Midnight Rain:

Chapter 60: A Moment of Peace:

The palace.

"You are experiencing all the symptoms of pregnancy... This is wonderful." Queen Charlotte smiled, sitting next to Evelina, who had come over for tea. "So, what will you name the future royal?" she asked with a smile.

"Mama..." Evelina sighed, looking down at her teacup.

"Anthony, I would admit, would be a new change for a royal name." Charlotte continued, not listening to her daughter.

"Mama," Evelina said with a louder and more serious tone.

"What?" Charlotte asked, furrowing her brows.

"Char is married and the next heir after Georgie... So, Anthony and I have talked about... About not giving our children any titles... Except for our son inheriting the viscount title very later on." Evelina said, watching her mother's every move to see her reaction.

"So, your children will not inherit the title of prince or princess?" Charlotte asked with a furrowed brow.

"No, Mama... They will inherit the titled status from my husband. I feel as though it will be better." Evelina said as Charlotte's confused look turned into a smile.

"Very well... But they will always be granted titles if you change your mind." Charlotte nodded when Evelina sighed in relief. "You are making a great viscountess, my darling. But please, you must indulge with the names you want to go with." She smiled, moving to set her teacup down to grab Evelina's hands.

"We have a few..." Evelina smiled, taking her mother's hands.

"It is a lovely spot, is it not?"

Kate stopped her daydreaming when she turned to see her mother walking out to the gardens to meet her.

"It reminds me of the courtyard at the palace where we used to live. So calming..." Mary smiled when she moved to sit on the stone bench with Kate, who began fanning herself with her book.

"Calming, yes." Kate let out a sigh before noticing how quiet her mother was. "Nobody would blame you if you were to take sick, Mama, and send apologies for missing the dinner tonight," she said, making Mary look over at her.

"Lady Danbury has made it quite clear that it is necessary for all of us to attend." Mary sighed, and both of them took a deep inhale and exhaled.

"When was the last time you saw them?" Kate asked her.

"The night your dear father asked for my hand in marriage, I believe... Lord Sheffield made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he did not support the match. So, I had a choice to make between my family and my heart..."

"And did you ever regret that choice?" Kate asked as Mary sighed.

Mary went to say something but smiled, exhaling deeply, when she moved to hold Kate's hand. "From the very first moment, your father and I were drawn together. It is a very powerful thing to meet someone and feel that you know them. In a way unlike any other." She sighed, smiling at the memory of her husband.

"Still a rather high price to pay for love, I would think." Kate sighed, looking down at the book in her hands.

"Do not fret. Even my parents' presence cannot mar the happiness that is the occasion. I had always hoped that you and Edwina would be spared the choice between affluence and love, and now you shall. Edwina is to wed her heart's desire. And you have always wanted nothing more than your freedom." Mary smiled at her as Kate braved a smile.

"Of course, Mama. We shall all be perfectly happy." 

The palace.

"How is he doing?" Evelina asked as she stood in the doorway, watching her father sleeping in his bed.

"He's had better days, Your Grace." The servant sighed when Evelina nodded, moving a hand to her stomach. "Do you want me to call your carriage?" He asked her as she shook her head.

"No, thank you... I would like a moment with him." Evelina sighed, with a small smile, as she walked over to sit in the chair by her sleeping father.

The servant hesitated, but nodded, allowing Evelina to have a quiet moment with her father, who had not been lucid in a little.

"Hi, Papa... I know you're sleeping, but I really miss sitting here and reading with you." She began to say quietly, while she placed a hand on her belly. "But I'm happy with my husband, Anthony... He is so wonderful. And I truly love him. And we're going to have a baby. I'm so nervous..." She sighs, looking down at her ring. 

She did not say anything else, looking up at her father. She leaned back in the chair, watching her father peacefully sleep. She missed him a lot. It has only got worse as the years go on.

All a girl wants is her father, and it made things harder for Evelina, who knew she was like her father. She worried if she would be like this later on. She feared that she would not be a good mother.

Would she end up being locked away from her children as servants whispered about her unstable condition?

Would Anthony have to raise the baby alone?

She feared the worse. But she sighed, looking over at her dad. It was not his fault. It was not Evelina's fault.

But she would try to be the best mother she could be. It meant everything to her to be a mother.

~season 2, episode 5: "An Unthinkable Fate"~

~878 words~