“I don’t either, but I refuse to accept it as some sort of visitation.”
“Then what?”
“God knows. You must have read about Lockridge Wyndham in the family Bible, yes, that’s it.”
Suddenly there was stark terror in her eyes.
“What? What, damn you, what’s the matter?”
“Oh no, Marcus, oh no.” Then her back bowed up and she grabbed her belly, all the while crying out, “No! No! Marcus, please, no, no!”
Not even an hour later, just as the clock struck noon, she miscarried, blood gushing out of her, her body twisting and arching with the vicious cramps. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over. She lay now in an exhausted sleep, her face shiny with sweat, her hair in a lank, dull braid. Her lips were so pale they were nearly blue. The wound in her flank had bled more, running together with the blood from her womb, and he’d known she would die, but she hadn’t. At least not yet she hadn’t.
Marcus said nothing. He simply looked down at her.
“I’m sorry, my lord,” Doctor Raven said as he wiped his hands. “I thought it might happen, but I didn’t want to worry you more. These things happen all the time, but I’m sorry it had to be this way.”
Maggie and Mrs. Emory had cleaned away all signs of the miscarriage. The Duchess at least was clean, all the blood gone and she was just lying there, bloodless, swathed in white, the bandage around her belly white, the cloths between her thighs white, her nightgown white.
“She’ll be all right.”
But Marcus doubted that very much.
Doctor Raven was pleased he was alone with her. It was the first time her husband had left her, and now she was awake.
He merely smiled at her, waited a moment until recognition came into her very lovely blue eyes, then he leaned over her and gently laid his hand to her chest.
“Your heart is steady and slow. Is there any pain in your belly?”
She shook her head.
“I’m sorry about the babe, but there will be others, my lady. There is nothing wrong with you. It was the fall, the trauma to your body. I told his lordship that you’re young and healthy. Yes, there will be an army of babes if you want them, once you’ve mended.”
She shook her head again. “No, there won’t be more babes. This was the only one and he wasn’t meant to be alive.”
Doctor Raven didn’t understand her. He gently lifted her hand and closed his eyes as he felt the flutter of her pulse. “Please, try to relax.” She lay quietly then, her pulse slow, and he saw the tears seeping beneath her closed lashes. She didn’t make a single sound.
He heard the firm footsteps and automatically stepped away. Marcus gently dabbed the tears from her cheeks. “Shush, love. It’s all right now.”
“No, nothing’s all right. Well, for you I guess it is. Everything is now the way you wanted it.”
“Duchess—”
“I want to kill the man who shot us.”
He drew back in surprise, then felt intense relief flow through him. “But I want to kill him too. How will we resolve this?”
She didn’t answer him. She was asleep again.
“My lord.”
“Yes,” Marcus said as he turned to see Spears in the open doorway.
“I have a message from Badger.”
Marcus faced his mother from across the morning-room table. “I didn’t know she was pregnant, Marcus. Dear God, this is all incredible and here I was jesting about
it and loving mysteries. I’m a fool. I’m very sorry.”