We’d been slowly but surely making preparations since before I’d entered the final stage of my pregnancy, so by the time Doctor Granny told us the baby might be born any day now, we had a nursery complete with a crib ready to go.
“Even looking at it in the light, it’s hard to believe this crib is over twenty years old.”
“It’s a good quality piece, and we’ve done a solid job of cleaning and fixing it up,” Rohtas explained to me as I admired the gorgeous antique cradle.
Get a load of this—it was the very same baby bed Mr. Fisalis had slept in as an infant! I’d found it lying around and pulled it out of storage. That’s what you’d call my knack for recycling in action. The servants had touched it up for me, and now it was practically good as new.
I could tell it was well-made even in the dim light of the storage shed, but now that I’d brought it out into the light of day, the amber luster of the wood gave it a nice antique feel.
I’d also sewn the baby’s clothes and diapers by hand—yet another trick I was known for.
“Infants grow out of their clothes in the blink of an eye, so it’d be a waste to buy a fancy wardrobe! Besides, hand-sewn clothes feel best against a baby’s delicate skin.”
“Goodness, Madam... You’re so knowledgeable, it’s almost hard to believe this is your first child.”
“That’s what happens when a girl practically raises her brother and sister!”
Ho ho ho! I may not know much about delivering a child, but I know all about taking care of one! Not to brag, but Thistle’s and Freesia’s clothes were all made by yours truly!
Sitting alongside the maids, who were all watching me in awe, I stitched away at my future child’s clothes and undergarments.
“Master Fisalis insisted it would be easier to buy everything.”
“Is Cercis still going on about that? I’ve told him over and over that you can’t just throw money at every problem. When is he ever going to get it through his thick skull?” I muttered under my breath.
“Hee hee. He was only thinking of you, Madam; he wanted to spare you all this trouble.”
“One of these days, I’d like him to learn that money can’t buy love.”
“No need to worry. I think he is starting to realize that.”
“Maybe you’re right. He has changed a lot.”
“Hasn’t he just?”
My hands never stopped working for a moment while I ran my mouth. The project was going right according to schedule.
“Now that I’ve finished all the necessities, I might as well use the time to make a few extra outfits.”
“I’m impressed, Madam.”
Heh heh. I’ll have you know that this sort of thing is my specialty!
The preparations were in place. All that was left was to wait for the moment of truth.
✦ ✦ ✦
The servants and I had soundly rejected Mr. Fisalis’s idiotic—ahem, overprotective Wheelchair Transit Plan. Instead, we came to an agreement that whenever he was home, he would personally escort me wherever I needed to go.
He turned out to be everything I could ever want from an escort; not only did he help me through the corridors, but he would even head down the stairs a few steps ahead of me and make sure that I didn’t miss my footing.
Who could have guessed he was such a conscientious worrywart? I thought, once more finding myself moved by the unimaginable transformation he’d undergone since the early days of our marriage.
I mean, c’mon! Back in those days, our conversations (“business reports” might be more like it) would consist of nothing but “I spent the day doing embroidery (lie)” and “I’m glad to hear you passed the time without incident. See you,” before we went our separate ways. He’d always go back to his girlfriend in the cottage without so much as a backward glance...and now look! It was too funny not to laugh.
When a grin broke out across my face as I reminisced about Mr. Fisalis’s past self, he gave me a curious look from where he was walking a few steps ahead of me, holding my hand. “What’s up?”
Only now that there were a few steps between us was my gaze finally level with his. He was pretty tall, after all. It wasn’t often that we stood eye to eye; the sensation was a novel one, and my heart fluttered as I was reminded of just how gorgeous his deep-brown eyes were.
“Nothing.”
I wasn’t about to say that I was reflecting on his old ways.
“Oh, yeah...? Somehow I’m getting the feeling I shouldn’t ask, so I won’t.”
“Good plan.”
That’s some sharp intuition you’ve got there, Mr. Fisalis!
Then, he placed a hand over my enormous belly and said his usual line (or was it a command?) to Bitsy. “Make sure you’re born when Daddy’s home.”
“Something tells me Bitsy is dying to meet you, so I’m sure the little one will wait for you to come on out.”
“Let’s hope so. Though in the end, what matters most is that both you and the baby make it through okay.”
“You’re such a worrywart.”
“What did you expect? I’ve told you before—this is a first for me, so it’s scary!”
“Fair enough.”
He held me in his arms and stroked my hair, and I felt I could rest easy knowing he would keep me safe.