Author's Note: Just a little scene to round this "vignette" out with. I hope the semi-flashback technique works here—if it doesn't, I'll revise.
VII. Five Months 3
Victor and Victoria were quiet on the drive back. They'd left Hildegarde's house close to an hour before, just after Hildegarde's grandson, Richard, had returned home. Victor was going to keep the memory of that particular homecoming for quite some time.
Victoria had spent the entire afternoon, of course, with Hildegarde. The two of them had sat quietly together near the parlor fireplace. Just chatting together—mostly reminiscing about Victoria's childhood. Everybody else in the house had gone about business as usual after Hilda had been put back in her cradle. Little Flora had made fast friends with Victoria, and sat on her lap for most of the afternoon. For his own part, Victor had sat off to one side, enjoying his passive role in the conversation. Once in a while Jane, who was apparently still too little to have much to do about the house, would tug on his trouser leg to get his attention. She didn't really have too much to say, however—they must have exchanged hellos at least six times over the course of the afternoon. Still, she was a charming little girl. When Victor wasn't "talking" to Jane, he had been listening to Victoria and Hildegarde talk. Victor had been extremely amused to learn that Victoria, for a short time as a toddler, had made quite the habit out of biting people. He'd decided then and there that he was never going to let her live that one down. The afternoon had fairly flown by, and the visit had been ended by Richard's arrival (Victor was immensely glad that it would be Richard driving them back into town, rather than John).
As soon as he walked through the door, Richard had been greeted with various shouts of "Papa's home!" And with that, all seven of the children (Flora having scrambled off of Victoria's lap the moment she heard her father's voice) ran to the entry to meet him. Victor found himself hoping that, one day, he'd get the same kind of welcome when he entered his house. The display that followed was one unlike any that Victor and Victoria had ever seen—and certainly unlike any they'd ever experienced with their own parents. All six of the older girls had swarmed around their father like bees as he walked into the parlor, even before he'd been introduced to Victor and Victoria. John had stood off to the side a bit, and Richard had reached over the girls' heads to give him a clap on the shoulder, and then to give Charlotte a kiss. Such a display in front of company would have been absolutely unheard of when Victor was little—and he knew that that probably went double for the Everglot household. Goodness, even without company present, "affection" had practically been a dirty word for them growing up.
Both Victor and Victoria had watched almost in awe at all of the affection being spread about. Victoria had taken Victor's hand gently, and whispered,
"I want it to be like this."
Victor hadn't needed to ask for clarification. He knew exactly what she meant. And he agreed wholeheartedly. So they had simply watched this family, so unlike both of theirs, knowing exactly which example they both wanted to follow. Victoria had begun running her hand gently over her abdomen, perhaps unconsciously, as she gazed at the happy little scene before them. Victor had put his arm about her shoulders and given her a gentle squeeze. He knew just how she felt.
Goodbyes had been said soon after that. Hildegarde had wished them luck, and instructed them to bring the baby on a visit as soon as they could (she simply wasn't up to being present at a birth at her age). Victoria was looking happier than Victor had seen her in a while. A little tired, maybe, but she was almost glowing all the way back to the little town square. Luckily it hadn't taken long to find Mr. Reed. He'd apparently had quite a day hanging about the livery and talking to the blacksmiths and the grooms and...whoever else worked in a livery—Victor really hadn't the faintest idea.
So now Victor and Victoria sat in contented silence side by side in their carriage. The sun was just setting, casting a red glow over them. Hopefully they'd be home before it got too dark. Victor hated traveling at night. Victoria sighed and leaned her head on Victor's shoulder.
"That was a lovely visit," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "Thank you for coming out here with me."
"Well, I couldn't very well have let you go alone," Victor replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "And taking a day to go and visit a family like that was far from a hardship."
From her voice, Victor knew that Victoria was smiling. "They are nice people, aren't they?" she asked. She sounded a quite tired all of a sudden.
"Feeling all right?" Victor asked, looking down at the top of her head. Lately it seemed that he asked her that at least twice a day. Luckily Victoria never got annoyed by it, but took his questioning for what it was—real concern. It wasn't as though he'd ever had a pregnant wife before, after all. Nor had Victoria ever been pregnant before. It seemed to Victor that there was some cause for getting reassurance on the matter of Victoria's well-being. Victoria shifted a bit in her seat before she answered.
"Yes, I'm all right. A little tired, though. I'll be glad to get—ooh!" Victoria suddenly gave a cry of surprise and sat bolt upright. In the dim light, Victor saw that she was hugging her middle. The expression on her face was hard to define. Somewhere between surprise, awe, and bewilderment. Victor's expression, if his face was reflecting how hard his stomach had just flipped over, was one of near panic.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked quickly, looking at her closely. "Shall I tell Mr. Reed to stop the carriage?" Victoria merely shook her head before turning to him.
"No, nothing's wrong," Victoria said. Her voice was very low, and her tone hard to interpret.
"It's the baby," she continued in that near-whisper, looking down at her abdomen. Bewildered, Victor just stared at her. She didn't look to be in pain or anything. Much to Victor's surprise, Victoria turned to him again, this time with a smile that was nearly a beam.
"Victor, I can feel the baby moving about!" She was still nearly whispering, but it was the most excited, happy, and reverent whisper Victor had ever heard.
"Really? What does it feel like?" he asked, quite curious. Victoria took a moment to answer.
"Like...like a little bird fluttering its wings," Victoria said. "Victor, it's...I can't even describe it."
It was at that moment that a certain reality finally hit Victor—Victoria was really, incredibly, carrying a living thing inside of herself. For some reason he hadn't quite appreciated that until this very moment. And that living thing was half Victoria and half Victor. It was...really quite something.
"Here," Victoria said. She reached over, took Victor's hand, and laid it on her middle. Holding his hand there, she asked with a quiet excitement, "Well?"
For a moment, Victor didn't feel a thing. Just the fabric of her dress, and the hint of her stomach under layers of cloth. And the slight bounce of the carriage. But that was all. He was about to give it up and suggest trying again later when he felt what Victoria had been talking about. Little, almost imperceptible flutterings. Something was definitely moving about. Victor almost gasped. Eyes wide, he looked at Victoria, who was staring back at him with her own wide-eyed expression.
"That's...my goodness," was all he could manage to say.
"My goodness, indeed," Victoria answered with a small laugh. Victor pulled her closer and kissed the side of her head. It's really...really something, Victor thought to himself.
"I love you," Victor said, kissing her again. Then he looked down at their hands, still resting on Victoria's stomach.
"I love you both," he amended.
