Upon his first entry, Madilyn had noticed his eyes not going to her. He was looking for them – the children. And that was nice, but she must admit she felt quite disappointed he did not look at her first.
But when he had asked her how she was, she ought to believe he was genuine. He seemed very genuine, and he even smiled at her.
And she was able to completely forgive him when he honestly told her he did not mind they were boys. Not at all, he had said, and it made her heart melt a little.
She had not expected to see her children's father when she looked at Thomas, but she must admit she did now. Seeing him holding one of the girls, showing her the birds and the trees through the window, made her see him as a father – a good one.
He turned around to her and said with a smile: "her eyes are closed, yet I show her everything there is to see."
Madilyn chuckled at it, then looked down at the girl in her arms. They are wonderful, he had said. And they truly were. They were not made out of love, but they were loved nevertheless.
"My lady," a servant suddenly said, startling both Madilyn and Thomas. The woman was holding a tray with paper and a pen. "The utensils you asked for."
She nodded and laid her daughter on the bed next to her. Then she wrapped the blankets over her so that she would not fall off the bed. While the servant put the tray on Madilyn's lap, Thomas walked closer.
"I shall hold her," he announced. He sat down on the bed and tried to get a hold on the second baby, but failed.
"Be careful," Madilyn told him. With a sigh, he gave up and laid the girl next to her sister. Husband and wife looked down at their children, laying peacefully next to each other. Gwendolyn and Hazel, the latter being only a few minutes younger.
Madilyn had given birth easily. In merely a few hours, two healthy babies were born. Both Elizabeth and Victoria were jealous, so Madilyn knew she had been lucky.
The entire family had stayed for a while, and Thomas had not left her bedchamber. He had held each girl many times, and showed her to every member of the staff. He was proud of them and Madilyn knew it. She was happy knowing that Gwendolyn and Hazel's father would love them as much as she did, even though neither of them had expected them.
And the fact that they came with two was only more amazing. They would forever have a sister by their side, and know they are treated equally. And for Madilyn and Thomas, the love was only greater because they had not one person to love, but two.
"Who are you going to write to?" Thomas asked, pulling Madilyn out of her happy thinking.
"My sister," she told him as she looked at him. "I promised her I would write a letter when I gave birth."
"Adelaide already knows of Gwendolyn and Hazel," Thomas simply told her.
"What?" she asked, surprised.
He shrugged. "You have been in bed for two days. I have had enough time to write her a letter. In fact, I am expecting a letter back any moment."
"You wrote to my sister and you did not tell me?"
His smile grew and was a bit mischievous. "I hoped I could surprise you when she sent a letter back."
She smiled as she shook her head. "You are unbelievable."
-----------------------------------------------------------
She closed the curtains of the children's room, then leaned over their cradle one more time. While she caressed Hazel's cheek, she started singing a soft lullaby.
YOU ARE READING
The Broken Daylily
Historical Fiction"I hope I can be a better mother than I am a wife." Daylilies symbolize motherhood. In China, it refers to a mother's devotion and filial devotion from a child to his or her mother. In Chinese superstition, the daylily relates to birth. It is said t...
