Chapter 314
“They used to be in the service together,” Briony sighed, pressing her lips together. “Let’s not worry about them. I’ll go upstairs and change out the linens in the guest room. Can you stay with the kids?”
“Of course.”
Carol was always quick on her feet and attentive to details. While Briony was upstairs swapping the sheets, Carol cleared the dinner table without being asked.
By the time Briony came back down, Carol was already in the kitchen, washing up the dishes.
Briony tried to insist that she stop, but Carol just shook her head and kept going.
Seeing there was no persuading her, and that it was getting late, Briony gathered little Mario and Little Nina and headed upstairs to get them ready for bed.
Little Mario was just starting to recover from his illness, so Briony didn’t dare give him a full
bath.
Instead, she warmed up a soft towel and gently wiped him down, then helped him change into a set of Little Nina’s pajamas.
The pajamas hung off little Mario’s small frame, the sleeves and legs a bit too long.
When Briony was cleaning him up, his ribs stood out starkly beneath his pale skin, and it made
her heart ache.
No mother could stand to see such a sweet little boy looking so fragile.
She tucked little Mario into bed, then handed him one of Little Nina’s favorite picture books.
He loved picture books, his head bent over the pages, completely absorbed.
Briony slipped into the bathroom to give Little Nina a quick bath.
By the time Carol came upstairs, the two little ones were already snuggled up in Briony’s bed, yawning and rubbing their eyes.
“I changed the linens, and put fresh toiletries in the bathroom,” Briony told Carol quietly. “Little Mario wants to sleep with Little Nina tonight–let’s just let him join us.”
Carol hesitated. “Will the two of them be too much to handle in one bed?”
“Not at all. Little Mario is as good as gold,” Briony smiled. “And the guest room doesn’t have a bed rail, but mine does. I’m not worried about them falling out in the night. It’s safer this way.”
Carol still looked a little uneasy, but she didn’t argue.
She headed off to the guest room, and Briony closed the door behind her.
Chapter 314
Every night, Briony would read Little Nina a story before bed.
If she was busy, James or even Gwendolyn White would take over story duty.
“Mommy,” Little Nina piped up suddenly, “can you sleep in the middle tonight?”
Briony blinked. “Why?”
“Because I want to cuddle with you–and so does little Mario!”
Briony glanced at little Mario.
He looked a bit embarrassed, blinking his big eyes as a flush crept across his pale cheeks.
Briony couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he was.
She climbed into bed between the two kids, wrapping an arm around each of them. “All right, no story tonight. How about a lullaby instead?”
“Yes, yes!” Little Nina cheered. “You sing the prettiest lullabies! Little Mario, you’re in for a treat!” Little Mario gazed at Briony, his dark eyes shining.
Briony flicked off the light and began to hum softly.
Her gentle voice drifted through the dim room, soothing and sweet.
The two children nestled close, rubbing their eyes and yawning. Sleep crept up on them, and their breathing grew slow and even.
Briony felt the tiny bodies in her arms relax as they finally drifted off.
Her singing faded away, and she hugged little Mario just a little tighter.
Through the warmth of these children, she found herself mourning the baby she’d never had the
chance to meet.
Early summer in the old town, and the night air was cool.
Out in the courtyard of a stately townhouse, beneath the spreading branches of an ancient oak, a granite table–beautifully carved by hand–was set with a tray for tea.
Steam curled up from the pot, filling the air with the rich aroma of freshly brewed leaves.
Carl poured the tea, refilling the cups for the two men seated at the table.
One after another, they drank the hot tea, gradually sobering up from the night’s indulgence,
Garry looked like he had something heavy on his mind.
Stewart turned to Carl. “Go get some rest at the hotel. Come pick me up in the morning.”
Carl knew better than to argue. He nodded. “All right. I’ll come back for you in the morning.”
16:
Chapter 314
The wooden gate creaked open, then shut again as Carl left.
“Stewart, it’s been four years. Are you really not going to let this go?” Garry’s voice was low, his eyes dark with a turmoil of emotions. “She’s just an ordinary woman. Clinging to her will only hurt her. Didn’t what happened four years ago teach you anything?”
Under the silver moonlight, Stewart’s face was all hard lines and shadows.
He didn’t answer Garry’s question–he just sat there in silence.
The next morning, Carol was up early in the kitchen, making breakfast.
Stewart and Garry had, in fact, spent the entire night out in the courtyard.
Carney and James woke up still a little hungover, but the two who’d drunk the most were somehow both perfectly fine.
Their tolerance was frankly impressive.
Carol had made a Western–style breakfast, hearty and nutritious–scrambled eggs, toast, and a
bit of fruit.
At the table, Stewart glanced at the side of sautéed vegetables, his brows drawing together. He set down his fork and reached for some greens instead.
Little Mario, perched in his booster seat, quietly picked the sautéed potatoes out of the food Briony placed on his plate.
Little Nina spotted him and scolded gently, “Little Mario, you shouldn’t be picky!”
Little Mario looked at her, his brow furrowing. “Don’t want them!”
Carol quickly stepped in to explain, “Little Mario isn’t being picky. He just has a real aversion to potatoes. He’s always been that way.”
Stewart’s hand paused, and he looked over at little Mario, curiosity flickering across his face.
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