Extended Epilogue

Five Years Later

“Time to get up,” Nathan mumbled, yawning until his jaw cracked. He stretched out his arms above his head, nudging Sophia where she lay beside him.

Sophia groaned, rolling over in bed.

“I really think that it was rude of James to get married so early in the morning. Why not have a nice afternoon wedding?”

“I think Pastor Sixsmith would have an apoplexy if anyone suggested that.” Nathan chuckled. “The whole town has been talking of nothing else but this wedding for weeks. Everyone’s thrilled. I think some of the older ladies who’ve been trying to matchmake for James for years are more excited than the bride herself. Right, better get up. I’ll wake up the children.”

Sophia nodded, eyes already fluttering closed again. Nathan propped himself up on his elbow, watching his wife’s sleeping face for a moment or two.

It was hard to believe that five years of marriage had whipped by in a flash. Nathan could barely believe the life he’d had before Sophia – miserable and lonely, without a spark of hope in sight. And then she had arrived.

Leaning forward, Nathan impulsively pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“You can have a few more minutes, love,” he murmured, and she made a sleepy noise in reply.

***

The floorboards were cold under Nathan’s bare feet. The chill of winter hadn’t quite given way to spring yet, and there were still early morning frosts.

Their two oldest children were twin girls of four years of age, Ruthie and Jasmine. Of course, Jasmine was never called Jasmine. It was always Jazzy. The girls had Sophia’s old room, and the baby had the spare room. He was nearly two years old, and his name was Jack.

Nathan pushed open the door, peering inside. The girls were two lumps under the blankets, still and unmoving. Pastor Sixsmith was keen on education and had encouraged Nathan and Sophia to keep plenty of books around. Jazzy, in particular, loved being read to.

Ruthie’s side of the room was clearly marked. The books gave way to vases, bottles, and old jars, all containing flowers and plants, all thriving. She’d borrowed a large book on gardening from Mrs. Harrison, although the writing was tiny and very old, and she couldn’t read it. She liked the pictures; she had said once. Ruthie spent a lot of time with her mother in the garden, while Jazzy sat on the porch leafing through her books.

“Girls, time to get up,” Nathan said softly. “You don’t want to miss Uncle James’s wedding, do you?”

That did the trick. The sleeping lumps stirred, and two identical sets of blue eyes and snub noses appeared above the blankets, blonde curls sticking up haphazardly.

“Will we get to see the bride?” Ruthie asked. “Will she have flowers? What flowers will she have?”

Nathan smiled. “I suppose you’ll have to wait to find out. I know that Shirley likes roses.”

Ruthie shook her head seriously. “She’s too red-headed for red or pink roses. I think yellow might look odd. White roses would be all right.”

“Yellow roses mean friendship,” Jazzy added sleepily.

Nathan bit back a sigh. Between one daughter’s genius for gardening and another daughter’s hunger for books, he could expect a few interesting years ahead of him. They were like their mother – spirited and intelligent, full of curiosity and an ever-present sense of kindness. Nathan loved his children, and he knew how lucky he was to have them.

Of course, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t feel a little irritated at them sometimes.

“Well, up you get, girls. Ma and I are going to start on the breakfast soon, so you’d better hurry up and come down.”

“Yes, Pa,” they chorused.

Shaking his head with a smile, Nathan closed the door behind him, moving toward Jack’s room.

The girls had been troublesome babies – screaming all night, refusing to feed, getting croup twice, and nearly frightening the life out of their poor parents. Jack had been something else altogether.

He was sleeping in his crib, long, dark lashes resting on his cheeks, and a head full of dark baby-fuzz hair curling over the pillow. You couldn’t see them at the moment, but Jack had his mother’s beautiful green eyes, luminous in his chubby little face. Jack rarely cried as a baby, and never groused now, content to smile out at the world with infinite good nature. He had eaten whatever he was given, stayed staunchly healthy, and continued to grow and be happy.

Unlike his sisters, Jack had never vomited on anyone during church.

He stirred at the sound of the door opening, and smiled up at his father, reaching out pudgy arms to be picked up. There was only one flaw for perfect little Jack. He rarely, if ever, spoke. The twins had been chattering like monkeys by the age of two, but Jack was placid and quiet. He could speak when he wanted to, but often chose not to. Nathan wasn’t worried. His son wasn’t simple, he was just quiet.

There was nothing wrong in being a little bit quiet, especially with two non-stop chatterboxes for older sisters.

Nathan scooped him up, pressing a kiss to his son’s pudgy little cheek. He carried Jack back into his own bedroom, where Sophia was now awake and surveying her wardrobe.

“I don’t know what to wear,” she murmured. “It’s such a special occasion.”

“What about that lovely green dress? You know, the one you wore when we first met?” Nathan suggested. “You look beautiful in that one, but you hardly wear it.”

Sophia nibbled her lower lip. “I still feel strange wearing it. It was Aunt Laura’s. I don’t know, Nathan.”

Nathan set Jack down on the ground. “Go on and make sure your sisters are awake,” he murmured. “Off you go! Feel free to jump up and down on their beds a little. They won’t mind, I promise.”

Jack grinned delightedly and pattered off down the hall towards Jazzy and Ruthie’s bedroom. Nathan closed the door behind him, and moved towards Sophia, looping his arms around her waist.

“Are you still upset about the letter?” he murmured.

Sophia closed her eyes, swallowing hard. “I… I don’t know. I think it just dredged up some old feelings.”

A month ago, some friend or neighbor of Mrs. Hardy’s had sent a newspaper clipping of Laura’s obituary, along with a brief, disinterested note about the circumstances. Sophia guessed that the neighbor had found her address among Jazzy’s things, which Mrs. Hardy had almost certainly kept, and worked out where she had gone to all those years ago.

As expected, the news had affected Sophia strangely. This woman – who Nathan loathed with his whole heart, despite having never met her – had made Sophia’s life a misery. She had bullied her and hurt her, and yet Sophia seemed strangely miserable at the news of her aunt’s death.

It was a complex subject, and Nathan was confident that Sophia would recover in time. They now had a thriving garden, and Nathan never failed to think of Jazzy – that wonderful woman he’d never met – whenever he passed through it. When they were older, Jazzy would learn how she was named after her mother’s sister, and Ruthie was named after her father’s mother. It seemed fitting.

Sophia reached out and let the sleeve of the deep green dress slip through her fingers.

“I don’t even know if it will fit,” she murmured. “I’ll try it.”

Nathan kissed her on the cheek. “You’ll look beautiful, whether it fits or not.”

She smiled up at him. “That’s a perfect answer.”

***

Only a few minutes later, Sophia stood in front of the mirror, contemplatively eyeing her reflection.

The dress fit. The plain but pretty cut, the color, and the long sleeves suited Sophia to perfection, just like they had all those years ago, when she’d first come face to face with Nathan.

“Beautiful,” Nathan said, and he meant it. Sophia glanced over her shoulder, smiling at him.

“You know, I think I do like this dress after all. I’ll wear it, I will.”

“I’m glad, my love. Do a twirl.”

Laughing, Sophia spun around in a circle, her skirts flying out around her.

***

There was a definite air of anticipation in the church. The place was packed, with far more people squeezed onto each pew than could comfortably fit. Somebody had set vases of flowers in every corner, with posies of wildflowers secured onto the end of each pew. The air was full of a sweet, floral fragrance.

A space had been left for Nathan and his family in the front row, at the request of the groom-to-be.

Not that Nathan would be sitting down. He was James’s best man, of course.

“Wait, don’t forget your flowers!” Sophia whispered, securing a neat posy of daisies to his buttonhole. “There. Now go and stand beside James. He looks terrified and delighted all at once.”

Chuckling, Nathan obeyed. James stood by the altar, next to a beaming Pastor Sixsmith. Dressed in his Sunday best, James had scrubbed himself until he gleamed, and smoothed back his hair with a sticky yet fragrant mess of pomade.

“Is she late?” James whispered. “Has she changed her mind? Oh, I’m sure she’s changed her mind.”

“She has not changed her mind,” Nathan whispered back patiently. “She’s in love with you, for reasons best known to herself. Personally, I think she’s a little mad, but…”

“You are not helping,” James shot back, but he smiled anyway. “Do you think we’ll be as happy as you and Sophia?”

Nathan nodded. “Yes. I’m sure you will, James. You deserve this. You deserve to be happy.”

One of Shirley’s sisters, dressed in a plain sage green dress and clutching a posy of daisies, appeared at the doorway to the church. She waved frantically at the woman sitting at the piano they’d all raised money to bring in from the East.

The pianist obediently began to play, and the congregation rose to their feet, twisting around to get a glimpse of the bride.

A familiar face in the crowd caught Nathan’s eye.

Michael had grown a beard, and his hair was longer than it had been, but it was still undoubtedly Michael. Their eyes met, and Michael gave a nod, smiling wryly. Nathan smiled back.

Their friendship wasn’t the same, of course. Not after everything. But the point was that they were still friends, and they were all still here.

Four young women with bright red hair and green dresses strode down the aisle, beaming and clutching posies of daisies. Then the bride herself appeared in the doorway, and everyone gave a little gasp of delight.

Shirley did look beautiful. White daisies were braided into her fire-red hair, and her face was aglow with excitement. She kept her eyes fixed on James, not glancing to the left or to the right.

She reached the altar and took James’s hand.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” Pastor Sixsmith boomed out, his voice ringing out in the quiet church. The familiar words of the marriage sermon washed over Nathan. James and Shirley could barely take their eyes off each other.

As always, Nathan found his gaze searching for Sophia. She was already looking at him, her emerald-green eyes glinting in the dappled light. There was a soft smile on her lips, almost like a secret meant just for him. The girls sat quietly on the pew, eyes fixed on Shirley with admiration, and Jack was on his mother’s knee.

I was a fool to think that she is as beautiful as the day I met her, Nathan realized with a smile. She’s a thousand times more beautiful, inside and out. I couldn’t have known what a precious treasure I was marrying.

He met Sophia’s eye again, and mouthed, I love you.

She grinned at him and whispered it back.