“Oh, Julian!” Lily began to sob, finally giving in to the emotions that had been building in her chest. “I never thought that I would love again, but you proved me wrong, and now I cannot picture my life without you.”
He drew her against his chest and kissed the top of her head. “And neither can I, my dearest Lily. I love you more than words can ever say.”
Epilogue
One month later…
The salty air of the sea whipped against their faces as Lily, Julian, her parents, and Juliette and Julian’s mother stood on the dock. Seagulls screeched over ahead, and the nauseating smell of fish permeated the air, yet Lily could not think of another time in her life when she had ever been happier.
Arabella stood bedside Benedict, utterly content with the fact that she had married the man of her dreams. It had only been a week since the wedding, yet Benedict’s ship stood ready to take her maiden voyage.
“I could not be happier for you,” Lily embraced her best friend. “And I am going to miss you. Promise that you will write every chance that you get. I do not care which country you find yourself in.”
“Of course I shall write, and you must promise to do the same. I want every single detail of your life, no matter how mundane it may seem,” Arabella responded with tears in her eyes.
Chiming in, Benedict put on a hurt tone. “Are you saying that months at sea with your new husband will bore you so much that you will not know what to do with yourself?”
Arabella laughed, shaking her head as Benedict placed an arm around her shoulder.
Lily let go of Arabella and allowed herself to be pulled to Julian’s side, where she tucked herself under his arm and placed a hand on his chest.
The rest of the group engulfed the happy couple as they began to offer their congratulations and heartfelt advice. It was a joy to see how well things had turned out for them all. Even Juliette had grown close to Arabella, whom she now regarded as one of her closest friends.
Her happiness, however, was short-lived as she looked to the side and saw Oliver being guided onto a ship to the left.
“He is being sent to Australia to serve his sentence in a mine,” Julian said from above her as he gave her arm a gentle squeeze.
Just then, Oliver turned to look at them, his eyes full of anger and hatred as he glared at her.
I forgive you.
Lily felt the burden of her past lifting as the warmth and safety of Julian’s embrace surrounded her. She never would have thought that she would ever utter the words, yet something inside of her had changed. She no longer felt the need to resent Oliver or even Eleanor for what they had done to her.
She had found Julian in the end, and despite everything they had been through, they had only grown to love each other more.
The moment between them was broken as a guard stepped forward and shoved Oliver up the plank.
Lily turned her gaze, focusing instead on Arabella and Benedict, who had just begun to board. The plank was removed by an eager young man whom Benedict had hired, and the anchor was lifted.
It felt like a fleeting moment that was bittersweet for Lily as she watched the sails being lowered. And soon enough, the ship on her maiden voyage began to pull away from the docks.
“I am going to miss you,” Lily mouthed the word through tears and blew her friend a kiss.
Catching the kiss, Arabella held it to her heart and began to cry along with her.
Julian gave Lily a gentle squeeze from the side as they watched the ship sail into the distance.
It was Julian’s mother who spoke up first as she turned her back on the ship. “Well, now that it is all said and done, shall we all travel back to Redding Hall for some fun? I simply hate long, drawn-out goodbyes.”
Everyone agreed and began to make their way back toward the carriages. Yet Lily could not help but steal another glance over her shoulder as she silently wished her oldest friend good luck.
***
The portrait of Lily and Julian hung magnificently in the foyer as the small group watched the servants straighten the frame.
“You know, I do not think it is big enough,” Julian teased as she looked at the portrait that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.
“Indeed,” Lily’s father added. “I think you should have chosen a bigger wall. Why not just simply build an entire room dedicated to the portrait?”