A Christmas Rose: A Dusk Gate Chronicles Novella (Book 4 1/2) (6 page)

“Wow, Linnea, you look amazing.”

Linnea actually blushed, something Quinn didn’t see very often; the color in her cheeks only added to her charm.

She was resplendent, wearing a flowing, dark purple gown trimmed with white lace and silver accents. Her dark curly hair was held back at the sides by two silver combs, while the rest of it rippled down her back in waves.

Although she was beautiful enough without it, Rebecca had used some of the last of the makeup from Quinn’s world to accent the thick dark lashes around Linnea’s gray eyes.

“I can’t believe I’m going to miss the ceremony. I’m so sorry.”

Linnea rolled her eyes. “It’s just a carriage ride to the church and a boring ceremony, Quinn. You’re better off being somewhere you’re allowed to nap.”

“That’s not what you said to me about my wedding – either of them. Or my coronation, come to think of it.”

Linnea tucked a strand of Quinn’s hair behind her ear. “You of all people should know that we should base our priorities on our current circumstances – it doesn’t matter what was important when things were different. I am not upset that you are missing my wedding ceremony. My priority is getting my little niece or nephew into the world safely so I can go to his or her wedding someday – when that one is the heir to the throne, and that wedding is more important than some fifth-born princess marrying a guard.”

“You’re a lot more to me than ‘some fifth-born princess’, Nay.”

“I know. But I get to keep you after today, anyway. I plan on going home with you
and
this baby. Besides, there will be plenty of glasberries and chocolate cake at the party here afterward. You won’t miss the good stuff.”

“All right then. It will be nice to see the downstairs again.” Quinn’s contractions had stopped completely after a full day on the medicine that Nathaniel had given her, and she was allowed out of bed now, though only for short periods of time – not enough to do all the things she wished she could. For the last few days, she’d spent most of her time in the little guest suite that had become hers and William’s, or else in the common room – sitting, of course, and being waited on hand and foot by everyone.

There was a knock on the open door then, and Quinn looked up to see Thomas and William standing there, decked out in their formalwear – a sight that always took her breath away.

She still wasn’t used to seeing William in the green fur-lined cape he wore now as king of Philotheum, instead of the purple he’d worn as a prince of Eirentheos, but having the contrast between the two brothers somehow made them even more striking now, and she whistled.

Thomas grinned and bowed. “Always ready to please, milady. Also, I’ve brought you a present.”

“A present?” She raised an eyebrow. “Getting to see the two of you like this isn’t enough of a treat?”

“Well, I told her that seeing two handsome princes was more than any queen had the right to expect, but she insisted – and her ideas are usually better than mine.”

“She?”

Thomas moved to the side and motioned into the hallway. A second later, Mia appeared in the doorway.

Quinn’s heart sank. “Mia! You’re not dressed for the wedding.”

“I’m not going.”

“What do you mean, you’re not going?”

“Well, everyone else rather
has
to go, and that leaves nobody here to keep you company. So I’m staying with you instead.”

“That’s hardly fair to you, Mia.”

“I don’t mind, Quinn. I’m looking forward to it. We never get to talk without this one,” she put her hand on Thomas arm, “hovering all over us. It will be fun. And then, later, we’ll both get dressed and go down to the party.”

“There’s no arguing with her, Quinn – I long ago learned not to try,” Thomas said, kissing Mia on the cheek. “She loves you. We all do – I’d stay with you if I could, but there’s this whole thing with my twin getting married…”

Quinn looked at Mia – it
was
clear she’d made up her mind, and it would be much nicer to spend the early afternoon with the maid who’d become such a good friend to her. “Thank you, Mia.”

*

It was a nice afternoon with Mia. Although Mia, of course, was meticulous about taking care of Quinn, tending to any need she had before Quinn even realized she had it, it was still an improvement over the constant throng of people who’d been attending her in the five days since her arrival.

The two of them drank tea and chatted, with lots of giggling, until it was time to get bathed and dressed. Mia got herself ready while Quinn was in the bath, and then she brought out a soft green dress that Quinn had never seen before. It wasn’t the dress that Sophia had asked her seamstress to alter to fit over her belly.

“Charlotte had it made especially for you,” Mia said. “See here, there’s room for the baby underneath, but then once the baby’s born you can tie it back and wear it again, if you’d like.”

The dress would match perfectly with the cape she would wear over it, and was even trimmed with fur. A delicate lace pattern covered the bodice; designed in a clever way that accentuated the soft rounding of her middle now, but would also hide the extra panel there later.

“Charlotte said that every mother needs a dress that could be used in a pinch for
any
formal occasion, no matter what stage of motherhood she’s in.” Mia then showed her another feature of the dress – a secret little panel that would allow her to easily nurse the baby while she wore it.

Moisture filled the corners of Quinn’s eyes as Mia gently lifted the dress over her head. She was so grateful for Charlotte, and for Mia who’d given up going to the wedding on Thomas’ arm, just to stay here with her.

Mia was just putting the finishing touches on Quinn’s hair when there was another knock on the door, and then William and Thomas were back inside the room.

“Ready for a party?” Thomas asked, as William pulled Quinn into his arms.

*

Downstairs, the ballroom was beautiful. There were flowers and candles everywhere, and a few people were already dancing. Although Linnea and Ben were surrounded by well-wishers, Linnea caught sight of Quinn immediately, and darted over to her.

“Congratulations,” Quinn said, hugging her tightly. “And to you, too,” she said, turning to Ben who had followed his new wife over. “I can’t begin to tell you how happy it makes me to see the two of you like this.”

“Thank you,” Ben said, and although she’d seen him smile before, it had never been a grin like the one he wore right now. He looked so relaxed and happy – even younger than his nineteen cycles.

“And you, Marcus,” she said, “how does it feel to be the father of a married son?”

“It’s my proudest moment,” Marcus said, his eyes shining a little. “I only wish his mother could have been here to see it.” His gaze met Quinn’s, and she nodded, thinking about how much she knew how he felt. Marcus’ wife had died several cycles ago. She reached out and squeezed his hand before insisting on a hug from the usually stoic Ben, figuring it was one of the few chances she’d ever get.

“Come, Quinn, you should try some of the food,” Linnea said, tugging at her hand. “My mother has definitely outdone herself this time.”

Quinn was only halfway to the buffet table when she saw something that stopped her cold. “Jonathan!”

Her uncle had been watching her approach, and he took the last few steps toward her. “Hello my darling niece. Are you quite enjoying the party?”

“What are you doing here?” He was dressed in his Philothean formalwear, green cape and all. She guessed he’d been to the ceremony as well.

“We haven’t seen each other in nearly two weeks and
that’s
my greeting?”

She raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled.

“Well … after we heard the news of your difficulties,” he glanced down at her belly, “I exchanged a few messages with my sister.” Now his gaze fell on something across the room. When Quinn turned to see what he was looking at, she gasped. Ellen was walking toward them.

“Ellen was quite impressed with the speech that you gave her when you stayed at her house, and together we decided that you were right – we should be making the effort to show up to important events, and demonstrate our support of rebuilding our relationship with Eirentheos.”

Ellen had reached them, and she nodded. “You did impress me, Your Majesty. Enough to get the two of us working together again – or for the first time, really,” she said, looking at her younger brother.

“What about the weather? How did you get here?”

“The snow is gone, Quinn,” William said. She hadn’t even noticed him appear at her elbow. “You’ll have to forgive her – I’m afraid we haven’t been letting her out much since we’ve been here.” He kissed Quinn’s hand. “The weather has improved quite a bit. It’s actually rather warm out today.”

“What about Sophia?” she asked, although she knew what the answer to that would be.

“She isn’t up to such a long journey,” Jonathan said, “or so she says. Honestly, I think the idea of coming here after what her husband did is hard for her. She still feels responsible in many ways. But she did want me to tell you that she heard the news about what is going on with the baby. She said not to worry about anything, and to take care of yourself here. And
Charles
told me to tell you not to worry about our mother – that he’s really handling everything just fine. And he is – I checked.”

“How angry is Sophia?” Quinn asked, afraid of the response.

“Not as bad as you might think. She had a day of raging when she heard the news – it’s probably better that you weren’t around to hear her, but she’s calmed down. She does know what she’s like, Quinn. Sometimes, she even tries to do something about it. I am, of course, supposed to make sure you know that the baby’s Naming Ceremony is to be held in Philotheum, no exceptions.”

“That can be arranged,” said a familiar voice just beside Quinn’s ear, and she whirled at the sudden sound, finding herself face-to-face with Alvin.

“Al-Alvin,” she spluttered.

“Hmm…Al…never tried that one before. I’m not sure it suits me.” Alvin’s green eyes sparkled behind his bushy white eyebrows.

“I didn’t know you were here.”

“There was a royal wedding to officiate. Where did you think I would be?”

“Uh…I don’t think I thought about it at all, actually.”

He frowned, though the twinkle was still in his eyes. “I suppose I can overlook that with everything else that’s consuming your attention lately. How are you feeling, milady?”

“I’m all right today. There have been some interesting days lately.” She glanced over to see what her aunt and uncle were making of the situation, but they had disappeared, leaving her and William to talk with Alvin in private.

“Babies are nothing if not interesting, milady. Even before they’re born, sometimes. Me, I really begin to enjoy them about the time they learn the power of the word ‘no’.” He chuckled to himself. “I was sorry to hear that this one kept you from attending the lovely ceremony. Linnea and Ben are quite the pair.”

“Yes, they are.” Quinn looked around. Linnea had drifted away from her, and was back across the room now. Ben’s arm was around her shoulders as they chatted with William’s two oldest brothers, Simon and Maxwell.

Simon was holding his infant son, Ryan, who was asleep in his arms. For a moment, Quinn wasn’t sure where his wife, Evelyn, was, but then she caught sight of her sitting at a table with William’s sister Rebecca and her baby. The sight made her smile.

“Nice for you to be back here with your family, isn’t it?” Alvin asked, his voice softer and more serious.

She nodded, and William put his arm around her waist. That was most definitely who these people had become – her family. The only real one she had now. While the flowers and candles and tablecloths and fancy plates and silverware all over the room were lovely, the real beauty in the ballroom right now was the people.

Over by the dance floor, William’s thirteen and fourteen-cycle-old brothers were leading a raucous circle game with the youngest children. Tiny Sarah kept toddling into the circle, only to be scooped up and tickled by one of them, and then she’d run away shrieking. As Quinn watched, Sarah tripped and bumped her knee. Before she could even cry, Joshua had scooped her up. He had her giggling again by the time they reached the buffet table and he gave her a handful of berries.

Charlotte and Stephen had found Linnea and Ben now, and Charlotte had her arms around her daughter, while Ben held baby Hannah, smiling as he talked to his new father-in-law.

“You’ve lost much recently, my queen. It is a good time to stop and consider what you have gained in turn. Perhaps the little one here simply decided to grant you the favor of sharing the birth of your first child among those who love you the best.”

Quinn closed her eyes, warmed by the happiness in her room, perhaps even a little optimistic after seeing Jonathan and Ellen here. “I think Sophia does actually love me, Alvin. And the baby, too.”

His eyes lit up. “I’m glad to hear you know that, milady. I certainly agree. She loves you more than you know. She’s quite good at
loving
people, actually. But affection and trust are different than just love, dear one, and those take time and different skills to develop. Those are the things you have here – and it makes me happy that this is where you are.”