Dealing with my mother was one thing. Though it hadn’t been pleasant, I said what I needed to say to her. Dealing with my children? That was far harder.

My steps grew slower as I reached the playroom. What could I say to Elyse? To both of them? I’d failed them. There was no doubt about that, but I hadn’t seen it until Cara entered our lives.

She’s seen right away that the twins were struggling. Perhaps I was being too hard on myself? Maybe that was the kind of thing that was easier to see as an outsider. But in my heart, I knew I could’ve done better. Should have done better. Since Lisette died, they’ve only had me, and I let them down.

I found them sitting next to each other on a beanbag chair in the corner of the playroom. Derrick had his arm around his crying sister, and it nearly broke my heart. Even if I hadn’t been there for my son like I should have, he was there for his sister. I’d never been more profoundly grateful that they had each other.

Only Derrick looked up when I reached them, and I rested my hand gently on his head. I sank down, crouching to be at their level. “Elyse?”

At first, I thought she wasn’t going to look at me, but when she finally did, I handed her the wig. She took it, cradling it to her chest like a teddy bear. “I’m sorry, honey. I’m so sorry grandmother spoke to you like that.”

“And to Cara,” Derrick added defiantly.

“Yes, to her, too. The thing is…” I hesitated, trying to figure out how to phrase it. “Grandmother means well, but she doesn’t really know a lot about what our life is like. She didn’t know you very well when we lived in the US. Even now, she doesn’t really know what it’s like for us. But this isn’t really about her. It’s about the three of us.”

Elyse wouldn’t look at me, but I could tell she was listening. “I need to apologize to you both. I haven’t been here for you—I can see that now. I was just so sad after Mommy died that I didn’t do my job as your dad.”

Derrick was quick to forgive me. “You’ve always tried.”

“Yes, I have. But I didn’t realize that it wasn’t enough until Cara came.”

“She doesn’t have to leave tonight, does she, Dad?”

“No, she doesn’t. Though she’s only here until August.” That fact was a painful truth that needed to be said. Otherwise, we’d all hurt more if we let ourselves forget.

“Can’t she stay longer? She’s really nice.”

“She is, but she has her own life, too. She’s going to start graduate school.”

“Will we get a new nanny then?”

“Maybe. In the meantime, the three of us need to work on communicating better. We need to stick together. I’m sorry that I forgot that for a while.”

I put my hand out and grasped Elyse’s. She took it but still kept one hand clasped around the wig. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart, if I ever made you feel like you had to be like Mommy. She was a wonderful person, and so are you, but you’re different people. Just like you and Derrick are different. You don’t have to be anyone but yourself, Elyse.”

My little girl nodded, her tear-streaked face breaking my heart. “I love you both for who you are. Elyse, it doesn’t matter to me if your hair is long and straight, or wild and curly, or shaved off entirely. That’s completely up to you—not me and not grandmother.” Her hand went to her shaggy head, and her crying increased.

God, I wished Cara were there. She’d know how to make Elyse feel better. But I needed to do this without relying on her. “Why did you cut your hair, sweetheart? That was dangerous, you could’ve hurt yourself.”

I wasn’t sure she was going to answer, but eventually she did. “I didn’t like it like that anymore. It… it made me sad.”

I’d never thought about how much upkeep it must’ve taken. Hell, I’d seen Gretchen spend up to twenty minutes on it in the morning, and I’d never given it a second thought. I bet Cara had. “When you’re ready, we’ll ask Gretchen to neaten up your hair a little. I think it’ll look good.” I didn’t have the slightest clue what it would look like, but that didn’t matter to me. And anyone it mattered to—like my mother—would just have to get over themselves.

“You can do whatever you want, Elyse. If you want to wear that wig twenty-four hours a day, that’s fine with me. But what I want is for us to spend more time together. We’re a family, and we need to figure out what works best for us. Cara had some ideas, but what matters most is what you both think.”

“Ideas about what?” It was Derrick who spoke, but Elyse was looking at me curiously as well.

“About some activities we can do now that it’s getting a little warmer outside. Derrick, I’ve been talking with Wilhelm, and we think it’s time for the Royal family of Falkenberg to take up falconry again. Would you like that?”

“Really? We’d get real falcons and train them?” Derrick’s excitement was palpable, and even through her tears, Elyse looked happy for him.

“Yes, if you want to. But it’s a lot of work. There will be a lot to learn and do every day. Wilhelm’s going to help, but you’ll have to, too.”

“I will! I want to learn everything about it. I’ll help every day.”

“I know you will.”

“Thanks, Dad. Can Elyse help too?”

“If she wants,” I said. “But I also think that it’ll be good if sometimes we do some things one-on-one. So sometimes I’ll spend time with you at the mews working with the birds… and sometimes I’ll spend time with Elyse practicing archery.”

At that last word, Elyse’s eyes widened. With one small hand, she gestured at the toy weapon that was never far from her.

“Not with that,” I said. “We’ll get real bows, one for me and a special sized one just for you. We’ll practice outside until we’re both better than Robin Hood. Would you like that?”

Her dark eyes lit up. It had been a long time since I’d seen that. “Can we get a target?” Her voice was hoarse from crying, but it was good to hear it nevertheless.

“Of course.”

“I saw one in a movie. There was a bulls-eye in front of a bale of hay.”

“That’s what we’ll do.”

“But where will we get it?”

I winked at her. “I’m the crown prince. I’m fairly certain I can procure a bale of hay.”

“Okay,” she said, her voice lighter already. “I mean, thank you.”

“Yes, thanks,” Derrick added.

“We’ll start making plans tomorrow. Now, if you two are okay, I need to go check on Cara—I need to make sure grandmother didn’t throw her in the dungeons.”

I was joking, but Elyse popped to her feet when I stood. Her little face was concerned again. “Please don’t let grandma hurt Cara.”

“Sweetheart, I was just joking.”

Elyse clutched my hand. “Don’t let her be mean. Not to Cara.”

“I won’t. Of course I won’t. Don’t worry about that, I’ll take care of it. You two stay in here, and I’ll send in Gretchen to keep you company. It’ll be okay, I promise.”

I waited until Gretchen arrived before leaving. As I walked the empty corridors, I marveled at the change in Elyse. Minutes after being browbeaten by my mother, she’d actually spoken up and defended Cara. It was clear that the nanny had my children wrapped around her little finger.

But perhaps that was too simplistic a way of putting it. The twins didn’t just like Cara—they needed her. She’d seen their pain when even I hadn’t. She’d figured out what they needed and was determined to see that they got it—even if it meant going up against a queen.

My steps quickened as I neared my office. If it weren’t for her, I still wouldn’t have the slightest clue what was going on in either of my kids’ minds. I might have inadvertently kept comparing my daughter to my late wife. I might have kept on, oblivious, hurting them further.

Cara rose from the sofa as I threw the office door open. Her jaw dropped but no words came out as I strode toward her.

Moving quickly, I took her face in my hands, and kissed her.