“It is very high from up here, Father.”
Rosa ran over chortling and hugged him. “We missed you, Father.”
“I missed you both, too.”
“Will you come to our tea party in the nursery this afternoon?”
His throat tightened. This was the first time in years that he had received a much coveted invitation to one of his girls’ tea parties. They always held them, even invited his mother, and sometimes, he believed, Adeline, but not him. He’d known he was responsible for their wariness but had been at loss for how to mend the hurt he’d caused with his absence. “I would be honored to be on your guest list today, Lady Sarah and Lady Rosalie.”
They giggled, and his heart jerked in wonder at the beautiful sound.
He frowned when he noted his duchess seemed hesitant. They walked over to her, and he glanced at the basket in her hands.
“The girls and I took a walk, though it was overcast.” She held up the basket. “We picked some berries.”
Why was Adeline wary?
“Forgive me for departing with such haste from town.”
Her eyes widened and a flush climbed her cheeks. “It is of no great matter. I had been missing the girls and the estate dreadfully. I would have liked to be a part of the decision, however, but Lady Harriet explained what precipitated your actions.”
He nodded. “Shall we walk together?”
“We shall.”
They moved toward the house in the distance.
“You’re beautiful.”
She glanced at him, eyes wide, then what he had been waiting for came. A slow smile touched her mouth which was sinfully swollen, as if they had been kissed. Repeatedly.
For a terrible, timeless minute, he could do nothing but stare. The edges of his dream teased his thoughts. “Did you have a pleasant night?”
“Oh yes, I did, thank you, and you?”
“My sleep was restful.”
They said no more, allowing the girls to chatter until they reached the main house. All should have been well, yet Edmond wondered at the disquiet lodging in his gut.
…
Eight weeks later, Adeline was bent over the chamber pot heaving and looking pale. Her maid Meg held the mass of her hair from her face and pressed a cool washcloth to her brow.
“There, there,” Meg crooned as his duchess heaved once more.
Sympathy filled Edmond. Adeline was having a horrible time of it.
“This dreaded puking will pass in a few weeks.”
He felt something freeze in his soul at the maid’s words. This was not some random illness. Edmond’s mind worked with cold logic. This was the second morning she had been retching before breaking her fast, and last night she had flinched when he sucked at her breast. He had even commented they were delightfully larger and his duchess’s eyes had slid away in discomfort. He knew the symptoms, but it made no sense. These past few weeks he had been very careful to always withdraw, even when she tempted him to be reckless.
“Are you with child?” he asked with dangerous softness.
Adeline stilled. Never had he seen her so lifeless, then he met her gaze. They were filled with raw panic. The fear that rose in him was acrid and sharp. With child… How? “How?”
She squeezed Meg’s hands gently and the maid rose to her feet. She dipped into a quick curtsy to him and darted from the room.
Adeline stood, went to the wash basin and rinsed her mouth, then faced him. Her throat worked but no sound came forth, but he was not mistaken in the anger sparkling in her eyes.