Surrendering to a Fiery Lady – Extended Epilogue

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Four Years Later

“I cannot believe this day is here!” Grace cried excitedly, unable to stand still as she gazed in the mirror.

“You don’t say?” Ophelia declared with a laugh. “Because I thought your restlessness and jumping on your toes was nervousness.” 

Her teasing made Grace laugh and turn round, spinning in her wedding gown so beautifully that the lace skirt was buffeted outward.

“Nervous? How could I be nervous? I’m ridiculously excited.”

“Ah, that’s what that emotion is,” Ophelia continued to tease her, prompting Grace to laugh again. “Now, here, hold still. This is the last thing to go in place.” 

Ophelia lifted a necklace from a jewellery box that was gifted to her by Elliot shortly after she had given birth to Oliver. The necklace was made of gold, with a moulded heart for a pendant. 

“This? You wish me to wear this?” Grace asked, stunned as Ophelia threaded the necklace around her throat.

“I do. It suits you well and I wish for you to have something of mine on this day,” Ophelia said sweetly, smiling at her sister-in-law in the mirror. “Do you like it?”

“I love it. Oh, Ophelia, thank you so much.” Grace turned and flung her arms around Ophelia. 

“Oomph!” There was so much energy in the embrace that Ophelia was nearly knocked from her feet. “You do not need to thank me so much. It is just a necklace.”

“No, I do not mean for that.” Grace spoke in a rush, still clinging tightly to Ophelia. “I mean for everything these last few years. Your friendship…” she murmured, stepping back from Ophelia enough that they could look one another in the eye. “It has been the most important of my life, Ophelia. I have learned so much from you.”

“We are family, are we not?” Ophelia said, watching Grace as she blinked away tears. “There was nowhere else I would rather have been than by your side.” She pulled her sister-in-law forward for another embrace, touched by her words.

Much had changed in the last four years for Grace, and Ophelia had felt privileged to watch the transformation. Grace was no longer a child, but a young woman. Any hint of the occasional spoilt nature she had revealed before was gone, and she no longer played up her youth to attract attention. Ophelia had noticed early on how Grace had begun to copy her behaviours, and it had spurred Ophelia on to not only be a good role model but to encourage Grace into becoming her own woman.

Grace had matured into a fine lady indeed. She was an active horse rider these days, and her passion for the pianoforte was so successful that she attracted many fine admirers and was often asked to play not just at balls and assemblies, but at concerts, too. Her knowledge of the industry was deep and her conversation buoyant. It was little wonder that as she had grown, she had attracted the attention of Elliot’s friend, Harrison, more and more.

“Are you ready for your wedding, then?” Ophelia asked, stepping back from her sister-in-law. “From what I hear, Harrison is quite impatient to see you at that altar. Elliot says he practically ran from the house this morning to get to the church early.”

“Did he?” Grace giggled at the idea, quite besotted with Harrison, too.

It had been a sweet transformation to watch, seeing Harrison and Grace, who had been friends before, but nothing more, suddenly grow closer. Their bond had become strong, to the point that Elliot had commented on it. The comment had quickly prompted the announcement of a formal courtship.

“I cannot believe I am to marry Harrison, Ophelia,” Grace gushed, turning in a circle as she checked her gown one last time. “I never thought such a day would come. Is everything in place? Is Oliver there already?”

“He is, as page boy,” Ophelia assured Grace, thinking of her son. For such a young boy, he seemed to take his duty very seriously and had insisted on being at the church shortly after Harrison.

“And what of Cecily?” Grace asked.

“Well—”

“Yes, what of Cecily!” a third voice joined them. Ophelia turned to see through the open chamber door another appear. 

Elliot was diving down the corridor, struggling to catch up with someone. “Cecily! Come back here at once.”

Cecily’s giggle showed she had no intention of heeding her father’s order.

“She’s up to her usual mischief again, I see,” Grace said with a smile.

“For someone so young, she seems to be very good at teasing her father. I wonder where she gets it from,” Ophelia said with wit and hurried to the doorway, peering through it. 

Across the landing, she caught sight of Elliot trying to grab their youngest child, Cecily. The little girl was not even two years old but from early on had taken to walking as a duck took to water. She ran between Elliot’s legs, stopping him from catching her, then reached into her flower basket and began to toss petals into the air.

“No!” Ophelia and Elliot called together, both running toward her.

“Love, the petals cannot be thrown yet,” Elliot pleaded with Cecily, reaching for the petals on the floor and pushing them back into the basket. “I have told you that.” 

As fast as he put the petals back in, though, Cecily pulled them out again.

Ophelia couldn’t help laughing, watching as Cecily, who had dark hair just like her father, giggled and twirled around. When Elliot dropped to his knees in front of the girl, putting another bundle of petals back in the basket, she took out a handful and tossed them in her father’s face.

“Oh dear,” Grace said from the doorway behind Ophelia. “I see my flower girl is eager to perform her responsibilities.”

“Flowers!” Cecily declared, holding up the basket with delight. 

“Right, Cecily, that’s it.” Elliot took the basket from her. Cecily’s smile dropped, until Elliot enacted a rather playful punishment. “Be prepared!” He began to tickle her. Cecily laughed raucously as Elliot lifted her into the air, tickling her without restraint.

“No flowers! I promise!” Cecily cried between her laughter. 

Ophelia couldn’t hold back her smile. It was moments like this when she realised just how happy she was with her life.

Much had changed, of course. The family she’d once had with her father was quite gone. Gertrude barely kept in touch, apart from the occasional letter, but Ophelia had much more love in her life now, more love than she had thought possible. She adored Elliot and her children, and to her thrill, they loved her, too. Had she known how many smiles would be possible being married to Elliot, she would have quite happily run to him the first night they met at that ball, impatient to begin this future together.

“Now, you will behave, won’t you?” Elliot asked as he placed Cecily back on her feet and gave her the basket. Cecily nodded, keeping her hands on the handle of the basket, no longer anywhere near the flowers.

“I’ll take my place beside her,” Ophelia assured him. As she stepped past Elliot, the two of them shared a smile. It was one that sent a thrill through Ophelia, who recognised what Elliot was thinking, before she took their daughter’s hand. Lovingly, Cecily leaned against her leg, trying to get closer to her.

“Well, sister,” Elliot said, turning to Grace and offering his arm, “your husband-to-be awaits you with impatience. It’s time for me to give you away—something I do with honour, though I will admit, I’ll miss you being in this house.”

“Oh, Elliot.” Grace lifted herself up and kissed her brother on the cheek before she took his arm. “I will miss you all, too.”

“Good, then let us get you to the church. Harrison was so excited I could not make him stand still this morning,” Elliot explained as he led their path toward the stairs.

“Do you intend to tease him for it?” Ophelia asked as they reached the stairs. She lifted her daughter in her arms, making it easier to get down the stairs. Cecily let the basket hang loose in one hand as she rested her head on Ophelia’s shoulder.

“Oh, mercilessly! I still remember how he was at our wedding. I intend to return the favour,” Elliot assured them both.

“Elliot!” Grace said, her warning tone plain, but the smile Elliot offered gave Ophelia no doubts. He was delighted for his sister and his friend. Clearly, it was a surprising turn to their lives, but he knew Harrison would take better care of Grace than any other man.

***

“It was a beautiful wedding,” Elliot mused as he led Ophelia away from the evening drinks he had prepared for the happy couple.

“Indeed, it was,” Ophelia said, offering him a certain look with wide eyes. “Care to explain to me, then, why we are leaving?”

“We are not leaving; we are simply giving them some time alone. We’ll return soon.” Elliot drew Ophelia toward the staircase, watching as she laughed, clearly able to tell what was on his mind. “The children are asleep, after all.”

“According to Mrs Mouser, fast asleep!” Ophelia said, hurrying up the stairs after him, her hand still firmly in his. “Poor Cecily napped pretty much as soon as we returned from the church. I think she tired herself out, throwing petals everywhere.”

“There was not a part of the church that wasn’t covered in petals,” Elliot added, wincing. “I’ll have to apologise to the priest about that.”

“There is no need. He was amused, I am sure. Now, care to share with me where we are running off to?”

“That would be telling.” Elliot led his wife down the landing corridor, heading toward their chambers. 

With the children growing, it was not always easy for Elliot to find time alone with Ophelia. As of late, that situation had been even more difficult with Ophelia helping to prepare Grace’s wedding, and Elliot having to pay such great attention to their investments.

It was a good time. All the investments he had made to recoup Ophelia’s money had been beyond successful, better than he could have imagined. Overall, they had made substantial profits, so Ophelia’s fortune was not only in place, but had grown.

After spending so much time away from each other, though, Elliot was keen to spend time together now before they had to return to their guests. As he reached his chamber and hurried to open the door, he heard Ophelia behind him, giggling.

“They may guess where we have gone,” she whispered to him.

“Then we’ll lie and say we went to check on the children. Come, quickly.” Elliot pulled her inside, relieved to see the smile she offered him. She was as excited as he was to spend time alone together.

Once they were in the room, Elliot was about to hunt for a tinder box to light a candle when Ophelia reached for him, stopping him from reaching the candle. She kissed him so quickly that any words he might have wished to utter died on his lips and he became distracted in the heat of the embrace. 

His hands reached for her waist, splaying his fingers across the lace material of her bridesmaid’s gown. All day he had thought how beautiful Ophelia looked in the lace material that was cinched high on the waist and fell to the floor so delicately that it skimmed her thin curves. He longed to reach beneath that gown, to see her body writhe in pleasure.

When Ophelia pulled back from the kiss, Elliot was distracted, moving his lips down her neck to pepper more kisses to her skin.

“The wedding today, it made me think of our own wedding,” she whispered to him. “Do you remember it?”

“How could I forget it?” he asked, his words half-muffled by being so close to her skin. “Both of us apprehensive, and it was all so rushed.”

“Very rushed. I was thinking of it today.” Her words made Elliot pause and lift his lips from her skin, the better to look her in the eye. “I wouldn’t take a day of it back, you know?” He smiled at her words, waiting for her to go on. “I know the wedding was hardly perfect.”

“No, indeed,” he agreed with a chuckle.

“But I love being married to you, Elliot.”

“And I you,” he whispered back to her. 

This time when he pressed his lips to hers, it was gentle, a demonstration of the tenderness that they shared. Elliot was lost in that kiss, thinking of the way her hands trailed in his hair, pulling playfully on the short locks before they wandered down his chest, reaching for the lapels of his tailcoat. As her hands pulled the tailcoat down his shoulders, that tenderness grew into something heated and fierce.

“Impatient?” she teased him, pulling back from the kiss long enough to ask the question.

“Perhaps a little,” he confessed.

“Then don’t hold back.”

At her words, he practically growled for wanting her. Pulling her closer, he pressed their bodies together as he kissed her, then backed her up, heading for the bed. In the end, they didn’t make it that far. When they reached a chaise longue at the side of the room, they tumbled down there together, their lips breaking apart. Ophelia was reaching for his trousers, hurriedly trying to undo them as Elliot’s hands pulled at the skirt of her gown, trying to lift it higher.

When he finally had the skirt around her hips, he laid kisses down her body. He started with one at her lips, then to her neck and her clothed breasts, across the lace-covered stomach, and then another kiss to her bare hip. The touch of his lips on her bare skin had the heat of the room increasing, as she gasped at that touch.

He adored these moments, when it was just the two of them alone, making love. One of his favourite things about being with Ophelia was seeing the pleasure she could feel, and he began in earnest now to give her such pleasure.

Shifting his lips from her hip to the inside of her leg, he placed a kiss there before moving it to her centre. The first kiss had her back arching off the chaise longue. As he grew bolder, his tongue deeper, she began to pant through her pleasure, reaching for his hair and gripping onto him. He wasn’t sure how long he was there, but he continued until his wife was quivering, on the edge of the height of pleasure, and then he left her.

“Oh, Elliot, don’t tease me,” she pleaded, her body weak as she reached for him again.

“No more teasing,” he promised. He lowered his trousers a little, enough to release himself. Lining his body up with hers, he entered her, watching as the pleasure showed itself on her face, with her lips parting. 

“Elliot…” She moaned his name as he began to move, pleasuring her. It was slow at first, but full of heat, so that each time he moved she responded, her body rising and falling with his own. The temperature in the room grew so much that he had to fling off his waistcoat and shirt, needing his skin exposed. Her hands ran down his chest as he moved faster, needing more of Ophelia.

The pleasure soon became so intense that he could barely control himself. He was thrusting into his wife, loving the way her hips moved with each thrust he made, trying to match him. Their moans grew louder, and Ophelia began to quiver more before she suddenly released. Her hands gripped his biceps hard and her legs shook around his hips as she closed her eyes, her moaning becoming mere pants. It was the sight of her reaching her edge that took Elliot over his. He stilled above her, feeling the pleasure shooting through him in waves as that crescendo came. 

In the aftermath, they stared at one another, both with ridiculous smiles on their faces as they tried to catch their breaths. Elliot was distracted, aware that Ophelia’s chest was rising and falling fast, teasing him with a glimpse of her cleavage. He laughed softly then, looking down at the connection of their bodies.

“You’re laughing,” she whispered in delight, then wriggled, clearly feeling the way his laugh had vibrated their bodies together.

“I was just thinking how glad I am that our guests do not know where we have escaped to.”

“Me too,” she said, reaching up toward him. “We’ll have to go back down to them soon, you know.”

“Soon, very soon. But not yet.” Elliot lowered himself over Ophelia and kissed her on the lips, not wanting to let go of this moment. As he kissed her, he thought back to what she had said of their wedding. 

She was right; the wedding had not been a perfect day. It was rushed, an event of arrangement and attraction rather than deeper feeling, and he could remember how nervous he had been at the time, struggling to understand if he was doing the right thing or not. Part of him wished he could go back to that version of himself standing at the altar of the church and assure him of the future.

Trust me, Elliot. Marrying Ophelia is the best decision you have ever made.

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Grab my new series, "Lust and Love in High Society", and get 5 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

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