Page 42 of Escaping the Earl
“I was a little unwell a few days ago, and I have been eating less because I have felt rather full.”
“Any sensitivity in your bosom?” the doctor asked.
She nodded and tried to swallow down her embarrassment.
“Pain in the back?”
“A little.” She was stunned to think that all these signs might be due to pregnancy.
“I must look at you now. I apologize.” He gently removed her undergarments, and she parted her legs. He gazed at her a long moment and then helped her put her undergarments back on. “You may sit up now.” He turned to his desk and made some notes before returning to her.
“Miss Talleyrand, I do believe you are pregnant, but it is early yet. Do you know when you last had relations with the man responsible?”
She nodded. “Two months ago.”
“Then in seven months you will likely bear a child. But you must be watchful. There is a possibility you will spot blood. It’s not something to cause further worry, but you should come see me if it occurs more than a few days. There is also the chance that you may miscarry. You are young and your hips are wide, which does give you an advantage over some women, but you should seek a doctor immediately if you experience pains or cramps far above what you normally experience during your time each month.”
Sabrina fidgeted a little as the reality sank in. She was with child.Peregrine’s child.
“It is not my right to ask, but out of concern for a friend of Mrs. Hutchins, I must ask. Is the father known to you? Will he do the honorable thing?”
For a second, Sabrina didn’t know what to say because she honestly hadn’t considered telling Peregrine. “I don’t believe he will. He is far above my station and only offered an arrangement that I cannot in good conscience accept.”
Dr. Givens’s face softened in sympathy. “There are many places that take women in your position if you do not have anywhere to go.” He returned to his desk and wrote down a few names and addresses and handed the paper to her.
Sabrina tucked it into her reticule. “Thank you.”
“Will you be all right to leave? If not, you are welcome to remain here as long as you need to.”
“I will be all right,” Sabrina assured him, though it felt like the farthest thing from the truth. Her hands began to shake as she left the doctor’s house. She had to tell Rafe her news and face losing her position. It was the right thing to do.
* * *
Sabrina pacedoutside Rafe’s study for several minutes, her slippers wearing a path in the expensive Oriental carpet.
“Sabrina?” Rafe’s frustrated voice boomed through the door, halting her as she passed by yet again.
She clenched her hands together. “Yes?”
“Please come in and sit down. You’ll wear a spot down to the marble floor.”
She reluctantly entered the study. Rafe was lounging in his chair, his booted feet propped up on the edge of his desk. He had a stack of letters in his lap. He picked up one letter, glanced at the name of the sender, and casually threw it over his shoulder to land in the fireplace behind him, where it began to burn.
“Was that important?” Sabrina asked, staring at the letter he’d burned without even opening.
“What? Oh, no, not at all, just some man I despise. I never read a thing he sends me,” Rafe replied, then nodded at the chair opposite his desk. Sabrina sat down on the edge, every muscle in her rigid with anxiety.
“Sabrina, please talk to me. It’s abundantly clear that whatever happened today with the doctor has upset you.”
Sabrina stared at her feet a long moment before she forced her gaze to his.
“I am with child.”
Rafe stopped his casual dismissal of letters and sat upright, placing the pile on the desk. Though she now had his full attention, he didn’t seem completely surprised. “I was worried you might be. Is it Peregrine’s?”
She nodded.
“When did you and he last...?”
