In the end, everything turned out all right for Helene and me. As expected, my mother was completely against the match. However, my father gladly gave me his approval, as Vincent had predicted, and we were married five months later. Soon after, Mr. Johnson returned, and after Caroline explained what had happened between the two of them, Father allowed them to get married as well. Which was remarkable considering he was practically a commoner. He even purchased them an estate not too far from mine in Southampton.
In 1857, our first son. William Charles Gilmore, was born. We decided to name him William, after Helene's deceased brother, and Charles after my father. Two years later, our second son, Edmund Henry Gilmore, was born. As I watched my two boys grow, I was constantly reminded of how fortunate I was to have such a wonderful life. How could I not feel blessed with all that I had. I suppose you could say that time did eventually change me, and made me a much less gloomy person. At least for the most part.
Matthew ended up marrying a charming young lady by the name of Abigail Stanton. He often told me of their meeting, and as I recall, he said that they fell in love the moment their eyes met. Now I am not entirely certain, but I believe that he was exaggerating when he told me that. Perhaps it was just me, but I could not see how two people could fall in love upon first glance.
After the marriages of his siblings, Vincent dissolved his engagement to the woman our mother had set him up with, and eventually married a woman named Evangeline Weston. They were introduced through her older brother, who happened to be Dr. Weston, the doctor who had treated Vincent's arm in the hunting accident. Evangeline was a fine woman, one whom enjoyed riding even more than I did. However, I always thought that she was too good for my annoying older brother.
After our Father's death in 1863, Vincent took over his role as Governor. He was greatly overwhelmed by his new responsibilities, and often tried to escape by taking holidays. Watching how he handled the role and comparing him to our late father, I realized that our father had been a much better Governor, and I feared that no one would ever be able to replace him. Such thoughts made me remorseful of the fact that I had never spent much time with him. I wished that I could have realized that sooner, but I knew there was no way to correct that mistake.
Unfortunately, not nearly everyone lived happily ever after. I am afraid to say that the marriage of Louise and James Caldwell was not a happy one. James turned out to be quite a bit like Mr. Huntingdon from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. He became known as an outrageous gambler and drunkard, while Louise became known for her outrageous spending and shameful flirting. In the end, they were abandoned by both of their families.
The End
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Hello, and thanks for reading! If you are interested in reading more, I have a prequel of sorts up on my profile titled Love & Second Chances. Feel free to go check it out as well!