The soldier ruined everything.
Ayah made them stay inside when it was bright and sunny, and never let them so much as peep outside in the afternoon.
Father hugged them just as often but never again said, with fond pride, that his sons resembled their late mother. And he put away Mother's picture.
Worst of all, they could not play with the servants' children anymore.
Despite what Ayah said, Johnny couldn't see how he and Harry were any different from the others. True, most of the other children were far darker than they but there were a few that had the same light eyes, the same bronze skin that burnt pink, and the same blond highlights that developed in summer.
The difference, Johnny decided, was that he and Harry had a father but no mother. The other children, those who also sunburned and turned blond, had mothers but no fathers.