Page 54 of Company of Thieves
“Jack, please stop threatening Alan,” I said, wiping my mouth. “Also, stop being so medieval. No one these days gets married just because a baby is on its way.”
“Maybe not in our old world, but in this one they do,” he snapped, glaring first at me, then at Alan. “Besides, I don’t trust him. This could be a trick. Some sort of cunning Moghul trick.”
Alan, who had been kneeling next to me, started laughing, and fell back onto his ass, he was laughing so hard.
“You’re not helping matters,” I told him.
“I know. It’s just been ... this last week has been the most hellish of my life. I imagined all sorts of horrible things, and never, not once thought that when I found you, you wouldn’t recognize me, followed immediately by the news that you’re going to make me a father. How do you feel, little dove?”
“Relieved. Happy. Nauseous as hell,” I said, beaming at him. “Ignore my brother, by the way. We’re not actually related. He was raised by wolves.”
“This is all part of his grand plan,” Jack said, stalking around and waving his hands dramatically.
“Of what?” I couldn’t help but ask, both annoyed and amused by my brother.
“Well ... he probably ... the Moghuls ...” Jack sputtered to a stop.
“Uh-huh. You can’t think of anything because your brain knows that the idea of Alan having nefarious intentions toward us is outrageous, even if your emotions don’t get that,” I pointed out.
Jack made an annoyed sound. “Fine! I’m willing to admit that he may not have impregnated you deliberately as a plot to irritate me—”
“Anyotherbrother would be happy his sister who didn’t think she could have children has managed a miracle,” I told Alan. “Anyotherbrother would be overjoyed his sister had found a man she’d like to spend her life with.”
“Ah, but Jack is not justanybrother,” Alan told me with a little curl of his lips.
“You can say that again,” I said, just as Jack stopped in front of me, kneeling to take my hands in his.
“Of course I’m happy that you’re having a baby, Hal. That is—I didn’t know you wanted one, but if you are happy, then I’m happy, too. And as for finding a partner ... well, I suppose you’ve made your choice.” His eyes watched me carefully, and I wished for the thousandth time that I had the ability to read expressions.
I gave his hands a little squeeze. “I have,” I answered, a wave of happiness filling me with a sense of well-being despite the experience of having just thrown up.
He released my hands and stood up. “Fine, then. We’ll have the wedding here. You can marry people, can’t you?” Jack asked Octavia. “You’re a captain, so you have to be able to marry them. We’ll get them married off, and then I won’t have to castrate him for putting his hands and balls and dick all over her.”
“He was raised by wolves, you say?” Alan grinned and rose, pulling me to my feet. “He does seem to be under the delusion that he can dictate to us. Hallie?”
“I’m going to need a new toothbrush at this rate,” I said to myself before looking up, still trying to acclimatize myself to Alan in mundane clothing. “Hmm?”
He took my hand, and kissed it. “Marry me?”
I shook my head. His eyes widened.
“I am not ordained in any religion, my love. I can’t marry anyone, but if Alan and Hallie wish to be married—and I can’t help but emphasize the wordsif they wishto be married—then I’m sure we can find a church where they can be married quietly,” Octavia said.
“You don’t want to marry me?” Alan asked. I could hear the hurt in his voice.
“Of course I do. I love you. I think we’re going to have a miracle together. But I don’t want to marry you just because my brother is being an ass and demanding you do so, or because you think it’s the right thing to do.”
“Itisthe right thing to do,” he insisted.
A little pang of pain pierced me. I realized then that I had made a mistake—I thought I could tell Alan about the possibility of a baby, but that he’d view it as I did, a wondrous thing, an unexpected blessing. But he was a man of honor, one who took his responsibilities to others very seriously, and now I was one more claim on his time.
Dammit, I wanted him to marry me because he loved me.
“We can talk about it later,” I said, wanting to push the whole thing to the side.
“I can’t make you accept me,” he said, clearly not going to let me avoid the issue. “But I don’t understand why you don’t want me.”
I sighed, and looked at Jack and Octavia, who were now arguing about whether an airship captain had the power to marry people regardless of not being sanctioned by a proper authority. “Ahem,” I said loudly.
