Epilogue

One year later

Remy chased two children, a boy and a girl with dark hair and skin, across the field filled with flowers. They squealed in delight when he caught them, lifted them into the air, and spun them around. I watched as the children collapsed in a fit of giggles and Remy joined them on the grass, pulling them close in a warm embrace.

"Who would ever have expected Remy, of all people, to make a good father," Ellia said as she lifted plates of food from a basket and carefully arranged them on the blanket. The smell of chicken, fresh bread, and cheese mingled with the scent of the wildflowers.

Alix's sister, Annie, carried two more baskets of food and placed them on the blanket. "Remember the time he said his son would be throwing knives by the time he was five?" she asked, her eyes crinkling.

I laughed. "That sounds like him."

"Finn's poor mother was really quite shocked," Ellia said with a smile.

Annie turned to me with a playful grin. "So, is he teaching Nicholas to throw knives?"

"Not yet, thank all the gods," I replied. The boy got into enough mischief without adding knives to the mix.

Annie's son, Gavin, a bundle of energy with hair as wild as his spirit, dashed past us. His high-pitched battle cry cut through the air as he tackled Nicholas, and the two boys tumbled across the field in a tangle of skinny arms and legs. Remy stood, hands on hips, and called encouragement as they wrestled. Meanwhile, Rose danced around them, her small hands plucking flowers to create a colorful bouquet.

After a moment, Gavin sat up and shouted, "Uncle Alix, come play with us!"

Alix finished hobbling the little red mare that had pulled the cart to the meadow and turned to regard the mayhem. With a roar, he charged across the field and tackled Remy, knocking him to the ground.

"What the hell—" Remy yelped, his surprise quickly turning into laughter as all three children piled on top of them, their shrieks ringing like music across the field.

Ralph hoisted a pony keg of ale onto his shoulder and carried it from the cart to where we were arranging the food and blankets.

"Are you going to join them?" Petra asked him with a twinkle of amusement.

"Someone might get squashed if I dove in," Ralph said.

"If you think squashed children might sit quietly for a while, I say go for it," I joked.

Ellia sat back with a cup of cider and said, "All joking aside, you've done a wonderful thing by taking those two children in."

"We have plenty of room in the townhouse, and the idea of sending them to an orphanage was unthinkable."

I gazed at the innocent children sadly. Their mother had just started coming to my defense classes at The Stony Mug when a jealous boyfriend killed her in a drunken rage. Maybe if I'd been teaching longer, she would have been able to fight him off. The identity of their father was a mystery, and their future had looked bleak.

Remy knew only too well what life was like for an orphan in Sageport, so he was happy to provide a home for the children. But even I was astonished at how good he was with them. Better than most biological fathers, I would guess.

We started eating and after a moment, Alix, Remy, and the children joined us. Rose's cheeks were pink from playing, and she nestled in Remy's lap. He helped her cut her food with paternal patience. Nicholas and Gavin engaged in a boisterous challenge with their faces contorted into comical expressions as they devoured chicken legs. When they decided to see who could belch the loudest, I sternly sent them scampering back to the field.

"What's the problem?" Remy asked with a glint in his bright blue eyes. "I was going to judge the winner."

I closed my eyes and frowned. Maybe Ellia and I had been too quick to praise his parenting skills.

As we took our time over cheese, fruit, and pastries, Petra shared her news that a very prestigious galley was planning an exhibition of her sculptures. As she described some of her artwork, I marveled at her imagination and creativity.

Remy ruffled Rose's hair and said, "Maybe Aunt Petra can give you some art lessons. I know Uncle Alix would love to hang your paintings above his desk."

I sputtered a laugh while Alix sent Remy a dirty look and Rose clapped excitedly.

Ralph poured himself more ale and shifted his gaze between Alix and Remy. "I can't believe you two haven't killed each other yet."

"No one is more surprised than me," Alix groused.

"C'mon. I'm a superb partner," Remy said. He lifted Rose off his lap and set her on her feet. "Go play with your brother, love."

"He doesn't want to play with me," she pouted, her face clouding over.

"Of course he does." Turning, Remy bellowed across the field. "Nicholas, look after your sister."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!" I called.

Remy turned back to Alix. "I helped you apprehend the culprit who stole Lady Rotin's jewels," he pointed out.

"It was her 102-year-old great aunt. She pawned them to pay her tombola debts."

"Yeah, but she wielded a mean cane." Remy grimaced and rubbed his shin.

Alix flopped back in the grass and threw an arm over his eyes.

"When that florist accused his competitor of destroying his flower garden, I'm the one who identified the guilty party."

Alix groaned. "It was the neighbor's goat."

"Well, I didn't see you sitting in that damn garden all night in the rain to figure that out."

"You fit under a cabbage leaf and stayed dry. I would have been soaked."

"And smelled like wet dog," Remy agreed.

Ralph made a strangled noise and choked on his ale, while Petra slapped him on the back.

"Now you see why I made them lease an office somewhere other than the backroom of my apothecary," Ellia remarked wryly. "They were driving me crazy."

"What ever happened to that guild director who was attacked?" Petra asked.

"I visited him at the healers after the attack. He recovered but I think he is planning on stepping down," I replied. Lorget had taken a chance on me when I first arrived in Sageport, and I wished him well in the future. I didn't know if he had planned to use the Eye all along or if the temptation would have come later, but I couldn't blame him for wanting to bring his brother back.

Rose returned and sat next to me, putting her head in my lap and falling asleep.

"Do you miss it?" Annie asked.

"Not at all."

I stroked Rose's dark hair and dropped a gentle kiss on her brow. Growing up in a circus hadn't given me much of a reference point for being a mother, and I often worried about doing the right thing. Remy and I hadn't been together all that long and having an instant family had taken some getting used to. But now I couldn't imagine life without these two little scamps.

The sky was painted with a stunning array of orange, amber, and crimson hues as the sun neared the horizon. We weren't far from the city gates, but I wanted to be home before dark, so we packed our belongings and the tired children into the cart and returned to the city.

When we reached the livery where Alix and Ellia kept their mare, we said our goodbyes and headed back to our townhouse. Remy carried Rose while I held Nicholas's hand as we strolled through the lengthening shadows. Once home, we got the children bathed and in bed, where Remy read them a story before turning out the lamp and closing the door.

He stretched, and I took a moment to admire his athletic form and the sharp angles of his face. "Do you want to read downstairs in the library for a while?" he asked.

"No," I said, smiling wickedly. "I have an entirely different evening activity in mind." Taking his hand, I led him to our bedroom.

A year and a half ago, I could never have imagined the happiness I now had with Remy and the children. I had been intent on showing my independence and certain that a loving family life was not an option for someone like me. Being proved wrong had never felt so good.