Extended Epilogue
1 year later
“Truly, Harriet, Luke would find you beautiful even if you were dressed in a flour sack,” Belle teased, watching her younger sister flit about the room, her energy nearly as vibrant as the various gowns she was inspecting.
The grand dressing room in Richmond Castle, a sanctuary away from the clamor of the servants preparing for the night’s grand ball, was a whirlwind of silk and lace. Harriet, ever the perfectionist, was fussing over the selection of gowns, her face scrunched in thought as she held up one gown after another.
“But Belle,” Harriet huffed, her hands finally settling on an emerald dress with an intricately beaded bodice for the fifth time this evening, “it is not just any ball. It’s one of the Duke’s infamous Masked Balls and our first-anniversary celebration. Everyone who is anyone shall be in attendance! I do not understand for the life of me how you can be so calm.”
Belle walked over to Harriet, the corners of her lips curving into a gentle smile. She tenderly placed her hands on Harriet’s shoulders, guiding her to the chair before the vanity and beckoning her to sit. She was familiar with this side of Harriet and her insistence on perfection. She knew the depth of Harriet’s love for Luke, and the significance she attached to their public appearances. Though both Luke and Belle would always insist she was perfect as she was, Harriet still desired to go the extra mile for her husband, and it was endearing.
Despite the difference in their attitudes – Belle, always calm and collected, and Harriet, bursting with vivacious energy – there was a bond of unspoken understanding between them. The bond was as strong as ever, and though it may have seemed their busy lives away from one another would gradually drive them apart, it only served to bring them closer. No matter how far they would travel with their husbands, they always knew they had a place beside each other when they returned.
Breaking the silence, Belle quipped, “Fretting over your appearance so much, one might think you are the one hosting the ball, not I.” Her hands busied themselves with adjusting the pearls in Harriet’s hair, her touch as gentle as a whisper.
A grin spread across Harriet’s face, her reflection gleaming back at her in the mirror. “Oh, but you are always the belle of the ball, allow your sister this opportunity,” she retorted, her lips twitching at the play on words.
Belle giggled, her laughter filling the room with warmth.
Harriet’s eyes went back to the mirror. “Ugh. Perhaps I should have worn my hair in a demi-chignon as you have. It looks simply atrocious like this. Luke will hate it,” she whined, tugging fretfully at a curly lock.
“I assure you, Harriet, it does not. You look like a woodland nymph. Luke will be spellbound.”
Harriet blushed, a rosy hue dusting her cheeks. “You think so? He does have a rather partial gaze, does he not?”
Belle’s laugh echoed once more. “I do. Now stay still before you dislodge all the pearls in your hair. Remember, beauty isn’t only about appearances. It’s about how you carry yourself and the kindness in your heart.”
Harriet gave a noncommittal hum, but her lips turned upward in a small smile at her sister’s words. She admired herself in the mirror with newfound confidence.
In the silence that followed, Belle watched her sister, her heart swelling with pride. “You look beautiful, Harriet,” she whispered, her eyes misting. “If only Mother could see us now. She’d be so proud.”
Catching Belle’s reflection in the mirror, Harriet swiveled around, concern etching her features. “Are you well, Belle?” she queried, studying her closely. “You look a touch pale, and…”
“Am I glowing?” Belle interrupted with a teasing smile. At Harriet’s confused nod, she placed a hand on her slightly protruding belly.
“You… you’re…” Harriet’s eyes widened with comprehension, and Belle nodded, a warm glow emanating from her.
“Oh, Belle!” Harriet shrieked, flinging her arms around her sister, “A child! How wonderful! I am to be an aunt! Oh dear, I feel old…”
Belle and Harriet’s laughter filled the room, and suddenly the door creaked open, revealing two impeccably dressed gentlemen. Alistair and Luke stood in the doorway, their eyes twinkling with anticipation for the evening ahead. They had been dressed and ready over an hour ago and were now merely waiting on the sisters.
“Why, what’s all the excitement?” Alistair asked, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
Harriet shot Belle a look, an unspoken question in her eyes. Belle met Alistair’s gaze and nodded, the answer reflected in her glowing face.
Everyone seemed to catch on, except Luke. “Why does it always feel like I am the only one who does not… Oh!” His jaw fell open, awestruck.
Alistair’s heart swelled with joy as he gently hugged Belle, whispering words of love and adoration in her ear. He cupped her face, gently brushing a stray lock of blonde hair from her forehead. She had shared the news with him a fortnight ago, but he always reacted the same. “Darling, you will make a wonderful mother.”
“Well, isn’t this an occasion worth celebrating?” Luke guffawed as he made his way to Alistair, giving him a hearty pat on the shoulder.
“We should invite Father, Belle,” Harriet suggested, the magnitude of the news making her generous. “He may not have been the best of fathers, but he is still our blood.”
Belle nodded thoughtfully, a sense of closure washing over her as she agreed to invite their estranged father. She was a duchess, a wife, soon to be a mother. The grudges of the past felt insignificant now.
Just as the sisters and their husbands were settling into their new joy, Gower arrived, his face flushed with a mixture of weariness and anticipation. “Lady Harriet, the modiste has arrived to make the final changes to your gown,” he said. Harriet shot up, her eyes shining with eagerness. Before another word could be said, she dashed out of the room in excitement, with Luke shrugging at Belle and Alistair.
“See what I must deal with,” he chuckled endearingly before he proceeded after her.
Belle took her husband’s arm and giggled.
“Gower, you should get some rest. You have done enough, it will do you some good,” Alistair offered to his butler who had had his hands in a large amount of the preparations for the upcoming ball that evening.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” he bowed and exited the chamber.
When they were finally alone, Alistair’s dark gaze fell on Belle, sending a shiver of delight through her spine. Even after so long, he would still look at her as though she were merely a wallflower for him to seduce. It always made her feel wanted…and excited for the next moment they could spend their time alone. “Belle,” Alistair began, his hands tenderly smoothing her hair. “Do you remember the first time I saw you at my ball?”
She lifted her chin, nodding, as her heart fluttered at the softness in his voice.
“Should I wear the mask tonight, for old times’ sake?”
Belle shook her head, her hand reaching up and grasping the lapels of his tailcoat. “I fell in love with Alistair, not the Masked Host. You, as you are, is who I want.”
Alistair’s hand moved to rest on her growing belly, a silent acknowledgment of the life they had created together. He pulled her closer, pressing his lips onto hers in a gentle kiss.
“I love you, Belle,” he murmured against her lips, his voice filled with tenderness. When she bit his lip teasingly, he pulled back slightly, his features graced with a mischievousness about them. “Dear. I suppose the guests wouldn’t mind waiting an hour longer. They have waited a year after all.” His hands traveled to her shoulders, slipping down her gown effortlessly to her hips, revealing her chemise.
“My Duke cannot wait a mere six hours for his Duchess?” Belle giggled, tracing the curve of his cheeks seductively with the back of her hand.
“He’d rather not.” Alistair’s lips crushed against Belle’s with an ardent passion, sending her heart racing, her skin heating to the touch.
As they stood there, wrapped up in each other, the castle buzzed with excitement for the impending ball. But to them, in that quiet corner of Richmond Castle, it was just them – a duchess and a duke, bound by love, looking forward to a future filled with shared laughter, tender moments, and the joy of their growing family.