In Which Morgan Sees a Man Fooled

June 6, 1184

If Morgan had expected to find Lucien right outside the bedroom door rather than downstairs with Lord Severin and Sir Isidro, she wouldn't have opened it so widely. But the sight of the new baby had proven a sufficient distraction from anything going on back in the room; surely he would have said something if he'd seen?

"Aww, look at her! She has her mama's eyes!" He dove in with a wide smile to greet the baby up close, only to look back up at Morgan, anxious, grin now a grimace. "Er... she is a she, right?"

The poor silly man. She'd have thought the assumption adorable if she could stop wondering for a second what Lonan might have done when presented with their daughter, if both of them had lived. "Yes, she's a girl. Vera wants to name her for her mother."

"That was the plan from the beginning; she even wanted Alin for a boy." As if Morgan didn't know it!

"She, uh..." He swallowed, his grin loosening as his eyes drooped. Poor Vera. She had been so anxious. "She thought that since there was such a gap after Severin, that this might be the last... ah, never mind. I take it you wouldn't have been smiling if she wasn't all right?"

"You take it right. She's doing very well." Physically, and mentally, at least Morgan hoped. Vera may have been doubting her fertility before, but surely after this...

Don't be ridiculous. You know how she felt, so don't make her out to be irrational. You aren't exactly sure if you'll ever have another child yourself.

Once the thought had served its purpose, she pushed it back to the side. Today was Vera and Lucien's day.

She wouldn't ruin it with her own problems, even in her own head. "Really. She's even out of bed, walking around. Said she felt restless."

"Huh." He shrugged. "Well, I guess I've heard stranger things. And I guess she couldn't be doing much better than that, could she?"

"Probably not--unless seeing you would help." Mindful of little Alina in her arms, Morgan took a step back and reached for the doorhandle. Everyone inside had been nice and quiet, only a dull murmur of conversation between Nora and Riona audible from the hall. It was almost as if he was in on it. "Come inside? Everyone's all cleaned up."

"Of course."

She opened the door and stepped in, Lucien following some feet back. She looked over to the other side of the room, where Vera stood and the other two sat; Vera was of course preoccupied, but Nora smirked and Riona shot a wink. "Lucien's here."

"Oh, good." Vera lifted her head, meeting her husband with eyes like their daughters'. The eyes like her grandfather's remained turned elsewhere. "Hello, honey. Come meet the baby."

"I just d--" A stop. So he'd noticed. "What."

He looked at Vera. Then at Morgan. Then Vera again. "And here I thought Garrett was an idiot when they fooled him."

"All men are idiots where new babies are concerned," Nora assured him; beside her, Riona nodded in agreement. "I'll throw you a bone and assure you that we don't have a triplet stashed away anywhere."

"If only to throw you off so you'll be surprised when you find him." Morgan nudged him lightly as she brushed past, meeting Vera by the corner of the bed. She'd figured Lucien might like to see the twins side by side, even if they didn't look any more alike than any two random newborns might have.

But who knew? Once their features matured, the resemblance might have proven uncanny.

"So... this one?"

"He's a boy. Isn't Alina lucky? A big brother to look out for her, and a little brother to pester." Vera smiled down at her new son, though Morgan knew full well that the grin was for the both of them. "And with two big siblings to look out for him, I'd say Alin is pretty lucky too."

Lucien's brows twitched upward. "Alin?"

"Well, we said we'd name the baby for my mother either way, right?"

If they hadn't, Lucien didn't argue. From the looks of it, he didn't want to; how better to name twins, after all? "That we did."

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