Page 16 of The Boys of Summer
“Then we will figure it out together.” He kissed her gently then. “Now go to sleep. And in the morning, we’ll return to Haverton Abbey and set the gossip mills ablaze.”
Epilogue
One year later…
Clarissa stared outthe window, looking at the expansive view of the valley from the morning room of Ainsley Hall. It was lovelier than she’d imagined in the full bloom of summer. A hundred shades of green spread out below them in the verdant valley. Crossing the lawn, her husband approached, carrying a small linen-swaddled bundle in his arms. Her heart swelled, the wave of emotion nearly bringing her to tears.
She’d given birth to their son only two months earlier. Since then, everything brought her to tears, she reflected. Recalling their wedding night, when she’d told Augustus that she didn’t know what love was, she could state without qualms now that she understood love. She knew every aspect of it—what it felt like to give it and to receive it, to be willing to lay down her life for it. The moment she’d held her son in her arms, it was as if all the pain and doubt of her past had simply been washed away.
If possible, loving her son had only made her love her husband more. The part of her that she’d held back, closed off and protected, had been freed, unable to withstand the tide of love that had been unleashed inside her.
As Augustus climbed the steps to the terrace and approached the French doors, she opened them wide, letting him in. Immediately, she stepped forward and claimed the baby. “There he is. Hello, Barton,” she cooed at the infant. “Oh, I’ve missed you. Your father has kept you out too long.”
“Nonsense. He enjoys surveying his vast holdings,” Augustus teased.
“You didn’t even take him out of the garden, did you?” she teased.
“We walked all the way to the stables actually. He and Gunther sniffed one another distrustfully.”
At the mention of Augustus’ hunter, the large bay horse, she laughed. He was a gentle giant if ever one existed. Snuggling the baby closer, she sniffed the back of his little head, relishing that perfect scent. There was something else there. Fresh grass, sunshine, a hint of his father’s shaving soap. It smelled like summer. It was perfect. And in that moment, Augustus ducked his head to smile at their baby. His face softened, his hair fell over his forehead and he was once more the boy she’d met all those years ago. She only caught glimpses of him in the man before her, but she treasured them for they meant he was happy and carefree in that moment. “My boys. My boys of summer.”
“Perhaps we should go back to where it all started… a trip to Margate. We could introduce Barton to the ocean—his mother’s first love,” he teased.
“In the autumn, I think, after we return from Hampshire and visiting Sophie and Henry… and Agatha, of course. He’s so little now, I just want to savor every moment of it… I like being isolated here at home, just the three of us. Well, and a hundred or so servants.”
“Seventy-four. Seventy-four servants,” he corrected. “But you are right. There is nothing better than retreating to our chambers, tucking him into his cradle and shutting out the world while I make love to my beautiful wife.”
Clarissa looked down at the baby who was yawning broadly. “Well, he does appear to be in need of a nap… and I am very much in need of my husband.”
Augustus kissed her soundly, so soundly that by the time the kiss broke, they were both breathless and all hint of teasing had gone. “Upstairs. Now. Or we’ll shock all seventy-four of the servants by doing unspeakable things in the morning room.”
It would not be the first time. Still, Clarissa found that she much preferred doing those things in the comfort of a bed. “If we are lucky, he will sleep for at least an hour.”
Augustus kissed the back of her neck as they exited the morning room and made for the stairs. “I intend to make every second of it count.”
The End
