Alexandra

Epilogue

One year later

Of all the ways Allie had expected to spend her second Christmas evening with her husband, traversing through the bumpy countryside in a carriage had not been one of them, not that she minded.

In the one and a half years since the wedding, it had simply been the two of them living peacefully in Kensington Place. After their long honeymoon on the Continent, they hadn't left to go even so far as London. Her family had been to stay for a while, as had a friend or two of his, but Allie found that she hadn't the will to leave. She'd fallen in love with his home, just as she'd fallen in love with him.

Now, after a year and a half of solitude, they'd decided that an addition to their family would not go amiss. That was precisely why, on Christmas day, they were headed towards the orphanage in a village a few miles from Kensington Place. Allie did not mind one bit, for this was something that was important to Richard and nowhere was it specified that one could not love another's child as one loved their own and she was determined to do exactly that.

"I would never have thought," Richard said suddenly, playing with their entwined fingers, "That this was something I could ever do. Love someone and be loved enough in return to marry and be happy. I hadn't through that anyone else would be able to choose me, not after what I had allowed myself to become."

With a short laugh, Alexandra lightened the mood, "And I never would have thought that I would ever attach myself to a libertine, a philanderer, a roué." She lamented with a dramatic sigh.

"You do realise I am not anywhere near old enough to be labelled a roué, don't you?" He asked, laughing nonetheless.

"You are a week shy of being twenty eight." She informed him, pretending to be regretful. "Perhaps I ought to have married someone younger, with more life and vigour."

"You didn't seem to have any such complaints last night." He said suggestively, a roguish grin upturning his lips.

Her cheeks instantly flamed red, and she slapped his arm a little harder than she had intended, "Don't say things like that!" She admonished, looking anywhere but at him. "It isn't proper."

He chuckled in response, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek, "Alexandra, we are in private and we are married. Surely, you are used to my being improper by now." He teased, but she continued to refuse to meet his eyes.

"What if someone had heard?" She fussed, looking up at him only to glare although she knew her complaint was entirely baseless.

"And who exactly might have heard?" He laughed, amused.

"I don't know, I'm simply embarrassed." She informed her husband, briefly squeezing his hand before allowing herself to be drawn into a lingering kiss.

Once they had pulled apart, Richard smiled indulgently at her, "We're married now, Alexandra, so we have the perfect excuse to be improper without anyone being able to say a single word in reproach."

"And is that the only benefit of our marriage?" She questioned with a little laugh.

"Without a doubt." Richard teased, but his eyes softened as he kissed the back of her hand lightly, his tone becoming serious as he spoke, "You know I love you, don't you? You will always have my love and my fidelity. If nothing else, you can be certain of that."

"Of course I know that." She scoffed, because it truly was an unnecessary reminder. She had full faith in him and in his nature, and he was nowhere near as bad as he had once believed himself to be.

The carriage came to jerking halt before Richard could say another word, but she garnered everything he wished to from his eyes. The driver rapped on the carriage door, signalling that they had arrived at their destination, before opening it. Richard jumped out first, before extending a hand to Allie to help her out.