A beating heart

Chapter 31

For two hours, time was lost to them. They were caught up in their own little eternity. Finally they had found each other, had found the place, both of their hearts had yearned for all this time. This was home, the space where all that had seemed impossibly actually manifested.

The only words were whispered in the other's ear, not daring to break the spell. But both had carried a part of the other in their heart and the touch felt so intimately familiar. The child in their arms was an extension of their love, the living proof of both their sacrifice.

Although only having been aware of her presence for hours, the connection had been immediate. It felt as if he had known his child from the start and maybe he had. She was perfect, better than he could have ever wished. Her eyes, her encompassing gaze could hypnotize him for hours and he felt it heavy in his heart. The warmth spread through his entire body and clouded his head with a welcomed sweetness.

Now that he looked down at her in his arms, he couldn't understand how he hadn't seen it earlier. Her eyes truly matched his so closely, reminding him of little Henry's begging faces and his mother's stern looks. Maybe it was only his clouded perception but to him Anne looked like her mother. Her fine cheekbones and her lips, even the crinkle of her brows seemed identical. Mary was right, Anne's hair might be a touch lighter than her own, but still the resemblance was undeniable. She even smelled like her mother, of sweet honey and faintly of fresh lavender.

He brought her close and placed a gentle kiss on the soft skin of her forehead, closing his eyes for a moment as he savored the touch of her impossibly soft skin. It was a gesture he had extended to her mother countless times before, and this felt no different. Though he cherished holding her, he still feared for how fragile the child was. With every movement he was scared to somehow break her tiny body and when he shared his fears with Mary, she simply smiled in reply.

„She is stronger than she looks, Francis." Mary shifted closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and her brown locks tumbled around them.

They were perched on the edge of his bed and Francis gently placed Anne on the duvet between them. He didn't take his eyes of her, afraid to loose her again.

„Like her mother." he smiled, finally meeting Mary's eyes.

„And I fear we will need to be a lot stronger still." she didn't look too pleased with her own words, biting her lip.

He understood. This right here was their bubble, their safe space. But this wouldn't last and they would all be inadvertently pulled apart once more. The thought soured the feeling of euphoria which had previously filled his veins. How was he supposed to let them both go, let them out of his eyes ever again?

What Mary had implied, was most likely true. This was the easy part, the comfortable steps leading to a steep and dangerous path. Wherever they were to go from here, it would most certainly get harder.

„I know." he barely whispered the words as if saying them too loudly would actually make it true.

„What do we do, Francis? I need to return to my chambers. Anne will have to be fed and my maids will get suspicious." she folded her hands in her lap, her eyes filled with doubt.

„I don't know." he swallowed. It was true, he had no idea what to do next. „I just know that I have to protect you, both of you."

Once again their future was unclear, just a blur of different scenarios. Some good but most dreadful and filled with darkness and tragedy. They would have to decide on what the wanted, and soon. Their enemies would waste no time to attack if the only sensed so much as a trace of weakness. After all, their lives were all but easy. There was more at stake then just them, there where whole countries, millions of people, to think of.