The Secret of Moonacre - SECRECY

Epilouge

They played in the snow, fantastic, bright smiles upon their rosy faces. My eldest charged through the snow with a stick in his hands, waving it above his head. "You can't catch me, Harvey!" called he.

"Yes I can!" my middle retorted, chasing after August. Harvey pushed his red curly locks out of his eyes and zoomed past me as they disappeared into the manor's maze.

I laughed as shouts and squeals were heard from the maze and I gazed to my youngest sat on the manor steps beside me. She was fumbling with her red woolly mittens on her lap, with a pout on her face. "What's wrong sunshine?" I asked her.

"They always play without me" she mumbled, tugging on her mittens.

I delicately pushed her hair out of her face and pulled her on to my lap. "That's because they're playing Ruffian's, Adaline. They're keeping you safe" I told her. "Watch them". I pointed out to my two beautiful boys who were charging up to path way towards us.

"You shan't take her!" August shouted to his little brother Harvey, who was struggling to keep up with the tall frame of his elder brother.

"Yes I shall!" Harvey argued, throwing his stick in the air.

"Steady on now boys" A voice warned from the pillar at the bottom of the steps. Robin leaned against the marble pillar, his hands dug into his coat pockets. His bowler hat rested gently on his head, shielding his eyes from the snow as he kept a look out on the surroundings of the manor.

The boys came to a halt in front of the steps where they stood their sticks by their side and stood as up right as they could.

"Mother, Queen Maria, I have come to save the princess" August announced, saluting us.

"But there is no princess" Adaline whispered on my lap.

Robin skipped up the steps and sat with us. "You are the princess" he whispered into her ear.

Adaline giggled and jumped up. "Then you may save me, Sir August Merryweather De Noir". She adorably struggled with her words and I smiled.

"But never!" Harvey protested.

"Whoever catches me may have me!" Adaline giggled. She took off down the steps and across the snow covered grounds.

Robin chuckled beside me and took my hand in his. We smiled together and watched our ever mischievous children frolic in the snow. We never took our eyes off our children, not even for a second. Adaline was intent on catching snowflakes in her hands as she dodged her brothers who were pretending not to catch her.

It was the same as last winter. Cold and snowy, just how our children liked it. It was long after Ms Heliotropes lifetime, and my Uncle's and Loveday's too. They all lay in rest, enjoying the life they were living now. They were being missed deeply, but we knew they were living happily, watching down on the valley and my family.

They would have been proud of Robin and I. We had Moonacre in the state that we wanted it, there was no longer any poverty and everyone lived in equality. It was something Uncle Benjamin had started, but never quite achieved.

"Mother! Mother!" August exclaimed, sprinting up to the steps.

"Yes, Harvey?" I replied.