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"Sefa will tell you not to climb things."

I rubbed my stomach.

"You should listen to her. Your mother rarely did, and it caused no end of trouble."

I sat quietly for a moment. Then I thought about my father.

"You won't get to meet your grandfather."

My throat tightened.

"But I'll tell you about him."

I looked toward the dark line of trees beyond the garden.

"He was a good man. Stubborn, too. He believed that doing the right thing mattered, even when nobody else wanted to hear it."

I swallowed.

"He would've loved you."

That thought nearly undid me.

My father had never seen me grown.

He'd never met Guy. He would never hold this child. But I could make certain his grandchild knew him.

"When you're old enough, I'll take you to the great oak in Sherwood."

I smiled through the tears gathering in my eyes.

"I'll tell you all about him. And your great-grandmother, too."

I rested my palm against my stomach.

"She was terrifying, by the way. You'll hear that from everyone."

I laughed quietly.

"She would've adored you."

Footsteps sounded along the gravel.

I looked up.

Guy approached carrying two cups. "Thought I might find you here."

"Have you come to arrest me for abandoning my own feast?"

"Not yet."

He sat beside me and handed me a cup.

Apple cordial.

I smiled. "Thank you."

He glanced at my face. "You've been crying."