Page 98 of When She Was a Governess

Grimshaw was summoned, and within minutes, crystal flutes were distributed and filled with golden champagne. Theyarranged themselves comfortably around the drawing room—the ladies on sofas and chairs, the men standing near the fire.

Sebastian raised his glass. “I’d like to say something, if I may.”

The room quieted, all eyes turning to him.

“When I dreamt of our future, it was of a day such as this.” Sebastian cleared his throat. “There were many times I gave up hope of our redemption, but then I would rise to fight another day. As we all did. And this is our reward for not giving up on ourselves or one another. Let us drink to love and family.”

James stepped forward. “To our spouses who saved us from ourselves and have brought so much joy to our lives.”

“To the broken and broken-hearted people we once were,” Georgiana said. “And to the healing that brought us to this day.”

“To those who came before us, who gave so much so that we might have this moment,” Charlotte said.

Rose raised her glass in Sebastian’s direction. “To the man brave enough to disguise himself as a gardener and set us all free.”

“You are the brave one, sweet Rose,” Sebastian said. “For loving a lout like me.”

“It is the easiest thing I’ve ever done,” Rose said.

Henry looked at Sophia, his expression full of everything they’d survived together. “To my wife, who loved a baby who wasn’t her own when she needn’t have bothered. To the woman who changed my bitter, lost soul into something whole and joyful. On this holy day, we all might agree that miracles happened for each of us, in one form or another. And for that, we must never forget from whence we came.”

“Or where we’re going,” Sophia said.

“While having a grand time on the way,” Thomas said, making everyone laugh.

Sebastian raised his glass higher. “To us.”

“To us,” everyone echoed.

Sophia glanced toward the windows and noticed that snow had begun to fall. She moved closer to the window, watching as the snow grew heavier, already transforming the gardens into something magical.

“Look,” she said, beckoning the others. “It’s snowing.”

One by one, they came to stand beside her—Henry immediately at her side, his hand finding hers. Sebastian and Rose joined them, then James and Georgiana. Charlotte and Thomas completed the line, all eight of them arranged before the tall windows, glasses still in hand, watching the snow blanket Montrose Manor’s grounds.

The flakes fell thick and fast now, covering the paths where they’d walked, the gardens where the children played, the drive where they’d all arrived. In the distance, barely visible through the white curtain, the village lights still twinkled. And though they could not see it, the school building stood ready for the children who would return after the holiday, continuing the legacy of equality and education their father had valued above all else.

Upstairs, their children slept safely. Four babies in the nursery with their nurses. Five older children resting after their exciting morning. The next generation—healthy, loved, wanted.

No one spoke. There was no need. They simply stood together, watching the snow transform the world outside into something new and clean and beautiful.

This was what they’d fought for. This peace. This joy. This simple, profound happiness of being together. They’d survived the darkness. And the light they’d found was worth every moment of the struggle.

Henry’s hand tightened around Sophia’s. She looked up at him and found him already watching her, his eyes so full of love that it stole her breath. Even after all the days and months they’dspent together, her heart still fluttered when he came into a room. He was the one person who knew everything about her, all her fears and hopes and dreams. He was, quite simply, her heart.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered.

Love had fought through the darkness to bring them to this moment. For as long as she lived, she would be forever grateful for the miracles that had brought them all together.

They had chosen love over hate. And it had made all the difference.

The End