stared at her for a moment longer, and then her bottom lip began to wobble. The next moment, she was burying her face into Catriona’s chest as she cried.
“Tears of joy, I presume,” Catriona said with a chuckle, stroking the back of her head.
“She isn’t the only one who is overcome with emotion,” Joseph said. He stood, and to her surprise, he made his way to the other side of the bed and got in. Her heart soared with happiness when he gathered Catriona into her arms, resting his chin on top of her head.
“At last,” he said, “my family is complete.”
“At last,” Catriona agreed. And she knew that that perfect moment would be ingrained in her mind for the years to come. The day she nearly drowned and got everything she never knew she wanted. Love and a family of her own. She was the most fortunate woman in the world.
EPILOGUE
One year later
“Do you think she will be ready in time?”
“No, she’s never ready in time. I honestly don’t know what takes her so long.”
Joseph chuckled silently to himself, not bothering to glance at the sisters whispering rather loudly in the corner of the drawing room. He folded his newspaper, which he had been trying and failing to read ever since Ava and Maisie arrived over one hour ago, and reached for his glass of whiskey.
“Perhaps I should go and check on her.” Maisie’s eyes were on the door, her brows knitted. “Any longer and we may be late.”
“If you go up there, you’re only going to make it clear that we are planning something,” Ava said dismissively. She whipped her fan open. “Goodness, it is rather hot in here.”
“Allow me to open a window then,” Joseph said, making Ava jump in surprise. He laughed again as he stood. “You two are not as quiet as you think you are.”
Ava smiled sheepishly at that. “Oh, forgive us, Joseph. You weren’t meant to hear any of that.”
“Though, I’m sure you are no stranger to your wife’s whims,” Maisie chimed in.
Joseph had to agree. He’d been married to Catriona for almost two years, and he’d quickly learned that she tended to take her time when getting ready for anything. Even on a regular, uneventful morning, it took nearly an hour for her to be prepared. He didn’t mind it at all, but on a night like tonight, he supposed time was truly of the essence.
He opened the window and made his way back to his seat just as Dorothea entered the room. She halted, eyes scanning the drawing room before she pouted and frowned. “Is Stepmother not here as yet?”
“No, she isn’t,” Maisie said, sighing dramatically. Then she perked up, eyes filling with an idea. “Dorothea, why don’t you go and fetch her? Tell her that the food is getting cold.”
Dorothea blinked, thinking about it for a moment before she shook her head. “She won’t believe that. We always serve dinner when she’s ready, so she will wonder what the rush is all of a sudden.”
Maisie deflated again. “Goodness, you are too smart for your age.”
“Would you rather her go along with your foolish plan?” Ava asked, whipping her fan back and forth.
Dorothea giggled. She made her way over to where Joseph sat, climbing into the armchair right next to hers. She leaned closer, covering her mouth with her hand as she whispered, “Do you think Stepmother doesn’t know?”
Joseph leaned closer to his daughter, shaking her head. “I don’t think she has a clue.”
Catriona was likely sitting at her vanity table, carefully choosing her jewelry for the evening, because she was under the impression that she was going to have a normal dinner with her family. She didn’t know that Ava and Maisie were here, and she certainly didn’t know what they had in store for her tonight.
“Do you think she’s going to like it?” Dorothea asked.
“I think she’s going to love it,” Ava answered. When they looked at her, she gave them a cheeky smile. “We aren’t the only two who don’t know how to whisper.”
“Honestly, someone should go and fetch her,” Maisie said again, clearly getting agitated.
Joseph took that as his cue. “I’ll go and see if I can speed her along,” he said as he got to his feet.
“The man of the day!” Ava exclaimed. “See how best you can create a miracle, Joseph.”
