Chapter 60

"It is a fine house, indeed,"

Alessandra's father exclaimed as he approached the front door. He

couldn't help but be pleased with how well his daughter had settled

into a secure life. As a father, it gave him joy and relief.

As they entered, the

service staff greeted the family, taking joy in meeting

Alessandra's parents, little Elizabeth, and even Margaret. Almost

immediately, the family was ushered into the drawing room and a

lavish tea served with various dainties.

After eating and talking,

a grand tour was given and Edward took his father-in-law to meet

the outside staff, including John at the stables.

Alessandra, meanwhile, sat in

the drawing room with her mother, who was cuddling Elizabeth.

Isabella's countenance worried Alessandra. Despite the excitement

of seeing the new home, her mother appeared uncharacteristically

subdued.

"Are you well, Mother? You are

very quiet today. I hope travelling here has not tired you too

much."

Her mother smiled at her and

passed the baby back to her.

"I am

well, Alessandra, but I do

feel tired. Would you mind terribly if I went to lie

down?"

Alessandra felt a moment

of panic. Her mother was one of the strongest women she knew, and

she could not remember her ever having been ill before.

"No, of course not.

Margaret, could you please go with Mother and find someone to help

with the assignment of a bed chamber, and to make her

comfortable?"

Margaret smiled at her

mistress. "Of course, Miss."

Alessandra sat back on

the sofa that enabled a view out over the grounds. As she held

Elizabeth tightly against her, a niggling level of concern began to

grow in the back of her mind.

~~~~~

A short time later,

Margaret knocked and came into the room again.

"Would you like me to take her,

Miss?" she asked, indicating to the baby.

"Yes, thank you,

Margaret," Alessandra replied, handing Elizabeth to her. "How did

my mother seem to you?" she asked, completely trusting the

observation of the woman before her.

"I do not know your mother

well, Miss, so I do not know how she usually is, but she does, to

me, look somewhat unwell. It may be that she is just tired from the

journey here, and will seem better after a rest."

Alessandra thanked her

and watched her curtsey and leave the room, baby in her arms.

Alessandra sat where she was for some time, thinking over how her

mother had seemed since they'd arrived from Edward's home two days

earlier. As she thought about it - as she focused on her mother

instead of herself - she had to admit that perhaps her mother was

not her usual self after all. With that thought, Alessandra

immediately ran outside to find her father.

~~~~~

"Father," she said

loudly, interrupting a conversation that was happening between

Edward, John, and her father, no doubt about horses and their

care.

Everyone turned,

surprised by the forcefulness that came from her - something highly

unusual for Alessandra's countenance.

"Please forgive me. I am

sorry to interrupt," she said, realising her rudeness. "But Father,

is Mother unwell?"

Straight

away, she saw her father look

grave, and look away from meeting her eyes.

"Father?" Alessandra asked

again, quietly, oblivious to John moving away from them to give

them some privacy for their conversation.

"Walk with me,

Alessandra," he said, leading his daughter away even from Edward,

who watched on in uncertainty of what was happening. When the two

of them were a distance away from anyone else, her father finally

spoke.

"Your mother has been declining

in health these past few months, Alessandra. She maintains a brave

face, but she is very ill. The doctor has said she is unlikely to

live much longer. I am sorry I did not tell you earlier. It has

been your mother's wish that you not be told in advance. She does

not want you worrying, especially when everything is going so well

for you."

"But there must be

something that can be done, Father! I have substantial funds now.

If we find the right doctor…" Alessandra started to cry out, but

her father shook his head.

"No, Alessandra. We have

had enough consultations, and they all say the same thing. It is a

natural thing to happen, my daughter. One day I shall leave also,

and it will be up to you and Edward to set your children up for

when you hand everything over to them."

Alessandra felt tears

come to her eyes. In a rare show of physical affection, her father

enveloped her with his arms and kissed her forehead. She could

sense inside of him a desperation to not cry. All of a sudden she

could see that even though her mother would be leaving her in the

world, it must have been even more difficult for her father to

contemplate his lifelong companion leaving him. With that thought,

she determined to cast aside her sadness and let him lean on her,

putting her arms around him and holding him tight.

"What do we do, Father, to make

her most comfortable if her time is coming?"

Her father sighed, letting some

of his frustration and sadness show.

"Just love her," he said.

"There is nothing to be done medically, so it is important to me to

keep showing her how much I love her, and to do what I can to make

her as happy as I can, for as long as I can."

"Very well. Would it be

best for us to leave here and go home immediately, do you think?"

she asked and saw him shake his head.

"No, I do not think she

cares where she is, my sweet daughter. Just being near you and near

little Elizabeth is enough, I believe," her father said.

"And Nicholas? I can summon him

here. The house is large enough to house everyone."

Her father looked at her

with pride, knowing fully how strong his daughter had turned out to

be, even though he had considered her a timid little thing before

she had wed.

"Yes," he replied. "If that is

possible, I think that would make her very happy, Alessandra. Thank

you. Now let us walk back. Edward will worry about what is

happening, I am sure. I will go and see your mother and check on

her, to make sure she is alright."

They walked back. Seeing an

intended look from his wife, Edward fell in step beside Alessandra

to walk to the drawing room, as her father left them to find the

bedchamber his wife had been set up in.

"What is wrong, Alessandra?" he

asked, feeling some distress.

"My mother … is unwell," she

started to say before feeling a tear escape from her eye. She

looked directly at him. "My mother is dying, Edward. She is only

expected to live a short time longer. My father is keeping watch

over her, but he thinks the thing that will make her happiest

before she leaves us, is being with us - me and Elizabeth … and you

… and my brother."

Edward took in what she was

saying, his mind racing.

"Edward, if my mother wishes

it, I would like for her and my father to stay here, and for us to

stay here also, and to invite my brother and his family … to

wait…"

Alessandra felt Edward

pull her close to him and hold her tight. At different times, he

had pondered how life would be without his parents in his life. The

conversation brought about that thinking again, making him

desperately miss his own home. Not wanting to distress Alessandra

any further, he kept those thoughts in his head,

unspoken.

"Yes, my love, if you wish,"

Edward responded. "That sounds like a good idea."

"But do you need to

return to your parents?" she asked, mindful of his own mother

now.

He shook his head. "No, they

will understand."

Alessandra looked up

at him, appreciating, as she had done many times since their

wedding, the good man who had been chosen as her husband. Passion

was the last thing on either of their minds as she pushed herself

against him and into his arms, encouraging him to hold her tightly

as she started to cry.

~~~~~

"My daughter, I am so proud of

who you have become, and the life you are living," Isabella told

Alessandra as she sat on the side of the bed. "You are happy with

Edward, are you not?"

Alessandra nodded and

tried to smile. In the night, her mother seemed to have begun a

steep decline, and could not summon the strength to get out of

bed.

"Oh yes, Mother! He is a good

man and I do believe he loves me."

"He does," Isabella

replied. "There is no doubt about that. When a man looks at his

wife as he does you, it can only be a deep love. I am pleased you

are happy, and I am pleased I have gotten to meet little Elizabeth.

She will be strong, like you."

They sat quietly, holding

hands. Everything had happened so quickly. Word had been sent for

Alessandra's brother, and he and his family had quickly arrived and

settled into the estate. Since then, Edward's mother and father had

also arrived to provide support.

"Daughter, will you ask

Edward's mother to come in to see me? I would like to speak with

her," her mother requested.

Alessandra

n odded and quietly left the

room. After she passed the request on and Edward's mother went to

the bedchamber, Alessandra settled into Edward's arms in the

drawing room once again. The local physician had been and gone,

confirming that her mother was in the final stages of her life, and

would soon pass quietly.

"Alessandra," she heard a voice

say. She turned to see Nicholas, her brother, looking eager to talk

to her. "Could we walk in the garden together?"

Alessandra nodded and

pulled away from her husband once more.

Outside, she and Nicholas

walked companionably beside one another. Although it had been just

the two of them as children in their family home, they had not

grown up close, nor spent much time together as they'd each

embarked on their own lives. Despite their usual distance, they

were not uncomfortable with each other.

"Thank you for inviting me and

my family to come and be with Mother for this time," her brother

said, surprising her.

"Of course you must be here,

Nicholas! She is our mother - mine and yours!" Alessandra

exclaimed.

Nicholas smiled at her. He'd

met his share of people who had been so driven by greed that they

would not have brought any family members to such an estate,

refusing to share their wealth. As he looked at his sister, he felt

a strong brotherly sense of pride in the woman she'd grown to

be.

"It has been nice for Victoria

to see Mother one more time also, and for the children to see her,"

Nicholas replied.

"It is good for Mother,

too. And Father. He will need our support most of all, I suppose.

When I try to imagine losing Edward…" Alessandra said, shuddering

at the horrifying thought.

"You seem very happy in your

marriage, Sister. I like Edward. He seems a very good man, and very

much in love with you," Nicholas said with a wistful sound in his

voice.

"Yes. But you are also

happy, are you not, Nicholas? You have four children, so something

must work well," she said, trying to bring some humour into their

sad circumstances.

Nicholas looked at her

and smiled, somewhat surprised by her open candour.

"I do not think we have

what you and Edward have, but yes, we are happy enough. I do love

our children, and it is nice that they can spend this time with

their grandparents. You are a good sister to let us be

here."

She smiled at him and they

continued to walk peacefully together, not needing any more

words.

~~~~~

As days passed, everyone

in the family spent time in Isabella's bedchamber at some point in

each day. Isabella continued to look at her daughter and appreciate

the person she was, to have been able to bring all of her family

together for her. Even the three grandchildren who were past the

baby stage and able to run around and climb up on her bed, brought

her much joy.

"You have given me the

greatest gift, Alessandra," Isabella said as the two of them

enjoyed some time alone. "Bringing everyone here under one roof is

such a joy to me. Thank you," she continued, reaching out and

taking Alessandra's hand in hers. "I was not with my mother when

she passed, and I do regret that. There was no true reason that I

could not have gone back to Italy, but once I was married to your

father … well, I never did get back. Take your children there,

Alessandra. I have written down the names of people I remember who

are family, and their addresses. It has been some years since I

heard from any of them so they may not still be there, or still

alive, but go and see your heritage, Daughter. Promise

me."

Alessandra found herself crying

quietly yet again whilst holding her mother's hands tightly.

"I promise I shall do that,

Mother."

"Do not cry, Alessandra.

I have lived a blessed life and I go happily to Him, knowing that

my children are both well settled in their own lives. Please keep a

distant eye on your father. He is a strong man, but sometimes he,

too, needs someone to lean on…"

Alessandra felt the hand

in hers go slack, and saw her mother relax back as if going to

sleep. Deep in her heart, Alessandra knew that it was not sleep at

all. She took one more moment of alone time with her mother before

announcing to everyone else that her mother had finally gone to

rest.