courtesies:
❝ I know, ❞ she admitted with a sigh. Yet it was hard to fight a mother’s instinct to want the best for her children. It was a secret that Frederica fought hard to keep but Isabella out of all her children had always brought a smile quickest to Frederica’s countenance. To watch her as she so conscientiously cared for her mother was a balm for the soul. ❝ Seeing them so grown makes me fear I’ve missed too much. Time passes ever quicker the older you get. ❞ Frederica reached for the teapot, pouring them each a cup, though leaving Isabella to sweeten hers to her own desire. ❝ A new babe in the family is always a cause for celebration. It seems like it was just yesterday I was pregnant with you.❞
“Well what’s important is you’re here now. And I’m sure that the children will enjoy as much time as they can spend with you,” Isabella said, remembering how different her childhood had been growing up with her siblings and governesses instead of with her parents, the world had changed since then, and she was glad that Cat’s children were so close to her. Smiling gently, she shook her head, “Come mama, that was so long ago,” she said, though she appreciated the sentiment of her mother’s statement, “I am thankful that we can spend more time together now,”

















