Chapter Text
Epilogue
Dorothea watches as Helena, her oldest, and Florentia play in the garden.
Florentia is nearly two and a half, with auburn hair and green eyes. Helena is older, of course but she plays well with the child, and indulges Florentia who likes to perform even at the age of two.
Florentia is pretending to be a Princess, and Helena is playing with her by dressing as a knight and pretending to swordfight a play dummy for her honor, as Florentia claps.
Dorothea drinks ice tea and watches her two daughters, her heart full of pride.
Ferdinand comes and sits with her on the bench. “They’re wonderful daughters.” He says. “I’m so happy to be spending time here, in our summer home.”
“We do need a retreat from the Capital every now and then don’t we?” Dorothea says. “I’m glad Edie isn’t here today--She would be ashamed that our daughters are re-enacting a noble system she worked so hard to destroy.”
“Oh there’s no harm in pretending.” Ferdinand tells her. “Let the girls have their fun.”
“I think it’s time we have another, don't you think?” Dorothea asks. “A little sibling for Florentia-Helena’s going to want to do her own thing, and Florentia would do well with a little playmate?”
“Hmm, I have been thinking along those lines as well.” Ferdinand says. “Adoption or childbirth this time?”
“Well, I would like to adopt again.” Dorothea shrugs. “But if I get pregnant in the meantime--well we handled it before.”
Ferdinand laughs. “What a large family we will have.”
“Did you not say once that you wanted ten kids?” Dorothea teases.
Ferdinand kisses her head. “Well-I’m not stopping us.” He tells her. He takes Dorothea’s hand. “Come-Let’s go play with the children. I promised them to go horseback riding today.”
Dorothea groans. “Must we?” She isn’t great at horseback riding, after all of these years.
“You can watch, if you prefer--but it’s for family bonding is it not?”
“I suppose it is.” Dorothea follows him into the garden.
Dorothea goes into her garden with her family, and she can’t help but smile. Between Ferdinand and her girls, and all of her friends she has something that a younger Dorothea could have never imagined.
She has a family of her own.
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The End