Charlotte gave the best hugs. Or maybe she didn’t. Maybe it was because they were so rare and only given when they were really needed that they had always felt comforting for Eleanor.
As Charlotte talked, Eleanor’s smile softened, warmed. Not just because Charlotte was finally beginning to see, but also because her thoughts were being led back to Gaspard. “I do know,” she told her sister with a smile, and Char was right; she wouldn’t have risked this unless she’d been sure. And she had been sure since he had truly kissed her that morning in her cabin. “I am sure. It’s not really scary to think about, and I mean that too. At some point, eventually, I would love to have his children, but right now he’s not ready and more importantly, I am not ready. I’m only twenty-five, I’ve plenty of time before I’m too old, and right now… Right now we’re figuring out how this is going to work, getting to know each other this way.” She didn’t have any regrets about not pushing ahead with the marriage and children thing right away. Would it hurt in several years if Gaspard didn’t want children then? Of course it would! And they most likely wouldn’t survive it as a couple, but she couldn’t think like that now. Because right now, being with him was what mattered. It made her happy, and it made her feel confident about the future.