Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

" H ere they come."

Eliza turned, her gaze following to where Siena was pointing. Sure enough, Fitz and Levi were cresting the hill on their horses.

"What do you think they are talking about?" she asked Siena.

"The same thing we were, I imagine," Siena said. "Hopefully, Levi was able to talk some sense into him."

They were walking among the orchard outside of Appleton. The trees were blossoming, and Eliza knew that they would produce the most gorgeous fruit in nearly no time at all.

Almost like herself, she thought with a laugh.

"Perhaps if we hide, they won't see us," Eliza said wryly, but Siena only smiled and shook her head, gazing into the distance.

"Levi could find me, no matter where I hid."

Eliza couldn't help her smirk, but their love was rather adorable.

"At this point, I am not sure that I would want to marry Fitz, even if he asked," Eliza said, crossing her arms and turning away from the approaching men toward Siena, who lifted a brow.

"What is your alternate solution?"

"I suppose live with my parents, concoct some story about how I married a soldier who died in battle before the birth, and then raise the baby alone."

Siena blinked.

"You came up with that story rather quickly."

"What can I say? I'm a natural storyteller," she said with a wry grin before continuing. "There is one other option."

"Which is?"

"Do exactly what Fitz accused me of. Find another man to quickly court me, fall in love with me, marry me, and then pretend the baby came early. I would never be intimate with him until after our marriage to pretend it was so, but the rest I could probably do. Perhaps Lord Brighton would be interested. I know my mother approves."

Hope leaped into her heart that there could be a solution, and she turned around to hurry back to the house and suggest that it was time to return to London. Before she could take a step, however, she ran into something tall, hard, and very frowny.

"Fitz," she said, stepping backward, annoyed that he had been able to sneak up on her. "Why are you so close to me?"

"You will not marry Lord Brighton," he said, nostrils flaring as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you have any say in the matter," she said, standing toe to toe with him, refusing to back down.

He pointed at her stomach. "As that is my baby, I most certainly do."

"Oh, you are claiming the baby now? I thought it was someone else's – if it even exists at all," she returned, her ire matching his.

"I believe Levi and I will go explore the orchard. We will not be far," Eliza dimly heard Siena murmur, but she was too concentrated on her battle with Fitz to respond.

"Baby or not, you will not go to Lord Brighton. For courting or love or marriage or any of your damn experiments."

"Lord Brighton is only one option," she said, stepping to the side to go around him. "I might find someone else. I am sure many suitors would be interested in me."

He stepped with her, blocking her path. "You will not."

"Fitz," she said, unable to stop herself from reaching out and shoving at his chest, all of her pent-up frustrations coming through. "Get out of my way. I'm sorry, but in case you hadn't noticed, there are few other options available for a woman in my – likely – condition."

She pushed at him again, but this time he caught her wrists in his hands, holding them close to his chest.

"You will not marry any of them," he said firmly, looking into her eyes. "Because you will marry me instead."

He leaned down and, before she knew what was happening, pressed his lips against hers.

Fitz wasn't sure what had come over him.

He had agreed to marry her, yes, but he wasn't exactly happy about it. Then, when they had walked up to the women in the orchard and he had overheard Eliza telling Siena of her plans, a possessive rage had come over him at the thought of her ever being with anyone else.

The words emerged before he even had a chance to consider them, and in that moment, he had been unable to prevent himself from capturing her lips, drinking her in, knowing deep within him that as much as he had told himself a union with her would be all wrong, this was right for him.

She kissed him back for a few moments, her passion for him clear, until she suddenly broke the kiss, leaned back, and shoved him away.

She was surprisingly powerful for a woman of her size.

"What," she seethed, "do you think you are doing?"

"Kissing my bride," he said, puffing his chest out with the possession of his words.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I have not yet agreed," she retorted.

"You told me you wanted to be married!" he countered, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Yes, before you were a complete ass."

"I do not believe that is language a proper young lady should use."

"At what point in our relations did I ever strike you as a proper young lady ?"

They were standing face to face, both of their chests heaving, and damn it, but he did want to kiss her again. Was it worth the risk? Probably. But reason prevailed and he did begin to slowly back away, as though if he moved too quickly, she might attack – or flee.

"Is that a yes?" he asked, lifting a brow, and she let out a growl and fisted her hands at her sides.

"No!"

"I thought this was what you wanted! When will you make a final decision?" he asked, flabbergasted. Eliza was changing her mind from one moment to the next faster than a weathervane in a storm.

"When I determine whether or not I am with child!" she yelled, forgetting herself.

And the fact that anyone could be walking through the orchard.

Which, as it happened, they were.

"Eliza Gertrudis Munroe, what did you just say?"

Eliza froze as still as a statue, her eyes wide, her lips parted.

Fitz whirled around, stilling himself when he saw their mothers standing there in a fair state of distress.

He knew his problems had increased exponentially, and yet, he couldn't stop himself from focusing on one thing he knew should not matter. And yet…

He looked at Eliza. "Did she just call you Gertrudis ?"

Her lips parted as she stared at him incredulously. "What importance could that possibly hold right now?"

"A great deal of importance if you have any inkling of naming my child that."

Eliza placed her hands on her hips as she looked down her nose at him. "Do you seriously think I would name my child something so hideous?"

"Eliza!" her mother started, her hand flying to her breast.

"I'm sorry, Mother, I know it was the name of your favorite great-aunt, but while you were an obedient daughter and listened to your mother, I have not fallen suit. I am certainly not going to begin by naming my daughter such a monstrous name."

"I rather like the Gertrude part of it," Fitz's mother murmured beside Lady Willoughby, placing a comforting hand on her back before clearing her throat.

"Based on this conversation… do the two of you have news to share with us, perhaps of a betrothal ?"

Fitz tried to meet Eliza's gaze but was unable to do so as she currently had her eyes closed, her head tilted up toward the sky in supplication, as though she was waiting for the heavens to open and save her from this situation.

This situation, meaning him and potentially, his child.

Lady Willoughby was currently fanning herself as though the heat of the day – or this conversation – had overcome her.

"We were just speaking about that, actually," he said with pleasantness as though he was referring to whether or not they were going to take tea together that afternoon.

"This is all my fault," Lady Willoughby was murmuring, wringing her hands together as she stared into the distance. "I was far too lenient. I thought I was doing the right thing to let her do as she wanted but now… oh dear… I was wrong."

"Mother!" Eliza exclaimed, her mother's reaction snapping her out of her own. "Do not say that, please," she said as she rushed over and took her mother's hands. "You are the best woman I have ever known, let alone the best mother. You have done nothing wrong, I promise you that."

"Yes, but…" her mother started, bringing a hand to her forehead as she gestured toward Fitz and then Eliza's middle region with her other. "This should not have happened."

"Perhaps not," Eliza agreed. "But all is not lost."

"You are unmarried," her mother bit out. "With child."

"I believe I am with child, yes," Eliza agreed, looking over at Fitz. Her expression was not the one of resignation he expected but rather one that said, well, they were now in this together. "I am unmarried at the moment, but that will not be an issue for much longer."

"You'll marry me, then?" Fitz said, surprised at the excitement in his tone. Excitement that was coming from an unexpected place within him.

He still couldn't say that he completely trusted Eliza, although he had been telling the truth when he told Levi that his instinct said she would never contrive such a thing.

If he was doing this, however – and now, it seemed that he had no choice – then he was all in, as he was in whatever he did.

Wife, child, family – it was coming hurtling toward him at a frightening speed. And yet he was going to welcome it.

He didn't have much other choice.

"Yes," she said with a nod, her eyes fiery as she stared at him. "I will marry you."