Anne clutched her stomach trying to breathe through the pain.

Anne second labour

She could see Harry panicking in the background, this was earlier than they expected and she hadn’t packed her bags. But she trusted her husband would sort it all out.

 

Harry copes with Anne going into labour

 

As he left the room, she sat on the edge of the bed readying herself for another contraction and thinking back over the last few years to distract herself from the pain.

 

Here she was pregnant again, except this time she knew Harry was the father of her baby. It had been a difficult decision to keep Cecily’s parentage a secret. But she knew if she had been honest with Harry and Lucy it would have torn the Wintersmith family apart. Instead she had decided Timothy was right; that Harry would be Cecily’s father in all but genetics, it would be Harry who brought her up. It hadn’t been easy and she had to deal with the guilt, but she hadn’t seen any alternative.

 

Harry had been a very hands on father with Cecily. He spent time talking to her and teaching her to walk, she was the apple of his eye. Anne knew she should be glad he was so fond of her, but it just made her feel more guilty for her deception.

 

Harry teaches Cecily to walk

 

Their cat Olive was also keen on their young daughter and let herself be hugged and pulled around.

 

Cecily plays with Olive

 

If only Olive could get on as well with Puddles, Anne mused. But they just seemed to annoy each other and this culminated with Anne witnessing a fight in the kitchen.

 

Fur flies

 

Everything was driven from her head as she felt another contraction and for a time she focused on her breathing. As the pain dulled she thought of her daugther. It has been a big relief that as Cecily grew she began to look like her mum, her parentage couldn’t been read in her face. Anne didn’t know how she might change as she grew, but she fervently hoped that she would not grow to look more like Timothy.

 

Anne and toddler Cecily

 

When Anne had found herself pregnant this time, she had felt that in someway, by giving Harry a child of his own she was making up for Cecily’s parentage.

 

The ambulance arrived, she could hear the sirens and the sound of voices downstairs. Soon they would be whisked off to hospital.

 

Anne held her little son. They had named him Malcolm and he had the bright Wintersmith eyes. She smiled down at him feeling the joy that he was Harry’s child and enjoying how much his father would dote on him.

 

Anne and Malcolm baby

 

Harry had come to pick them up from the hospital in the renevated car. Harry had finally finished restoring the wreck and Anne was impressed.

 

Harrys new car

He had even started hanging out at Will’s garage where he came into contact with other people who liked to tinker.

 

Will Garage technician 

 

Anne loved the new car, but wondered if it was big enough now they had two kids, but she hadn’t the heart to suggest they sell it. 

 

Life seemed to be going well for Harry and Anne, only Anne knew the turmoil of her heart and however much she tried to justify her actions she knew deep down that she could never be truly peaceful until she had confessed the truth.

http://wintersmith.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/chapter-80-%e2%80%93-the-family-man/