"They used to be in the service together," Briony sighed, pressing her lips

together. "Let's not worry about them. I'll go upstairs and change out the linens in the guest room. Can you stay with the kids?"

"Of course."

Carol was always quick on her feet and attentive to details. While Briony was upstairs swapping the sheets, Carol cleared the dinner table without being asked.

By the time Briony came back down, Carol was already in the kitchen, washing up the dishes.

Briony tried to insist that she stop, but Carol just shook her head and kept going. Seeing there was no persuading her, and that it was getting late, Briony gathered little Mario and Little Nina and headed upstairs to get them ready for bed.

Little Mario was just starting to recover from his illness, so Briony didn't dare give him a full bath.

Instead, she warmed up a soft towel and gently wiped him down, then helped him change into a set of Little Nina's pajamas.

The pajamas hung off little Mario's small frame, the sleeves and legs a bit too long.

When Briony was cleaning him up, his ribs stood out starkly beneath his pale skin, and it made her heart ache.

No mother could stand to see such a sweet little boy looking so fragile.

She tucked little Mario into bed, then handed him one of Little Nina's favorite picture books.

He loved picture books, his head bent over the pages, completely absorbed. Briony slipped into the bathroom to give Little Nina a quick bath.

By the time Carol came upstairs, the two little ones were already snuggled up in Briony's bed, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

"I changed the linens, and put fresh toiletries in the bathroom," Briony told Carol quietly. "Little Mario wants to sleep with Little Nina tonight-let's just let him join us."

"Will the two of them be too

the guest room doesn't have a bed rail, but mine does. I'm not worried about them falling out in the

a little uneasy, but

room, and Briony

would read Little

even Gwendolyn White would take

you sleep in the middle

with you-and so

at little

blinking his big eyes as a flush

couldn't help but smile at how adorable

two kids, wrapping an

"All right, no story tonight. How

Nina cheered. "You sing the prettiest lullabies! Little Mario, you're in

gazed at Briony, his dark

off the light and began

through the

their eyes and yawning. Sleep

and their breathing grew slow and

felt the tiny bodies in her arms relax as they finally drifted

faded away, and she hugged little Mario

children, she found herself mourning the baby she'd never had the

town, and the night air was

branches of an

up from the pot, filling the air with the rich aroma of freshly brewed

poured the tea, refilling the cups for the two men seated

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