Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem ( Elysia and Tarquin)

When Elysia came back with her basket full of wild herbs, she spotted Tracey and Baby, the oldest and the youngest of the family, making a pinky promise on the

porch.

Grinning, Elysia called out, "Hey, what are you two up to?"

Baby's eyes sparkled with excitement. “Mommy, Mommy! I'm gonna be a nurse when I grow up!"

"Oh yeah?" Elysia raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Great-grandma says she's gonna teach me everything she knows!" Baby

announced, bouncing on her toes.

Tracey chuckled, her eyes crinkling with delight. "Elysia, I think this little one has a real future in medicine!"

"She's just a kid, and yet she can already tell the difference between all these herbs! She's a natural. I'd love to start teaching her some medical basics, if you're okay with it?"

Elysia didn't hesitate. "Of course! Baby, do you want to learn?"

As far as Elysia was concerned, you could never know too much. It was always a good idea to pick up more skills if you had the chance. She wasn't a doctor herself, but she'd learned first aid and some medical know-how from her own grandmother. It had come in handy more times than she could count.

If she hadn't understood both psychology and some basic medicine, she probably never would've been able to help Elijah. And Tarquin's insomnia-if she'd known nothing, she'd have just been left worrying and helpless. But now, she could mix up treatments, try a little acupuncture, adjust his remedies on the fly—and not panic when things changed.

Besides, medicine wasn't just any skill. It was something that could help everyone, everywhere. Learning medicine meant you could help yourself and the people you cared about. That was a win-win in her book.

So if Baby was interested, Elysia was all in. And if not? That was fine too. She'd never force her daughter to do something she didn't love. After all, passion was the best teacher-when you enjoyed something, you learned faster and had more fun.

Baby hopped around in pure joy. "I love it, I love it! When I become a nurse, I can take care of Daddy, Mommy, and my brothers, too!"

Elysia ruffled her daughter's hair, her heart melting. "If you love it, that's all that matters. Mommy's got your back!"

Then she turned to Tracey with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Grandma. I know it's a lot of work."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" Tracey beamed. "I'd be thrilled to take Baby on as my apprentice!"noveldrama

Elysia laughed. "Well then, Baby will have to serve you a good old English afternoon tea as thanks!"

Tracey nodded, pleased as punch.

Elysia knew her grandmother was an amazing healer, but she had no clue about Tracey's real reputation To her, it was just about Baby

learning a useful skill. She ne

imagined that, if the world found out Tracey had taken on a new apprentice, it would cause a stir in every medical school from Harvard to Johns Hopkins.

By the time the three of them finished gathering herbs and made it back to their cozy cabin, it was almost lunchtime.

Tarquin was home. When he saw them coming up the path, he hurried out to greet them, giving Tracey a respectful nod first.

He took the heavy basket off Elysia's shoulders. "Was it tough out there?"

Elysia shook her head and flashed him a grin. "It was nothing! I'm not some delicate flower, you know. When did you get back?"

Before Tarquin could answer, Baby piped up, "Daddy, Mommy was amazing! She picked most of these herbs herself!"

Tarquin grinned at his daughter, balancing the basket as he scooped Baby into his arms. "Are you tired, sweetheart?"

"Nope! Oh, Daddy, guess what? Great-grandma is going to teach me all about medicine. When I've learned enough, Mommy and I will fix your insomnia

together! We'll definitely get you sleeping like a baby!"

Tarquin blinked. "She's teaching you medicine?”

"Uh-huh! We even made a pinky promise about it!"

Tracey looked at Tarquin, her gaze gentle but firm. "Baby's got real talent-she's a natural. I'd like to teach her some skills, but I promise, I won't push her into being a doctor if she doesn't want to. Learning medicine's just a skill, not a life sentence."

Tracey knew some folks from wealthy families mapped out their kids' whole lives the moment they were born. Becoming a doctor wasn't always seen as glamorous as living the life of a trust fund heiress. But for Tracey, giving Baby a choice was what mattered most?