“I knew you would. You have a special bond with children.” Violet squeezed her arm. “You will be a wonderful mother one day, Isadora.”
Isadora’s breath caught, her fingers tightening slightly around the baby’s blankets. She had never truly thought about it—not in a way that felt real. But here, with the baby softly cradled against her, it didn’t seem so distant.
The thought terrified her. But even more than that—it didn’t.
She exhaled slowly, pressing a soft kiss to the baby’s forehead before reluctantly passing her back to Violet.
“I think I’ve held him for long enough,” she sighed.Any longer, and I might want to take him from you entirely.
She did not voice the latter part out loud. But the interaction had planted a small seed of wanting inside of her.
“Are you sure?” Violet asked, “He’s quite happy to be in your company as you can see.”
“I… yes,” Isadora swallowed, still feeling the warmth of the child against her skin. Slowly, she handed the child back to her mother. “But I’m glad that you brought me up here to meet him.”
If anything, ithaddistracted her. The thoughts of the kiss and Evan were now the furthest things from her mind. Now, she been gripped by a different kind of wondering.
What would her and Evan’s baby look like?
God. Stop that,she chided herself. She was getting too far ahead of herself, and this was dangerous territory.
“Let me take him over to the nurse, and we can head back downstairs.”
“No,” Isadora stopped her. “I need to step out into the balcony for some air. I shall meet you downstairs for dinner.”
“Are you certain?” Violet did not seem convinced.
“I am,” Isadora assured. For now, she just wished to be alone with her wayward thoughts, even if it was only for a few moments.
CHAPTER 18
“Have you seen Isadora anywhere?” Evan found himself sitting alone at the dinner table, inquiring after his wife.
The last he had seen of her was when they arrived together at the venue. After that, she had made a swift getaway and was nowhere to be found.
Daphne pursed her lips from the other side of the table. “Yes, well she was just with the two of us. And then Violet took her to meet the baby.”
The baby.Interesting.The image of his wife holding a small child across her chest crossed his mind, and to his surprise, he did not wish to immediately dismiss it.
“I got back downstairs a long time ago,” Violet remarked. “But Isadora said that she needed some air. I suspect she might still be on the balcony.”
“Was she not feeling well?” Evan demanded immediately, suddenly feeling a surge of overprotective energy.
Violet exchanged a look with Daphne, and it irked Evan that he could not immediately figure out what it meant.
“No, she was fine. Perhaps she was just tired?” Violet said, but her response was anything but helpful.
“If Isadora was tired, then she should have come to me,” Evan said through gritted teeth. He would have made sure that some solution could be devised. They could have gone home immediately, and she could have rested.
Unless…
There was something else up with her. He did not wish to ponder over what that might be.
Violet and Daphne exchanged another one of those maddening, knowing glances, and before Evan could demand an explanation, a soft voice interrupted them.
“I see my name is being passed around rather freely tonight.”
Evan turned, relief washing over him as Isadora approached the dinner table. She looked unharmed, thank God.
