A Christmas Rose: A Dusk Gate Chronicles Novella (Book 4 1/2) (8 page)
Read A Christmas Rose: A Dusk Gate Chronicles Novella (Book 4 1/2) Online
Authors: Breeana Puttroff
“Good work, Mama,” he whispered in her ear. “You were amazing.”
With her finger, she traced her son’s face, lingering on his soft eyebrows and impossibly perfect pink lips. “You do some pretty good work yourself.”
“We’ll have to try this again sometime,” he said.
She chuckled. “Let’s enjoy this one for a little while first.”
“Agreed.” He yawned widely.
Surprisingly, she didn’t feel tired at all. She was more excited, happy, and at peace. She’d never imagined it would really be this wonderful to hold her child, never imagined the connection she’d feel so immediately with this new little person. Lifting him up to her face, she kissed his forehead, and he stirred, stretching his hand out. It was probably an accident, but his little palm landed on her cheek, fingers splayed out, as if he was telling her he loved her, too. It was the most amazing thing she’d ever felt.
“I’m not sure about this not knowing his name until we get back to Philotheum,” she said, cuddling him against her chest again. “I need something to call him, to know who he is.”
“Well, just because we can’t have the Naming Ceremony yet doesn’t mean we can’t pick out a name. We’re still the ones who get to choose it, you know – it’s just not announced until the ceremony.”
“You tell me this
now
? We could have been thinking about names the whole time.” She had thought of a few – but not too seriously, not wanting to get attached to anything in particular.
He shrugged. “People don’t usually do that here. Most people believe that you need to see the baby first – that somehow seeing the baby’s face, and knowing who he is helps with choosing a name. That’s why Naming Ceremonies aren’t immediately after birth.”
“Usually…” she frowned at him. “You
have
been thinking about names!”
He held his hands up. “Not names. I didn’t have any real ideas about a name for a girl. And I did think I should wait and see him first if he was a boy, but yes, I did have an idea for a name in mind. And now that I see him … I think it suits him perfectly.”
“All right then. What’s your idea?”
“I was thinking maybe … Samuel. Samuel Owen.”
Oh.
Tears welled now in the corners of her eyes, threatening to overflow. He wanted to name their firstborn son after her father and her brother.
“The first Samuel never got to take the throne the way he should have,” William continued. “And this one will…”
“It’s perfect. Just like him. Just like you.”
He reached and wiped her tears with his thumb. “I’m not perfect, Quinn, but I do love you. Both of you.” He took the baby from her, and held him close to his chest, looking down into his sweet little face. “What do you think, little one? Would you like to be named after two other people we love almost as much as you?”
The baby gave a little sigh, and blinked up at him.
William chuckled. “I think that’s a yes. Welcome to the world, Samuel Owen Rose.”
“Our Christmas baby.”
“I guess he is … our little Christmas Rose.”
Dear Readers,
Thank you so very much for coming along on the journey of The Dusk Gate Chronicles with me. I have very much enjoyed hearing from all of you, and sharing these stories with you.
A Winter Rose was a surprise book – I never planned on writing it, but then someone suggested it, and then an idea developed, and I ran with it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little snippet of the character’s lives after the main story.
I ended up having such fun writing it, though, that I think there will be more Dusk Gate stories in 2013, and maybe beyond. Look for Book Six – not sure yet whether it will be a novella or a novel, in Spring, 2013.
I have a new character who has been whispering her story in my ear for a few months now, and her book is coming soon, too.
Raya is a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in a small village with her loving adopted father, a talented weaver who is renowned throughout their land for the beautiful threads and tapestries he makes. Some say he could "spin straw into gold."
Raya has never known the exact circumstances of her birth, but she's grown up assuming she was just another of the babies born to the young privilege-seeking courtiers who travel out into the country for the services of the midwife in her village a few times a year – just another unwanted child that the kind Elizabeth found a home for, the same way her little brother found a home with Raya and her father eight years ago.
But she's about to find out that her story wasn't the same at all.
What if the villain in a fairytale wasn't the bad guy after all?
My next book is titled
Rumplestiltskin’s Daughter
Look for it in late spring 2013.
If you would like to find out more, or chat with me and other readers of The Dusk Gate Chronicles, you can do so in a number of ways.
My website is at
http://www.breeanaputtroff.net
I am often on Facebook, and respond to messages and posts at
www.facebook.com/duskgate
-- give me a like!
You can follow me on Twitter. I’m @bputtroff – usually chatting about my writing progress, and other silly stuff.
I also have a newsletter, where I send out stories, news, and sometimes exclusive content. My newsletter subscribers even got to read deleted scenes from the first draft of Blooms of Consequence – in the very earliest draft, William, Quinn, Thomas and Linnea
did
get to go for a visit to Bristlecone. I never, ever, use my newsletter list for spam, but I do occasionally send out prizes, especially Dusk Gate swag, to readers just for being part of the list.
If you’d like to subscribe to the newsletter, you can do so at this link:
Again, thank you so very much for sharing your time with me, Quinn, William, and the rest.
Reviews of any kind are always appreciated, and help other readers know whether they might enjoy the books. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Breeana Puttroff
