Chapter 31

CHAPTER31

Adam sat on the lip of the cloistered terrace that ran along the front of Stapleton Court, sipping a modest measure of brandy as he watched the stars twinkle in the night sky. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath of the crisp air, the faint scent of Nancy still lingering on his skin. A smile spread across his face, for he knew without doubt that he was the most fortunate, and certainly the luckiest, man in the world.

“My love,” he whispered to the darkness. “My love, my love, my love.”

He knew he did not deserve her, but nor could he resist her. His mother had been right. Nancy was a gift that had been sent to him by some divine intervention, and he would not disrespect the heavens by sneering at it. He knew he had to cherish Nancy and love her well if he was to have any chance of paying back the forces that had sent her to heal him.

He raised a glass to his fortune.

What was I so afraid of?

He had just taken a sip to seal his gratitude when a sound drew his attention toward the gates of the estate. Hooves were approaching, and fast, too.

Adam peered into the gloom, putting his hand above his brow as if that would help him to see better, but all he could make out was the shape of a horse and rider barreling toward the spot where he sat.

He stood to greet the rider, assuming it was a messenger of some kind. But as the horse came to an abrupt halt and the rider leaped down, he realized he knew the man.

“Harry? What is the meaning of this?”

Harry stooped to catch his breath. “I came as… quickly as I could. There is… a letter following me, and… perhaps an angry horde, though… I am not yet certain.”

“Take a breath, my good man,” Adam urged, clapping his friend on the back. “Take your time and explain to me what is happening.”

Harry reached for the glass of brandy in Adam’s hand and drained it in one gulp. “There is a letter following me,” he said, still breathing hard. “I went to prevent it from being sent, but the message had exchanged hands already. I could not stop it, but I can be the bearer of bad news so that we might discuss a way to solve it.”

“What letter?” Trepidation clawed at Adam’s chest.

“From Miss Eastleigh. She is… with child, Adam, and she is claiming that it is yours,” Harry wheezed. “I discovered it from her friend, whose company I happened to be enjoying. Needless to say, I left her friend and rode straight for Miss Eastleigh’s residence. There, she granted me a brief audience and told me it was useless, that she had already sent the letter and would be pursuing patronage for her child. I believe the letter will be blackmail, old friend, though I do not profess to know the contents.”

Adam’s heart threatened to stop. He should have known he could not be that lucky.

“She is lying,” he hissed. “She and I never coupled.”

“I believe you, my good man, but who else will?” Harry replied, grimacing.

Adam glanced back at the manor, his stomach twisting into knots. “Give me a moment. I must fetch my horse and a fresh mount for you.”

“Pardon?” Harry blinked.

“We are riding to London. We must remedy this at the source, and I shall not wait for a poxy letter from a lying vixen.” Adam cursed under his breath. “I should have listened to you, Harry. When you told me not to meet with her, not to engage with her, not to play any games with her, I should have bloody listened!”

Harry pointed toward the house with his chin. “Are you not going to inform your wife?”

“I will not upset her over something I can fix,” Adam replied firmly. “Nor will I wake her just to worry her. I shall leave a note for Mrs. Holloway before we depart, but no, I will not inform my wife unless there is something to tell her. She is sleeping too peacefully to be woken by my mistakes.”

He had left her in her bedchamber after carrying her there. She had fallen asleep in his study, looking so serene and beautiful that he wished he was a painter, so he could capture that moment. And as he had tucked her into her bed, he had kissed her brow and watched her stir slightly, waiting until she was still again before he had whispered, “I am falling in love with you.”

I will not let that harpy ruin this.

He turned on his heel and ran toward the stables, leaving his friend standing on the gravel in a state of utter confusion.

* * *

Nancy floated down to breakfast the following morning, her heart full to the brim, her mind still warm with thoughts of the night before. And though parts of her ached slightly, they served as a blissful reminder that she had not dreamed up the delights of consummating her marriage, at last.

So, the ashen faces that surrounded the breakfast table came as something of an unpleasant shock. Marina and Dorothea had not touched their eggs and toast, and the sight of Mrs. Holloway sitting with them jostled the worry that began to grow in Nancy’s stomach. The housekeeper never sat down to eat with the family.

“Is all well?” Nancy asked, taking her usual seat.

She noticed Adam was not there, but that was not so strange. He did not always rise early enough. Indeed, that was why she had not paused at his bedchamber on her way down, wanting to let him sleep after all of their exertions the previous night.

It was then that she noticed that Dorothea was holding two letters.

“You are scaring me,” Nancy said, gulping.

“There has been some troubling news, my dear.” Dorothea paused. “I would show you the letter myself, but I do not think you ought to see it. So, I shall give you the gist of it. However, before I tell you, I should warn you that I do not think it is the truth.”

“A letter?” Nancy clasped her hands together and pressed them between her thighs to stop herself from fidgeting.

Marina hiccupped, dropping her gaze. But she could not hide the tear that rolled down her cheek.

“My son has journeyed to his London townhouse to take care of… an unpleasantness,” Dorothea continued, her voice wavering. “He left last night with Harry, who brought the news that is also present in this letter.” She scrunched the edges of the paper as if she wished she could crush it entirely.

“What news?” Nancy gasped. “I beg of you, please cease delaying. I cannot bear this.”

She had been in a paradise of Adam’s making not two minutes ago, and now it seemed as if the ground beneath her feet was about to crumble to dust, bringing her world down with it.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Mrs. Holloway muttered, puffing out a violent sigh. “Some wretched girl has woven a story about His Grace in order to secure her own future. I saw the scandal sheets this morning. She has been cast aside by her betrothed and, being with child, likely could not think of any other way to protect herself and the fortune of her unborn child.”

With child?

Horror slithered up from the depths of Nancy’s stomach, slinking in tight coils around her heart, ready to squeeze it until it shattered. “Is it… Miss Eastleigh?”

“What?” Dorothea gasped.

Mrs. Holloway looked equally astonished. “You know of the girl?”

“Who is she?” Marina cried, clenching her hands into fists as if she meant to box the girl’s ears.

Nancy nodded slowly. “She came to this house not long ago—just over a week. Harry invited her.” She paused. “I saw something that upset me, and I asked Adam who she was. He explained that Miss Eastleigh was the woman he mistook me for at the lake—the mishap that caused all of this. All of this being our marriage, I mean.”

“Which one?” Marina asked. “I briefly attended the festivities, but they were all much too rowdy for my tastes. I retired soon after, but I saw them all. Can you recall her face?”

Nancy stared at her cousin. “You were there?”

“Briefly,” Marina repeated, looking somewhat shamefaced.

“Miss Eastleigh is… pretty. Blonde hair, paler than mine. I could not see the color of her eyes, but she was slight of build and wore a light-colored dress. Yellow, I think, though it was dark when I saw her,” Nancy said. She clenched her thighs tighter against her clasped hands, willing herself to remain calm.

Marina’s eyes widened. “I know the beast!”

“You do?” Dorothea sat back, blinking in astonishment. “Is everyone aware of this woman except me?”

Marina shook her head. “I saw her attempt to dance with His Grace on three occasions, but he shunned her each time. I witnessed her trying to flirt with him, too, but again, he rebuffed her. It was after the last approach from her that His Grace disappeared, and that is when I also retired.”

“I also witnessed him rebuffing her advances,” Nancy said, fighting to draw hope from that knowledge.

But what had happened after their affair might make no difference, she realized. Yes, Adam had informed her that there had been no “indulgences” with Miss Eastleigh, for the first intimate encounter had been supposed to happen the night he had mistook Nancy for Miss Eastleigh. What if he had lied to spare her feelings? What if there had been an encounter, and that encounter had resulted in a child?

Nancy glanced down at her own belly, her cheeks flaming as she thought of the previous night, and the wonderful thoughts she had awoken with that morning. She had looked forward to their future together, imagining all the nights they would share together and all the children they might have together.

Nancy adored her nephew with all her heart and knew that a child of her own would be the greatest blessing… but if there was another child, an illegitimate one, conceived before their own, she did not know if she could bear it.

“Why do you think she is lying?” Nancy had to ask, her gaze flitting between Dorothea and Mrs. Holloway.

Mrs. Holloway’s cheeks turned a livid shade of red. “I don’t wish to be so blunt in front of you, dearie, but I must.” She sucked in a breath. “I know she is lying because there has been no accidental child in ten years, yet one suddenly appears at the exact moment that this Miss Eastleigh has been cast aside by her betrothed. No, it is even simpler than that!”

“It is?” Nancy’s heart yearned for solid reasoning.

Mrs. Holloway nodded, smiling now. “Before you, dearie, His Grace never entertained the company of a lady for more than a week or two. I know because I read those awful scandal sheets, and because Harry keeps me informed when I ask for information about His Grace.” Her smile widened further. “His Grace could not have begun a… um… pursuit of Miss Eastleigh more than a week before that night by the lake that you spoke of. And a baby cannot be detected that early, not even by the most gifted physician!”

“Mrs. Holloway, if I could rise from this chair, I would embrace you!” Dorothea cried, pressing a hand to her chest. “Of course, you are right! But… since when have you had Harry as your informant?”

Mrs. Holloway shrugged coyly. “For a decade. I needed to know His Grace was safe, for your sake, Your Grace, and Harry will do anything and spill any secret for a fair sum.” She bowed her head. “I have only made inquiries when His Grace has been absent for a while, to ensure no harm has come to him, but I have heard the same pattern repeating—he has never pursued a lady for more than a fortnight and never returns to the same lady.”

“Until you, Nancy, of course,” Marina chimed in, and the two older ladies nodded vigorously in confirmation.

Nancy appreciated their attempt to nip any jealousy or bitterness in the bud, but they need not have bothered. She had decided last night that the Adam she knew, the Adam who had married her, the Adam who had whispered “I am falling in love with you” when he had thought she was asleep, had been created the very moment he had barreled through his own discomfort and decided to save her reputation. The Adam who had existed before was not the same man, so his exploits belonged to someone else.

I have forgiven him for his transgressions, but I cannot forgive this.

She rose from her chair without touching a single bite of breakfast.

The rest of the table stared at her, their expressions anxious.

Drawing in a calming breath, Nancy looked at Dorothea and asked, “Dorothea, might I borrow your carriage?”