Epilogue
Three days passed quickly, but Katie missed her sisters. The time spent with her new husband was more than Katie would have ever expected, yet Katie had never spent even one day surrounded by peace and quiet. Benjamin, on the other hand, could have spent the rest of his life spending time alone with his beautiful new wife. Life had to go on they both decided as they packed their bags and readied themselves to return to their everyday lives.
One last long lingering kiss and Benjamin picked up their bags, and they headed for the dining room to have lunch before returning to Howard House and their new home. Benjamin was surprised to see his parents sitting at a table with Chet and Miss Edie.
“Father, Mother, I thought you were leaving yesterday,” Benjamin said kissing his mother on the cheek.
Mister Hunter said, “Those two extra men you hired to help finish the wing sooner worked hard, and it’s livable, but there aren’t any touches to make it home. I spent yesterday and part of this morning out at your barn workshop making scrollwork moldings for the walls in the parlor. You can add them after the walls are painted or wallpapered. It’s part of our wedding gift to you.”
Katie and Benjamin thanked Mister Hunter, and then Katie asked, “Miss Edie, have you and Mister Chet been busy at the new bookstore?”
“Yes, we have. Four crates of books arrived yesterday, and we are busy organizing them. I think the shop will do well. Tess was the first person in the door asking about books for sale. That dear child loves romance and Gothic tales as much as I do. Now, we won’t have to order them from a catalog,” Miss Edie explained.
She continued, “Walt has decided to stay in Silverpines and help Chet run Worthington Books. I think he might be a bit smitten with Ethel after all,” Miss Edie winked. “The small house we bought was furnished, but Ethel has dropped by most days to help me clean and arrange things. I think she likes the idea of a husband and home. She’s a bit smitten with Walt, too and maybe we’ll see a spring wedding.”
Katie hugged Miss Edie, “How exciting.”
Benjamin asked, “May we join you Mother, Father, Chet, Miss Edie?”
“Certainly,” they all chimed except for Miss Edie. “Young man, you should refer to me now as Missus Edie or Missus W. Worthington is such a long name. Katie may continue to call me Miss Edie. She’s done that since she was able to talk, and it would be as if she changed from calling me mother to Missus W. No, Katie can call me Miss Edie.”
Everyone at the table laughed, and they enjoyed eating their lunch together. Just as the group was finishing their coffee and pie, Marshal Sewell entered the dining room.
“Good afternoon, I was hoping to find you here, Katie,”
“Me, why me?”
The marshal held up his hands in front of him, “It’s nothing you’ve done. It’s about Eli Warren’s trial. It seems his father owns a large dairy farm and several other businesses. He is well off and hired a prominent attorney in Portland to defend Eli. The lawyer convinced a judge that Eli should be tried in Portland and not Astoria siting that Astoria is too close, and people may be influenced by the disasters here and see you as more of a victim than you claim.”
“Claim?” Katie stammered. “He abducted me.”
“I realize that but it’s the type of thing lawyers say and do, but you’ll have to go to Portland next week to testify at his trial.”
Katie paled. “I’m worried.”
“No need to be, darling,” Benjamin assured. “You said you wanted to see the ocean and this is your chance. I’m going with you, and we can get the court proceedings out of the way and then spend some time on a honeymoon by the ocean. Please smile, Katie. I won’t let that man hurt you in any way.”
Katie nodded and smiled or at least tried. She knew Benjamin would be at her side and protect her.
Two weeks later
Chet set the newspaper on the kitchen table and smiled at Edie. “News travels fast. It says the court found Eli Warren guilty, but they only sentenced him to ten years in prison. It could have been twenty, but the lawyer did his best to convince the jury that Katie was partially at fault by luring Eli to Oregon.”
She didn’t lure him,” Edie protested.
“We both know that, but you never know what goes through a jury’s mind. I hope Katie and Benjamin are enjoying their honeymoon and I think in spring once the bookstore is running well and the warmer weather sets in, we should take a honeymoon, too.”
Miss Edie blushed. “I’d like that, but I still think in spring we may have another wedding.”
“You may be right, Edie dear. Things are going well in town, and my brother is acting nicer than he has in years. We’re going to celebrate the turn of the century next month, and the family is happy and well.”
“I certainly am,” Miss Edie said and kissed her husband warmly.
The End
Thank you for reading my story. I hope you are enjoying the Silverpines series as much as the other authors and I are writing them. If you have a free moment, please leave a review. It helps authors more than you know. Thanks, and God bless.
You can find me at http://mariannespitzer.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mariannespitzerauthor/ All my Sweet Western Romances, Mail-order Brides of Gentle Falls, can be found on my Amazon author page and all are available through Kindle Unlimited.
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