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The woman standing before him was cloaked in icy sternness, which he doubted he would be able to ever pierce. Nothing glowed in her eyes, none of the warmth, the passion, the love he had seen before. Nothing remained of the kind, generous lady she had been, and he had been the one to reduce her to this…marble effigy of her former self. Sudden, fierce pride burned in his veins, and he smiled in amused self-mockery. He was so proud his duchess was not weeping and rushing into his arms. With an effort that was almost painful he prevented himself from going to her and drawing her into his arms.
He’d rehearsed dozens of speeches, explanations, yet none of it truly mattered now. He’d hurt this woman whom he had vowed to protect and cherish, and he truly had no notion how to atone. “Adeline, have you ever wanted something very badly, something that was within your grasp, and you only needed the courage to reach for it?” he asked, raking his fingers though his hair.
Her eyes widened, and he witnessed the hope that flared before she buried it once more. Her eyes darkened momentarily then cleared. “Yes,” she said.
“That is how I feel about you. You are everything I’d ever dreamed of and more, and I have been so afraid that I will lose you, but I have come to my senses.”
A loud exhalation puffed from her lips.
The silence was thick and heavy. She closed the door softly, shutting out their hopeful audience and leaned against it. “I truly despaired of you ever wanting us,” she said, resting her hands on her stomach. Her eyes were somber in their depths, and the sadness pierced him.
“The workers arrived before I left. I understand from them that you are making nurseries in all of your estates.”
“Our estates.”
A fleeting smile tugged at her lips. “I fear…I fear that when I need you Edmond, you will not be here. I fear each time I swell with our child you will pull away from me.”
“I will never leave your side again. I’m so damned sorry, Duchess. I do not deserve you, nor do I expect you to forgive me. I can only pray your generosity and kindness can extend to me and forgive me for being absent. Even when everything inside me really wanted to be here, I fought against it for fear of losing you, because I love you with everything that I am, Adeline,” he said gruffly.
A slow smile stretched across her face. Tender feelings assailed Edmond, holding him spellbound.
“I missed you,” she said.
“And I missed you, Adeline.”
She patted her distended stomach. “Our son or daughter is very active today.”
His throat closed. “How are you feeling?”
His duchess smiled tenderly, and then cocked her head sideways as if pondering a deep matter. “I never knew you carved.”
He glanced down at his tools, the lion he had been carving, then slowly rose to his feet. Everything seemed so tentative, and he felt so damn unsure. “I do.”
She nodded and met him in the center of the room. Adeline clasped his hands and glided her fingers over the coarseness of his thumb. Her eyes lifted to his. “They are scarred.” Then she kissed the small cuts on his fingers.
His throat tightened. “Forgive me, Adeline.”
Her lips twitched, and he held his breath waiting for the sweet curve he found himself missing daily. Disappointment lanced through him when the promised smile failed to appear.
“I do.”
He drew her to him, clasping her cheeks to press a firm kiss to her lips. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Her breasts were much heavier, her thighs and hips had a more pronounced curves, but it was her high rounded belly that held all his attention. He lowered his hands to her stomach, tracing the swell. “You are beyond exquisite,” he whispered.
The reserve in her gaze melted, and her eyes glowed with a brilliance that made him want to fall at her knees in thankfulness that she still loved him. She did not say it, nor did he press her for the words, but he knew, for he similarly adored everything about her. Her courage in the face of his past coldness had kept her strong with her natural intelligence and her unfailing love and kindness.
He stroked his palm down her spine, from her hips around to her rounded stomach. She stilled, breathing softly. There was a ripple under his palm, and a soft laugh puffed from her.
“That is our baby.” Her voice was rife with awe.
Our baby.
And he felt no fear. Edmond cradled her cheeks and kissed her with a desperate passion. She parted her lips and returned his kiss with equal fervour. He wanted the kiss to never end, and more than anything he craved sentiments from his duchess. “Love me, Adeline,” he said, kissing the corner of her mouth.
“Can you doubt it?” she gasped.
His chest vibrated with a groan. “No…I truly cannot.”
“I love you utterly and completely, Edmond, and I feel I have waited all my life for you.” Adeline pressed a kiss to his chest right above his beating heart. “I love you with all my heart, and I thank God every day that I accidentally compromised you.”
