Page 102 of Magic Touch
"Esme, you couldn't kill either? That Sara Beth looks formidable to me. Could she not do away with the man?" Mother's brows are high.
Henry chirps a short laugh from the doorway.
With the most beautiful smile and my child growing in her belly, Esme is everything. She shakes her head. "William could not bear it, so he removed the possibility. I've never seen magic like his. We have much work to do to really understand his gift."
"And a young woman to heal. She's had a terrible day as well. We shall bring Trina to live here tomorrow." I stand and offer Esme and Mother each a hand."
Esme takes it, but Mother waves me off. "You two go to bed. I shall sit a few more minutes and process everything you've told me."
"It's all going to be okay, Mother." I want to reassure her. "You could return to the country, where you'll be out of all this madness."
"Perhaps. Go to bed. You too, Dove. I'm fine."
Reluctantly, we leave Mother in the parlor.
In our own room, Esme kicks off her boots and shrugs out of her dress. "Will she go to the country?"
I shrug. "Probably. We can tell her about the baby in a few months. Then perhaps she'll return for the birth."
Esme sits on the edge of the bed. "Are you pleased about the baby, William?"
Kneeling in front of her, I take her hands and press my cheek to her flat abdomen. "I've never been happier about anything in my life." I kiss her fingers.
"A baby." She lets out a long breath. "I never dreamed any of this."
"Perhaps your dreams were too small, my love." Wrapping my arms around her, I stand and lift her to the center of the mattress before toeing off my boots and joining her.
"You may be right, but I could never have dreamed such a perfect life, with such a perfect man. One would think as a witch, I might have sensed you were for me." She runs her fingers through my hair where my head is pressed to her breasts.
"You told me you knew of me before I hobbled into your shop." My eyes are heavy with contentment and exhaustion.
"That seemed like a fantasy. The articles in the paper and your portrait. That was some perfect hero who could never be mine."
"Far from perfect, and I am yours for all our lifetimes." She's lulling me to sleep.
"Thank Goddess for that," Esme says on a yawn.
And I do.
Epilogue
ESME
I agreed to come to William’s country estate for the final months before the baby arrives. I feel certain it’s a girl. It shouldn’t matter, but the idea of a daughter makes me exceedingly happy.
Laying on the chaise in the parlor is lovely. With the spring breeze wafting through the window, I doze. William rests his head gently against my round belly and reads some old tome he’s found on a top shelf.
Poking her head in the door, Theodora smiles. “I’m going for a walk, if either of you would like to join me.”
I’m content and tell William so silently.
“No, thank you, Mother. Take Henry with you for safety’s sake, please,” William says.
Henry appears an instant later, holding Theodora’s wrap for her. “I’m already summoned, sir.”
Once they’ve left, and their voices drift away, William sighs contentedly. He rolls to look up at me with his blue eyes brimming with mischief. “We are alone. Shall we away to the bedroom, or shall I ravage you here in the parlor?”
Laughing, I thread my fingers through his soft hair. “Trina is still at home. How you can find me desirable in my current shape, I shall never understand.”
