Page 13 of The Baron's Return
Color touched Amelia’s cheeks. “I have extra and can give you one. But please do me the favor of telling me you haven’t read it yet if you discover you don’t like it.”
Amelia’s distraction worked, and for the first time since seeing Cranston again at the wedding breakfast, Abigail’s thoughts weren’t centered on the man. She called for tea, and Amelia shared the background of how she’d come to write the story.
When the clock on the mantel chimed one o’clock, Abigail reached for one of the woman’s hands and gave it a quick squeeze. “Thank you so much… for everything.”
Amelia patted her on the knee. “John and I went through a difficult time as well, and I feared everything was lost. But in the end, we were able to come together and are now happier than ever.”
Abigail sighed. “There is no happily-ever-after in store for me and Cranston, but I hope we can reach a point where we are on friendlier terms. If only for… Well, it would make everything much easier.”
Good heavens, she’d almost told Amelia about Gemma. So much for her assertion that she could keep a secret. It seemed that telling Cranston the truth had opened the floodgates, and now the truth wanted to come spilling out of its own accord.
If the marchioness noticed her near misstep, she said nothing. When they rose, Amelia engulfed her in a hug. “Please let me know if you need anything. I understand why you don’t want to come to the house, but I can visit again.” She placed a hand on her belly. “I’m increasing and early mornings have been rough for me of late. So have long carriage rides, hence why we are remaining in London for the time being.”
Abigail embraced the marchioness again and offered her congratulations. “Being a mother has been my greatest joy in life. I wish only the same for you.”
She was in much better spirits as she watched Abigail leave. Nothing had changed with respect to her situation with Cranston, but it helped to know that she had a true friend. More than she would have imagined.
Another knock at the door several minutes later had her smiling again. She was waiting in the drawing room doorway when the butler opened the door.
“Did you forget…?” Her words died when she saw that her visitor wasn’t Amelia returning to collect something she’d forgotten.
Instead, her gaze collided with Cranston’s, and in his eyes she saw a steely determination that had her stomach swooping from nerves.
“Please join me,” she managed around a suddenly dry throat.
She watched him give his hat to the butler, her eyes drinking in his broad shoulders and the dark hair that was just a little too long. And then, when his gaze met hers again, those pale green eyes. The same color as their daughter’s.
She dropped onto the settee, and Cranston lowered himself into the same armchair he’d sat in on his last visit. She hadn’t been sure she’d ever see him again.
They were silent as they watched the butler remove the tea tray from her visit with Amelia.
“I can send for a fresh pot if you’d like.” Her voice was low and she cleared her throat. She could certainly use another drink.
But Cranston shook his head. “I’m not staying long.”
He waited for the butler to leave, but his eyes remained fixed on hers. She couldn’t tell if he was still angry. He seemed grim, but the anger she’d seen two days ago was gone. Perhaps that meant they could discuss the situation without any harsh words.
“I know my news was a shock, but I felt you needed to know.”
His lips pressed together before he said, “Nine years later?”
She flinched under the accusation. “I was already married when I learned that our… time together had caused me to fall with child. I knew you’d already purchased a commission and were no longer in London, so I couldn’t reach out to you. And even if I had been able to, neither of us was in a position to change things.”
She held her breath as she waited for his reaction to her words. When he nodded, she let out a soft breath. Something that felt akin to relief flittered around the edges of her mind. Perhaps things would work out. He could come to know Gemma, and Abigail would be able to see him from time to time. It was the best she could hope for.
His next words turned her world upside down.
“We’ll get married of course.”
Chapter 9
Grim satisfaction swept through him as he watched shock take hold of the woman who was always destined to be his wife. Her eyes widened, and all color drained from her face.
“I didn’t…” She wet her lips and took a deep breath before starting again. “That wasn’t why I told you about Gemma. You can see her whenever you’d like.”
He rose, crossed over to the room’s door, and closed it quietly. His own shock had worn off since learning the truth two days ago. He’d spent yesterday nursing one of the worst headaches of his life, but it had given him time to think about how he wanted to proceed.
Abigail’s staff would soon learn everything—he was almost certain her butler had already guessed the truth about Gemma’s true parentage—but he wanted privacy for this conversation.
