Page 48 of A Spinster for the Rakish Duke
“Of course, my dear one.”
Epilogue
“Gosh, it is so much bigger when you are standing right in front of it,” Emma remarked with a sense of impressed wonder.
“How big do you suppose it is?” Donovan asked.
“The mapped estimates put it somewhere around two hundred rods, give or take,” Emma said looking up towards the green and grey rocky summit. “Is the house where we are staying near here?”
“We are little ways up the road from here, staying on the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. I had the driver drop us off here, so that we could get our first look at the mountain and enjoy the scenery and walk on the way to the house,” Donovan explained.
They both walked in silence for a little bit. The walk was easy. The road was packed flat and well-traveled considering how fewpeople were around, and Emma took notice. “What is this road used for?”
“The sheepherders to the north use this road to transport their wool to the nearby towns. They come by infrequently enough not to disrupt the scenery but often enough to preserve the road. At least that's what the cabin owner told me,” Donovan explained.
“The cabin owner? Who is that?” Emma asked curiously.
“An Earl who is older and makes little use of it,” Donovan answered.
“Is that why he gave us permission to use it?” Emma asked curiously.
“Use it?” Donovan asked innocently as if the question didn’t make any sense.
“Yes,” Emma said cautiously. “We do have his welcome to use it don’t we?” Emma asked a bit more sternly.
“I assumed we no longer needed it once I purchased it from him,” Donovan said.
“You bought it?” Emma exclaimed excitedly.
“I know wedding gifts between the husband and wife are more than a tad unconventional, but, then again, our courtship asa whole has been unconventional,” Donovan remarked before taking both his wife’s hands in his and pulling her close. “I wanted to give you a gift. A beautiful little house next to one of your favorite places in the whole world. I didn’t just buy the cabin. I had it made up special just for you,” Donovan told her.
“Special?” Emma asked, curiosity and excitement intermingling in her voice.
“Go and see for yourself,” Donovan said and gestured down the road.
Emma moved forward at a bit of a faster pace as Donovan trailed close behind her. She covered her mouth as it fell open at the sight of the beautiful little home, a small structure, surrounded on all sides by a lush garden filled with beautiful flowers and handsomely arranged rocks. The house itself was a delicate buttercup yellow. The outside walls all supported a trellis covered in flowers of green and blue to make the colors of the house really stand out.
“I have had craftsmen and gardeners working nonstop ever since you agreed to marry me. They only just finished the other day. I was worried it wouldn’t be done in time for our honeymoon, but fate has shown us favor once more.”
“Oh Donovan, it's the most wonderful gift I have ever received,” Emma exclaimed, and it was no exaggeration. She had truly never been gifted anything so great, neither in scope nor sentiment.
“Are you sure? You haven’t seen the inside yet,” he said and took her by the hand to lead her to see the other parts of her gift.
“Oh, Donovan!” Emma gasped again. She felt a bit silly, being able to say little more than that, but the nature of Donovan’s gift had left her just that speechless.
The inside of the little yellow house was just as beautiful as the outside. There were two rooms, one that served as a living room, dining room, and kitchen and another that served as a bedroom. All the fixtures and the furniture were made of polished wood and copper and shone with a gleam that filled the house when the sun struck it just right.
“The house also has hot and cold water piped inside, directly to it. A costly addition this far out, but no price is too high to pay for your comfort,” Donovan told her.
“An indoor tap? I never had such a thing before. You didn’t have to spoil me like that, my husband,” Emma told him, just a little embarrassed about the extravagance of the idea. Emma had never been very wealthy, let alone having to consider the wealth of a Duke, so such things were almost too much for her.
“I can only spoil you if I give you more than you deserve, Emma. And I can assure you, I will be working hard to spoil you for a very long time, though I doubt I can accomplish it,” he confessed, and Emma blushed all the more.
“Such a tongue on you,” Emma said and laid her hands on his chest.
“Only you would know,” Donovan countered, and Emma blushed crimson this time.
“Is that a proposal?” she asked hopefully.
