Page 72 of Alessandra (Chisholm Manor #1)

Edward watched his wife run inside the manor house as soon as they pulled up in the carriage.

He could sense Alessandra's urgency to get to the nursery and see the children.

He took his time, going into the drawing room first to greet his mother and Alessandra's father.

"Edward!" his mother exclaimed as she ran to him and hugged him in a rare show of affection.

"How are you? And where is your wife?"

Edward laughed, loving how happy his mother seemed.

In fact, to him, she almost seemed to be glowing.

"Alessandra has gone directly to the nursery, Mother," Edward said.

"I will go and join her shortly, but I wanted to see you both first, and ask if there is anything that needs my attention directly."

"No, Edward," he heard Alessandra's father say.

"All is well here.

In fact, you probably could have stayed away longer if you wished it."

Edward laughed at his father-in-law.

"I do not think Alessandra could stay away longer than two nights.

She was very lonely for the children while we were away, I believe.

I shall leave you both now and go to the nursery also," he said and started to move away before turning back to them.

"Thank you once again for making our time away possible."

Alessandra's father looked at Edward's mother and they smiled at one another, imagining in their minds how much their children might have enjoyed their time alone.

"Oh, Edward! Look! I do believe little Elizabeth and Isabella - even little Charles - have all grown while we have been away," she said happily, making Elizabeth smile in pride.

Now three years old, she was already finding her own personality, and particularly enjoyed the times when she could see and talk to her mother.

Edward looked at each of his children before kneeling to hug Elizabeth.

He then lifted Isabella onto his knee as he sat down in one of the chairs in the nursery.

"I do believe you are right, my lovely wife.

My beautiful daughters, in particular, seem to have grown much over the past two days," he said, holding his youngest daughter close to him.

Although still too young to be able to have a two-way conversation with, when he held her on his knee and she looked directly at him and smiled, his heart caught.

"Margaret let me hold and feed Charles," Elizabeth said shyly in her almost-three language that took some concentration to understand at times.

As she spoke, she moved tentatively toward her mother, who, as wished, picked Elizabeth up and pulled her into a warm hug on her lap.

Alessandra looked over at Margaret, who was smiling broadly at the family scene in front of her.

The two women exchanged an affectionate glance.

"And how did you like that, Elizabeth? Were you scared?" Alessandra asked.

Elizabeth looked at her mother with a look of surprise on her face.

"Oh no, Mother! He was a good baby and did not frighten me at all!"

Edward laughed softly at his eldest daughter, enjoying watching her start to develop into a small person.

In his current position, surrounded by his children and the wife that he loved so much, he felt like he must surely be the luckiest man in the world.