Emily

Epilogue

A/N: Please read the announcement after this chapter as well.

3 years later

"And this is exactly why I do not attempt things I'm not comfortable with." Allie reminded them from her position perched on the long counter in the kitchen, licking cream meant for their cake off her finger as she surveyed the messy scene before her.

There were pots and pans everywhere, and there was a mess that was meant to be their pudding splattered all over the counter and the floor, with Cassandra having dropped it when little Juliette had run into her from behind.

It was Christmas Day, and Emily and Cassandra had had the brilliant idea of giving all the servants two days off to do whatever they pleased. Presuming it wouldn't be all that difficult, they had suggested that they would cook themselves. Little did they know, neither of them was very good at it.

The Christmas ham had come out rather well, but the positives ended there. They had attempted to bake a plum cake with icing, but they'd burnt the cake. They had tried making a pudding with custard and fruit, but they'd failed at that, too, when Cassandra had sent every last bit of it crashing to the floor.

Emily sighed as she took off the apron she'd donned and bunched it up in her hands. "Do you think the others wouldn't mind eating whatever's left of the cake that was served at tea yesterday?"

"I know I certainly do." Allie commented, hopping off the counter wearing a mischievous smile that she made no attempt to hide. "And I'm sure, as much as they'd like to try and hide it, Richard and Kit will mind too." She said, referring to her husband and brother-in-law.

"You make no mention of our dear brother, Allie." Cassandra reminded her, making Emily roll her eyes for she knew a teasing remark was sure to come.

"You know Nate, as long as it is sweet, he has no qualms about eating it." Allie teased, and the other two laughed, knowing that it was the truth. 

Juliette began fussing, so Cassandra picked her up, and let her look at the toffee bubbling away on the stove. If nothing else, they would have that.

"Does Mrs. Davis have a recipe for a Christmas pudding?" Emily asked, turning through the sheets that were bound together, all covered in the cook's neat, curling handwriting. "I just found one for a pound cake. There is bound to be some jam somewhere, and cream too. We can make do with that, I suppose. It will be more like a teacake than anything else, but it'll have to do."

"It's certainly better than nothing." Allie agreed, "I might even deign to help you this time." She added, with a devilish smile, surely knowing what was to come.

"Definitely not!" Cassandra exclaimed, "I'd rather not have yet another ruined pudding. You may stay exactly where you are." She ordered, and Alexandra was all too willing to comply.

"Are you doubting my skills in the culinary arts, dear sister?" Allie gasped in mock offence.

"Very much." Cassandra giggled, and Allie was about to respond when two figures entered into the kitchen, a child each in their arms.

"We've come to see how you all are doing." Kit declared, bouncing little Henry. Cassandra and he had been told by the doctors that she couldn't have any more children after Henry was born. Henry's birth had been very difficult for Cassie, and she'd come rather close to losing her life. If she had another child, she probably would die. At first, they'd been disappointed, but they were very happy with their two.

"Yes, Richard is upstairs with George and Charlotte since he has full faith in the outcome of your cooking since Allie won't be involved in any way whatsoever, but neither of us trusted you lot not to poison us." Nate added, grinning as he allowed their son, Alex, to play with his hair.

Little Alexander John Whitlock had been born little over a year after Emily and Nate had married, and he'd been the apple of both his parents' eyes from the moment he'd been born. He was named in honour of one aunt, while his other aunt was his godmother. Since Cassandra was Emily's dearest friend, she couldn't imagine anyone else looking after Alex in the awful event something happened to her and Nate.

Alex would soon have some competition for his parents' affection, however, since Emily would, any day now, give birth to his sibling. Emily fully believed that it would be another boy, but Nate was convinced that they would have a girl. He'd already chosen a name for her that Emily had no objection to— Victoria.

"I take personal offence to that." Emily said snootily, before picking up the nearest rolling pin and attempting to smack him with it. He dodged just in time, but pretended to be hurt, making Alex giggle loudly.

"Really, Allie," Kit continued with a broad grin, "Your husband places an astonishing, inordinate amount of trust in you."

"Is this your way of saying you don't trust us?" Cassandra demanded, allowing a fussing Juliette to go to her Papa, who picked her up immediately.

"When it comes to this, definitely not." Kit joked, ducking his head to avoid the bit of dough his wife flung at him. Allie, who'd been oddly silent throughout, said suddenly, "I think I shall go and see what Richard is up to. He doesn't like Christmas very much, you know."

"Who doesn't like Christmas?" Emily found herself asking, before raising her arms up in surrender at the warning look Allie shot her. Richard Kensington, the man she'd married, was rather secretive. He had a past that he kept hidden from all but his wife, but it was obvious that he was a good man. He loved Allie more than anything else in the world, and he was a wonderful husband as well as father. They all liked him very much, but it was only that they didn't know everything about him. He and Allie had gotten engaged rather soon into their friendship, as well, and it had been a surprise to most of them when Richard had come to Nate to ask for his permission.

When Alexandra disappeared up the stairs, Emily stepped close to Nate and Alex, and took her son into her arms. "Did you miss, Mama, darling?" She cooed, tickling his stomach.

Still too young to speak very coherently, he said something unintelligible yet affirmative at this, as Nate watched, grinning all the while. Emily heard Kit offer to help with the pound cake they'd decided to make, and Emily was happy to leave them to it. She was not a very good cook, as evidenced before, and believed that her contributions to the ham had been more than enough. Anything else, and she would probably end up accidentally poisoning someone, as Nate feared.

"I presume you have had a series of exciting adventures in the kitchen?" Nate remarked teasingly, leaning forward to press a kiss to his son's hair. Alex had gotten Emily's hair and her eyes, but his features were more like Nate's. His hair was more curly than straight, another trait of his father.

"Misadventures, more like." Emily replied, adjusting Alex on her hip, making her husband let out a little laugh.

In the two years that they'd been married, Emily found that she'd never been happier in her entire life. Nate never failed to make her feel appreciated, and she was never bored. Even before she'd had a son to chase after, Emily spent nearly every day with Nate in his study and, when he had to go to London to sit in the House of Lords, she went with him. While he was busy, she read or managed the estate by herself.

And, as they divided the work, they had more time to spend together and as a family. Nate was the best husband she could have asked for and an even better father, even if he could be a little thick at times. He'd even made good on his promise. They honeymooned in Scotland and Ireland for months before returning to England, going as deep in as the Highlands. Once she'd had the second baby and the child was old enough to travel with, they were planning on going to France.

Needless to say, Emily hadn't thought that her life would turn out to be so perfect. While she'd often dreamt of a happy life, she didn't think that dream would really come true, especially in the absolutely wonderful way that it now had. She had no complaints, and she could only hope that it would stay so forever.

Now, looking at her family and knowing that she had so many people whom she loved and who loved her, Emily knew that, no matter what challenges life threw at them, they would always be able to face them together. She would walk into every last storm with Nate by her side.