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"Me, too," I whispered, wondering how ether with his lowered at Fernando, though they both knew that his nephew’s sudden disappearance wasn’t Fernando’s fault
"Wherever it is, he’s better off there than here waiting for you and Diana to welcome your children into the world," Fernando said
"Diana doesn’t agree" Matthew flipped through his e- it downstairs, so that Diana didn’t know about the intelligence he was gathering on Benja to ask Gallowglass to watch over her" Fernando downed a cup of wine
"You think so? It’s what I would have done," Matthew said
"Think, Matthew," Dr Garrett said ih how that is possible, I will leave between you and God That means they have soive birth at home, as women have done for centuries?"
Now that Mattheas back, he expected to play a significant role in deterht into the world As far as he was concerned, I should deliver in the hospital My preference was to give birth at Clairmont House, with Marcus in attendance
"Marcus hasn’t practiced obstetrics for years," Matthew gruht me anatomy, come to think of it!" Dr Garrett was clearly at the end of his rope "Do you think the uterus has suddenly wandered off to a new location?
Talk sense into hiht," Dr Sharp said "The four of us have dozens of rees between us and more than two millennia of combined experience Marthe has very likely delivered , and Diana’s aunt is a certified ht So did Matthew, in the end Having been overruled about the twins’
delivery, he was eager to get out of the room when Fernando arrived The two disappeared downstairs
They often closeted the family business
"What did Matthew say when you told hiiance to the Bishop-Clairmont family?" I asked Fernando when he came upstairs later to say hello
"He told me I was mad," Fernando replied with a twinkle in his eye "I told Matthew that I expect to be odfather to your eldest child in return"
"I’ to worry at the nu to have
"I hope you’re keeping track of all the promises you’ve made," I remarked to Matthew later that afternoon
"I am," he said "Chris wants the s
Marcus wants a girl Jack wants a brother Gallowglass expressed an interest in being godfather to any blond babies before we left New Haven" Matthew ticked the twins, not a litter of puppies," I said, staggered by the number of interested parties
"Besides, we’re not royals And I’odparents"
"Do you want odmothers, too?" Matthew’s eyebrow rose
"Miriaest any of his terrifying female relatives "Phoebe, of course Marthe Sophie Amira I’d like to ask Vivian Harrison, too"
"See Once you get started, they mount up quickly," Matthew said with a soing to be drowning in silver baby cups and teddy bears, if the piles of tiny clothes, booties, and blankets Ysabeau and Sarah had already purchased were any indication
Two of the twins’ potential godparents joined us for dinner s Marcus and Phoebe were so obviously in love that it was impossible not to feel romantic in their presence The air between them thrummed with tension Phoebe, for her part, was as unflappable and self-possessed as ever She didn’t hesitate to lecture Matthew on the state of the frescoes in the ballrooelica Kaufflected in such a fashion Nor did Phoebe plan on allowing the de Clermont family treasures to be kept from the eyes of the public indefinitely
"There are ways to share them anonymously, and for a fixed period of tiaret More froe’s upstairs loo on display at the National Portrait Gallery very soon" I squeezed Matthew’s hand encouragingly
"Why didn’t someone warn me it would be so difficult to have historians in the fa a trifle dazed "And how did we end up with two?"
"Good taste," Marcus said, giving Phoebe a slance
"Indeed" Matthew’s mouth twitched at the obvious double entendre
When it was just the four of us like this, Matthew and Marcus would talk for hours about the new scion--though Marcus preferred to call it "Matthew’s clan" for reasons that had as randfather as with his dislike of applying botanical and zoological terms to vampire families
"Members of the Bishop-Clairmont scion--or clan if you insist--will have to be especially careful when theyover dinner "The eyes of every vampire will be on us"
Marcus did a double take "Bishop-Clairmont?"
"Of course," Matthew said with a frown "What did you expect us to be called? Diana doesn’t use ht that a family composed of witches and vampires has a nahtfulness Matthew could be such a patriarchal, overprotective creature, but he had not forgotten my family’s traditions
"Why, Matthew de Clerressive for an old fossil like you"
"Hmph" Matthew sipped at his wine
Marcus’s phone buzzed, and he looked at his display "Hao down and let him in"
Muted conversation floated up the stairs Matthew rose "Stay with Diana, Phoebe"
Phoebe and I exchanged worried looks
"It will be so muchin vain to hear as being said downstairs "At least then we’ll knohat’s going on"
"Then they’ll just take a walk," I said "I need to devise a spell--one that willair and a bit of water, perhaps"