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Sam stared at the letter, mixed feelings churning inside her. Evie was obviously trying to cheer her up. No matter what she said, Sam would travel to Carlisle to visit her after the festival. She wouldn’t feel better until she saw her friend with her own eyes.
After Sam showed Isabel the rest of the house and the garden, they settled in the library, having tea and biscuits. Earlier that morning, Sam had told John that she wouldn’t be visiting him with a luncheon for the next several days, since she would be busy with Isabel and Linda finalizing their plans for the festival. He put on a great show of being disgruntled, but in the end, kissed her long and thoroughly, said he’d miss her, told her to eat well, smiled at her, and walked away.
She’d secretly hoped he’d be more broken up about it since she was already missing him fiercely.
“And then, we can have a ritual bonfire. Each villager can bring some old thing and burn it in a gesture of ridding themselves of a bitter past and starting anew. What do you think?” Isabel looked up from her notes.
“How do you come up with ideas like that?” Sam regarded her sister curiously.
Isabel just shrugged. “I suppose I pay attention to what happens at every event. When you don’t need to fend off the suitors, you can observe quite a lot.”
“Do you ever wish that your life was different? That you were married?”
Isabel twirled a quill thoughtfully in her hand. “To whom?” she finally asked.
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know, to anybody.”
Isabel laughed at that. “No, I do not wish I was married to just anybody. Nobody who has ever proposed to me would make me as happy as Ashbury makes you.” She put her quill down on the table. “Sometimes I wish I had an attentive, loving husband, yes. But this is just a useless dream. I haven’t met any man who could be that husband for me. So why wish? I have a wonderful family. A viscount brother who needs me. I don’t think I could be leading a more fulfilling life.”
“Do you wish…” Sam paused, looking down at her lap. “Don’t you ever want to have children?” she asked, wincing at the wistful tone of her voice.
“Well, I like children, but with siblings aplenty, I think I shall have enough nephews and nieces to…” She paused and studied her little sister’s downturned face. “Are—?”
“I don’t know,” Sam answered quickly, her face turning crimson. “I have missed my monthly…” She turned away uncomfortably. “And I have been nauseous lately. But not terribly. You hear these stories.” Sam shrugged.
“But that’s wonderful!” Isabel leaped out of her chair.
“I am not certain yet.” Sam let out a breath and leaned heavily on the back of her chair. “I am not sure if John will be happy about it.”
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Isabel walked toward her and settled on a settee next to Sam.
“It’s something he said before we married. He said he wasn’t interested in raising children. He said he would father them if I wanted them, but he wouldn’t take an active part in rearing them.”
Isabel tucked a wayward strand of Sam’s hair behind her ear. “Why wouldn’t he want to raise his children?”
Sam shrugged delicately. “He said…” She took a long breath. “He said he didn’t know how. He didn’t have the best examples.”
“Well, that’s just silly.” Isabel smoothed Sam’s hair with her palm. “He didn’t have much reference on how to treat a wife either and look how happy he’s made you.”
Sam laughed, a merry sound. “Oh, how I’ve missed you, Isabel!” The sisters stood and flew into each other’s arms, hugging, laughing, and crying all at the same time.
* * *
John entered his dining room to a murmur of voices and a buzz of genuine excitement. He’d missed several suppers since his sister-in-law had joined their household. One of the reasons for that was because he wanted to give his wife some time to catch up with her sister and give them privacy. But mostly he did it because they had so much more work to get done before the upcoming celebration in just a few nights he didn’t have time for lengthy family suppers.
Today, however, all his in-laws had finally arrived. At least everyone who was still in England. The youngest of the brothers, Alan, was still somewhere on the Continent, but the rest were currently in his dining room.
As he entered the room, the warmth spilled inside him. His wife was sitting at one end of the table, wildly gesticulating in an animated discussion with her brothers. Her elder sister was pushing the plates closer to her brothers, urging them to eat and generally mothering them. John had told them to start the meal without him, since he wasn’t sure he was going to finish the work on time. But for some reason, his heart wasn’t in it, and he rushed home, leaving Christopher in command. Now, looking at the people gathered at his table, laughing and talking at the same time, he was glad he was there. This was something he’d wished for without even realizing it. A family. He finally had a family.
He smiled as he strode into the room. The men started to get up in order to greet him, but he gestured for them to stay in their seats. He walked toward his wife, placed a warm kiss on her forehead, received a bright smile in response, and took his seat at the head of the table. Just like he’d dreamed when he was young. A kiss, a smile, and a table full of family members. The only thing missing was a babe rocking on his knee. He shook the thought from his head. This part of his youthful dream did not have a place in his life. Too many changes were happening at once as it was. He didn’t need a babe to turn everything on its head again. Although as he gazed at his wife across the table, he could imagine her belly swelling with his child and an odd pride settled in his chest. She could be with child right at this moment. He frowned at the thought.
“So, how are the renovations proceeding?” Gage, the eldest sibling, crashed into his reverie.
“Almost done. Not all of it, of course, but everything necessary for the celebration should be finished by the end of the day tomorrow.”
“That was fast. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an estate taking shape in such a short period of time.”
“When you have strong, willing workers, everything is possible. These are soldiers. They are used to working in horrid conditions, day and night. You give them food and lodgings, and they will work miracles.”
