“The same.”
“Well, I have some lists myself, though,” Marianne admitted.
“Of course you do.” Adrian pulled her closer. “What kind of lists?”
“Things for the nursery. Possible names. Questions for Mr Peterson.”
“See? Practical.” Edmund rose. “Speaking of practical, I’ve brought some items. Had them brought in through the garden door to avoid gossip.”
“Items?” Adrian asked suspiciously.
“Baby things. Marianne’s cradle, a few gowns she wore as an infant. Your mother kept them all—couldn’t bring herself to part with them.” His voice roughened. “Thought you might like to have them.”
Marianne blinked back tears. “Papa…”
“None of that. Pregnant women cry at everything, and I have not the constitution for it.” He cleared his throat. “Besides, it’s sensible—no need to buy new when perfectly good things exist.”
But they all knew it was more than practicality. It was continuity—past, present, and future linked by simple wooden cradle rails and soft, worn linen.
“Thank you,” Adrian said quietly. “It means a great deal.”
Edmund nodded once, then clapped his hands together. “Right, then. I’ll take my leave. Let you two get on with the business of growing my grandchild.”
When he was gone, Marianne turned to her husband. “You wrote to him about strawberries?”
“Among other things.”
“What other things?”
“Everything. Every symptom, every concern, every possible complication I could think of.”
“Adrian—”
“He must not have laughed—much. And I know he will provide useful information about what to expect, as well as what is normal or concerning.” He pulled her onto his lap, hands settling on her waist. “Did you truly reorganise his warehouse at twelve?”
“It was chaos. I merely imposed logic.”
“My brilliant wife.” He kissed her neck. “Our child will be terrifying.”
“Orterrified, with you hovering constantly.”
“I prefer ‘protective observation.’”
“Through hedges?”
“That was one time!”
She laughed, leaning back against him. “What do you suppose Catherine and Lord Timothy are discussing at this very moment?”
“Something excruciatingly dull about architectural stress points.”
***
As it happened, Catherine and Lord Timothy were indeed discussing architecture—but not in quite so dull a fashion as Adrian imagined.
They stood before the Elgin Marbles, Catherine sketching while Timothy explained the mathematical principles behind their creation.
“See how the ancient Greeks understood proportion instinctively? The divine proportion appears everywhere in these pieces.”
