Page 57 of Gabriela and His Grace (The Luna Sisters #3)
Dancourt Abbey had changed much in the nine years since Gabby and her sisters had taken refuge there, but had lost none of its charm.
“Sirius has been in discussions with O’Brien and the other men about how best to approach the abbey renovations.
” Isabel squinted as she glanced across the lawn in the direction of the old abbey ruins.
“It’s been almost three hundred years since the nunnery closed, and the men want to reuse as much of the original materials as they can. ”
“Because the old materials contain all the character.” Ana María raised a glass of lemonade to her lips and took a leisurely sip. “Can you imagine what those old stones bore witness to?”
“Probably a good number of nuns sneaking in and out of each other’s rooms—”
“Gabby!” her sisters cried in shocked unison.
Gabby doubted she’d ever grow tired of scandalizing her sisters. Raising a shoulder, she smiled. “But am I wrong?”
“Ay Dios, I’ve missed you,” Isabel said, reaching out to squeeze Gabby’s hand.
“And I you,” she replied, lacing their fingers together and holding her older sister tight.
With Mexico settling into an era of reformation after Maximilian and his generals were executed and the French were driven back to Europe, the sisters had found ways to strengthen their bonds across the distance between them.
Isabel, Sirius, and their twin boys, Daniel and Gabriel, had arrived from San Luis Potosí a fortnight prior and had invited all the family to join them for an extended visit at their country home, Dancourt Abbey.
The family had visited at least once a year since they departed to Mexico, but this was their longest planned visit since the boys had been born.
After years of planning, Sirius was finally ready to tackle the renovations to the old abbey ruins where Ana María and Gideon had married years before.
Most of the blueprints had been agreed upon, but there were still some decisions to be made, and Isabel and Sirius would remain in England until the first phase of renovation was underway.
And now that Senora Maza de Juárez had passed away, Isabel’s schedule was not as demanding as it had been.
Gabby and Sebastian had quickly accepted the invitation, ready to quit their busy social and political schedules in London for a spell.
The preceding months had been particularly grueling for Gabby as she had helped to launch another medical clinic in Whitechapel, near the parish church where Ana María and Gideon attended.
The clinic’s focus was to meet the medical needs of women in the area, including pregnant women, new mothers, and their children.
Gabby continued to be inspired by her visit to Doctora Jimenez’s clinic in San Luis Potosí, and after she’d settled into married life, Gabby had turned her attention to the project, more than willing to use her title as Duchess of Whitfield to accomplish her goal.
She had planned the endeavor meticulously, with help and advice from Isabel, Doctora Jimenez, and Ana María.
The clinic in Whitechapel was the fourth such clinic she’d helped open over the years of her marriage, a feat that had only been possible with the financial support of a group of wealthy patronesses she’d recruited from among the ton.
Gabby had courted them methodically, stealthily, and with a barge full of charm, Sebastian declared.
It certainly helped that Gabby’s duchess coronet had made her more popular than ever.
She fought the urge to roll her eyes when she remembered the fawning articles that had been written after their marriage.
Society certainly loved the story of a reformed rake…
and Gabby loved Sebastian enough not to make a fuss about the narrative.
“I’m so thankful you were able to convince Mother to accompany you, Isa,” Ana María murmured, her voice filled with emotion.
Pressing her lips together, Gabby allowed her gaze to rest on her mother, who sat under a willow tree with Lady Yardley, the older women watching the children and men play cricket on the pitch.
While neither Gabby nor María Elena had ever discussed the fraught nature of their last conversation before Gabby fled back to England, Gabby sensed her mother was regretful for how the situation unfolded.
Her mother had never offered an apology, but neither had Gabby provided an explanation.
Rather the women had continued on as if nothing had transpired, an act made infinitely easier by the fact that Gabby had married the duke.
Sliding her eyes from María Elena, Gabby sighed when her gaze touched on Sebastian showing their daughter, Sofia, how to field the mid off position.
Sofia was several months shy of her third birthday, but she may as well have been anticipating her thirtieth for all the stubborn, no-nonsense attitude she displayed.
Sebastian was amused to no end by her toddler antics, and Sofia exploited her father’s soft heart, using it to extend bedtimes and forgive her naughty behavior in equal measure.
On more than one occasion, Gabby had vented to Ana María of her daughter’s headstrong behavior only for her older sister to remind her that Sofia was much more like her mother than her father, and Gabby had not known whether to be proud or disgruntled.
The previous evening, Sofia had stomped her foot and pouted, her blue eyes flashing, after being told it was bedtime, and Gabby had not missed how her older sisters had exchanged diverted glances as they watched her tend to her daughter.
Being a mother had been a challenge, but Gabby was thankful she had a partner in Sebastian.
Unlike their own fathers, both of whom deigned to notice their children only when it suited them, Sebastian was doting and gentle.
He could be firm with Sofia when necessary, but her duke genuinely enjoyed spending time with their daughter, and Gabby was not surprised.
Sebastian had shown her, first with his regard toward their niece, Estella, and then with David and James, that his arrogant manner masked a deep well of love.
Thinking of the wonderful father Sebastian was brought her own father to mind.
Elías Luna had not wished to make the long trip to England with his old friend Presidente Juárez in poor health.
Gabby knew her father wasn’t in the best health himself, as he had curtailed many of his duties after he had suffered a stroke the year prior.
Isabel said Elías had softened after his health scare, and spent more time with his grandsons, regaling them with tales of his youth.
But more often, their father could be found with Juárez, and Gabby thought it almost poetic that the men, who’d been by each other’s side through all manner of trials, would spend their last days together.
“When do the boys return to Eton, Gabby?” Isabel asked.
Gabby swung her gaze to the cricket pitch, where David demonstrated an overhand bowl while James explained the mechanics to Gabriel, Daniel, and Benjamin, Ana María and Gideon’s son.
“September. Sebastian is thrilled he has so much time to spend with them. They’re accompanying us when we travel to San Luis Potosí next month. ”
“Daniel and Gabe will be elated.” A small smile curled Isabel’s lips as she watched her sons. “The twins are surrounded by extended family in Mexico, but it’s different…it’s special when they get to spend time with their cousins.”
Exhaling a shaking breath, Gabby nodded.
James and David had been integrated seamlessly into the family, and Gabby struggled to remember what life was like before they had become a part of her happily ever after.
Although Sofia kept her busy, Whitfield Manor had been quiet since David left to join James at Eton for the summer term.
Sofia had missed them terribly…and so had Sebastian.
Ana María released a long breath. “I wish we could travel with you, but we won’t be able to leave London until after Gideon’s committee meeting. They’re so close to pushing through a viable Ballot Act, and Gideon is worried the vote will fall through if he’s not there to advocate for it.”
“Well, of course he needs to be there,” Gabby exclaimed. “If anyone can get the legislation before Parliament, it’s Gideon. Sebastian has said numerous times that when Gideon is ready to stand for prime minister, he will be his most vocal supporter.”
True to his word, Sebastian had eased into politics, using his influential position to argue for a multitude of reforms. On more than one occasion, Sebastian had lamented the frustrating dance required to advance any meaningful legislation, and he marveled at Gideon’s ability to do so, especially considering how he’d earned his political power from pure tenacity.
“Don’t worry, Ana, we will be eagerly awaiting your arrival,” Isabel said, patting the back of Ana María’s hand. “And then we can travel together to Mexico City to visit Father.”
The trip would be the first time the sisters had been in Mexico together since they fled following the Second Battle of Puebla.
Ana María, Gabby, and their respective families had visited Isabel in San Luis Potosí, but never at the same time.
After their father’s stroke, the sisters agreed that they would visit Elías for what would probably be the last time, before they introduced their children to the city they spent their childhoods in.
It would be a difficult trip to take, but Gabby was thankful her sisters and Sebastian would be there to do it with her.
“Do you ever wonder what your life would be like now if Puebla didn’t fall?” Isabel asked suddenly, turning in her chair to face her and Ana María. “Would the person you are in the depths of your heart be who you are today?”
Gabby blinked. She’d been so young when they’d fled Mexico City in the middle of the night.
Young, scared, and angry. But in the many years since, Gabby had encountered ideas and met people who challenged her and taught her, and shaped the Gabriela she was now.
Her father would never have allowed her such freedom had her life in Mexico continued on uninterrupted.
She looked to the pitch again, where Sebastian helped Sofia hit the cricket ball and then scooped her up and dashed with her to the first wicket while her tíos and cousins scrambled to field the ball.
Her husband’s and daughter’s combined laughter brought a grin to her face, and Gabby sat back, rubbing at her gently swollen belly where the newest member of the family was just beginning to make its presence known.
“I don’t want to think about what life would be like, because my life is perfect now . I know where I belong, and it’s with Sebastian…and the two of you.”
Her older sisters exchanged watery smiles, and then the three of them clasped hands as they watched their perfect lives play in the grass before them.