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The attempt to bolster my dignity is flimsy, but it’s all that’s available to me. Just as Tomas’ past shouldn’t matter to me, my own shouldn’t hold me back. There is only forward, and I’ll go forth with Jamys.
Chapter twenty-four
Lord and Lady Kinrade are welcoming as can be, but without the close connections our party had to Lambridge, we aren’t quite so casual in Brasport. In our manners, anyway. Even without summer’s official arrival, the heat down here keeps us casually dressed. I keep a breeze on our faces as we ride into town, physical discomfort taking precedence over my unease with magic. Wispy panels of skirts blow behind Nina, Lady Cara, and me. Thin linen shirts on the men blow open at their chests. Jamys looks good in his lighter, newly-acquired regional wardrobe, and the glimpses of his skin, bronze from days in the sun, are rather alluring.
Going south as temperatures rise must be madness to him. Haarton Castle, where he summers—where I will too—is in the far north, as far as we could possibly get from here. Within the next few months, I’ll have toured the whole continent. Aside from Penum’s strip up the coastline, of course.
“I’ve already assured the woman of our financial support,” Cara says. “She says she can manage the care herself.”
Rylan shakes his head. “How can anyone be prepared to care for three infants without any notice?”
“She lost a baby at birth recently. Very sad, but she was producing milk, so it worked out well enough. I think she’s grateful to have a baby.”
“Three, though.” Nina sounds incredulous.
Three newborn babes found without any sign as to where they came from. When did Alchos become the land of bizarre events? We lose people, find people, have nameless enemies impersonating royal staff. Why Rylan and Nina are so desperate to rule over it all, I don’t know.
We reach the home where the mysterious infants now reside—a modest but charming dwelling. It’s painted in pale colors with a shaded porch stretching across the front. A woman opens the door for us and curtsies. “Your Graces. My lady. It’s an honor.”
“The honor is ours,” Rylan says. “You’re doing a great service by caring for these children.”
“Not at all. Please, come in.” She leads us into a sitting room which opens to the kitchen. “May I get you anything to drink?”
“No, thank you,” Marcus says. “Please, sit and rest.”
She tucks her hair behind her ear and smooths her simple brown dress before sitting. That she would bother trying to keep up appearances, exhausted as she must be, is astonishing. I step over to a large bassinet where three little faces peek out from thin, wrapped blankets.
“How are they doing?” Cara asks.
“Very well, my lady. All strong and sweet as can be.”
“What have you called them?” I keep my eyes on the two little dark-haired heads and one golden one.
“Gavan, Dollin, and Tessa.”
“Two boys and a girl, then?”
“Yes. The blonde is my sweet girl.”
I brush a finger over a golden curl, and a weight hangs on me. Perhaps it’s Jamys’ gaze. It’s easy enough to think of there being a baby in our future when it’s hypothetical, but standing here together, over one who could be what ours will look like—babies all look the same—solidifies the idea. It’s a reality I tell myself I’m ready for, but if he’s watching me with a baby right now and getting warm flutters in his stomach, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It shouldn’t be uncomfortable, but I’m not ready.
Tosha continues to deny offers of assistance, as if admitting she needs sleep makes her unfit. One starts to fuss, and that disturbs the others. She rushes to them and lifts two, bouncing and rocking them in her arms.
I gesture to the baby boy still in the bassinet. “May I?”
“Only if you wish to, Your Grace.”
“I do.” I pick up Gavan or Dollin, whoever he is, and cradle him in my arms. My swaying quiets his cries. “You’re doing a wonderful job. Would it be too much to ask to borrow the little ones for the afternoon? We haven’t yet taken Prince Jamys to see the shore, and I’ve heard the salty breeze is good for babies.”
Nina looks at me like I grew four heads, and Tosha goes wide-eyed, looking like she can’t decide if she can reach out and grasp the assistance I’ve offered.
“It would be such a kindness if you allow us to take them as well.” I turn to fix a look at Jamys. “Wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, of course.”
I tilt my head toward Tosha, keeping eye contact with Jamys. He takes the hint and asks to hold one of the infants. Tessa looks even smaller against him. His hesitant tenderness is adorable. Damn it, now I’m the one looking on with warm flutters.
Rylan rolls his shoulders back as if preparing for battle and takes the last baby from the tired woman. She looks frightened and sad, but it isn’t as if she can continue like this. “If it’s what Your Graces wish, of course. I only hope they aren’t troublesome for you.”
