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‘Lucinda.’ He jerked up to standing, his heart pounding into his throat. ‘You can’t be serious.’
‘Oh, I am.’ He grinned.
‘But...you haven’t been at all sick.’
‘I know. I’ve felt wonderful.’
‘But Evie—’
‘Every pregnancy is different.’
‘How long have you known?’
‘Only a couple of weeks,’ she said with an apologetic smile. ‘And then I decided to wait until I was twelve weeks, just to be absolutely sure.’ Her kindness was so typical of Lucinda—to try to spare him from the pain of a possible loss. ‘But I had another scan yesterday.’
‘Your mystery appointment!’ he accused with a grin. ‘I did notice you were being quite vague about your schedule.’
‘I just desperately wanted to know for sure before I told you. Everything’s fine. In six months we will have a lovely baby...do you want to know?’
‘Not that it matters, but yes, I want to know.’
He waited, and Lucinda stepped up onto her tiptoes, whispering the gender into his ear. He pulled apart, grinning down at his wife, feeling as though the world had blessed him with a goodness he didn’t deserve. Except Lucinda told him every day that he did, and Thirio was just starting to believe it.
‘I hope she has your goodness, my darling wife.’
‘And your heart.’
A year later, they held their six-month-old daughter in their arms, little Connie, named for his mother, as they eyed the memorial garden that had been created in the grounds of thecastile, for his parents. Evie and Erik stood a little to the side, the twins weaving between their feet, Evie’s hand pressed to her rounded stomach. Erik held her close as tears fell down Evie’s cheeks. It was a poignant moment, but a necessary one. At last Constantina and Andreas Skartos’s memories were brought into the light, where the good times could be remembered with joy, the gifts they’d given their children honoured daily. Grief was still a part of Thirio’s heart, but it was a grief he was determined to learn from.
Life was short. Unpredictable and precious, and he was determined to make every moment of his count, just as he intended his children would.
He kissed his wife’s forehead and he smiled.
He was exactly where he was meant to be, with Lucinda by his side, and life was truly, wonderfully good.
