Chapter 6 - The Shadows of the Past
With the corporate threat neutralized, the mansion settled into a comfortable, healing routine. The quadruplets began to sleep for five and six-hour stretches, their development catching up rapidly to their corrected gestational age. The nursery was no longer a place of clinical isolation; it was filled with Claire’s favorite music, her books, and photographs Ethan had finally gathered from the storage vaults.
However, the peace was shattered when an unexpected visitor arrived at the estate's gates.
Evelyn Sterling, Claire’s estranged and wealthy mother, had flown in from London after reading the tabloid articles about Grace. She was a cold, aristocratic woman who had opposed Claire’s marriage to Ethan from the beginning, viewing him as an uncultured American businessman.
Ethan met her in the grand drawing room, the atmosphere instantly turning frosty.
"I came because I will not allow my daughter’s children to be raised by a common maid, Ethan," Evelyn said, her diamond rings clicking against her silver walking stick as she gestured around the room. "The press in England is talking about this scandal. It is humiliating. I am filing for emergency custody in the international courts. I will take the babies back to Surrey, where they can receive a proper upbringing with a team of certified professionals."
Ethan’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. "You didn't care enough to fly out when Claire was in the hospital, Evelyn. You didn't come to the funeral because you said the transatlantic flight was too stressful. You don't get to claim her children now."
"I am their maternal grandmother!" Evelyn snapped, her voice rising. "I have a right to ensure they are not corrupted by your vulgar lifestyle. And who is this woman?" she demanded as Grace entered the room carrying a tray of tea. "The opportunist from the papers? Look at her. She smells like laundry detergent."
Grace set the tray down on the mahogany table with perfect grace. She looked at the older woman, her eyes cool and completely unimpressed by the aristocratic fury.
"Lady Sterling," Grace said, using the formal title with a touch of quiet irony. "I smell like laundry detergent because I spent the last three hours washing the organic cotton sheets your daughter purchased for her babies before she passed. I am currently the only person in this room who can distinguish between Noah's cry of hunger and his cry of fatigue. If you take these children to England, you will kill the progress they've made. They don't need a pedigree, ma'am. They need their father."
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"How dare you speak to me!" Evelyn gasped, turning to Ethan. "Are you going to let this servant insult me?"
Ethan walked over, standing directly beside Grace, his posture making it clear where his alliance lay. "Grace is not a servant, Evelyn. She is the manager of this household, and she is the woman who saved my children's lives when your family name couldn't do a damn thing for them. Leave my house before I have security remove you for trespassing."
