Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
It was still fantastic, mostly because it was so weird, fascinating and fun.
And they were deliriously happy.
I was one of three bridesmaids.
Battle gave his sister away.
When those two weren’t in London, François worked with Prue in what became their studio in the attic.
And oh yeah, he totally moved in.
They had four children.
Two daughters, one named Kahlo, one named O’Keeffe (though, they called her Georgie).
And two sons, one named Matisse, the other was called Basquiat.
Tempie’s wedding to Hamish was intimate and elegant and no expense had been spared.
I was honored with standing up for her too.
And obviously, Battle gave her away.
Tempie let go of the flat in London, but if they were there, they stayed in Hamish’s.
They also spent quite a bit of time at Hamish’s family estate up near Aberdeen.
Even so, they took their places at The Downs and added two children to the menagerie.
Both boys.
Angus and Fergus.
They were borderline hooligans and drove their mother crazy (no, I will not admit to accepting Angus’s dare to skateboard through the great hall (but between you and me, I did)).
Even so, she adored them beyond reason.
As did we all.
Chassie and Christian married in the gardens.
Of course.
It was also small, intimate and very casual.
Surprising me, and making me melt into uncontrollable sobs, she asked if I’d accompany Battle when he walked her down the aisle.
Naturally, I agreed.
They started their married life in the gamekeeper’s cottage, and I understood that.
Even if the house was huge, they wanted a little bit of privacy.
Then again, not many girls, after their first time with the man they were falling in love with, had their entire families invade her bedroom the very next morning.
So I could see privacy was a thing for those two.
Once they started having babies, however, they moved to the big house.
They had five children.
Two boys, Alder and Rowan.
And three girls, Briar, Flora and Juniper.
Once Christian earned his PhD, the two of them started a niche gardening business where they took clients who were having issues with their gardens. Bugs, disease, irrigation, whatever, Christian would go in and diagnosis it, and Chassie would help him irradicate it, replant (or fully redesign) and get the garden flourishing again.
In no time, they were all over the UK, rehabilitating gardens.
A bit of time after that, they were all over the continent doing the same thing.
They loved living, working and parenting together.
And since the night of Midnight Mayhem, they never spent a night apart.
Not once.
Prue, Chassie and I continued our cooking classes (it won’t surprise you, Tempie never joined).
Once Prue got breakfast down, she stopped coming.
But Chassie and I kept it up until she had a good month’s worth of recipes she could make (her shepherd’s pie was to die for!).
And she made them often, cooking for her guy.
Then, when they were at the big house, helping me with Sunday lunch.
Before all of that happened, while I was writing my book in the studio and Battle worked in his study, Prue and Chassie took off one day, returning to Glastonbury.
They came back with a beautiful, carved wood box.
So, when Tempie and Hamish showed for the weekend, I invited Ravenna over, and everyone went into the ballroom (oh yes, the girls told their men everything).
In there, Battle, Hamish and Christian (this was before the François revelation) carefully disassembled a square of parquetry.
The girls and I put Charlie’s letters, Harmony’s letters and journals, and Marie’s and Aileen’s journals, with Aileen’s clippings into the box.
I also put the engagement ring Charlie gave Harmony in that box.
Battle and I rested it under the floorboards.
On top of it, Prue put a picture she drew of them, Great-Granddad in his uniform, Harmony in a pretty summer dress, walking together out in the gardens of The Downs.
Chassie placed one of her bouquets on top of that. The bouquet had white lilies (which she shared denoted purity) and red roses (obviously those symbolized love).
On top of the flowers, Ravenna placed a polished rose quartz shaped in a heart with the two-snakes-entwined symbol carved on it that she told us represented two interwoven spirits.
So yeah.
That worked.
Once all of that was laid to rest, the men carefully replaced the parquet square.
And then we all went to the plum parlor for a drink.
We did this leaving Charlie and Harmony in the place where they met, the place where they fell in love…
Resting together for (maybe) eternity.
How did I handle this in my book?
Obviously, I had to get mystical about it.
I left in the happy but sad ending.
I left out the homicide.
I wasn’t sure how my editor would take the hints of magic in it, but she loved it.
It sold huge (maybe because word got out I’d fallen in love with the current duke while writing it, not hard since I was wearing his ring and living with him, but I preferred to think it was because the book was good, and Charlie and Harmony’s story was compelling).