Page 100 of The Scandalous Love of a Duke
He had made it obvious he had not spent his wedding night with his wife – and not doing so was clearly very wrong in his mother’s eyes. It meant Katherine must feel the same surely.
‘Mama, would you send for a doctor? I will go up and see her.’
‘John,’ she said, catching his arm. ‘Has she any clothes with her? Esther said there was no luggage.’
He was such a fool. ‘No, we just came away?—’
‘Well, tell her, please, I have organised someone to call this morning to take measurements and bring patterns. She will bring some ready-made garments which can quickly be adjusted to fit too.’
‘Thank you, Mama.’
‘Go on, go up to her then.’
There was no response to his knock on Katherine’s sitting room door.
‘Katherine, it’s John!’
Silence.
He entered anyway and walked through her sitting room and dressing room. They were both empty and showed no evidence of occupation. He found her in her bedchamber. She was kneeling on the floor doubled over a chamber pot, retching.
‘Katherine.’ He was at her side in an instant and holding her loose hair.
She was wearing the dress she had worn yesterday – well, of course she was, she had nothing to change into.
He also noted the bed was hardly disturbed. She had slept on top of the covers and probably in her clothes – waiting for him.
Will you never learn, John?he shouted at himself.
‘Leave me alone,’ she whispered, sitting back on her heels and holding a cloth to her lips.
The contents of the chamber pot was nothing but bile. She’d had nothing to eat since yesterday.
John rose and took the pot. He left it in the dressing room then returned to her.
‘Please, John, I would rather you just left me.’ She climbed up onto the bed and lay down.
She looked exhausted. ‘I do not want you to see this.’
‘I do,’ he answered, walking over to a jug to pour some water into the wash bowl beside it. ‘Here, wash your face. I will send for some ginger-infused tea and dry toast. Mama swears by that remedy, it should help settle your stomach.’
‘Please, John…’
‘Katherine, I got you into this mess. What kind of man would I be if I turned away from the unpleasantness of the outcome?’
‘A normal one,’ she stated, accepting the damp cloth he offered.
He laughed at her quip, wondering how the girl could joke at a time like this. He took the cloth away from her. ‘Rest now.’
He discarded the cloth and went over to the bell pull to ring for a maid.
A knock wrapped on the bedchamber door in scarce minutes. John opened it and whispered his requirement to Esther rather than letting her in to disturb Katherine. The dressing room door clicked quietly shut as the maid took the soiled chamber pot.
John leaned back against the mantle of the fireplace, watching Katherine on the bed. Her eyes were closed and one arm loosely covered her face. Her body was still slender, he could not yet see any rise in her stomach. He supposed the only clue was the buttons which pulled taut across her bosom where her breasts were fuller.
A few moments later and Esther was back with the tea and toast, and another maid entered bearing a clean chamber pot.
John asked for everything to be set down near the bed and then bid them leave. Both maids bobbed copious curtsies before disappearing.
