We were so busy looking after Violet day in and day out that the month following her birth positively flew by. She grew up fast and healthily; her wrinkled face and limbs had filled out into something more chubby and baby-like, and she’d started moving around and showing emotion on her face. Her cuteness factor was double—no, quadruple what it used to be!
I saw her everyday, and still I never got tired of watching her. Babies had a mysterious sort of charisma, to be sure.
“Watching her grow with each passing day is a wonder and a joy,” my husband said, just as pleased to see her blossoming as I was.
Though he’d always been sure to give me a hug when he came home from work, giving one to Violet became a new addition to his routine.
✦ ✦ ✦
Mother and Father Fisalis eventually went home to their territory, and life returned to normal around the manor. My days as a bedridden shut-in behind me, I was slowly but surely getting back into the usual swing of things.
“Man, I’ve gotten so out of shape. I’d kill to fluff some laundry right about now!”
“Let’s save that for after you’ve broken in your body, shall we?”
Alas, resuming my life as a servant wasn’t quite in the cards yet. The maids were doing everything in their power to rein me in, so I had no choice but to drop the idea. Instead, I warmed myself up with lighter exercises, such as taking Violet for walks around the garden.
Pushing around the baby carriage Bellis had made for her, I hummed a happy tune as we strolled among the flowers.
And guess what? The carriage had the same design as Daisy’s!
Since Daisy was old enough to sit upright, hers was more of a stroller, while the newborn Violet rode in a pram. Come to think of it, Bellis had also been the one to make me that wheelchair when my leg got injured. What a great handyman we had around the house!
As long as I picked a nice time of day—neither too hot nor too cold—basking in the sun and enjoying a spot of tea out in my personal garden was another great way to spend the time.
One day, I was in the middle of a tea party with Mimosa, Daisy, Stellaria, and a few other maids, when Rohtas came from the mansion with a sealed letter in hand. “There’s a letter for you, Madam.”
“A letter? From who?”
“It’s from one of Master Fisalis’s co-workers. One of the female knights, to be exact.”
“Oh, one of the Bombshell Trio, I assume? Thanks.”
I took the message off his hands.
Letters had begun pouring in as soon as the worst of the post-delivery chaos died down. A lot of “How are you holding up? We’d like to stop by for a visit soon.”-type stuff.
It wasn’t just the chivalric order’s Bombshell Trio that had reached out. I’d likewise gotten letters from close friends of mine like Miss Iris and Miss Verbena. More than a few, I might add.
I asked Mr. Fisalis for permission to have them over each time one of those requests came in, but he’d always shoot me down with “Lettie’s still too young for that.” If you asked me, however, we were well past the point where it might have been an issue.
So I thought to myself as I tore open the letter, and lo, the contents were exactly what I’d expected.
“It says, ‘We’d like to come for a visit. When would work best on your end?’ Sounds like the ladies are itching to meet Lettie.”
“So it would seem.”
Reading between the lines, “When would work best on your end?” translated to “We’re not going to take no for an answer.”
“I’ll ask Cercis about it when he gets home.”
If he says no again, I could always have them sneak over while he’s out of the house. He and the girls work the same hours, but hmm... I wouldn’t put it past them to show up declaring, “No problem! We took the day off!”