"And I love you anyway."
"That," Sebastian said, "is the greatest miracle I have ever witnessed."
She kissed him again, softer this time, and they stood there in the moonlight, holding each other, marvelling at the impossibility of it all.
Seven years of wanting. Seven years of waiting.
And finally,finally, they were here.
***
Morning came too quickly.
Sebastian woke to find Harriet curled against his side, her hair spread across his chest, her breath warm against his neck. They had talked for hours the night before, eventually falling asleep on top of the covers, fully clothed, too exhausted and too happy to care about propriety.
He lay still for a moment, watching her sleep, marvelling at the reality of it.
She loved him. She had said the words. She had meant them.
He was the luckiest man in the world.
Harriet stirred, her eyes fluttering open. For a moment, she looked confused and then memory seemed to return, and she smiled.
"Good morning," she murmured.
"Good morning, wife."
For the first time, she didn't object to the word. Instead, she stretched up and pressed a kiss to his jaw.
"Good morning, husband."
Sebastian's heart expanded to approximately twice its normal size.
"Say that again."
“Be content with the ground you have gained and venture no further.”
"Fair enough."
They lay there for a while, neither quite ready to face the day. But eventually, Harriet sighed and sat up.
"We should go down. Mama will be expecting us at breakfast."
"Your mother will also undoubtedly notice that you're wearing the same clothes as last night and draw conclusions."
Harriet looked down at herself and groaned. "I didn't think of that."
"I'll distract her. You slip upstairs and change."
"You would do that for me?"
"I would do anything for you. I thought we established this."
She kissed him quick and fierce and then scrambled off the bed. "You're a good husband, Sebastian Vane."
"I try."
"Try harder."
