Page 84 of A Dreamy Match Made in Heaven
Sophia could hardly wait to tell Adrianna, so the moment she arrived home, she composed the letter that she had initially planned in reply of what her friend had written to her, and then added two extra pages detailing the announcement for her and for Officer Kingsley.
She imagined that the two of them would be very happy when they read about the engagement as it meant that the four would have a great deal more time to spend with one another.
So much had happened, but ultimately, Sophia was glad for every step of it. She realised then that there was another letter which needed composing so she spoke with Thomas about it once more, before they wrote it together.
Dear Miss Wainwright,
It may surprise you to know that Officer Thomas Gregory and Lady Sophia Hastings are to be wed very soon. We are aware that you saw us as a failure within your matchmaking regime, but in truth, there was more to it than that.
You see, the two of us have a very long history. One filled with longing and love, followed by pain and stubbornness leading us to constantly blame one another for our individual unhappiness.
But happily, the time has ended for that. The time has come for us to come to terms with the fact of our love. A love that has seen years of instability until we were finally able to confess it to one another.
It has now been confessed. And with that has come a proposal and an acceptance of that proposal.
We are to be married in the coming months because we always were meant to be together anyway. Sophia once blamed Thomas for abandoning her and Thomas once blamed Sophia for choosing another man. But in the end, we were both wrong.
And of all the people in the world to see that we ought to have been together, it was you. No matter how we fought it, you were right. We were supposed to be with one another all along.
So, Miss Wainwright, we wished to send you this letter of thanks. Further details of the wedding shall come. We expect you to be on time, of course. And while at our wedding, you have full freedom to try and match those whom we invite without a partner in their lives.
Thank you for forcing us to see the reality of our foolishness and bringing us back together once more.
We wish you all the very best,
Thomas Gregory and Sophia Hastings
Without another thought, the letter was sent. Sophia was thrilled to know the truth of its contents. And whatever Miss Wainwright replied, they would be ever grateful to her for having brought them together.
It was amusing to think of, but Sophia was just glad that Miss Wainwright would most likely attend their wedding, just as she had attended that of Officer Kingsley and Adrianna who had not been actual clients of hers.
It was funny how it had all worked out in the end.
But this was not the end. Not for Sophia and Thomas. For the two of them, this was only the beginning.
Epilogue
Sophia stood at the window, looking out at the stars. The day had been a long one. But it had held all the joys she had imagined for a wedding day. From the excitement of getting ready and working to look her very best, to the thrill of seeing Thomas stand before her, every moment had been perfect.
She glanced back at her husband who lay in the bed, his eyes closed with a dreamy sleep, exhaustion having taken over after the wedded bliss they had just engaged in an hour before.
Sophia could not blame him. Although she was not tired, something felt different, something had changed. And it gave her a sensation of being a new woman and having been known and accepted entirely.
Thomas was peaceful as he rested. It made her happy to know that she had not been the only one to feel so wonderful afterwards. Although they had different responses, they were both in a good place after joining together in matrimony.
The nightgown hung loosely from her body, which relieved her. She had worried at first that it might stick to her with sweat from the heat outside or the activity that had taken place inside. But she still felt cool in the thin fabric.
There was a great deal of space outside the window and the view was stunning in all directions. It was free and open, and it made her want to go outside and run. But nothing could take her from that room in that moment. Nothing could take her from the excitement of knowing that her husband lay just behind her on a bed meant for the both of them.
It was too good to be true and Sophia didn’t mind living that way. The whole future was going to be like this.
She thought about the past few months, with all of the planning and preparation. Women were always speaking about their wedding day, but what she had come to realise was the foolishness of that.
What was one day compared to a lifetime together? What was one day that would go by in a blur, compared to the memories that they would make at the small occasions?
The wedding had been perfect in every way, but Sophia was looking forward to the marriage. That was the part that mattered the most to her. That was the part that she was going to enjoy every moment of.
Because that was when she could spend her days lounging in the company of the man that she loved, listening to his voice, gazing in his eyes, and remembering that he had chosen her and she had chosen him and they were committed forever.
