"Is this really our home for keeps, Aunt Gabbie?" asked Georges.
"It's ours for keeps," Gabrielle assured him with a smile.
"Hurray!" shouted both children as they dashed for the tree house.
"I'm so happy they finally have a permanent home," Gabrielle said. "We owe it all to you, Sydney."
"I'm so happy I was able to provide that for them," Sydney replied, putting his arm around Gabrielle.
"You have a heart of gold, Sydney," Gabrielle told him.
"I'm just an ordinary man," Sydney said modestly.
A few nights after the family moved into their new home, Charles and Lucie invited them over for dinner.
"I have exciting news to share," Lucie announced. "I'm with child again!"
"That's wonderful!" Sydney exclaimed.
"When are you due?" asked Gabrielle.
"In about seven months," Lucie told her. "Charles and I are so excited! We've been wanting to give Little Lucie a baby brother or sister for a long time now."
"Would you like to come over and play in our tree house?" Georges asked Little Lucie.
"If Mama says it's all right, I would love to," Little Lucie told him.
"Of course you may go, my dear," Lucie said.
"We can have a tea party!" Genevieve exclaimed. Georges made a face, and all the adults laughed.
Later, when Gabrielle was helping Lucie clean up after dinner, she asked her how she had known that she was with child.
"The first thing that happens is that your monthly courses stop," Lucie explained. "Then your breasts get swollen and sensitive, and you feel very sleepy a lot of the time. Sometimes you get queasy too, especially in the mornings."
"I don't remember much about when Sophie was pregnant with Genevieve, it was such a long time ago," Gabrielle said. "I just remember that her belly got really big towards the end."
The next afternoon, Little Lucie came over and played with Georges and Genevieve. All three children had a lot of fun.
Several months passed. Sydney and Gabrielle adjusted to their new home and came to love it. Many happy hours were spent eating, reading, or just relaxing on the screened-in porch while watching the children play in the back yard.
The Cartons saw the Darnays on almost a daily basis. Gabrielle watched as Lucie's belly expanded and she began to wear looser clothing.
"I felt the baby move for the first time today," she excitedly told Gabrielle one day.
"You can actually feel its movements inside of you?" Gabrielle asked incredulously.
"As soon as it's big enough, you can," Lucie told her. "At first it feels just like the flutter of a baby bird's wings."
One day Sydney and Charles went fishing and had a good day. As Sydney brought his catch home, Gabrielle could smell the fish well before he arrived, and the smell made her nauseous. While he was cleaning the fish, Sydney heard her having dry heaves. Concerned, he went to where she was and put his arms around her.
"You should go lie down if you're not feeling well," he told her gently. "I'lll prepare dinner."
"No, that's all right," Gabrielle replied bravely. "You caught them. I'll cook them."
Gabrielle somehow made it through the cooking of the fish, but when it came time to eat, she couldn't eat them. She ate just a little of the potatoes, beans, and bread.
That night in bed, Sydney held her as if she were a child. "I'm worried about you, sweetheart," he told her. "You must see the physician if you're not feeling better within a couple of days."
"I'm sure it's just a minor thing," Gabrielle told him. "I'll be back to my normal self again tomorrow."
"I certainly hope you're right." Sydney kissed her forehead and embraced her tightly. She snuggled up to him and was asleep within minutes.
