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“I will,” he said. “I promise.”

Garret ran to the bell pull, tugged it, then whipped his clothes on.

A servant would be up in but a moment, but he did not wait. He dashed out into the hall shouting as she lay under those covers.

Catherine curled herself up into a small ball as if she could protect the little thing inside her, as if she could protect her heart and soul. As if she could make certain that it remained exactly where it was and that all her hopes and dreams did not vanish. And she realized what a fool she had been.

Content?

She had been more than content. She had been full of all the promise in the world and now that it might be pulled away from her, her heart cried out with the horror of it.

“Stay,” she repeated over and over again as if the small promise inside her could hear her. “Stay. I promise you are loved, and we will love you so well all your life.Stay.”

Garret had never raced so fast in all his life as he did to collect the midwife and the doctor. He dragged them back himself, and when they all came roaring up the stairs to her room, she was laying on the bed, her face taut with worry.

A fire had been stoked and Adelaide sat at her side telling stories. Not fairy tales, but gentle ones of far-off lands where only beautiful things could happen.

Instead of listening, Catherine was staring up at the ceiling repeating over and over again as if she could make it true. “Stay, stay, stay.”

The midwife glanced at him, but she said firmly, “Your Grace, everything will be well, and if it is not, we will do everything in our power to ensure she survives.”

His entire body tensed at those words because it was the first moment that anyone had acknowledged that she could die. That the babe could die, that they both could be taken, and the truth was he did not wish to enter that room anymore.

He did not want to step forward, to take his wife in his arms and comfort her, to hold her, but he was going to.

Because… he loved her. Dear god, how he loved her.

Just as she was commanding the small life in her to stay, Garret crossed the room in three short sides, climbed up on the bed, wrapped his arms around her, and said, “Youstay.Youmust stay.” He breathed against her ear, “I have been a fool. I thought that I could protect myself from pain by simply not saying anything or admitting it. I cannot protect myself from such a thing and all I have done,all I have done, is kept us both alone.”

She did not reply to him. She was so focused on her unending prayer. The midwife examined her first. Dr. Hughes, knowing the older woman’s skill and experience with so many pregnancies, waited patiently.

The midwife was quiet for a moment. Then after finishing her examination, she took Catherine’s hand in her wrinkled one.

“Do you have any internal pain?” she asked Catherine.

His wife shook her head firmly. “No, there is no pain.”

“And how did you become aware that you had a bit of bleeding?”

“I discovered it myself when I got up in the middle of the night.”

“I see,” the midwife said. “Just a moment now. Dr. Hughes will also examine you.”

Dr. Hughes came up, and he smiled softly. “I understand this is a very frightening thing, Your Grace, but may I please have permission to examine your body?”

“Of course,” she said. “Please, please do it quickly to see if we can save the child.”

The doctor nodded. “We will do all that we can.”

Gently, he touched her abdomen, running his hands over it. He studied her face. “Does that give you any pain?”

“No,” Catherine replied tightly, and then he examined her.

She winced and Garret held her tighter.

“Do not hurt her,” he ordered.

“Forgive me,” Dr. Hughes assured. “It simply must be done. I am trying to obtain whether her womb is opening to…”


Tags: Eva Devon Historical