The Duke She Loved to Hate – Extended Epilogue

Two years later…

Olivia stood in the middle of the newly opened Hawthorne Oriental Emporium with her hands on her hips as she surveyed all that was around her. 

The fragrant scent of aromatic spices wafted around her, creating a calming cloud that engulfed anyone who entered the shop. 

Amara demonstrated the art of tea blending to a captivated circle of society ladies. The shop gleamed with respectability, polished wooden shelves lined with clearly labeled remedies, elegant glass cases displaying imported herbs, and, in a place of prominence, a portrait of Queen Charlotte, whose recent endorsement of their headache remedy had brought no small amount of prestige. 

Appearing behind her, Percival looped his arms around her waist and rested his hands on her obviously pregnant belly. “I have some good news for you,” he whispered in her ear before planting a kiss on her cheek. 

Olivia smiled at the open display of affection, not caring if anyone in the shop saw what they were doing. “Oh, and what news might that be, Your Grace?” she cooed before reaching up and placing a hand on his cheek. 

Percival held her tighter. “Well, the morning post came while you were out. It seems as if Edmund Lyle has finally been convicted of fraud, assault, and attempted abduction. He had been sentenced to life of servitude in Australia and is being deported as we speak.” 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Olivia smiled and leaned back into his embrace. “It is good to know that our child will grow up in a world where the baron has received what was coming to him.” 

“That is not all, though,” Percival continued. “Miles wrote to say that he is now married to the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Apparently, she helped him clean up his act. He paid off his debt through honest means and no longer gambles or drinks.” 

Olivia spun in his arms and faced him. “Well, that is good news! Will wonders never cease?” 

Percival nodded. “I would seem that they shall not. He is helping her father manage the shipping company and writes to say that we are welcome to visit them any time that we choose. He also included another lengthy apology for his actions in the past. I will spare you the details, as it is not much different from anything that he has said before.” 

Olivia rolled her eyes playfully and rubbed her swollen belly. “I do wish that he would stop apologizing. He has mentioned far too many times that it was our love that helped him to change.” 

“Can you blame the man? It was rather spectacular how we came to be with one another,” Percival teased. “Our story was one that will inspire poets for years to come.” 

She laughed at his words, gently placing a hand on his chest as she attempted to push him away. 

Just then, her father arrived for his weekly visit that had become the custom for the past two years. “I hope I am not interrupting anything?” he asked sheepishly as he came up to them both. 

“Not at all.” Olivia quickly stepped away from Percival and smiled. “You are just in time to see the new shipment that has arrived from India.” She gestured to the other end of the stall, where Amara had just finished her tea demonstration. 

Her father’s chest swelled with pride as he turned his head to look at the stand of newly placed jars. He walked off without another word, beaming as he nodded his greeting to patrons. 

Percival shook his head as a light smile touched his lips. “It still amazes me how your father has let go of his previous convictions. It would seem that Miles was not the only one who had turned over a new leaf.” 

Oliva shrugged. “I keep telling you, wonders will never cease.” 

They were just about to head over to her father and Amara when the little golden bell above the door suddenly tinkled again. And to their great surprise, Celeste stepped inside with Jasper at her side. 

“And how are the newlyweds?” Olivia asked as she welcomed her friend with a warm embrace. 

Pulling away, Celeste smiled at her. “Are we still newlyweds even after two months?” 

Jasper nodded beside her, taking her hand as he pulled her to his side. “I think the rule of thumb is one year. Only then will we be considered an old married couple like the duke and duchess.” He winked at Olivia. 

Laughing under her breath, Olivia smiled at him. “You had better watch your tone. You may be married to my best friend, but that does not mean that I will not give you a proper talking to if needed,” she teased. 

Percival laughed beside her and shook his head. “Let the man be, dearest.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and turned fully to Celeste and Jasper. “How have things been with you both? I hear that congratulations are in order regarding the running of your father’s old shop?” 

“Our shop now,” Celeste corrected him with a gentle note in her voice. “My father left us the business and retired. I do not think that I would have been able to do it without Jasper, but we are making a go of it.” 

“Well, I think that is simply marvelous!” Olivia declared. 

The woman exchanged a warm look of understanding. The moment lasted only for a single breath as Charles suddenly entered the shop, causing the bell to tinkle behind him. 

“I think we shall go and sample some of the delicious teas while the two of you chat to our new solicitor.” Jasper guided Celste away just as Charles stepped forward. 

Olivia’s eldest brother stepped forward in a neat black suit and white cravat that suited him almost as well as the leather ledger under his arms. “Your Graces.” He bowed respectfully. There was something less severe about him these days. Time had softened the sharper edges of his manner. Or perhaps happiness had done what time alone never could.

“Charles,” Percival greeted. “You are earlier than expected.”

“I finished my appointment ahead of schedule.” Charles glanced toward Olivia with the faintest hint of amusement. “I assumed if I arrived late, Her Grace would accuse me of neglecting important matters.”

“And I would have been correct,” Olivia replied smoothly.

A quiet warmth settled over the small group. Three years ago, such an easy conversation would have felt impossible. It astounded Olivia how far they had all come. 

Reaching beneath his arm, Charles opened the book and retrieved several documents before handing them to Percival. “The final contracts regarding the eastern warehouse have been completed. The shipping expansion is now officially secured.”

Olivia clasped her hands together excitedly. “Truly?”

“Entirely.” Charles allowed himself a small smile. “The Hawthorne Oriental Emporium will soon have enough imported stock to meet demand without waiting months between shipments.”

Percival exhaled slowly beside her. “You have done remarkable work,” he said.

“I merely ensured proper paperwork was signed.” Charles adjusted his cravat. “The success belongs to those willing to take risks.”

Olivia looked around the shop once more.

Two years.

Yet it felt like another lifetime. Now, society ladies crowded around demonstrations led by Amara. Merchants sought her father’s business advice. Respectable patrons traveled from neighboring counties to purchase remedies and tea blends.

And somehow, impossibly, she had gained everything she once feared to possess. Love, family, home, and a business that was just as bright as all of their futures.  Her hand drifted instinctively to her stomach when the little one inside of her kicked. 

“The little troublemaker grows impatient,” he murmured when he noticed the gesture. “I believe your child inherited your inability to sit still.”

“Our child,” she corrected gently.

“Our child,” he repeated, eliciting a chuckle from Charles.

Across the shop, her father laughed loudly at something Jasper had said.

Celeste stood nearby speaking animatedly with Amara while patrons drifted around them in comfortable familiarity.

Olivia turned back to Charles. “Have you heard from Henry and Violet of late?” 

Charles nodded. “They wrote to say that they are having the best time on their honeymoon in India and said to thank you both for the generous gift.” He turned to the duke with a warm smile. “I also happen to be in touch with Lady Arabella, who said she is more than settled in her new home in Yorkshire.” 

Olivia smiled happily as she thought of Arabella, who had married an aspiring young physician who believed in combining natural remedies with more modern teaching. She had not suffered a headache in months, and all seemed well in her world. 

They finished the conversation with Charles, and Percival found a moment to pull her aside into a tiny alcove where he placed his hands on her belly. 

“Are you certain that you are all right?” He moved his hands protectively over her. 

Olivia nodded. “I am more than certain. Our little miracle is just impatient to come out and meet all the voices he hears on a daily basis.” 

A soft smile touched Percival’s lips as he gazed down at their hands. “You know, I was terrified of raising my sisters after our parents died, but I do not think that I have ever been as scared as I am now.” 

“And why is that?” Olivia cocked her head to the side, placing her hands over his. 

“I do not wish to repeat their mistakes,” he said. 

Her heart warmed at his genuine expression of concern. “You listen to me, and you listen well, Your Grace. Our child will be the luckiest person in London if they are anything like you. If he or she has even an ounce of your loyalty, bravery, intelligence, and good heart, then I shall count myself among the luckiest of stars.”

 Percival lowered his head slightly at her words, though Olivia noticed at once that his eyes had grown suspiciously brighter.

“You always did possess a remarkable talent for saying things that leave a man entirely defenseless,” he murmured.

“Oh, I do not know,” she teased softly. “I think Your Grace manages quite well.”

“I assure you, I do not.”

For a moment, the noise of the shop faded around them, and all that mattered was the two of them and the joy that they were about to bring into the world.

Leaning forward, it was Olivia’s turn to sigh. “Do you think that our child will love gazing at the stars, or even working with plants and medicine?” 

Percival smiled, warming her heart even more than he had done when he had asked her to marry him. “Your Grace, you listen to me, know, and be sure to pay attention. It does not matter if our child loves riding horses, wishes to own a ship, or even wishes to travel the world. All that will matter at the end of the day is the fact that he or she has two parents who love them very much.” 

Olivia returned his smile, utterly content in the world that they had built together. “You are right, Your Grace, as long as we love the child as much as we love each other, there will be nothing in the world that they cannot achieve.” 

“Do you truly still love me after all of these years?” Percival suddenly asked, catching her off guard. 

Nodding Oliva sighed contentedly this time. “Percival Greystone, I love you more than words can ever say. I loved you in the past, I shall love you in the present, and I am more than certain that I shall continue to love you until the day that I draw my very last breath.” 

His lips curved into a smile of utter contentment. “Then I think perhaps we should prepare for our dinner this evening. I do not think that your aunt and uncle will be very pleased with us if we keep them waiting.” 

Olivia laughed softly beneath her breath and slipped her hand into his as they stepped out from the quiet alcove and back into the warmth and bustle of the emporium.

“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “there was once a time when I imagined happiness would feel grander somehow.”

Percival lifted an eyebrow. “Grander?”

“Yes.” She glanced around the shop. “I thought it would arrive all at once. Some magnificent moment where everything suddenly became perfect.”

“And instead?”

“Instead, it arrived quietly.” Her gaze drifted toward Celeste, who was now attempting to explain tea measurements while Jasper distracted customers by offering entirely incorrect advice. “It arrived in ordinary moments.”

“Ordinary?” Percival echoed.

“Yes.” Olivia smiled softly. “Morning tea together. Arguments over ledger books. Watching my father pretend he does not enjoy helping customers when we both know he adores it.” Her eyes shifted toward Amara. “Friendship. Forgiveness. Family dinners.”

“Terrifying solicitor meetings?” he offered.

“Those less so,” she mused. 

“Warehouse contracts?” he asked, continuing to tease her. 

“Certainly not,” she said sternly. 

He chuckled.

“Though,” Olivia added thoughtfully, “perhaps happiness arrived the day a stubborn duke first began interfering in my life.”

“I interfered heroically,” he corrected her. “And might I add, you were the one who first came up with the scheme of pretending to court.” 

 Olivia laughed. “You interfered relentlessly; I had no choice but to come up with a scheme.”

“And you adored every moment,” he crooned while scrunching up his nose. 

She looked down at her belly and softly laughed. “I tolerated you as a means to an end.”

“You loved me,” he quickly corrected her. 

“I endured you,” she countered. 

“Olivia…” he eventually said tiredly. 

Pursing her lips in amusement, she glanced up through her lashes. “Very well.” She smiled. “I loved you.”

“I knew it,” he said triumphantly. 

“Oh, do not become smug.” She swatted playfully at his arm. 

“Too late.” He dodged her motion just in time, laughing as they drew the attention of a few customers in passing. 

Everything seemed right in their world, more so now that their first child was on the way. Olivia relished every moment that she had been able to spend with the duke. They had traveled to India, found new spices and remedies together, and were now staring at the greatest adventure of all: a family. 

She could not think of anything better as the duke led her from the shop and down the street to where their carriage was waiting to take them home. That night was to be the celebration of the century as they once again hosted a ball where merchants and nobility alike mingled side by side. The ton had become accustomed to the balls where boundaries were broken, and the true meaning of friendship was learned.

Percival helped her into the carriage and smiled when he sat across from her in the seat. “Tell me, my dearest, are you truly happy with the life that we have built together? Do you never long for the freedom that you once possessed when you were on your own?” He seemed genuinely concerned despite all of their previous teasing in the shop. 

Knowing that her husband was a deep thinker, Olvia smiled. “Do you honestly not believe me when I tell you that I love you?” She shook her head. “I would never trade this life for anything else in the world. I have more freedom now than I ever had in years of being on my own, as you so eloquently put it.” 

His expression softened again as the wheels of the carriage began to rattle over the cobbled street. “You have made me happier than any man ever has the right to be.” He gazed at her lovingly. 

“And you, Your Grace, have made me happier than any woman in London could have ever dreamed of. I used to believe that my happiness could only be obtained by being independent and building my dreams with my own two hands, but now I know that life is much sweeter when you have a loving partner at your side…” She stopped speaking suddenly and clutched at her belly. 

“Is something the matter?” Percival leaned forward and placed his hands on her belly. 

Nodding slowly, Olivia breathed through her mouth. “I think we had better go back and fetch Amara. I have a strange feeling that we will be needing her sooner rather than later.” 

Banging on the ceiling of the carriage, Percival raised his voice. “Turn back to the emporium at once!” 

The carriage came to a screaming halt with the horses complaining in protest, but all Olivia cared about was the fact that she would meet her first child soon. 

THE END