When she finished, she turned and smiled at the room.
The guests clapped and cheered. Gabriel beamed. Her parents gawked. And Sophia exhaled with relief, a sense of freedom radiating from her persons; the knowledge that her decisions were the right ones. This was her new life. This was her new way of being. And this was why she knew that she had made the right choice with Gabriel.
She was happy. She was in love. And most of all, she was free like she had never been before.
The End?
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Curious to read howGabriel & Sophia’srelationship evolved?Then enjoy this complimentary short story featuring the beloved couple!
Simply TAP HERE to read it now for FREE! or use this link: https://go.hannahamilton.com/paR18YjQ directly in your browser.
I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed
Before you go, turn the page for an extra treat from me…
MORE SWEET HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Turn on to the next page to read the first chapters ofThe Earl’s Nun Bride,my best-selling Amazon novel.
PREVIEW: THE EARL’S NUN BRIDE
“You want your freedom, my lady… but what will you give me in return?”
Days from taking her vows, Marianne Langley is forced back into society, and straight into scandal. A former nun has no place in ballrooms… or in the household of a powerful widower and his young son…
Lucien Montgomery wants nothing but order. His life is devoted to his child, and a wife is a necessity, not a desire. So he offers Marianne a bargain: his name, his protection… and nothing more.
But control was never meant to feel like this. He promised her freedom, yet with every passing day, Lucien finds himselfdrawing her closer, claiming more than he ever intended. And now, the one thing he cannot seem to do… is let her go.
CHAPTER 1
LUCIEN
December 1st1816
“Papa, look at the squirrel!” Henry called, his little arm extended to point out the animal that had caught his attention.
“I see him,” Lucien said. “They are eating the nuts, just as you wished.” Henry bounced up and down, his finger still pointed at the little animals that were making quick work of the row of nuts they had set out for them.
Henry let out a squeal, and one of the squirrels sat up straight, one walnut in hand, its tail pointing upward. Then it darted away.
“No!” Henry cried. “Come back!”
Lucien smiled and gathered the boy in his arms, lifting him up. He was four years old now, small and light in stature. Still, these last few months, he had noted the growth spurt, and he was getting heavier to pick up. In a few short years, he would notbe able to do this anymore. How time flew. He inhaled his son’s scent—lye soap and chamomile lotion.
“The squirrel will return. Do not fret. Come, let us sit over here on the bench. I have brought something they will truly like.” He carried the little boy over to a stone bench, the gravel crunching under his steps. He placed Henry down and sat beside him, one hand buried in his pocket from which he retrieved a handful of almond shavings.
With his palm open, he held it in front of Henry and smiled. “I know they are fond of these. That is why I saved them. Come, throw a few to them.”
Henry’s pudgy hand grabbed a handful of almond shavings and tossed them out in the general direction of the squirrels.
“William! Charles! Edward!” he shouted. He had decided that all the squirrels had to be named after English royalty. A wiry squirrel with hints of orange in its fur darted over and picked up the shavings, munching down on them, much to Henry’s delight.
Lucien threw a few as well, so they would go farther and attract more of the squirrels that were swiftly abandoning the row of nuts they had placed earlier.
“Oh! Papa!” Henry shouted. “There’s a mama squirrel and a baby!”
