Accidental Surrogate

“Well,” Henry answers, hesitating. “Cora and Roger will see the prophecy.”

My face falls a little when I realize the implications of this. “Really? Unfair,” I declare, pouting.

Henry laughs a little along with me. “It will bring them closer to him, give them a bond.”

“Well,” I sigh, “I want them to have that. What sort of things do you learn, though? Do you share them with the parents?”

“If you choose,” Henry shrugs. “I always did. And Sinclair and Roger’s godparents shared with me, for which I was grateful.”

“What did they tell you?” I ask, curious.

“That Sinclair would be a great leader of men,” Henry says, looking down at the baby again, clearly remembering his baby who looked so like this one. “That was no surprise. But Roger, that was…”

I pause, curious, suddenly fascinated. “What did they say?”

He hesitates and then meets my eye. “I never even told Roger about it. But they told me that his destiny laid less with who he was, and more with the children he would sire. The many children, who would be…” he looks away a bit, trying to sort his thoughts, “it was hard to understand. But something about a set of extraordinary children who would bring much joy to the world.”

at this, though I work hard to keep it off

Cora

a father is important to Roger – his destiny, even. And if Cora can’t give him children… Henry meets, my eyes, perhaps understanding the direction of my thoughts. He takes my

many mysteries, Ella,” he says quietly. “Don’t think too hard on her messages they often

–

my own disappointment. I sit up straighter in my chair, smiling down at my baby, who’s staring up at me with his wide eyes, which are just starting to

right,” Henry says, peeking over at him again. “And his

them

introduce Rafe around to his new friends and family. But still, Isabel and I make plans to have a good long talk later this week before Cora

picked expressly for the occasion. It’s perhaps too much for a trip to the woods, but we’ll be having champagne later – and then everyone coming back to the house to celebrate all evening – so it seemed right that we be

know. I’ve

tuxedo. He rests two reassuring hands on my shoulders. “Everything is in order,

want everything to go smoothly, and everyone to have a nice time, and to make

it. “You don’t need to be everything to everyone, trouble. They’re here to help you. You could have come down in pajamas ten minutes before the ceremony, with baby vomit streaked down your shirt,

would have cared,” I say, turning on him with wide eyes.

I mean, Ella, is that you should just calm down and enjoy the night. It’s for us, as much as for him. The guests are just happy to be

smiling against his lips and then looking down at my happy baby in my arms. “I

the door. “It’s good that you figured that out now, because

towards the two vans waiting to take us all out in the woods. “Oh, Dominic!” I say,