We had slept maybe two hours before Evelyn Rose started crying again. I was still exhausted, but the feel of my wife and my daughter in my arms gave me a boost of energy as I opened my eyes. A few hours ago, I thought I was going to lose both of them, and yet here they were, alive and well. Ivetta was already awake, her green eyes focused on Evelyn Rose, a soft smile on her lips. I kissed her cheek and pulled my arm back when she moved to sit up.
“Good morning, Chevalier,” she giggled, giving me a sidelong glance with bright, shining eyes. “Yes, yes, I’m coming, Evelyn Rose,” she said soothingly to our fussy baby, scooting to the edge of the bed.
“Wait.” I was on my feet and taking her arm to steady her before she could stop me.
“I think I can manage getting out of bed now, Chevalier,” she said teasingly.
“You just had a baby, Ivetta,” I said firmly. “What do you need?”
She sighed, as if there was anything unreasonable about me wanting to help her when she was too weak to even move a couple of hours ago.
“Well, she probably needs to be changed, and then she’ll probably be hungry. I think Lydia left some supplies on your writing desk, so I can handle this myself, but I would love a hot bath afterwards. I feel disgusting.”
I led her to the chair, pulling it out for her and kissing her neck as she sat down. “Then I’ll draw the bath for you, and I’ll have Melanie come to clean up and bring us lunch.”
“Lunch? Is it lunchtime already?” she asked, glancing at the clock. “Oh, I guess it will be when I’m done with the bath.” She sighed again, and I didn’t miss the lingering exhaustion in that sound. “I know everybody will want to see her, but I’m not sure I can manage that today.”
“They can wait. You need to rest and recover.” I kissed her one more time and left to start the bathwater. I could use a bath, too, but Ivetta came first. A hot bubble bath, a filling lunch, and then she could go back to sleep while I took my turn in the tub, after which I would go back to sleep, too. I didn’t care to see anybody today, either.
Ivetta was cooing softly at Evelyn Rose when I left the bathroom and headed for the door. I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but the baby wasn’t crying anymore, just staring up at her mother’s face. I smiled and stepped out into the hallway. Ivetta’s guards were at their posts, both of them looking at me expectantly.
“They’re fine,” I said simply. “Send for Melanie. We’ll have lunch in an hour.”
Their faces relaxed immediately. “Yes, your highness,” Julius said, nodding to the other guard, who turned to go.
I went back into the bedroom. Ivetta was still at my writing desk, now nursing Evelyn Rose. “How are you feeling, little dove?” I asked, walking up behind her and combing my fingers through her hair.
“Tired, weak, sore, disgustingly sticky,” she said, leaning her head back to look up at me. “And never happier.”
Her bright smile reached up to her tired green eyes, and following the trail of exposed skin down from her neck led my eyes directly to our daughter, contentedly suckling. Ivetta looked back down at her. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” she asked.
“You both are,” I replied, pulling her hair back with both hands.
She giggled. “You’d better take the day off, too. The lack of sleep is going to your head.”
“I mean it, Ivetta.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “You’re more beautiful now than I’ve ever seen you.”
“If you think I’m beautiful now, wait until we get to the chateau. I’m going to get into that little black dress and blow you away.”
It was highly unfair of her to say something like that when my love for her was greater than ever, she was half naked in front of me, and we couldn’t make love for another six weeks. I looked away at the window as she pulled Evelyn Rose away from her chest. It was a bright, sunny day. The icicles above our window had melted away.
Why did I still hear running water?
“Although the timing is going to be difficult, isn’t it?” Ivetta asked. “Six weeks…is that right before or after the goodwill gala?”
The bathtub.
“Just a moment.” I pulled away from her and headed toward the bathroom. Fortunately, it hadn’t been long enough for the tub to overflow. I stopped the water and thought I might just go back to sleep with Ivetta after this and take a bath later.
“Oh, a bubble bath!” she exclaimed with delight.
I turned around to see her standing in the doorway, patting the baby’s back as she held her over her shoulder. “Ivetta,” I said reproachfully, coming to her side.
“I can walk, Chevalier,” she replied. “You realize you’ll have to hold Evelyn Rose while I’m bathing?”
That had not occurred to me. I really was tired.
Ivetta laughed at the surprised look on my face, and the baby burped, oblivious to my sudden uncertainty. “It’s not that hard, but maybe you should get a chair. You know, so you can make sure I don’t drown while you’re trying to remember to breathe,” Ivetta teased.
I sighed. “Just give her to me.”
“That’s the spirit. Hold your arms out like Lydia showed you, and there you go. Just remember to hold her head. She can’t hold it up yet.”
I took Evelyn Rose tentatively, staring down for the first time at her open eyes. Crystal blue eyes. My eyes. Framed in wispy blonde hair.
“She looks just like you, Chevalier,” Ivetta said, kissing me on the cheek and heading toward the bathtub. “Oh, this is going to feel so good.”
“What if I drop her?” I asked nervously.
“You’ve never dropped me, and I’m much bigger than her. Thank you for getting the bath ready for me.”
Evelyn Rose weighed next to nothing in my arms. I swallowed nervously, looking down at her, and she shifted slightly. I automatically drew her closer to my chest, and she snuggled up to me like Ivetta did. Her little hand emerged from the blankets and clutched at my shirt. I couldn’t help but smile. She may look like me, but right now, she was acting just like Ivetta - like she felt safe in my arms. Which she was, I realized. She was as precious to me as Ivetta, and I was never going to let anything happen to her. I felt myself relaxing gradually as I held her until I was comfortable enough to shift her to one arm entirely so I could touch her little cheek again. Her fist opened and grabbed my finger, closing tightly around it. The simple action took my breath away. Although her tiny fingers barely encircled mine, she held on stubbornly. I stared at her, enraptured, until Ivetta came to my side, wrapping herself in a bathrobe. She kissed my cheek and took my arm, not even offering to take Evelyn Rose from me. I wasn’t ready to let her go, anyway. We returned to the bedroom, where Melanie had already changed the sheets, tidied up my writing desk, and was setting the table with lunch.
“Ooh, is that Evelyn Rose?” she squealed excitedly, with no trace of her usual discomfort around me as her sparkling gray eyes locked onto the baby in my arms.
“Yes, that’s her. Would you mind holding her while we eat?” Ivetta asked with a knowing smile. She nudged me. “Go on, Chevalier.”
I reluctantly handed Evelyn Rose off to Melanie and pulled out Ivetta’s chair for her. We sat down to eat, both of us looking back at Melanie and the baby frequently. I knew there was no cause for me to be worried. Melanie was the oldest of her siblings and had plenty of experience with babies. But that wasn’t just any baby. That was my daughter.
“She’s got the king’s eyes,” Melanie cooed at Evelyn Rose’s sleeping face. “When they’re open, anyway.”
“I hope that will be all she gets from me,” I commented.
“Chevalier, you have many fine qualities,” Ivetta chided.
“I would prefer for her to be as much like you as possible,” I replied, turning my gaze to Ivetta. She blushed and looked back down at her plate.
“Did you hear that, Evelyn Rose?” Melanie said softly. “When you grow up, you need to find a man who loves you like that.”
“It’s a good thing she won’t grow up for quite a while. I’m not sure her father will make it easy for any potential suitors,” Ivetta giggled, glancing back up at me with sparkling eyes.
“Naturally,” I said, smirking.
Neither of us left our room all day, except for me poking my head into the hall to send for Melanie with our dinner. We slept as much as we could, and I tried to keep Ivetta off her feet whenever we were awake. A single sound from Evelyn Rose gave her a burst of energy and a single-minded purpose to attend to the baby. I couldn’t stop her, and I certainly couldn’t nurse the baby for her, but I watched closely so I could learn how to help with other tasks. As soon as one of us had the baby settled in her bassinet, I had Ivetta back in bed to rest. She didn’t even argue when I told her to stay in our room and rest until our anniversary. That alone was a testament to how tired she was.
But I was back to work the next day, and everybody was asking about Ivetta and Evelyn Rose. I finally got some reprieve from my brothers when I told them they would see them for themselves at dinner the night of our anniversary.
I didn’t tell Ivetta about that. For all she knew, we were having a quiet dinner for two in our private library. It took her and Melanie some time to find a dress that fit her no longer pregnant but still changed body. When she was satisfied, she picked up Evelyn Rose and took my arm, and I led her to the dining room, where all my brothers, plus Arianna, Theresa, and Lydia, were waiting excitedly. Ivetta flashed me a nervous glance and then smiled brightly at everybody else. Evelyn Rose had already been changed and fed, and she was more than happy to be passed around, staring at the goofy faces her aunts and uncles were making in turn.
“Chevalier, you didn’t tell me,” Ivetta hissed when Evelyn Rose, and thus everybody’s attention, was far enough away from us so we could talk in relative privacy for a few minutes.
“That would have ruined the surprise,” I replied quietly.
“But I should have worn a corset,” she said fretfully.
I looked at her in surprise. “Why?”
“Why?” She poked at her stomach. “This is why.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “You just had a baby, Ivetta.”
“Lydia, what’s that?” Theresa asked excitedly.
I looked over at Lydia, who had just taken Evelyn Rose in her arms, and immediately saw what prompted Theresa’s question. The sapphire ring on Lydia’s left hand was impossible to miss.
“Now is as good a time as any,” Nokto said sheepishly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “We’re getting married.”
“It is a disease,” Clavis muttered.
“Congratulations!” Ivetta said excitedly, the sentiment echoed by everybody else.
“Just do me a favor and stay away from the bouquet toss, Clavis,” Nokto said, his crimson eyes glittering.
“Pfft. As if I want to catch that cursed thing,” Clavis said, waving his hand dismissively. “You can have your peaceful domestic life. I’m not ready to settle down yet.”
“That’s good news if I’ve ever heard it. A toast to Clavis never reproducing!” Jin said, raising a glass.
Everybody, including Clavis, raised a glass to that.
“Did Nokto catch a bouquet?” Ivetta asked.
“Arianna’s,” Nokto replied, sipping his wine. “That’s what I get for hitting on a bridesmaid.”
“I’ll forgive you this time,” Lydia teased. “Just don’t do it again.”
After that, Ivetta was back at work, the baby in her arms or in the bassinet in her office hardly slowing her down. The extra weight she was so worried about melted away with her breastfeeding and her insistence on returning to a packed schedule. There was hardly a trace of it left when it was time for her birthday party, and as with our anniversary, Evelyn Rose was once again the favorite of the night. She had her own little dress made to match Ivetta, and she was absolutely adorable.
Roger was there again. He proclaimed that he was going to marry Evelyn Rose. His parents nearly fainted.
And then the six-week mark was upon us, and we were on our way to the chateau for what we hoped would be a romantic week - as romantic as it could be with a newborn around, anyway. Ivetta had not made the past weeks easy for me. Little absentminded comments, surprise kisses, and continuing to snuggle up to me at night didn’t help at all. I was more than ready for some time alone with her, without the distraction of the baby. Evelyn Rose was on a fairly consistent schedule now, so it was easy enough to time our arrival at the chateau with her next change and feeding. The servants brought our luggage into the bedroom while Ivetta went into the bathroom to attend to her, and then Ivetta passed her off to Melanie.
“She should be ready for a nap now,” Ivetta told her. “Just knock if you need anything.”
“Of course. We’ll try not to disturb you,” Melanie said with a wink.
I was sitting on the sofa trying to read, but the memories of last year in this room were as fresh in my mind as if they happened yesterday, and there was no way I could concentrate on anything except Ivetta. The door closed, and I set my book aside as she turned around.
“Hold on,” she said quickly, before I could stand up. “I just need a minute.”
I sighed and folded my arms over my chest. She dug through her luggage and pulled out what looked to be a small strip of black fabric before she darted into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. I had forgotten about the little black dress. My pulse spiked with the realization that she was putting it on for me. I stood up and hastily started shedding layers of clothes, excitement pounding through my veins.
“I’m ready.”
Ivetta’s nervous voice came sooner than I expected. I had stripped down to my shirt and pants, and I was working on my shirt buttons when I turned to look at her. She did not disappoint. The dress was as tight as the red dress from Belle’s wedding, and it was strapless, with a short skirt that ended mid-thigh. She shifted nervously from one foot to another, causing the glitter and sequins to flash with the slight movement. The neckline probably covered her cleavage when she first bought the dress, but now that she was breastfeeding, it showed significantly more than even the negligees she used to wear.
I was on fire.
She blushed as my eyes came back to hers and tugged nervously at the hem of her skirt. I came toward her, cupping her face in my hands as I kissed her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned into me, tentative in her response at first, but relaxing as I deepened the kiss, tangling one hand in her hair and caressing her bare skin with the other.
“Ivetta,” I murmured, scooping her up and carrying her to the bed, “you’re more beautiful every day.”
“It doesn’t fit the same,” she gasped as I pressed her into the sheets and trailed kisses down her neck, “but I didn’t think you’d mind.”
I slid my hands slowly up and down her sides the way she liked, the roughness of the glitter and sequins contrasting with the smooth dips and rises of her outline. She shivered and moaned as I continued kissing every inch of exposed skin, her fingers tearing at my shirt, undoing the remaining buttons and leaving sparks as she ran her hands across my chest.
“I’ve missed this,” she murmured.
“How does this thing work?” I muttered, feeling for the laces or fastenings on the dress.
She giggled at my frustration. “Just pull it down, Chevalier. Or push the skirt up. Whatever you want.”
Whatever I want. I chuckled and hovered over her with a wicked smirk. “What do you want, Ivetta?”
“I want you, Chevalier,” she murmured, her green eyes smoldering as she slid her hand up my chest, across my shoulder, and around to the back of my neck to bring me down to her for another kiss. “But I’m still a bit sore, so take it easy, okay?”
“You keep me waiting for months and then ask me to take it easy?” I teased, yanking the neckline of her dress down and exploring her newly revealed skin.
“Mm, Chevalier,” she moaned.
“Tell me what you want, Ivetta,” I purred.
“You know what I want,” she gasped, arching her back as my fingers slid around and down, pulling the dress away.
“Say it anyway.”
“Please, Chevalier-”
I kissed her again, swallowing her moans as her body responded to mine. Taking it easy didn’t come naturally right now, especially since I knew we didn’t have the rest of the afternoon and all night to reacquaint ourselves with each other like I would prefer, but I held myself back, savoring the bliss that was finally having her all to myself again. We had at most three hours before Evelyn Rose needed Ivetta again, and I intended to take full advantage of that time.
Later, when we lay tangled together, relishing the time we had left before Evelyn Rose inevitably woke up, Ivetta broke the comfortable silence with an uncomfortable question.
“Chevalier, I want to have another baby,” she said, tracing circles on my chest with light fingers.
I felt my entire body stiffen. “I’m not putting you through that again, Ivetta.”
“But you need a son,” she pleaded, snuggling up to my chest. “And the doctor said he thinks it would be safe to try again. Maybe it will be easier next time.”
“Or it might be harder,” I replied, rubbing her back.
“There’s no knowing unless we try.”
No. The answer was no. It had to be no. Son or not, I wasn’t going to risk losing her again.
But she talked to the doctor already, and there would be pressure from all sides to produce an heir…
“I need to think about it.”
“That’s fine,” she said, wrapping her arms around my chest and squeezing me. “I don’t want to try again for another year or two. That’s not something I’d like to repeat too often.”
I sighed and nuzzled into her hair. “Why are you so optimistic? Haven’t you been through enough?”
“With every negative, there’s a positive,” she replied softly. “If Mother hadn’t gotten sick, I may never have started working at the palace. If Jack hadn’t assaulted me, you and I may have never gotten so close. I guess…this is what Mother talked about.” She sighed, her eyelashes tickling my skin as she closed her eyes. “I’ve never told anybody this, but I became angry with God when she got sick. We used to read the Bible together every morning, and when she couldn’t read anymore for herself, she made me continue reading to her. Some days, I just wanted to throw that book away and never look at it again. But she told me God has a plan, and everything happens for a reason, even if we can’t see why. Even if we never see why.”
“And that is why you still read the Bible and go to church,” I summarized quietly.
“Not quite,” she said, pulling back a little to look up at me. There was a strange longing in her eyes. “I thought I was done with God after she died, but…I guess there came a point when I realized I didn’t want to run away from Him anymore.” She took a deep breath, and then she said, “I know you’re not religious, Chevalier, and I haven’t talked to you about this because I don’t know how you’ll react, but…someday, I’d like if we could go to church together. So we can share everything.” Her cheeks reddened, and she ducked her head to nestle into my chest again. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say all that. But I guess that’s why I’m so optimistic. Even if something bad happens, something better comes from it.”
Her heart was pounding against mine. She was embarrassed. We had known each other for two years and shared everything else with each other, but it embarrassed her to talk to me about her beliefs. I didn’t know how to react to that embarrassment, nor did I know how to respond to what she’d said. We’d never talked about religion, not since the morning I asked her why she kept rereading her Bible.
Did she expect me to denigrate that part of her?
To my relief, there was a knock at the door before I could formulate a response.
“Back to motherhood,” she said with a sigh, untangling herself from me and climbing out of bed.
We didn’t talk about it again the rest of the day. Night fell, and I took Evelyn Rose after Ivetta finished feeding her so Ivetta could get ready for bed. I rocked Evelyn Rose’s cradle gently, whispering to her, watching her struggling to keep her blue eyes open. Getting her to fall asleep wasn’t always easy. She’d inherited my looks and her mother’s need to be busy. I wondered who she would take after more.
Ivetta came to my side to look down at that sleepy, angelic face. “She looks more like you every day,” she said softly.
“Shh, she’s almost asleep.”
Ivetta kissed my cheek and left me to finish with Evelyn Rose. When I was certain that our baby was sound asleep, I joined Ivetta in bed. She had been reading as she waited for me, and she greeted me with a smile as she marked her place in her book.
“We should talk to Gilbert, Silvio, and Keith at the goodwill gala about scheduling times to visit them,” she whispered, putting the book away. “I don’t think it will be too much of an issue traveling with Evelyn Rose. She did really well with the ride here.”
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. “You wanted to go to Obsidian this spring, correct?”
“Yes. Maybe we can see the former Garnet palace, too, and if we time it right, we can get there when the lilacs are blooming.”
“Gilbert will accommodate that. I expect you will want to wait until fall to go to Benitoite?”
She nodded. “We’ll have to find out the exact due date from Belle, but I’d like to be there for her, if it’s possible. And we can go to Jade in the summer.”
“And stay home for the winter.”
She smiled and kissed me. “Evelyn Rose might be in her own room by then. Hot apple cider, hot cocoa, and lots of alone time sounds wonderful to me.”
I smirked at her. “You’re not going to try to seduce me into getting you pregnant, are you, little dove?”
“Now, why would I ever do that?” she asked teasingly. “You said you wanted time to think, and I will respect your decision, whatever it is. The doctor told me how to plan, so nothing happens.”
I traced a finger down her cheek. “I don’t like the idea of holding back.”
“Well, if you don’t, I’m going to end up pregnant, whether you like it or not.”
We shared a long, passionate kiss. “You are a persuasive little thing,” I breathed before kissing her again.
“I’m not trying to persuade you, Chevalier,” she giggled.
Evelyn Rose’s sudden crying interrupted us.
“My turn.” Ivetta gave me a quick kiss and hurried to the cradle. “Shh, little one, everything is going to be okay. Do you want me to sing you a song?”
I lay back, listening to her soft voice as she sang her mother’s lullaby. The tune was as familiar to me as her smile. It was the same song she used to hum when she was my maid, when I lay still in bed every morning and pretended to be asleep so she wouldn’t stop. I hadn’t known the words until Evelyn Rose was born. It was a Garnet lullaby, the simple words in a language Ivetta memorized from hearing them sung to her by her mother, long before she knew the meaning. I instantly relaxed whenever she sang this song. I closed my eyes, listening, but I didn’t fall asleep. Her words about her religious beliefs were still echoing in my ears.
Everything happened for a reason.
Ivetta’s song ended, and the bed shifted as she returned to my side. She brushed my hair back from my forehead and kissed my cheek. “Goodnight, Chevalier.” She cuddled up to me, and I put my arm around her and hugged her close.
“I’ll think about it,” I mumbled.
“You already said that, Chevalier.”
I opened my eyes to look at hers. “I’ll think about going to church with you, Ivetta.”
Her green eyes widened with surprise, and a slow smile lit up her face. “Chevalier,” she gasped, breathless with excitement. I hadn’t realized it would mean this much to her. She was so simple sometimes. And so complex.
“It doesn’t take much to make you happy, does it?” I murmured, kissing her again.
“Not at all.” She laid her head on my chest. “We’ve come a long way, Chevalier, haven’t we? From that day we first met. Belle says it’s like a fairy tale, and sometimes, it really seems like it.”
“We need to get some sleep before the baby wakes us up again.”
“Just one more thing.” She pulled back to look into my eyes. “Promise me…promise me we’ll keep writing the story together? For the rest of our lives?”
I found her hand and traced her wedding ring’s path around her finger. “You already have my promise, little dove.”
She laid her head back on my chest. “I know, but sometimes I just like to hear it again.”
“I love you, Ivetta.”
“I love you, Chevalier.”
I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of lilacs, feeling her soft curves pressing into my body, listening to her breathe. This was heaven. Maybe it was time I investigated the possibility that there was something to her religion. Maybe. Her intrusion into my life had been nothing short of a miracle. The fact that she was still alive, still here with me, was inexplicable. Either way, whether we had been brought together by accident or by fate, we were together, and we weren’t just writing our own story. We were rewriting mine. My father hadn’t known what he was missing, but I would not make the same mistakes he did. Ivetta, Evelyn Rose, they were the most important parts of my life. They were my life. A life that held so much more meaning than it ever had before. I kissed the top of her head one more time, and she nuzzled closer to me. She had my promise, and I had hers. We would be writing our story together, every day, every month, every year, for the rest of our lives.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKwRAH2i4p
