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"Milord Marcus tells me ill have a full house for the cere his mistress His wife, Victoire, danced with excitement when she spied the baby carriers and rushed over to lend a hand
"It will be like the old days, Alain We will set up cots in the barn for the men Those who are vaet used to it" Ysabeau sounded unconcerned as she handed Marthe her gloves and turned to help with the babies They were swaddled within an inch of their lives to protect the temperatures "Are not Milord Philip and Milady Rebecca the most beautiful creatures you have ever seen, Victoire?"
Victoire was incapable of more than oohs and aahs, but Ysabeau seemed to find her response sufficient
"Shall I help with the babies’ luggage?" Alain asked, surveying the contents of the overstuffed cargo space
"That would be wonderful, Alain" Matthew directed his, totes, portable playpens, and stacks of disposable diapers
Matthew took a baby carrier in each hand and, with much input from Marthe, Sarah, Ysabeau, and Victoire on the icy state of the stairs, clinitude of where he was, and why, struck hi line of de Clermonts back to their ancestral home It didn’t uished lineage This was, and would always be, a place steeped in tradition for our children
"Welcoave , slow s to Sept-Tours had been the right decision Hopefully, no
In the days leading up to the christening, it seeranted
Sept-Tours was so busy with the preparations for the twins’ christening that I kept expecting Philippe to burst into the roo jokes But it was Marcus as the life of the household now, roa all over the place as if he owned it--which I suppose he technically did--and jollying everybody into a more festive mood For the first time, I could see why Marcus reminded Fernando of Matthew’s father
When Marcus ordered that all the furniture in the great hall be replaced with long tables and benches capable of seating the expected hordes, I had a dizzying sense of déjà vu as Sept-Tours was transformed back to its ed Marcus had declared the there I retreated to Matthew’s tower at regular intervals to feed, bathe, and change the babies--and to rest from the constant crush of people employed to clean, sort, and move furniture
"Thank you, Marthe," I said upon arden She had happily left the crowded kitchen in favor of nanny duty and another of her beloved entle pat on the back and picked Rebecca up from the cradle My lips coht relative to her brother’s
"She is hungry" Marthe’s dark eyes ry and never satisfied My thoughts danced away from the implications "Matthew said it’s too early for concern" I buried my nose in Rebecca’s neck and breathed in her sweet baby smell
"What does Matthe?" Marthe snorted "You are her mother"
"He wouldn’t like it," I warned
"Mattheould like it less if she dies," Marthe said bluntly
Still I hesitated If I followed Marthe’s broad hints without consulting him, Mattheould be furious But if I asked Matthew for his input, he would tell ht be true, but she certainly wasn’t bri over with health and wellness Her frustrated cries broketo do this, it had to be when Mattheasn’t around to fret
"So far as I know"
"Shh, it’s all right Mo down by the fire and undoing ht breast, and she latched on iht Milk dribbled out of the corner of her ht wail
She had been easier to feed before h colostrum were more tolerable to her system
That hen I’d first started to worry
"Here" Marthe held out a sharp, thin knife
"I don’t need it" I swung Rebecca onto assy belch, and a streaest the milk properly," Marthe said
"Let’s see how she handles this, then" I rested Rebecca’s head on ertips toward the soft, scarred skin at my left elbohere I’d tempted her father to takefluid swelled from the veins
Rebecca was instantly alert
"Is this what you want?" I curledher mouth to my skin I felt the same sense of suction that I did when she nursed at my breast, except that now the child wasn’t fussy--she was ravenous
Freely flowing venous blood was bound to be noticed in a house full of vampires Ysabeau was there in moments Fernando was nearly as quick Then Matthew appeared like a tornado, his hair disheveled from the wind
"Everyone Out" He pointed to the stairs Without waiting to see if they obeyed hi?"
"I’was audible in the quiet roo for months what the children would be Well, here’s one mystery solved: Rebecca needs blood to thrive" I inserted ently between her mouth and my skin to break the suction and slow the flow of blood
"And Philip?" Matthew asked, his face frozen
"He seems satisfied with my milk," I said "Maybe, in time, Rebecca will take to ato get it"
"There are good reasons we don’t turn children into vampires," Matthew said
"We have not turned Rebecca into anything She came to us this way And she’s not a va to be ridiculous, though the nahter
"Others ant to knohat kind of creature they’re dealing with," Matthew said
"Well, they’re going to have to wait," I snapped "It’s too soon to tell, and I won’t have people forcing Rebecca into a narrow box for their own convenience"