“All the ladies do, so I’d say yes,” Courtney said with a giggle.
“Papa says you’re his friend and you’re Lady Farah’s friend too.”
Courtney’s breath caught. “Did he?” She managed to keep her voice steady, though her pulse thundered in her ears.
“Uh-huh.” Ava-Marie nodded vigorously, making her curls bounce. “He said you knew him from before. Long time ago.”
“I did,” Courtney murmured, unable to look away from this living reminder of what might have been. “Shall we walk? We might see some pretty flowers in the park.”
“Can I pick some?” Ava-Marie asked eagerly, already starting to skip ahead before Caitria gently caught her hand.
“We’ll see, dear,” Farah said. “First, let’s walk nicely together.”
As they made their way through the park, Courtney found herself hanging back slightly, watching as Ava-Marie skipped between Farah and Caitria, occasionally tugging at their hands to hurry them along. Her movements were quick and restless, like a sparrow’s, but there was something in her direct gaze that was purely Lucien.
As promised, they made their way to the Serpentine and spent some time helping Ava-Marie feed the ducks. Another little girl, Tessa, joined her at the water’s edge, and they played and laughed.
When it was time to leave, Ava-Marie said out loud, “Tessa said I talked funny. She said she’d love to learn to talk like me.” Courtney shared a worried look with Farah. But the little girl wasn’t upset. She simply said, “I told her it was because I was born in Ireland.”
“England is very different to Ireland, isn’t it?” Caitria asked the child.
Ava-Marie nodded and smiled and waved at Tessa as she continued her walk with her nanny.
“It’s all right to miss your old home,” Courtney said softly.
“I miss my pony!” Ava-Marie declared. “And my kitty. Papa says we can’t have a kitty here yet.” She turned to Courtney suddenly. “Do you have a kitty?”
“No,” Courtney said softly, memories washing over her of Lucien teasing her about her preference for dogs. “But I have an Irish Wolf Hound named Freya. You’re welcome to come and play with her.”
“What color is she? I love dogs too!” Ava-Marie’s whole face lit up. “Papa says we might get a dog when—” She stopped abruptly, putting both hands over her mouth. “Oops. That’s a secret.”
Courtney couldn’t help but smile at the child’s poor attempt at discretion. The words ‘when they could afford one’ was probably going to come out of her mouth. They came to Cherry Tree Row, where spring had painted everything in soft pastels. Cherry blossoms drifted on the breeze like snow, and Ava-Marie gasped in delight.
“Look! Look! It’s snowing flowers!” She spun in circles, trying to catch the petals, all attempts at proper behavior forgotten. “Lady Farah, why is it snowing flowers?”
“Those are cherry blossoms,” Farah explained. “They fall from the trees in springtime.”
“Can I keep them?” Ava-Marie was already gathering fallen petals in her small hands.
“They won’t stay fresh for long,” Caitria warned gently.
“But they’re pretty now!” Ava-Marie insisted, then thrust her handful of petals toward Courtney. “Here! These are for you.”
And just like that, she lost her heart to another Furoe.
Courtney accepted the slightly crushed blossoms, her throat tight. “Thank you, dear.”
They walked on, Ava-Marie darting between them to collect more petals, occasionally stopping to point at dogs being walked or birds in the trees. Her chatter was constant but endearingly scattered, jumping from topic to topic with a child’s lack of connection.
“It’s nice in the sun, but I miss the nighttime and stars. My mama is a star, and I can see her every night. Papa reads me stories about stars,” she announced suddenly, falling into step beside Courtney. “But he says he forgets some. Do you know stories?”
“I do,” Courtney said carefully. “Would you like to hear one?”
“Yes! Is there a princess? I like princesses.”
“Well, there was a queen named Cassiopeia—”
“Was she pretty? Did she have a crown?” Ava-Marie interrupted, twirling in place.
