Chapter Ten
Verina went down to breakfast, a spring in her step.
Almost two weeks had passed since the assembly they had attended in Merrivale, and every day had been filled with new adventures.
The neighborhood had been so welcoming to Justina and her, and they had received several invitations.
They had dined with prominent members of Polite Society in the area.
Gone to tea with others. They had been riding and walking and even ventured into the village twice with Miss Kannady, her mother, and Miss Chambers for shopping and taking tea.
All in all, this had been a delightful visit. Verina would be sad to see it end.
This afternoon, they would be heading to Redfield again.
The duke had asked them to come for dinner on the night of the assembly, but they had been flooded with other invitations and put off dining with him and his mother until today.
They would leave mid-afternoon, taking tea with the duchess, as well as dinner.
They would stay overnight and then return to Merrifield tomorrow morning.
She had not seen Reddington since the night of the assembly, although he had been to Merrifield. Both times, she, Justina, and Tia had been out, and Verina thought it a good thing. She had been so busy that she had hardly had time to give the duke a second thought.
Or his very kissable lips.
Verina wondered what a kiss was like. She had engaged in kissing her pillow on a few occasions, pretending it was the duke.
Oh, she knew she was foolish to do so. He was not the one for her, but she could not help but be intrigued by him—and the thought of kissing him.
She supposed he kissed women all the time. Men that handsome would.
But he had wanted to kiss her. Of that she was certain. Verina was glad she had stood up to him, however. It wasn’t often a duke was told no, and she was rather proud of herself for doing so.
She reached the breakfast room and found she was the last to arrive that morning.
Although Tia was still retching some throughout the day when nausea struck her, their various cousins had sent advice to her of how to keep it to a minimum.
Ariadne, Eden, Lucy, and Dru had all given birth and were more than willing to share advice with Tia.
Looking at her cousin, Verina thought Tia would make for a wonderful mother.
She had such a spark about her. Hugo, too, would be an excellent parent.
Now that she knew about his stammering, she understood why he spoke in such a slow, measured way.
Hugo would exercise great patience and care with the children they had, and he would love them completely, just as he did his wife.
After she greeted the others, Hugo reminded them that they would be leaving at half-past two for Redfield.
“Fortunately, it looks as if the skies will be clear for our trip,” he said. “Hopefully, the same will be true of tomorrow.”
Verina knew travel became substantially more difficult with rain. The roads could easily clog, making even their short journey to Redfield difficult.
Halfway through breakfast, a footman arrived with the post, and Tia eagerly accepted it.
Verina doubted she and Justina would receive anything today.
A letter from Mama had come only yesterday, talking mostly about Mrs. Walters, the widowed cousin Mama was helping to care for in town.
Tray had written to them recently, and they had received that letter two days ago.
“Oh!” Tia exclaimed. “Lia has written to me!”
With trembling fingers, Tia broke the seal on the letter, quickly skimming it for news. She broke out in a brilliant smile.
“Lia has safely delivered twins. Mother and babes are healthy.”
Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief. Childbirth was hazardous, and many women were lost during it. It was hard enough to carry one babe—much less two—and Verina knew how terrible it would have been for Tia to have lost her twin.
“Read it aloud to us, love,” urged Hugo.
“I will in a moment, my darling,” Tia told him. “I wish to savor it myself first.”
After a few minutes, Tia set the letter on the table and pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve, wiping away the tears on her cheeks.
“Everything is fine,” she assured them. “I am simply relieved to have finally received word.” Tia cleared her throat. “Here is what Lia has written.”
My dearest Tia (and Hugo, too!) –
It has taken me three days to write to you about the events which have changed our lives. I have been tired, but it is the best kind of tired in the world.
I birthed twins!
We have named them Mary and Edward. Mary came first, squalling and red-faced, claiming our attention.
Her brother followed, and he is a much more placid sort.
That has continued to be true in the three days they have been with us.
Mary is demanding, wanting to be fed and held, and crying and growing red until she gets what she desires.
Once her simple needs have been met, she is the sweetest girl on earth.
Edward has remained, for the most part, a calm, quiet babe, studying us with large eyes.
I know they say that babes do not smile for a few months, but Edward smiles.
Not only with his sweet mouth, but his eyes.
Rupert says that Mary will be a handful, while Edward will always know how to pacify his sister.
Even now, as they lie in their crib, Edward will reach for Mary’s hand, and she becomes serene at his touch.
We had suspected there would be two of them, and so we were prepared with a couple of names for girls, as well as two for boys.
These two just looked like an Edward and a Mary.
We will save the names which were not used for the future if we are so blessed.
And no, my dear Tia, I am not going to share them!
Rupert had already proven to be wonderful with children, thanks to his relationship with Celia, and I also think he takes after Julian.
He holds one infant and I the other. We have spent hours, merely holding our newborns and smiling at them and each other.
Creating life is a true miracle. I already can see bits of each of us in our twins.
It will be such a pleasure to watch them grow and change over the years to come.
Please share this wonderful news with Verina and Justina.
I know you are enjoying their visit to Merrifield.
I cannot wait to see both of them—and you and Hugo—come next spring.
Ariadne is right. There is no way we could leave Crestbrook for town without bringing our two bundles of joy with us.
I cannot wait for Edward and Mary to meet their other cousins, both young and old, and I especially cannot wait for my dearest, sweetest twin to hold her niece and nephew.
You are the person above all whom I wish to introduce these babes to.
I hope this letter finds you in good spirits and health. It was wonderful to receive the news that you are increasing, Tia. I pray that you will not suffer too greatly in these early months.
I plan to write to Mama now. I know she will share my letter with Val and Eden. Eventually, I will write to all our cousins when I have a chance, but if you are sending them a letter anytime soon, you have my permission to share this good news with them.
I love you so very much, my darling twin, and I think of the bond we share. How Mary and Edward will also have that connection between them. It will be nice to have another set of twins in our large, extended family.
Write to me soon, dearest Tia.
All our love,
Lia, Rupert, Celia, Mary, & Edward
Verina found herself reaching for her own handkerchief, dabbing her damp eyes. She and Justina had grown close to Lia during the months they had spent together both at Millvale and Traywick Manor. It was lovely to hear that her cousin had safely borne her babes.
Tia smiled brightly. “I am glad my letter finally reached Lia and she knows that I am with child. Oh, it is wonderful to learn about Mary and Edward.” She touched her belly. “And to think that life now grows inside of me, as well.”
After breakfast, they retired to write several letters.
Since Lia would write to her mother—and Val and Eden would receive the news that way—Tia said she would write her sister to let Ariadne and Julian know of the twins’ arrival.
She would also notify Con and Rowena about the twins’ birth.
Tia asked Verina to write to Lucy, Dru, and Aunt Charlotte, while Justina would send letters to Tray and their mother.
That would ensure that everyone in the family would be informed.
That afternoon, they boarded Hugo’s carriage and took the half-hour drive to Redfield.
The butler greeted them and told them the duke and duchess awaited them in the drawing room.
Verina could not blame them for waiting inside since the day was chilly.
She had even used a lap robe in the carriage on their journey here, trying to stay warm.
The duchess was most welcoming, and Verina found herself continuing to like the older woman quite a bit.
Her Grace exhibited a natural poise and possessed a quiet beauty.
She was everything Verina thought a duchess should be.
The duke would need to wed a woman as regal and confident as his mother, not someone such as herself.
He did not direct any specific questions to her during tea, for which she was grateful. She found herself a bit shy around him, which was unlike her. Still, she fully participated in the conversation, and the time passed quickly.
After tea, the duchess asked if they might like a tour of the house, and Verina and Justina readily agreed, both curious about the grand residence. Since Tia had already seen all of it, she remained with Hugo and Reddington.