Emma did not answer. She let her hand rest on the gown’s bodice, then pressed down the silk as if testing a seam.
“Ma will fuss in the morning,” Ava added, her voice lighter now. “She’ll weep into her handkerchief and say something ridiculous, like ye look like a saint carved from candlelight.”
“She had better nae start before I’m dressed. I have me own anxiety to deal with. I cannae face hers as well,” Emma drawled, and the sisters shared a quiet smile.
A log popped in the grate. Stella sighed in her sleep and stilled again. Ava rose and checked the blanket, then tucked a stray curl behind the child’s ear.
“Should we let her sleep this much?” she whispered. “She may nae let us sleep later tonight.”
“We will deal with the trouble when it comes,” Emma replied.
“That’s all anyone can do.” Ava slipped her hand into her sister’s and squeezed. “Start with tomorrow and leave the rest to God.”
Emma nodded.
The light outside was dimming by the second, and she knew that sooner or later, dusk would fall. It was quite funny how, for the whole day, she had no sense of time.
Ava gently stroked Stella’s cheeks as more thoughts flooded Emma’s mind. Eventually, she turned to her twin, a grateful smile on her face.
“Thank ye,” she said.
“For what?”
“For supporting me, I suppose.”
Ava leaned her shoulder against Emma’s. “We’re twins. I have nothing to do but support ye.”
They stayed at the window while the sun took its time to set.
Ava gave her hand a last squeeze and stepped back. “I’ll send Lara to help with the laces,” she announced. “Sleep while ye can.”
“I will,” Emma said. “Ye can also help me take Stella to the nursery. I need some time alone.”
Ava nodded, took one more look at the gown, and grabbed the sleeping baby. By some miracle, Stella didn’t fuss.
Taking one more look at her sister, Ava slipped out, quiet as a shadow.
Emma stood alone in the silence. She touched the sleeve once more, then let the fabric fall. The air felt tense and completely still. So still that she could hear the whispers that slipped past her lips.
“Let this be the right choice.”
CHAPTER 29
Emma spentan hour with the women in the Great Hall before returning to the nursery. For the whole day, that seemed to be the only place where she could find some peace.
Evening was still creeping in, but for now, the afternoon light warmed the nursery walls. The silence felt kind in a way that seemed to soften the voices all around. A small fire burned in the grate.
The baby was still asleep, and a part of her began to wonder why Ava was correct. On the bright side, she would not be the only one unable to get some sleep tonight. With a day as mighty as tomorrow looming over her, it was hard to.
She stopped in the doorway, ready to embrace the baby, but someone had gotten there before her. She knew just from the air alone that it was Fiona, Stella’s grandmother. She hovered in the doorway, unsure whether to step inside.
The older woman seated by the cradle turned at once and offered a smile that lifted her cheeks but did not reach her eyes.
“Me apologies. I didnae ken ye were?—”
“Ye have nothing to apologize for, lass.”
Emma nodded and watched Fiona play with the baby. Then, she heard a soft gargle and Stella’s voice. The little girl was awake.
