FREE! In The Arms of My Enemy (Completed!) Book 1

Epilogue

London, 1 November 1813

"How do I look?" Lottie danced into the sitting room of the earl's London house and gave a delightful twirl. Her forget-me-not colored dress fluttered around her and complimented her bright blue eyes. The little flowers were braided into her hair and were even embroidered along the edges of her dress in a darker blue.

William smiled at her excitement and shook his head from his place beside the fire. "Hmm, no good. You had best stay home from the ball tonight."

Lottie's face fell. Fidelia snorted and smacked William's shoulder. "Ignore him, he is just being overly protective. You look absolutely stunning."

The countess looked up from her sewing and nodded in agreement, beaming at the girl for whom she had developed a motherly affection.

Lottie blushed and touched her hair self-consciously. She had re­covered well from her experience with Le Coquin ten months before, although she still suffered from night-terrors and her daily mood had altered greatly. She was also spending a great deal of time in the stables, William had noted; it was the only time she seemed to return fully to her old self.

Although the French were defeated in their attempt to capture the prince regent, battles still raged on the European and American fronts. But William and Fidelia had finally declared a cessation of war within their marriage.

At least, while their countries were still enemies, the two of them were not.

William felt a wave of gratitude toward Charles wash over him. If the man had never freed William and sent him on a harebrained mission to save the Atwell sisters, then William would never have the loving family that now surrounded him. He would never have known Fidelia's fierce love that filled every bit of him with joy and contentment.

"Shall we?" Lottie asked eagerly.

"Come, my dear, we don't want you to be late!" The countess laughed and got to her feet, bustling Lottie out of the room.

Fidelia and William stood. She moved to follow, but William caught her hand, gently stopping her.

"Is something wrong? Is your leg paining you again?" she asked, straightening his lapels.

He shook his head, pulling her closer. "I have a surprise for you, my clever girl," he whispered. He reached into his coat, and with a flick of his wrist, produced a folded paper flower just like the one he made for their wedding. "No bride should be bereft of flowers."

Her eyes brightened, and she graced him with a smile. "Certainly not at my first ball," she teased.

William's heart fell as he looked down at his leg and the heavy cane that had become his constant companion. The army doctor had managed to save William's leg, but the damage had been extensive, and the pain still lingered. "I won't be able to dance, I'm afraid."

Fidelia touched his cheek, lifting his gaze. "If I can't dance with you, I shan't dance at all."

William frowned. "But it is a ball, my clever girl."

"I have heard that sneaking off to kiss in the bushes is quite the thing to do at balls as well," she said innocently, looking up at him from under her lashes.

William laughed heartily, pulling her closer. He kissed her nose ten­derly. "Do you love me?" he asked, only somewhat teasingly.

Fidelia sighed with an air of long-suffering. "I suppose so." But she kissed him in a way that confirmed that she was, indeed, very much in love with him.

The End

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Dear Readers,  thank you so much for reading to the end of our story!  I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  This chapter, and pretty much the whole book, is dedicated to bulungi, dia010, Sophiea_pp, Sierra_Gatrell and elsannalover23 for always being so supportive throughout this journey!!  You guys are seriously amazing!!

If you liked this story, keep an eye out for book 2 in the Atwell series: For The Love of My Scotsman, which centers around Lottie and Thomas, the stable boy! 

If you enjoyed this chapter (and/or the book in general) don't forget to like and comment, I really enjoy hearing from you!