Five years later
A young woman sat in a chaise, accompanied by a nurse who held the reins of a pretty painted mare.
“Do you want to get closer?” the nurse asked her.
“Nae. I can see from here,” she answered, her voice holding an eagerness about it that wasn’t lost on her companion. They were in the shadow of a clump of scrubby oak, well hidden from view.
Across the lawn, a family was enjoying the summer weather. The father, a handsome man with very light hair, was pushing a six-year-old girl with dark curls in a swing that was hung from an enormous oak.
“Higher, Papa,” she screamed with glee. “Higher!”
As if responding, two dogs raced around the tree, barking into the wind.
The mother, a pretty woman, now very pregnant, sat nearby, watching her family; she had a notebook on her lap and had just looked up from it. Her smile was warm as she studied the other two. “Be careful, Gavin,” she cautioned. “Not too high.”
“Ah, but my Alice is a brave girl, aren’t you, my sweet? And today is your birthday; you are a big six-year-old.”
Alice laughed into the wind, her curls lifting and blowing into her face as she soared. “I’m brave, and I’m six! Higher, Papa!”
Darla Dean fought back tears. Her baby was safe. She was happy. She was loved. Darla had known it would be so, but to see for herself made her content.
“We can leave now,” she said to her companion, knowing she would never look upon her child again.
Gavin caught a glimpse of the chaise as it moved slowly out from behind the trees. Although he had felt they were being watched, he had not felt alarm.
The front door opened, and Lydia came out holding his and Robbie’s three-year-old daughter. He stopped pushing Alice on the swing long enough to give Linnea a kiss on the cheek. “Did you have a good nap, sweetness?”
Linnea—who had her father’s light hair, though it looked more like puffs of clouds than actual hair—rubbed her eyes with her fists. “I dream of Lady.”
Responding to her name, Lady Perlina bounded toward them, tail wagging and ears perky. Linnea reached down to touch the pet, and Lydia put her on the ground. The dog, who had been a protector of both girls from the very beginning, gently nudged Linnea’s tummy, which made the child giggle.
The other Corgi, Lady’s daughter, Miss Sallie, joined them and pushed Linnea to the ground. Instead of being upset, the child laughed and rolled around on the grass with the dogs.
“Papa, it’s my birthday, swing me!” Alice ordered, trying without success to swing herself.
Gavin and Robbie exchanged glances. Their daughters were as different as the colors of their hair. Alice was a little lady; she loved dressing in pretty dresses and having tea parties with her dolls, often requiring her little sister to join them—or serve them.
Linnea, on the other hand, loved the grass. She loved the trees and the flowers, and whenever she could, she would attempt to climb into the oak that held the swing. Mrs. Murray always complained about the grass stains on Linnea’s clothing, but everyone could tell she wasn’t as upset about it as she tried to be.
“Papa!”
Lydia moved to the swing. “Here, birthday girl, I’ll push you.”
Robbie let out a yelp, which brought Gavin to her side immediately.
“It’s nothing; just a good, swift kick in the ribs,” she explained with a soft smile.
“So our dinner guests won’t flock around the bed to welcome our new son?”
Robbie raised an eyebrow at him. “You have your mind set on a boy, don’t you?”
Gavin gave his wife a loving look. “Not really. I’m just grateful you’re healthy.”
“When do the guests arrive?” Lydia called, continuing to push Alice on the swing.
Colin, Eve, and Birdie, now his wife, were coming to spend a few days in the country to celebrate Alice’s birthday. Birdie had not been to visit for many months. No matter what excuses she gave, everyone knew it was because she had had enough of the provincial life when she’d lived at Erskine House years before. And now, with her new social status, she rarely pulled herself away to visit her sister and the family. It upset no one.
Although Birdie had softened since her marriage to Colin, her basic personality was still the same. Both Robbie and Gavin wondered how either Eve or Colin could abide by it day after day, but as long as they didn’t complain, no one brought it up.
Linnea toddled to her father and he reached down and picked her up, snuggling her in his lap. She immediately put her thumb in her mouth.
“They should be here any time,” he replied. He gave his wife another glance, one she returned with a sly smile. “What’s that look for?”
“For you, my darling husband; all of my smiles are because of you.”