A Stranger at Castonbury (18 page)

Epilogue

‘H
appy is the bride the sun shines on,’ Catalina heard Lily’s grandmother, Mrs Lovell, say as the doors of St Mary’s church were thrown open and the bride appeared in a cloud of ivory satin and fine lace, pearls in her dark hair. The light that poured in after her could not rival the brilliance of her joyful smile as she looked down the aisle to her groom.

The church was filled with summer flowers gathered from the estate, brilliant bursts of white, yellow, pink and red that scented the air with the perfume of the Castonbury gardens. Every pew was filled, and there were even people standing in the side aisles, for no one wanted to miss the long-awaited marriage of Giles and Lily.

Catalina studied the congregation around her. The duke and Mrs Landes-Fraser sat in the front pew with Lily’s beloved grandmother, while Phaedra and Bram held hands beside them. Phaedra did not wear her riding habit, but a stylish gown and bonnet of pale blue and yellow. The duke’s niece, Araminta, was there from her new home in Cambridgeshire with her handsome husband, Lord Antony. His sister, Claire, whose husband, the renowned chef and hotelier André du Valière, had come to make the grand wedding cake, sat behind them. Adam Stratton and his wife, Amber, a new-found Montague, sat with his mother Mrs Stratton, who also cried just a bit as she watched Giles marry at last.

All the Montague family was there to celebrate, except for Lady Kate, who had written her congratulations from Boston—along with the news that she was expecting her first child.

The vicar Reverend Seagrove, Lily’s adoptive father, beamed from his place at the altar as Lily and Giles joined hands and stepped before him. The music from the organ swelled, but the bride and groom only had eyes for each other.

‘Oh, Mrs Moreno, isn’t it beautiful?’ Lily whispered. Then she gasped. ‘Oh, no! You are not Mrs Moreno now. You are Lady Hatherton.’

Catalina smiled as she felt Jamie, who stood on her other side, reach for her hand. Jamie—her husband, married twice now. They had said their vows by special licence last night in the drawing room at Castonbury, in a ceremony much quieter than this one. The duke, still in shock at the news of their ‘betrothal,’ had stayed in his chamber, but Lydia and Jamie’s siblings had witnessed their vows.

Another marriage had also taken place, even quieter and more secret, in the vicarage. Mr Everett and Alicia had been wed, and were already gone to the far north of Scotland where Jamie had obtained a position for Everett at an estate. Alicia was forgiven by the Montagues in thanks for how she had helped Jamie catch Webster, but they did not want to see her ever again.

And after all the wedding festivities were concluded, Jamie was planning to travel to London to endorse Mr Hale’s suit for Lydia’s hand with her guardian. The young rector smiled at Lydia now from across the aisle, making her giggle and blush.

It was a lovely day indeed, Catalina thought as she watched the sun come through the windows. Mrs Lovell was right—happy was the bride the sun shone upon.

She smiled up at her husband, and he squeezed her hand as Lily said, ‘I do.’

‘I love you, Lady Hatherton,’ he whispered.

‘And I love you, Lord Hatherton,’ she whispered back. ‘Always and for ever.’

* * * * *

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Turn the page to find out more about Joanna Fulford and the Castonbury Park series…

Amanda McCabe
wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen—a vast epic, starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class. She’s never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA®, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Oklahoma, with a menagerie of two cats, a pug and a bossy miniature poodle, and loves dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network—even though she doesn’t cook.Visit her at
http://ammandamccabe.tripod.com
and http://
www.riskyregencies.blogspot.com

Previous novels by the same author:

TO CATCH A ROGUE*
TO DECEIVE A DUKE*
TO KISS A COUNT*
A NOTORIOUS WOMAN +
A SINFUL ALLIANCE +
HIGH SEAS STOWAWAY +
THE SHY DUCHESS
THE TAMING OF THE ROGUE
THE WINTER QUEEN
TARNISHED ROSE OF THE COURT

And in Harlequin Historical Undone! eBooks:

SHIPWRECKED AND SEDUCED +
TO BED A LIBERTINE
THE MAID’S LOVER
TO COURT, CAPTURE AND CONQUER
GIRL IN THE BEADED MASK
UNLACING THE LADY IN WAITING
ONE WICKED CHRISTMAS

* The Chase Muses trilogy
+ linked by character

Author Q&A

Apart from your own, which other heroine did you empathise with the most?

That is such a hard question! I was really fascinated by everyone else’s characters and the way they developed—both in their own stories and as characters in the series as a whole. I did really admire Phaedra in UNBEFITTING A LADY—she seemed like such a free spirit, determined to follow her own heart and passions wherever they would lead her. Plus, she was my hero’s favourite baby sister!

Which Montague do you think Mrs Stratton the housekeeper let get away with the most
?

I loved Mrs Stratton! She almost seemed like a second mother to the Montague children, watching then grow up and showing them affection when their own parents could not. I think maybe she had a soft spot for my hero, Jamie—he was the oldest, and the most solemn (even when he was a child!), and she might have felt just a bit sorry for him...

Which stately home inspired Castonby Park and why?

We decided to take Kedleston Hall as our model for Castonbury. It’s a large, grand, built-to-impress house, unusual in many of its architectural features, and has extensive and beautiful grounds (with lots of places for secret romantic meetings!). There is a great deal of information and many images available, and also several of the authors had visited, so it seemed like a good spot for our characters. (And in spirit it’s a lot like Downton Abbey, a place that has its own character.)

Where did you get the inspiration for Jamie and Catalina?

I love the idea of wartime romance—a whirlwind, passionate affair surrounded by danger and uncertainty—and when Jamie first came into my mind I could see him as a man who would be surprised to find love at such a time, and would be even more passionate for that. I also love the country of Spain, its landscape and turbulent history, so I loved it when a Spanish heroine appeared who was perfect for him.

What are you researching for your forthcoming novel?

I am starting another Regency series, centred around a family at the centre of a small, almost Cranford-esque village! I can’t give away too much about it yet, but I am loving the characters and the trouble they can get into in such an unexpected place...

What would you most like to have been doing in Regency times?

I think I would have loved to be doing just what I do now—writing stories! I have always loved the image of Jane Austen devising her stories in the midst of a busy Regency house, finding inspiration in the people and environment around her. But probably I would be scrubbing pots in the scullery...

AUTHOR NOTE

When I was first asked to take part in this project I was so excited! I loved the one collaborative project I’d done before (The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor with Diane Gaston and Deb Marlowe), and this one was even more extensive and involved. I would get to try a new writing method, as well as work with authors I’ve admired for a long time. Also, I am a huge Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs fan! The challenge and fun of creating a similar world in the Regency —a family and a house caught up in the tides of enormous change and scandal—was too much to resist. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve found in writing to help build such a world.

I got the job of wrapping up the series with the last book: the tale of Jamie, Marquess of Hatherton, whose reappearance in his home after a mysterious absence of years throws Castonbury into chaos once again. I was worried about doing justice to the other characters, but I loved working with everyone else to bring their characters into my story and making them a part of Jamie’s tale. And I have to admit I adored Jamie! I have always had a weakness for dark, tormented, complicated heroes who carry secrets in their hearts, and when I found out that one of his secrets was a lost love —well, I just felt for him all the more. I loved seeing him find his way back to his family and his home, and discovering how his experiences in wartime had changed him.

I was very inspired by diaries and letters from the time of the Peninsula campaign, where many British soldiers found romance with Spanish ladies. It was a turbulent, passionate time, and Catalina was very much a part of all that. She was also more than a match for Jamie! It was the hardest thing I’ve ever written to tear them apart—but that just made it more fun to bring them back together again at Castonbury...

9781426876783

Copyright © 2013 by Amanda McCabe

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