My Lovely Lady

Epilogue

{One Year Later}

Viscountess Loren Bridgerton laid in a messy bed, groaning in pain as she clutched at her large swollen belly. Beads of sweat pooled at her forehead as the pain continued to build. Violet was seated beside the bed, a wet cloth in hand as she dabbed the sweat away.

"Just breath, Loren, just breath." She said soothingly. The pained woman nodded before allowing another groan to escape her lips. "Where's Anthony..?" Loren asked, wanting nothing more than her husband by her side. "He's on his way, dear, I promise. He will be here soon." 

The elder woman felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Years ago, she was in the same position with Pamela Smith, and now she was here with the girl she loved as another daughter, comforting her in the hard time of labor.

It had been such a shocking moment, no one had expected it. Loren was seated at the piano bench, fiddling with the ivory keys. Anthony was beside her, pampering the woman with back rubs and kisses. He had been very clingy the entire pregnancy, wanting to be sure that the woman was okay at all times.

Suddenly, Loren gasped in pain. And sure enough, fluid was spilling onto the floor, signalling that her water broke. Everyone began panicking, especially Anthony. Loren's mother had died in the process of giving birth, and he was afraid that the very same thing would happen to his love.

He was frozen in place until Violet scolded at him to fetch for a doctor. While it would be more ideal for him to be with Loren, his Mother knew that he would retrieve the doctor quicker than a servant would.

Loren groaned loudly as pain rippled throughout her body. She didn't know how much longer she could wait. The baby was almost ready to enter the world, but Loren didn't want too push yet. As much as she wished to give in too the relief from the horrid pain, she refused to do so without her husband by her side. 

It wasn't long before the doors were thrown open to reveal Anthony, his hair a mess, his face flushed. Behind him stood a doctor and a midwife, both ready and prepared to deliver.  A wave of relief washed over the woman as Anthony rushed to her side, dropping to his knees as he clutched her hand, "I am here, my love. I am here, it is alright." 

"Thank god, I was afraid I would have to give birth to our babe without you." She said with a dry chuckle. Anthony smiled, "It's nice to know your sense of humor is still intact." 

As the doctor checked over Loren, she began to feel concerned. Her worries were the same as Anthony's. She was afraid that just like her Mother, she would lose her life in the process of bringing a new soul into the world.

She squeezed his hand tightly, whispering, "I am afraid." Anthony's dark eyes scanned her with worry, "As am I." The woman scoffed, gritting her teeth as she felt the pain build in her lower body, "That makes me feel so much better, my love." She murmured. 

The man shook his head lightly, "No, no. I apologize. But Loren, I cannot deny that I am utterly terrified for what the next few minutes hold." She gazed at him lovingly, knowing that his next words would be ones of inspiration and support, "But you are strong, Loren Bridgerton. You are the strongest woman I know. And I believe that you can do this. You will bring our child into the world, and you will live to watch them grow. You and I will grow old together just as we want. I said it once, I will say it again, you are not Pamela Smith. You are Loren Bridgerton, and you will survive."

Loren had felt uplifted with his words. He was right afterall, she was a strong woman, and yes, she would survive. Before Loren could find a response to Anthony's speech, the doctor spoke, "Viscountess Bridgerton... it's time to push."

After about ten grueling minutes with pained screams and tears, the sound of a babie's cry filled the air. Anthony beamed with pride, Loren had done it. She had pulled through and given birth to a healthy little girl.

And just like that, the cycle begun again. But instead of one story ending and another beginning, a story of love continued to grow with the arrival of Pamela Bridgerton. She would be the first of many children to bless the Bridgerton family. 

Loren and Anthony would go on to have three more children, Edmund, Juliette, and Charles, named after Charles Baird, who now found himself happily married to Kate Sharma. No hard feelings were shared between Charles and Loren, for the man had claimed that he always knew that Anthony had captured her heart, and was overjoyed to see that they could finally be happy together.

Loren and Anthony's love was stronger than ever as they continued to grow older. Loren had finally found the love she was looking for. She once believed that she would forever be alone, that she would watch as the family married and gave birth to their own children. 

But instead, she was now married to Anthony Bridgerton, the love of her life. She was the Mother of his children. And she had never been happier. 

Anthony had sworn he would never marry. It was just never in the cards. Until one woman changed his life forever. She had taught him how to love.

 Loren Bridgerton was his lovely lady, and he would never let her go.

-*-*-*-

sobbing.

literally sobbing.

i cannot believe it is finally over.

thank you all so much for being with me throughout this journey, i had so much fun writing this.

there were lots of twists and turns, and i had so many things i wanted to add, but i am very happy with how this has ended.

please vote and comment your final thoughts.

once again, i thank you so much for reading 'My Lovely Lady' and i hope you enjoyed it.

-Av-