He nodded. “She is with child?” he asked, still amazed.
“She is most certainly very early in pregnancy,” the doctor informed. “But all the signs are most definitely there. She needs fresh air, beef broth, tea, and good bread with a little butter on it. She is not ill, but she might feel quite unwell, and given the fact that she already has these symptoms, my guess would be that the first few weeks of her pregnancy will be difficult. She will need extra care and kindness.”
The doctor drew in a long breath. “I suggest taking her to the country and away from the bad air of the city.”
The doctor’s face grew guarded. “Your Grace, will you be taking care of her, or should I be notifying one of the foundling hospitals or unwed mother institutions in London?”
He grew cold at the very idea. “How dare you, sir.”
“How dare I?” the doctor bit out. “I dare because I see this all the time. I see young ladies fall pregnant at the cause of the men who keep them, and are then cast out. Are you going to cast her out, Your Grace?” The doctor asked with a quiet sort of steel. “I need to know what I should do. I cannot simply wash my hands of the young lady now that she’s in my care. Though some doctors would, especially since some might argue that she has fallen into sin. But it seems that she has been helped there, of course. And I am not the general sort of fellow to believe that the lady is alone in the consequences.”
“I admire you for it, Doctor, because you are correct,” Garret said as he began to truly understand what was happening. “She should not be alone and, no, you will not need to find any place for her. I will take her to the country myself and take care of her myself if she will allow me.”
“If she will allow you?” the doctor asked softly, shaking his head.
He frowned as he considered that he had no idea how Catherine might be taking this. “She’s very independent, Lady Catherine. She won’t like to be told.”
The doctor smiled softly, clearly relieved. “I see. Well then, don’ttellher, Your Grace. Ask her, suggest it. She’s in a delicate emotional state. I know that might sound, well, a bit indulgent, but the truth is ladies experience a great deal of change in their bodies very quickly, and that can cause an emotional upheaval. So if she shouts at you, don’t get upset.”
He nodded, appreciative, even as a wave of memories began to creep toward him. “I understand. I have had some experience of it before.”
The doctor nodded slowly, his guarded expression softening. “Of course you have, Your Grace. How foolish of me to explain to you.”
Garret shook his head. “I appreciate your reminders. I will take her as soon as possible,” he said.
“Good. Be kind to her.” The doctor sighed as if he could not quite hide the effect that the weight of his patients’ lives had on him. “No doubt, she is feeling a bit lost today. It does not seem as if this was something that she intended. She seemed resolute but still at a loss, if I’m honest.”
“I see,” he said. “I shall take very good care of her.”
“Of course, you shall, Your Grace, and I’m glad to hear it.”
And with that, the doctor left. She was at a loss. Of course, she was. This was the furthest thing from what she had wanted.
She had envisioned a life of freedom, a life of independence, and now she was going to have someone dependent entirely upon her. But of course, now there was no question. She would have to marry him. She would become the Duchess of Blackwood, and suddenly he felt free and light as all the concerns and fears were taken from him on the topic of their future.
But this was no small thing now.
She was going to have his child, and she would be linked to him forever.
And the truth was he felt afraid in that moment. Afraid of how dangerous this world was for women and the babes they bore.
He shoved that fear aside. He could not bear any more time in selfish indulgent thoughts or fear. She needed him, and he was going to go and show her just how valuable he could be.
Chapter 14
Despite her determination, waves of panic kept crashing over Catherine’s body.
She could not stop pacing the room back and forth as she tried to plan exactly how to go about finding a place for her and her child, even as nausea clawed at her throat.
She knew she needed to rest.
The doctor had told her so, but she did not want to rest, despite the growing fatigue that washed over her.
No. She went from the bed to the window to the door and around again. She could not stop herself from eating up the carpet. Stopping before the fireplace, she gazed into the low crackling flames that the maid had begun for her so that she could feel warm in the room, which sometimes had a damp chill to it.
After all, all the old great houses, whether they be in London or in the country, did succumb to this dilemma. It hardly mattered the season.
But she did not want to stop by the fire and sit. She did not want to lay down. She needed to find out what she was going to do with the rest of her life.