Fiona raised a brow, but there was no censure in her bright green gaze. “Nice to meet you, Miss Pratt.”
“Can I go play with the others?” Gabriel asked, bouncing up and down with excitement.
“Of course, sweetheart,” Vanessa told him indulgently.
“He’s looking very well,” Fiona said, once the little boy had raced off. “I’m so thankful to you for giving him such a wonderful home, my friend.”
“I am thankful to have the opportunity,” Vanessa said simply. “Now, where is my niece?”
“Come with me,” Fiona said, then led them up a flight of stairs and down the hallway to a sunny room at the back of the house.
An older woman sat in a rocking chair, holding a baby. She smiled and put her finger to her lips, indicating that the child was sleeping.
“She’s beautiful,” Vanessa whispered, tears pooling in her lovely dark eyes. “Oh, I wish Anne could see her.”
Serenity instinctively moved forward and put her arm around Vanessa, hugging her tightly.
“How is the father?” Fiona asked in a carefully neutral voice, but Serenity could tell she was as bothered by Morgan’s lack of interest in the child as she was.
Vanessa sighed and shook her head. “He sat by Anne’s coffin for days. He wasn’t going to let them bury her. If not for the earl’s intervention, he’d probably still be there. I think he’s still in so much denial about her death. He can’t bear to face Felicity and think about what he’s lost. I don’t think he knows how to raise a baby by himself.”
“He doesn’t have to raise her by himself,” Fiona said in a huff. “There are plenty of people who would be willing to help him. He can hire a nanny.”
“I’m sure he will.” Vanessa sighed. “He just needs a little more time. It’s been less than a week. We just need to allow him time to mourn.”
Vanessa’s compassion and understanding of her brother-in-law’s pain made Serenity feel a surge of sympathy and kinship with Luke’s brother. Who was she to judge how he dealt with the loss of his beloved wife? She also realized just how much Luke had been through in the last week. When had he even had the time to help his brother, with everything else that had been going on? She made up her mind to do better. To help him more. To take a little bit of the stress he must be feeling on her own shoulders.
Fiona leaned down and took the sleeping baby from her nurse, cuddling the infant tenderly. “Well, until her daddy figures things out, we’ll just have to give her all the love she needs, won’t we?”
She passed the baby to Vanessa, who looked down at the child with mingled sorrow and joy. “Yes, we will.” She sighed. “I’ll come every day. I’m sorry it took me this long.”
“You were grieving, too,” Fiona told her quietly. “And that’s what I’m here for.”
Serenity peered over Vanessa’s shoulder at the beautiful baby’s sleeping face. Her heart accelerated at the sight. She’d not been this close to a baby since she’d lost hers. She desperately wanted a chance to hold Felicity herself, but she was equally certain that holding that warm little body would be the thing to push her over the edge, to crack the shell she’d been trying to build around her emotions since she’d found out that her own child was out there somewhere, alone and afraid.
Seeming to sense something of what was going on, Fiona linked her arm with Serenity’s. “Let’s let Felicity and her aunt have some time together,” she said brightly. “Come, I’ll show you what Adrian and I have built here.”
Serenity nodded and let Fiona lead her out into the hall. She was struck by a sudden thought. “Do you have any seven-year-old girls here?”
Fiona gave her an odd look. “Yes, a couple. Why?”
Taking a deep breath, Serenity decided to be honest with her. “I had a child. A daughter. Seven years ago. She was taken from me. Luke... Hawkesmere and I, we’re trying to find her. He’s tearing the city apart looking for her, and I just thought... maybe there was something I could do to help. Maybe I could find her myself.”
“Oh, you poor dear,” Fiona said softly, squeezing her hand and pulling her back downstairs and out the back door to a grassy garden where a dozen or so children played. She gestured to a small grouping of three girls sitting on a blanket, having a tea party with a few dolls. “Those are the only ones who are in the right age range.”
Serenity drew closer, staring closely, trying to somehow decide if one of these girls was her daughter. One was a redhead, which seemed improbable. One had mousy brown hair and brown eyes. Serenity was certain her child would have light-colored eyes. The last little girl had blond hair and green eyes. Serenity stared at her the longest. This one was possible. Her hair was not as pale as Serenity’s, and her eyes were a deeper green, but there was a bit of a resemblance. Maybe there was something about the tilt of her nose?
Tears filled her eyes. It was hopeless. Would she forever look for hints of herself or Luke in every little girl she saw?
Suddenly, Gabriel crossed her field of vision, chasing a ball, stumbling into the group of girls. They shrieked and scattered, complaining loudly. Gabriel glanced back toward where Fiona and Serenity stood, his blue eyes sparkling, a deep dimple appearing briefly in his cheek as he smiled. “Sorry about that, ma’am.”
Serenity froze, stunned to depth of her soul.
Luke’s eyes. Luke’s dimple. Luke’s charm.
Gabriel took off running again, and Serenity leaned forward, bracing her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath, feeling as though she’d had the wind knocked out of her.
“Are you all right?” Fiona asked, sounding worried.
