Epilogue

"It would seem you've confused having children with attending a dessert buffet," Maudeline remarked as she looked down her nose at Victor.

"I'm sorry?" he asked. He wanted nothing more than to collect his daughter and go home. The maid was off fetching her from the parlor, and Victor was waiting in the entry with Maudeline.

"Only with the latter is it acceptable to keep going back for more," Maudeline clarified, holding her nose even higher.

Victor, holding his hands behind his back, had to try very hard to keep from rolling his eyes. He and Victoria liked having more than one child--it was nobody else's business, in Victor's opinion.

True, though, this time it was a bit of a...surprise. He and Victoria hadn't really intended on having another child, not after their third was born. Lydia was already eight, hard as that was to believe. Catherine had been born just a little over a year after Lydia, and then Anne had followed a year and a half after that. Three children under four years old all that the same time was enough to put anyone off having more, no matter how much one loved them. So he and Victoria had both been quite surprised when Victoria discovered that she was expecting yet again last May.

And this last time had been very hard for Victoria, for whatever reason--Victor had truly and reasonably feared for her life. Dr. Van Ekel had pulled him aside just after the birth, and warned him in a low tone that it would be a bad idea to try it again--despite the fact that that meant Victor wouldn't be getting a son.

But everything was fine at the moment. The newborn, who they'd named Mary, was just as healthy as her sisters, if a little small. Victoria had been exhausted and a little ill when he'd left the house, but the doctor said she'd be fine soon enough. Once Victor had made sure that Victoria thought she'd be fine, he'd left to collect the older children from their grandparents.

Anne, who was losing her place as the baby after five years, was the one who was staying with Maudeline and Finis. Both sets of grandparents flatly refused to have all three children at once, and quiet, shy little Anne was the granddaughter the Everglots could stand. Since she was on her own, Victor had decided to pick Anne up first. No doubt she'd spent yesterday and most of today sitting quietly by herself in the Everglot's parlor.

Luckily, Victor didn't have to put up with Maudeline for very much longer. After a few moments, the maid was walking briskly toward them with Anne trailing behind.

"Anne, you've got a new sister," Victor informed her cheerily. He stooped to pick her up, but changed his mind in mid-bend after catching sight of Maudeline's disapproving look.

"Where is Mother?" Anne asked, slipping her hand into his before looking up at him. She really did look a lot like Victoria, only with a paler complexion and hair the shade of Victor's.

"At home," he replied. "And she's just fine," he thought to add. Anne looked relieved. She'd been much more worried about the impending birth than her sisters had been. Perhaps the worrywart trait came with Victor's hair, or something.

"Well then," Maudeline said. "You'll want to be off. I suppose Finis and I will see you at Christmas." With that, she turned and walked off toward the parlor, leaving Victor and Anne near the front door.

"Let's go get your sisters," Victor said after a moment, swinging Anne's hand gently. "Then we can go home." Anne nodded, and the two of them walked out the front door and headed across the square.

O---O

"Please, if the tall one's going to visit us, don't let her wear those boyish sailor-suit dresses," Nell said, whipping open her fan and putting a hand on her hip. "I spent half the day thinking I'd traveled back in time. It's downright creepy."

At the moment, Victor and the children were standing with Nell and William on the front steps of the Van Dort mansion. Catherine was tugging intermittently on Victor's hand, trying to get him going. She was quite excited about the new baby--Victoria had remarked that she was probably looking forward to the idea of having a sort of living doll. Lydia was watching her with definite distaste. Victor thought that, as the oldest, she was probably more used to the idea of new siblings. Anne, for her part, had buried her face in the back of Victor's knee as soon as the front door had opened--Nell made her incredibly nervous, a feeling that Victor understood very well.

"Sorry," Victor replied, not meaning it at all. By "the tall one," Nell of course meant Lydia. For an eight-year-old, she was incredibly tall, taller even than Victor had been at her age. Instead of lessening, Lydia's resemblance to Victor had only gotten more apparent over the years. Her hair was long, of course, and perhaps her eyes and mouth were a bit more feminine, but those were the only differences between them. As much as Victor hated to agree with his mother, it was rather creepy. Sort of like having a little doppelganger around the house.

"Well, thank you for watching them. How did they behave?" Victor asked warily, seeing the look on his mother's face, and then glancing over at Lydia and Catherine. Neither he nor Victoria had any idea where their two oldest daughters had learned to bicker the way they did--not from Victor and Victoria, that was certain. Nevertheless, he estimated that the longest the two of them had ever gone without arguing with one another was an hour. Two, perhaps, at the outside. It was probably because they were as dissimilar in personality as they were in looks. Catherine had turned out to be a short, rather plump little girl (probably courtesy of Nell's bloodline), and she had a very round face. Where Lydia was serious and very much a little realist, Catherine was quite romantic and, well, flighty.

"Behave? Eh, once we got them in separate parts of the house, it was fine," William replied.

"May we go now?" Lydia asked. "I want to make sure Mother is all right." Obviously, Victor's word was not enough on such important matters. Before he could reply, Catherine chimed in.

"I want to see the baby!" she said. "Is she very little? Oh, she must be darling!"

"She is, she is," Victor replied. Then, reconsidering, he quickly added, "But of course, you all were. Are, I mean...Well, perhaps not darling, since you're older, but...You know, why don't we just go home now?"

After a round of good-byes and congratulations from William, Victor led the girls back to the waiting carriage.

O---O

"Go on," Victor said gently, ushering the girls forward into Victoria's room after Mrs. Reed had opened the door. "Mother wants to see you."

Although in all honesty, Victoria looked to be in worse shape than she had been when he'd left. The girls approached the bedside, and Victoria smiled thinly at them.

"Hello," she said, not quite sounding like herself. She was speaking in a slightly dreamy tone. "Were you all good for your grandparents? My goodness, you all look so...fuzzy." Sighing, Victoria sank back into the pillows. The girls all looked at one another, and then up at Victor, looking for some guidance.

"Come along," he said as cheerily as he could while keeping a curious and concerned eye on Victoria. Herding the children over to the bassinet near the foot of the bed, he continued, "Meet your little sister."

Victor stood back a bit as the girls leaned over the baby. None of them were exactly squealing with delight, but they looked pleased and impressed enough.

"Hello, Mary," Lydia said. She looked her infant sister over critically, then glanced up at Victor. "She's terribly tiny, isn't she?"

"I think she's darling," Catherine said, reaching down and adjusting the baby's blanket slightly. "Look how little her feet are! Look, Anne!"

"I see," Anne said, peering at the baby. She was just tall enough to be roughly at nose-level with the bassinet's edge. "She's got big eyes, like Mother's," she added after a moment. So saying, she walked back over to Victor and slipped her hand into his, looking to be deep in thought.

"You don't sound very excited," Catherine said. "Aren't you excited?" Before Anne could answer, Lydia waved her hand and made a shushing noise.

"Catherine, be quiet, you're going to wake the baby up," she hissed. Immediately Catherine's eyes narrowed.

"I was being quiet. You're going to wake the baby up, if you keep jostling the bassinet like that."

"I never jostled it!"

"Girls!" Victor whispered as firmly as he could. Luckily, it seemed to be enough to stop them, especially when he gestured pointedly at Victoria, who was still laying woozily in bed, her eyes barely open.

"I think it's best if we all go now," Mrs. Reed said, putting her hands gently on Lydia and Catherine's shoulders. "Your mother needs some time to rest."

Before allowing themselves to be led from the room by Mrs. Reed, all three children went over to the bedside to give Victoria kisses. Victoria happily but tiredly returned their embraces. It seemed as though she could hardly lift her arms, something that wasn't lost on her daughters. They all looked quite worried when they left the room, Mrs. Reed following and closing the door behind them. Victor decided he'd join them downstairs in a while to reassure them, and hopefully cheer them up a bit.

"Don't worry...I'll be up and about in no time," Victoria assured them just as the door swung shut. "Oh no...They've gone already," she said hazily. Victor sat on the edge of the bed at her side, just as he'd done three times before.

"Victoria, how are you feeling?" he asked, glancing at her pale face and rather sweaty hair. She waved her hand about feebly, as though trying to choose her words. Her eyes were nearly shut, and she looked more asleep than awake.

"The doctor...gave me morphine," Victoria explained, sighing and blinking slowly.

"Oh," Victor said.

"Quite a bit of morphine."

"I can tell," Victor replied, stroking her hair. After a few moments, Victoria seemed to fall asleep, breathing heavily.

"I'll come see you later," Victor whispered in her ear, not really sure if she could hear him or not. Before heading out of the room, Victor stopped at the bassinet to look again at his youngest daughter. She'd be the last one. Mary. Victor reached down to touch the baby's cheek, all the while giving silent thanks for the fact that Victoria had come through so well. Four times now.

"How many does this make?" Victoria asked suddenly. Victor turned, surprised. He'd been sure she'd fallen asleep. Her eyes were open slightly, and she looked incredibly limp and tired.

"How many what, darling?" Victor asked in return, thinking that Victoria was probably half-dreaming.

"Children. How many?"

"Four," Victor replied with a smile. He looked down at Mary in the bassinet again, reaching down to stroke the baby's tiny hand. "Four beautiful daughters."

"Four..." Victoria repeated with a sigh. Then, after a moment's silence, she added, "That's enough for two."

The End.