foot the bill.” He winked and fondly pinched her chin. “And happier still to be reunited with you, my dear girl.”
“I am so very thankful to be here.” Laura looked over to where her former neighbors and, yes, friends gathered. Her uncle followed the direction of her gaze. Then she felt his pensive look return to her profile.
“Have you decided where you will live?”
Laura took a deep breath. “Alexander has agreed to captain a ship for Mr. Gillan. So for the foreseeable future, when I am not sailing with him, I will live on Jersey.”
His expression turned wistful. “Sounds perfect. Though I shall miss you.”
“I hope you are not too disappointed. We will visit as often as we can.”
His eyes misted over. “I am glad to hear it.”
The party continued for several hours, guests enjoying the good company, good music, and good food, and reluctant to see the occasion end. Alexander and Laura walked from person to person, thanking everyone for coming and accepting well-wishes and fond embraces in return. How touching to be welcomed back so warmly.
The musicians continued to play, their notes harmonizing beautifully with the sound of the sea. For an instant, Laura closed her eyes to relish the moment and commit it to memory.
Beside her, Alexander whispered, “Everything all right?”
She took a deep breath and smiled up at him. “More than all right, my love.”
Laura gazed around at the delightful scene, and her heart expanded with aching joy. Her whole family was together: Alexander, Aunt Susan, Uncle Matthew, Aunt Lamorna, and Eseld, along with dear Miss Chegwin, Jago, Perry, Kayna, and Treeve. Laura could not recall ever being happier.
She leaned near Alexander. “Remember when you asked me to describe my favorite memory?”
He nodded.
“This moment is my new favorite.”
He smiled deeply into her eyes. “Mine too.”
Epilogue
JULY 1815
NORTH CORNWALL, ENGLAND
A year has passed. And with it, the unexpected return of Napoleon Bonaparte, the bloody battle of Waterloo, and Bonaparte’s second and, hopefully, final abdication and exile. Now that peace has returned, Alexander and I have sailed back to Trebetherick to visit our friends and family as promised.
I rise early in the mornings, as is my habit. Leaving Alexander still asleep in my old bed, I quietly dress and slip out of Fern Haven alone.
As in former days, I walk along Greenaway Beach, the golden crescent lapped by foaming blue-green water. Up, down, and over I go, stepping from beach to beach grass and from rock to rock pool. The call of a seagull draws my gaze skyward, and I look up to admire the beautiful heavens. I have so much to thank heaven for.
Balmy summer weather reigns in Cornwall, and vibrant life is everywhere—gorse in yellow bloom lines the paths, and sea pinks dot the grassy cliff tops. Other dainty plants and flowers grow even on the hard rocks and sandy shore. Beauty amid harsh conditions. Life where nothing should thrive.
Like these hardy plants, I am no longer simply surviving but am instead thriving.
At the thought, I touch my slightly rounded middle. A new life is on the way, thank God. My family is soon to gain a precious little member. If it is a girl, we shall name her after our mothers. If a boy, after our fathers, or maybe our brothers.
Standing on a rock, wind tugging at my bonnet, I realize I no longer feel like a castaway. Whether here in Cornwall or on Jersey or at sea, I am where I was always meant to be—close to my extended and growing family, and at Alexander Carnell’s side.
I used to wonder if there was a plan in all the loss I experienced. Now I know the answer.
Yes.
Once, I feared I would never belong anywhere again. But I no longer ask myself if I am flotsam or jetsam, cast off and unwanted. I finally understand that in God’s hands, and now in Alexander’s arms, I am truly home.
Author’s Note
Thank you for traveling with me to North Cornwall within the pages of this book, and the real places of Padstow, Trebetherick, and Rock (formerly known as Black Rock). For this novel’s setting, I chose an area known for shipwrecks, some say second only to the Lizard Peninsula in the south of Cornwall. In fact, this stretch of coastline is sometimes referred to as “The Lizard of the North.” I enjoyed learning about the history and traditions of this region, which is now far more developed than it was during the novel’s time frame over two hundred years ago