In Which Morgan Has an Intimate Certainty

August 10, 1203

"Happy birthday, sis." Running as late as she'd been--unsurprisingly, given that she was a newlywed herself--Alina wasted no further time in greeting Viridis with a tight hug. "And happy wedding day! You look stunning. Sorry for my tardiness."

"Thank you--and don't apologize! The ceremony won't start if key family members aren't accounted for, or at least Reyes and I wouldn't let it."

"That, and Galahan bought you some time," Morgan added with a sigh. It seemed that six wasn't yet old enough to go anywhere without a spare outfit on hand. Thank God for Honora and her ability to make an obscuring accessory out of anything. "At least when the other children sneak off for pastries, they don't return with jam all down their fronts. Your sister is working on that now."

"As if she didn't have enough of a job with Viridis here! But I see she at least had help, even if it wasn't mine." Alina nodded over to the twins, but without much resulting response. Lysi blushed somewhat in the acknowledgment, but said nothing; Lythe, somewhat bitter about being cooped up inside on such a nice day, only pouted. "Hmm. Well, shy and bored as some may be, everyone involved did splendidly."

Shy, bored, covered in jam. That was three of her children who'd made a terrible start to their sister's wedding day. Morgan hoped that Kay, at least, was behaving himself.

But of course, the younger four weren't the focus of day. Lysi could be shy and Lythe could be bored and Galahan could be covered in jam, but the way Viridis's smile echoed in her eyes assured Morgan that nothing could possibly ruin this day for her.

Morgan's powers didn't extend to the realm of the dead--that was the domain of Vera's abilities--but somehow, she knew with an intimate certainty that Viridis's birth mother took the same delight in those eyes.

"You do look lovely, darling." Morgan took her daughter in her arms and kissed her on the cheek. Viridis's face was just as soft and warm as it had been when she'd been new, bundled in a blanket in her ailing father's arms. "My beautiful girl. I'll always be so proud of you."

"Thank you, Mother." Never mind that she was now the taller of the two, Viridis rested her chin on Morgan's shoulder. "Thank you for everything."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Viridis Tries Being Bold

April 12, 1203

Viridis liked Thetis Tumekrin, to the point where she wouldn't have hesitated to call them friends. Refusing people didn't come easy to her, but she would have found a way out of this if she didn't genuinely enjoy Thetis's company. She didn't know Gualtiero too well, but she had nothing against him either, and he seemed pleasant enough--plus, he was Reyes's twin brother and Thetis's betrothed. Thetis's non-arranged, entirely voluntary betrothed. Viridis had known Thetis long enough now to trust her judgement of character.

All the same... she would have much preferred a double date with Alina and Falidor, or even with Honora and Francois. Alina and Falidor had been courting since their youth and were practically married already, and had by now mastered the art of realizing that other people were in the room. Honora and Francois weren't quite at that point, but they were both reserved enough that overt displays of affection in the presence of others weren't a particular risk.

But Honora and Francois had already made plans with Francois's sister and her betrothed, and Falidor had a production to stage tonight, plus Alina had some coursework to take care of anyway. So, when Thetis had asked...

Well, Viridis hadn't said no, and neither had Reyes. And Viridis, at least, hadn't had quite the full idea of how Thetis and Gualtiero typically acted around each other.

Technically, she'd been in some sort of mutual pursuit with Reyes de Cervantes since her freshman year. She was studying economics, but a key facet of that was mathematics and she'd always been good at it, so she'd challenged a sophomore mathematics course for supplementary education. Reyes, a year ahead, had been studying physics, with a focus in mechanics--another area poised to benefit from some extra mathematics. Viridis hadn't quite realized how early one had to arrive for a choice seat, and the only one left had been near the back, at a table with Reyes. They hadn't spoken much throughout that course, but they'd ended up passing notes through most of the term, because neither understood why so many of their classmates needed repeat explanations of simple concepts.

After that course had finished, she'd found herself in the library one day, only to be approached by the quiet, awkward young man from the term prior. He'd asked if he could sit. She'd nodded. Fifteen minutes in, he'd blurted out that he liked her hair, then pulled his book in front of his face as if he thought she could no longer see him--but he could no longer see her, and she was glad of that, because her face had been as red as their mathematics professor's robes.

And that was how it had gone, a series of scattered awkward moments between two people who were too shy for their own good. Viridis was a senior now, set to graduate in June. Reyes had graduated in December. Most of their peers who'd graduated with him, who'd graduate with her, or who'd graduated between them? Engaged, or married--in many cases, after shorter acquaintanceships.

And sometimes, it was easy to envy people like Thetis and Gualtiero, who had no trouble saying what the felt and even less acting on it.

What were they even saying to each other? Whispering, giggling, a squeal of some taboo pleasure as Thetis sprung onto Gualtiero's lap. Viridis heard the words and recalled their sounds, but no meaning registered. It might as well have been another language, some tongue that only lovers spoke.

"Viridis?"

She blinked. At least she'd understood her own name, but it had come at the cost of missing Thetis's movement. She stood in front of her now, a plea in her eyes, while Gualtiero remained hopeful and eager on the couch behind her.

"I just asked if you wouldn't mind if Gualtiero and I ducked upstairs for a bit? I just want his opinion on my history paper."

A transparent excuse, especially considering that Thetis wasn't even taking a history course. But, Viridis managed a slow nod. "I suppose that's fine?"

"Great! Thanks. I'll try not to keep him for too long." But she grabbed him by the hand and whisked him to the stairs with far too much enthusiasm for a proofread of a fictional paper.

And that left Viridis alone, in the library of Thetis's Pisces House instead of her own Capricorn House, in the company of a man she was fond of but couldn't express herself to, a man whom she thought was fond of her but was equally--

"You know, I uh... I never used to be like this. Not that I was ever as overt as Gualtiero, but I could at least tell girls that I fancied them, once."

Or not. Viridis tugged at the fraying end of one of her braids. If he had an explanation, it would be either frustrating or flattering, but until he said it she'd find it simultaneously both. "...oh?"

"I don't know. You... make me nervous, I guess."

Nervous? That was an effect she'd never expected to have on anyone. She couldn't think of a person she knew who was less threatening than she was, especially if her face was as pink as it was hot. "I don't mean to make you nervous. You make me nervous."

"I don't mean to make you nervous either. I like you. I like you more than I've ever liked anyone." Reyes crossed his hands and fumbled with his own fingers as he looked down to his lap. "I guess I find it hard to say much to you, because if I say the wrong thing and drive you away, I don't know how well I could deal with that. Is that stupid?"

"I-- No. No, I don't think it's stupid. I think that's how I feel too." At least, it was as close to finding the words for it as she thought either of them might get. "But if we haven't driven each other away yet, then maybe we should try to stop worrying about it?"

"We should. It's been long enough, surely." Long enough, indeed. They knew people who'd courted a shorter time than them who were married already. "I'm having dinner with my parents on Sunday. You should come. My father in particular is... pretty calming. And my mother never met an awkward moment she couldn't squash."

"Sunday. I think I'd like that." It was a big step, bigger than she'd anticipated happening any time soon, but it was well overdue and perhaps it was the running start required to make the leap. "You should probably come for dinner with my mother and Uncle Lonriad too, soon. I suppose Sevvie and Yvanette would be there as well, if that makes it any better."

He nodded. "That sounds good."

"Good." Plans. Big plans. A start. Progress. "Um... but, what should we do now, while they're... pretending to work on Thetis's paper?"

Reyes chuckled, grey eyes flicking up at her in a shy confirmation of amusement. "Uh-- Well, maybe we could... sit closer?"

"Like... cuddling?" Viridis blinked. Sure, it wasn't anything nearly so bold as whatever Thetis and Gualtiero were doing upstairs--but, for the two of them, it may as well have been.

And perhaps, just this once, she wanted to try being bold. "We could."

"All right, then." He inched his way toward her and draped a tentative arm around her shoulder, his wrist settling at the base of her neck to avoid reaching further down than was proper. In turn, she let herself lean into him--not fully, but close enough that there was definite contact.

Close enough that she felt bold. Not so close that she felt uncomfortable.

"You smell nice."

She smiled. "You're warm."

"I want to kiss you."

Against her side, his body froze--as if his tongue had rushed ahead of the rest of him and he hadn't had time to calculate the slip. But if any part of him had said it, then he'd eased somewhat, just as she had. And he'd ease more, just as she would.

"Then kiss me."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Viridis Suggests a Sure Detail

October 2, 1189

"Feeling better, Mama?"

Viridis skidded to a halt to avoid a collision. Her poor mother was having a rough enough morning, what with all the trips to the privy.

Though, this wasn't the first morning where that was the case. "You're not dying, are you?"

"Dying?" Her mother laughed, though she still looked a little green around the cheeks. "Of course not, sweetie. I'm fine."

"Then why do you keep getting sick?"

"Because--" Her mother swallowed. For her sake, Viridis hoped she'd cleared out all the vomit before then. "--I'm going to have a baby."

"Oh." Babies made women sick? She supposed that made sense. Living with another person inside you couldn't have been easy. "When?"

"The second half of April, most likely." That was still a long way off. That explained why her mother wasn't big yet, like women were with babies on the way.

"Do you think it'll be a girl?" Her stepbrothers were nice, but she sometimes suspected they were exceptions as far as boys went.

Her mother snickered. "I couldn't guess either way at this point."

"What will it look like?"

"I couldn't guess that either."

Surprises, then. Surprises were overrated. Viridis had always found herself more excited if she had a sure detail to cling to. "Can I name it?"

Her mother blinked. Maybe she hadn't gotten around to thinking of names yet. "We'll see."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Lonriad Has a Good Feeling

May 13, 1189

Lonriad recalled his own childhood clearly enough to know that proximity in age was no guarantee that any two kids would get along, but animosity had been an unnecessary worry when it came to his Alina and her cousin Viridis. They'd seen each other often enough at school and family functions, but they'd had their own groups of friends and a lack of time alone had prevented them from bonding. Now that Lonriad was courting--he could scarcely believe it, courting!--Viridis's adoptive mother, however, the girls had forged a tight bond over a number of play dates, and had grown inseparable even among their other friends according to their Aunt Vera.

And what a relief it was. Alina was very much her mother's daughter, was a born leader with little patience, and Lonriad feared that many of her current friends would come to dismiss her as 'bossy'. Viridis, however, was always perfectly content to go along with whatever hi-jinx Alina had dreamed up. She wasn't a complete doormat, but she was easy-going and gentle, and any opposition she raised was more along the lines of persuasion than conflict. As far as friendships went, it was a match made in heaven.

So it was that Lonriad had begun to wonder if that was the case with him and Morgan. Surely it was far too early to say anything definitive, but he'd decided the minute he'd begun to feel he might attempt to find love after Asalaye that his most important measure of suitability would be his children. Alina liked Morgan nearly as much as she liked Viridis, so that made for one vote of approval. Honora, much shyer than her older sister, had been more cautious--but after a few meetings she'd opened up with some rare conversation, to the point where Lonriad could relax a little about the thought of her starting school next year. That was two.

He hadn't needed to worry about Sevvie. Sevvie got along with everyone. And besides, Sevvie had made the point to tell Lonriad before his second outing with Morgan that he'd fully accept any woman who could make his father happy. So that made for three. But it had to be unanimous.

And while he wasn't worried about Adonis disliking any woman he courted... well, there was always the worry that other people would take issue with Adonis.

"Morgan, can I have a kitten?" It was only the second thing Honora had said that afternoon apart from a quiet 'hello'. She wasn't usually so direct. Lonriad would take that as a good sign.

Morgan smiled. "I believe that would be up to your papa, sweetie."

"He says they make him sneeze."

"Oh." The smile went to a grimace as she locked eyes with Lonriad. Morgan, he new for a fact, was quite fond of cats. Had she been the lady of the house, she would have been quite pleased to gift her stepdaughter with a kitten, and even more pleased to be able to play with it herself. But she wasn't the lady of the house, and that left her between overstepping the boundaries of Honora's surviving parent and disappointing Honora herself. "Hmm."

"Maybe if you kept it in your room," Lonriad offered as a compromise. "And as long as I didn't have to take care of it."

"I'd take care of it, Papa!"

"I do believe she would," Morgan agreed with a wink. "Her siblings could help too."

Lonriad sighed--defeated, but not entirely unhappy. "I'll consider it."

"Yay!"

"What are you so happy about, squirt?"

Damn it. Lonriad looked over to corridor and swallowed.

He'd come to accept the fact that whenever possible, his second son would choose one of his cousins' hand-me-down dresses over his own tunics. Adonis was overall a well-adjusted child, friendly and enthusiastic and clever enough, and Lonriad had conceded long ago that there were far worse things he could have been doing than wearing girls' clothing.

That said: he'd wanted to mention this to Morgan before Morgan ever saw Adonis in a dress. If Morgan objected, then, well... she'd never be the lady of his house, no matter how much it pained him personally. But if she did object, he'd rather she not do so to Adonis's face.

Adonis, bless his heart, didn't think anything of it. "Hello, Morgan!"

Nervous, Lonriad glanced over at Morgan's face. If he saw any trace of disgust or ridicule, then he'd have to do something before his son got hurt.

But Morgan greeted him with a friendly grin, as if a ten-year-old boy in a dress was a thing so ordinary it bordered on the mundane. "Hello, Adonis. I hope you've been well?"

"Very! Our cook has been teaching me how to make pastries."

"Oooh! I love pastries!" Morgan bounced in delight at the mere thought. Lonriad would have to commission an extra dessert for tonight. "What have you made so far?"

"Nothing on my own yet. But I might get to make a pie next weekend."

"What kind of pie?"

"Pecan."

"That sounds delicious. You'll have to save me a slice."

"You should come over the day I make it!" Giddy, Adonis turned his grinning head to Lonriad. "Can she, Papa?"

Well. She could now. "Of course."

"Excellent! Maybe Viridis and Alina could gather some wildflowers for a centerpiece? I'd rather my first pie be served on a table worthy of the occasion."

"Maybe your Aunt Vera will allow us to bring some from her garden."

"Yes, please ask her!"

As the details continued to bounce between the two of them, Lonriad winked at his youngest daughter. "You know, Honora... I think I have a good feeling about this."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Morgan Helps Out

October 24, 1187

"Can I help you?"

If ever Morgan had a surprise weekend visitor, it was typically Cherry. And if not Cherry... it was at least someone she'd met before. The woman in front of her was a stranger. Her red hair was not unlike Cherry's shade, but she was a few years older with none of Cherry's humor about her. She wasn't cruel-looking, but she was cold, grim... perhaps a little lost. And, in that, a little familiar.

"You're Morgan?"

She nodded. "Might I have your name?"

"Of course. I'm Celina Andronei." Familiar indeed--though red hair aside, moreso in temperament than looks. "Searle's sister."

"Oh, yes. Vera mentioned you. She said you were married to her uncle."

"Half-uncle. But yes."

Uncle. Half-uncle. So many of these nobles had these so-called half-relatives, and so many of them insisted on the distinctions. Perhaps they were just fond of precision, but Morgan didn't care for the terms. She was an adopted child who now had an adopted child. Family was the heart, and not the blood it pumped.

Then again, maybe that was why Celina was here. But to be sure--or to keep her hopes down--Morgan started with the safer option. "Vera's not here, actually. She's visiting her sister."

"I'm not actually looking for Vera."

"Oh?" She tried not to smile too obviously.

"You see, my husband was asked to deliver some news here. I didn't have any pressing engagements in Dovia, so I thought I'd maybe call on--"

"Hello!"

A couple stairs cleared in a leap, Viridis skidded to a halt, blond braids bouncing. "Who are you?"

Celina stared, mouth agape. If she'd met the girl's mother even once, then she saw the resemblance. The woman her brother had loved, their only child together. Proof that, in some form, they and their love lived on.

Morgan would help her out. "This is your aunt, sweetie. Your father's sister."

"My father has a sister?" Viridis's eyes widened. Poor thing didn't remember her father, looks or anything else. "You're really pretty."

"Oh. Uh--"

"Can you tell me about him?" The little girl rushed up to them, beaming up at her new-found aunt. "Please?"

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Morgan Smiles Back

December 10, 1183

Morgan struggled to keep her calm as she carried Viridis into the front room. Now that Viridis had been fully weaned, she'd been dreading the day Lord Severin would call for her--though with every visit this past while, she'd lucked out and found he'd come for Vera or Lucien instead. She hoped that today would be no different.

"My lord."

"Morgan." He rolled his eyes, as he typically did whenever she called him that. Yet it would be a while before she was comfortable speaking to him on a first-name basis, especially if he'd come to reclaim his granddaughter from her care. "Viridis."

"Gampa!" The little girl beamed. Good to know that Morgan's own reservations had escaped her notice.

But perhaps she had no reason to worry today. Lucien was out and he'd taken his son with him, but Vera was upstairs, resting. She was about three months along now, and after her last pregnancy had ended in miscarriage, she was making a point to be cautious, at least in the delicate early stages. But she was starting to show now, growing a little less fearful, and Morgan had no doubt that she'd be starting her new job at the school come January with a cute little four-month bump to show for it.

As the father of twelve children and the grandfather of twenty-one--or sixteen and twenty-six, if stepchildren were to be counted--Lord Severin probably knew as much about pregnancy as any man ever could, so he was likely thinking along the same lines in regards to Vera. But maybe he was just worried enough that he'd figured he'd reassure himself with a call? "Vera's upstairs."

"I shall check on her later, then--but I actually came to talk to you."

Or not. "Oh."

"My apologies if that inspires any panic. I hope this conversation will be as painless as possible." He flashed her a quick grin, which she labored to return in kind. In her arms, little Viridis yawned. "Sounds like it's time for someone's nap."

Morgan swallowed. She'd just been about to put Viridis down for an hour or so, but Lord Severin's arrival had delayed that task. The way he saw it, though, she must have looked an unfit caregiver. Though... a man with that many children would have known that not all toddler needs were obvious enough to be predictable.

Then again, a man with that many children might have known a few indicators of which Morgan was unaware. In that case, at least Viridis would be better off. "Yes, well... I was just going to take her to her crib when you showed up. I'll just--"

"Actually, may I?" He held out his arms and gestured toward himself with the fingers of one hand. Awkward, Morgan handed Viridis over. "Thank you."

"Um... no problem."

"Ready for your nap, kitten?" Lord Severin asked as he gave his granddaughter a quick tickle beneath the arm. Viridis giggled, but quickly yawned again. "I thought so. Here, I'll take you to your crib and you can sleep while Morgan and I have a little chat."

"I can take her if you like." A bit more defensive than her usual offer, but from the sounds of it, he may have had cause for concern and she had to prove herself. But why? She was going to lose Viridis eventually, and she'd known that. Stupid...

"I know you can, but you do this every day. I don't mind doing it once." He kissed Viridis on the forehead as she slumped to his shoulder. "Does she fall asleep fairly easily, for the most part?"

Morgan nodded. At least she knew that detail.

"All right. I'll be back in a few minutes, then. Make yourself comfortable."

I doubt that's possible, Morgan thought as the pair of them started toward the stairs, but she took a seat at the dining table anyway. It was Vera's preferred chair--with only four of them at the large table each meal, it made more sense for them to keep to one side--but it was the nearest apart from the head of the table, and it seemed only proper to leave that seat open if one's guest was a lord. Vera wouldn't mind.

She supposed now that Viridis would never join them at the table, at least not often. By the time she was big enough to sit here, she'd be living with her grandfather. But why was she so bitter about this? Morgan liked to think of herself as a sensible person. She didn't discount emotions the way some seemed to, but she knew that her decisions were limited to the realm of her own life, and in terms of anyone else's... well, she could disagree, but she could not argue. She was only ever meant to be Viridis's nurse, for all she'd occasionally heard herself called 'Mama' and enjoyed it a little more than she should have. Viridis's real mother would have wanted her daughter to be raised by the same loving family that raised her, and Viridis's father had spent his last days making sure that happened. Who was Morgan to argue with their wishes?

Besides, Lord Severin didn't strike her as the possessive, jealous sort. Surely he'd let her visit if she asked nicely? And maybe it would be for the best. Morgan would be quite busy once the university opened.

She had a feeling she'd need that preoccupation.

"You were right. Little tyke barely even waited to touch the pillow."

Lord Severin had returned. As Morgan had predicted, he took the chair at the head of the table. "Are you all right? You look a little concerned."

"I'm fine," Morgan lied, though she doubted he'd believe her. "Just thinking."

"I see." He grabbed the seat of the chair and pulled himself in closer to the table. "Viridis really loves you a lot, you know."

Didn't a sweet little thing like Viridis love everybody? "I know."

"Every time I have her to myself, she keeps asking me where Mama Morgan is." Chuckling to himself, he rested one elbow on the side of the table. Morgan frowned. Sure, she hadn't thought him jealous, but he'd sounded more opposite than she could have expected. "Anyway, now that she's weaned, I figured we'd better talk."

Shit. There went every hope that this conversation could have been about anything else. Morgan stiffened in her seat. She supposed there was no sense in dragging this out. "You want her to come live with you."

"Actually, I was wondering if you might like to adopt her."

Eh? Morgan blinked. Sure, the thought had crossed her mind in her weakest moments, but she never would have asked... surely she'd never thought... "Are you serious?"

"When am I ever not serious? Well, aside from when I'm joking." He winked. Not sure what else to do with that--or if she was hearing correctly--Morgan grimaced. "But really, she adores you, and the poor thing has already lost two parents. It would be cruel to rob her of a third."

"I... suppose it would." And she couldn't help but smile a little more widely. But wasn't it cruel to him, keeping his granddaughter for herself? "But what about you?"

"What about me? This way, I don't have to make sure she eats her vegetables, or punish her when she misbehaves; I just get to spoil her rotten like I do all my other grandchildren, then leave you to deal with any unpleasant effects of that."

That... did make sense, at least for a man who was probably more in the emotional mindset of a grandfather in this stage of his life. Though Morgan did have to argue with one thing. "I'm sure she'll never be unpleasant."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure; all of my spawn and grand-spawn tend to be handfuls. Lovable handfuls, but handfuls nonetheless. Why, just last week, Roddie..." He shook his head, though a few hints of laughter slipped out between his teeth. "Ah, forgive an old man and his need to share stories no one wants to hear. But truly, if you'd like to adopt Viridis, I'd be more than happy to allow it. I just request that she keeps her original surname, for her birth parents' sake."

"That's a reasonable request." As if it mattered to Morgan what Viridis's surname was! "But yes. If you're willing, then I'd love to keep her."

He smiled--more sincerely than before, more seriously. As if to reassure her that everything would be all right. "All right. I'll have the paperwork drawn up today, then I'll bring it by tomorrow for you to sign. Will that work for you?"

And this time, it wasn't so tough to smile back. "Absolutely."

NEXT CHAPTER: