by Abigail Agar
“Good morning,” she called out happily. “How was your morning walk?”
“Oh, Mother, it was lovely. We saw a new species of bird that I have not seen before. It was beautiful, with blue feathers and a bright yellow beak.”
Victoria’s heart burst with love as her six-year-old daughter, Elle, raced into the room. She had come along a year after Victoria and Thomas had got married and moved to their quaint little home in the countryside. She had not felt ready for motherhood; having a child was not something that she had fully decided on, but as it turned out, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to her. Even better than meeting Thomas. While her life had not turned out anything like she thought it would, she could not have been happier, and Elle was a huge part of that. With her long blonde hair and her sweet little face, she was the most wonderful girl ever. She lit up any room that she was in.
Victoria’s parents were right; much as she would have been happy for a while living alone in the country, the loneliness would have come along soon enough. She would have regretted it. With Thomas, she had a constant companion to keep her happy. If she had come alone, far away from her family, it would have ended up being a terrible mistake. It was lucky she had given Thomas a chance.
As Elle tried to climb up onto her lap, before giving up when she could not sit on Victoria beside her massive, swollen belly, she chatted excitedly the entire time. Much as Thomas was still very busy with his work, he made a lot of time for his daughter to take her on nature walks and to teach her about the world. After spending time with his wife, he knew that he did not want to raise his daughter to simply be a good wife; he wanted her to have an open, curious, and creative mind like Victoria. He would do what he could for Elle, especially while his wife was carrying another child.
“How are you feeling?” Thomas asked Victoria while he leaned down to kiss her gently on the head, his heart filling with love as he did. “Have you been writing all morning?”
“I have,” Victoria replied with a smile as she flicked through the pages rapidly. “Are you going to take it to the publishers for me once it is done? It should not be too much longer.”
Thomas had encouraged Victoria to take her writing one step further and to attempt to get a book published. Victoria desperately wanted to do that, but she did not have the confidence in herself to do so. It was not easy for a woman to make that happen, so as a compromise, she asked Thomas to pretend that he had written her work. He was American, exciting, a man that people might take more seriously ... and she had been proven right. He had been given an offer more incredible than she would have received; she felt sure of it. Thomas always felt bad for taking credit for Victoria’s work, but she did not mind. She rather enjoyed having some mild success by hiding behind a mask. She did not want any attention to come from her writing; she simply enjoyed the process of it. The success was nice also, but she did not ever write for other people. Putting her name to her work was a step too far for her; she did not think that she would ever be ready for it.
“I do think that you should go this time. I believe that the publishers are so enthralled with your writing that your true identity will not change their mind ...”
“But I shall have a newborn baby to take care of. All by myself, I might add.” Victoria rubbed her belly dramatically with a smile. With Elle, and now with their new child, she had chosen to raise her children without the assistance of nannies. She had been raised with help; she knew that it was nothing to be ashamed of, but once she got used to the idea of being a mother, she wanted to do it properly. Maybe it made her a rare breed, but she did not mind. “I cannot go to meetings with the publishers. Plus, you know I do not wish to. I do not want anyone to know that it is me.”
“I know, I know.” Thomas grinned as he agreed with Victoria. “I understand all of that, but if you ever change your mind, please let me know.”
“I have not been outside all morning,” Victoria realised as she stood up, clutching onto her aching back as she did. “I would love to go for a walk around the house. Will you come with me, Elle? I know that you have only just come back in ...”
“Of course I will.”
Elle was always keen to be out in the fresh air. She had never known life in the city, but she did not take the countryside for granted. She was always outside, enjoying herself as much as possible. In Victoria’s opinion, raising her daughter away from the stress and pollution of the city was the best thing that she could have done. She always spent most of her time indoors, in the confines of her home, keeping her skin away from the sunshine. She remembered feeling a little blown away by Thomas and his slightly tanned skin, but now that was something that she was much more used to with all of them. Pale skin seemed to indicate money in the city, but Victoria did not want people to think that she was wealthy; she only cared about being happy.
From what she had seen, worrying about the gossip and rumours could never lead to a positive life anyway, so she did not intend to do it.
Victoria took Elle’s hand and walked out into the sunshine with Thomas not far behind them. There, she turned back to look at her adorable little home with a smile. She had gone from a large, stately home to a tiny cottage in the middle of nowhere, with a deep brown door and small windows, and she loved it. At first, she worried about Thomas. She did not know what his home was like in America, but the building in which he held the masquerade ball was massive. She did not think that he would cope living somewhere so small ... but as it turned out, her assumption was wrong. He adored it just as much as she did if not more.
Elle let go of her mother’s hand and danced through the grass, humming happily to herself as she enjoyed the outside world in the gleeful way that only a child could. Thomas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to her, reminding Victoria that she had everything that she wanted and so much more. She often paused to ask herself how she ended up so lucky, and this was another moment of that ...
“Oh, my goodness.” All of a sudden, Victoria leaned forward and clutched onto her stomach as a burning hot pain radiated through her. “Oh, Thomas.” She clutched onto his arm hard and gave him an intense look. “It is happening ... our family is about to get bigger.”
“Is the baby coming?” Thomas felt desperate but in a very happy way. He could not wait to be a father again, but the process of that happening was a terrifying one.
“Yes,” Victoria gasped. “It is time. The baby is coming. We are about to be parents again ... this is amazing.”
••• THE END •••
Table of Contents
Dancing With A Lady
Introduction
