NFH 04 Truce (Historic) (20 page)

“Gone?” she asked, sounding confused as she finally looked at him.

He forced himself to ignore the evidence that she’d been crying as he continued. She would never manipulate him again and she’d be smart to learn that now.

“Of course it’s gone,” he said with a shrug. “You didn’t meet any of the conditions of the will after all.”

“Conditions?” she asked, looking adorably confused.

“There were several conditions. The first one of course was that you were expected to marry well,” he said with a shrug simply to annoy her. “Then of course was the condition placed on your birthday.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, frowning.

“You were expected to remain chaste in order to receive your inheritance.” When she simply stared at him in confusion, he added, “Untouched.”

She paled at that as she noticeably swallowed.

He reached up and lazily scratched the back of his head as he gave her a careless shrug. “So, you see that whatever plans you had when you decided to keep my child from me wouldn’t have worked. Then again, if you had simply accepted my brother, you would have gained a title and a fortune.”

“But, I don’t love James,” she mumbled absently as she hugged her legs more tightly to her chest as if that would protect her from her new reality.

He ignored the bait that she was trying to hand him. Did she expect him to ask if she loved him? Did she truly believe he was that gullible? She’d learn in time, he supposed as he got to his feet, but he couldn’t leave until he struck the last blow.

“You should probably write your sister and congratulate her,” he said as he returned the chair to its place in front of the dimming fire.

“Why?” she mumbled, sounding sad and giving him what he wanted.

“Because you’ve just made her a very rich woman.”

“Mary?” she asked, swallowing nervously as she reached out and gripped the sides of the tub, praying that the inheritance that had been meant for her would go to the one sister that would use it wisely.

Mary would use it as Elizabeth had planned. She’d turn the estates that she’d inherited into schools for the poor and unfortunate as well as safe homes where women would be given training and more options in life. The money that she’d inherited would have gone a long way to make sure that all the schools could have run tuition free for many generations to come.

The only estate that Elizabeth had planned on keeping for herself was her north estate. It would have been more than enough for her to live out the rest of her days quietly, but Mary wouldn’t need that and would most likely turn it into another opportunity to help the less fortunate. Heather on the other hand…..

She wouldn’t part with a single quid if it meant that it helped someone that she deemed beneath her. Heather would spend the money on lavish gowns, jewels, parties and every expensive bauble that she could get her greedy hands on. She would never even consider helping anyone but herself.

When Robert had happily announced the loss of her inheritance she’d felt sick. She’d failed, because she’d given into her own greed and made love to a man who hated her. The fact that she couldn’t regret her baby even if it meant the loss for so many made her feel horrible. If Mary were the one to inherit in her place then everything would be okay. Mary would fix this. Mary would make sure that the schools were started immediately. Mary would-

“Heather stands to inherit, of course,” Robert announced, shattering her last hope.

“Oh…..God…..no,” she whispered hollowly.

Robert chuckled as he slowly walked to the door. “Yes, I’m sure that you’re quite upset about that. No doubt that Mary would have given you whatever you wanted, but Heather…….,” he said meaningfully as he paused before continuing, “I doubt that Heather would share so much as a shilling with you.”

Her stomach cramped down violently with that last announcement. All of her and Mary’s plans for the future, gone. There would be no schools, no donations to the poor….nothing. She’d lost it all in one night. So many lives that were never going to have a chance, because of her.

She’d ruined everything because she’d fallen in love with the wrong man, she thought numbly as she struggled to stand up on trembling legs as her head spun, making her increasingly dizzy.

Fresh air, she needed fresh air, she decided as she somehow managed to stand up.

“Elizabeth?” Robert said, sounding uncertain as she struggled to step out of the tub.

“J-just leave me alone, Robert. You’ve delivered your blow so just go,” she said just before her legs gave out and she fell forward.

-
-
-

“Elizabeth?” Robert said anxiously as he cradled his unwanted wife in his arms.

She’d gone deathly pale on him. Her cold body trembled in his arms even as she tried to push him away.

“Leave me alone,” she mumbled, pushing weakly against him to gain her freedom, but he simply ignored her attempts as he carried her to the bed and laid her down.

She was just playing a game, he tried to tell himself as he pulled his arms away so that he could stand up. She was simply upset that she’d lost a fortune, he told himself, doing his damndest to build up his anger at her once again. She was just trying to manipulate him so that he would….so that he would….

“
Oh, God
,” he choked out as he slowly stood up, his eyes locked on the blood that stained her pale thighs.

“I-I don’t feel very good,” Elizabeth mumbled, whimpering as she turned onto her side and curled into herself.

He swallowed his fears for his unborn child and wife as he took a step back, stumbling on unsteady legs. He blindly reached out and grabbed the silk rope hanging by her bed and pulled on it, again and again until he was sure that there was a small army of servants racing to their room.

Once that was done, he dropped down onto his knees next to the bed and covered Elizabeth’s cold hands where they rested over her womb with his own. He gave her hands a gentle squeeze as she quietly sobbed, no doubt realizing that she’d just lost their child.

-
-
-

“I’m going to kill him!” Lord Norwood shouted as he was once again dragged back by the servants that were desperate to save their employer from murder charges.

Robert barely heard his father-in-law or cared for that matter. His focus was on the door in front of him as he waited for it to open and the surgeon to tell him that his wife would be okay.

He wasn’t sure how long ago the surgeon had demanded his removal from the room. The only reason that he’d agreed was so that Elizabeth would be granted some privacy, but he’d also thought that her mother would have dragged her ass out of bed and comforted her daughter. When it became obvious that Lady Norwood had no plans to comfort Elizabeth, Robert had asked for his mother to help.

His mother hadn’t hesitated in offering her daughter-in-law some comfort. As upset as his mother was, and he had no doubt that she was distraught over their situation, she’d hurried from her room and straight into Elizabeth’s room without sparing him a glance. She truly loved Elizabeth and he thanked God for that.

He couldn’t stomach the idea of Elizabeth being alone right now. As furious as he was over the fact that she’d lied, he realized something important. He truly did care for her, more than he ever thought possible. He didn’t want to lose her, not yet, not before he could tell her how sorry he was for causing her to lose their child.

As much as he’d once hated her, he’d had no right to torment her the way he had. She’d been carrying his child and he should have given that some consideration instead of acting like a child and giving into his anger. He’d never regretted his temper more and, as God was his witness, he would never treat her that way ever again.

All he needed was a second chance to make her happy, to take care of her and earn her forgiveness. He’d move heaven and hell for another chance with her. Just the thought of never seeing her again had him struggling to take his next breath. He couldn’t live without her, didn’t want to because-Because he loved her.

He was madly in love with his wife and he’d allowed his rage to eat at him. How many times had his father or brother taken him aside and lectured him over his temper? How many fights had he started simply because he couldn’t control his temper? There’d been too many to count and now his child and wife were paying the price.

“I will kill you for this, you bastard!” Lord Norwood shouted as he was finally dragged from the hallway.

“Robert,” his father said softly as he stopped by his side, looking like he’d aged a decade since this morning, “I need to know what happened.”

Grinding his jaw, Robert shook his head as he looked at his father. “It’s my fault,” he managed to choke out.

“What happened?” his father demanded tightly.

“I lost my temper and made her lose the baby,” his said, his voice hoarse with emotion as he allowed himself to mourn the loss of his child, a child that he would never see.

“Did…..did you strike her?” his father asked quietly.

“I would never hurt her,” he bit out between clenched teeth.

“Then how did-” his father started to ask, appearing both tired and confused.

“I said things that I shouldn’t have said. I was angry with her and I…..I let my temper get the better of me,” he said, rubbing his hands over his face, wishing that he could do this day over again.

If he could do this day over again, he would do it right. He’d kiss her and tell her how much he loved her before he dropped down on one knee and begged her to marry him. If she said no, then he would have courted her and proved to her how much he cared for her. He should have-

“You should have never married her,” his father said, sounding disappointed and shaking his head in disgust as he walked away.

He didn’t argue with his father, but simply let the man walk away, because his father was right. He should have never married her, but he had and now he was going to be the husband that she needed him to be, he decided as he pushed away from the wall and walked towards the bedroom door.

When a footman tried to step in his way and stop him, Robert simply punched the man in the stomach, dropping him to the floor and stepped over him. He opened the door and quickly shut it behind him.

“Robert? What are you doing in here?” his mother demanded when she spotted him. “You don’t belong in here.”

“I belong with my wife,” he said, his eyes landing on Elizabeth’s sleeping form and remaining there as he walked to her.

She looked so peaceful, he thought as he leaned over her so that he could gently push a strand of hair out of her face. “How is my wife?” he asked the surgeon, never taking his eyes away from Elizabeth.

“Perhaps we could speak in the hallway?” the surgeon suggested, no doubt uncomfortable with his presence since being in the sickroom with your wife was simply not done.

“We’ll talk here,” Robert murmured as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his wife’s cool forehead, ignoring his mother’s startled gasp.

After pressing a second kiss to her forehead, simply because he was relieved that she was alive, he carefully sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. He looked up at the stunned surgeon and gestured for him to begin.

“Well,” the surgeon said, clearing his throat and shifting uncomfortably, no doubt well acquainted with Robert’s reputation, “as I’m sure you know, your wife lost the child.”

“And how is my wife?” he asked, praying that she was going to be okay after this.

“She is very upset, Mr. Bradford, but with rest, food and time, I believe that she will make a full recovery and should be able to have more children.”

Robert nodded as he sighed with relief. She would be okay. That’s all that mattered to him. Well, there was one more thing that he had to know.

“Do you know what caused her to lose the baby?” he asked, needing his fault in the matter confirmed.

“I believe dehydration and the fact that she couldn’t keep anything down was the cause of this,” the surgeon said on a weary sigh as he picked up his bag. “From what I understand, she thought that stress was the cause of everything, and once she realized that she was with child, she became overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do, Mr. Bradford,” he said with a sympathetic smile. “The next time, I don’t believe that she’ll hesitate in asking for help. Good day, sir.”

“Thank you,” he murmured, returning his attention back to his sleeping wife.

He didn’t know what to make of what the surgeon said, but he knew one thing, he was going to take better care of his wife from this moment on.

Two weeks later…..

“Please, stop.”

“But, you need to eat,” Robert stubbornly explained as he scooped up another spoonful of that dreadful broth that he’d practically been pouring down her throat since she woke up two weeks ago. “The surgeon was very adamant about this in fact.”

“Yes, but can’t I-” Her words were cut off when he took advantage and shoved the spoon in her mouth.

“You need to build up your strength,” he said with a firm nod as he placed the vile broth concoction back on the table and picked up the cup of equally vile tea and tried to make her drink it.

“No,” she said, turning her head away.

“Elizabeth,” he said in clear exasperation, “this will help you. Now drink.”

“No!” she stubbornly said, turning her face into the pillow and pressing her lips together in silent protest.

He sighed heavily as he attempted to cup her chin gently between his fingers and force her to turn towards him so that he could pour that awful tea down her throat again, but after two weeks straight of drinking that putrid concoction, she was done.

“Elizabeth,” he said in exasperation, “you have to drink this.”

“No,” she bit out quickly before she closed her lips up tightly once again.

“It will make you stronger,” he patiently explained as he made another attempt.

“No, it will make me gag!” she managed to get out before he could bring the cup to her lips.