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“You need not worry,” he said quickly. “I will tell no one. But if she is both pregnant and ill, ought we not fetch a doctor?”
“Arabella is in labor, and I must attend her,” she explained. “The midwife is already here. If you wish to help, then I beg you to postpone this discussion until after she is safely delivered.”
“Of course,” he said at once, putting aside his impatience.
“Thank you.” She turned to go, but then paused. “I don’t suppose you’ve made arrangements for lodging at the village inn?”
He shook his head. “Dunhaven said I might stay here the night—provided we marry tomorrow. I would have fetched a priest on the way in, but I was afraid the hour would be too late to continue my journey, and I wanted to get here as quickly as possible.” Coming up the steps, he reached up and touched her cheek. “I needed to see you. I needed to know you were well.”
“I shall give orders to have a room prepared for you.” Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.
“Harriett—”
“M’lady, she is asking for you!” called another woman’s voice from above. There was a frantic edge to it.
“Tell her I shall be up in a moment,” Harriett answered back. She turned to him. “Our discussion will have to wait.”
“I understand,” Roland said, nodding. “Go. And tell your sister her father sends his love.”
A tremulous smile flickered on her lips. “Thank you, I shall. No doubt it will greatly ease her mind.”
He watched her mount the steps, his heart much lighter. She hadn’t refused him. At least not yet. And she wouldn’t. He wouldn’t allow it. Tomorrow, Harriett Dunhaven would become Lady Manchester. As for the delicate situation unfolding upstairs, he was prepared to help. There would be a small scandal over their elopement, enough perhaps to distract London for a while. Her convalescent sister’s return would cause hardly a ripple by comparison.
Then there was the child to consider.
The hours passed at a slow crawl, the pace that inevitably accompanies anticipation. He took the evening meal alone in the dining room, served by a nervous Mrs. Jenkins. Afterward, she led him upstairs to the room that had been prepared for him.
As he passed one door, he heard muffled groans and urgent voices.
“She’ll be fine,” whispered Mrs. Jenkins, her calm words belied by the concerned look on her face. “Not to worry, Your Grace. Lady Harriett and Mrs. Whipple have everything under control. There’s naught we can do to help, save stay out from underfoot.”
Just as she said these words, there was a prolonged cry from within and Roland heard Harriett shout, “That’s it, Arabella. Now push! Push!” followed by an agonized shriek that froze the blood in his veins. In the silence that followed, a different cry sounded—the high, thin wail of a newborn babe.
“Excuse me for one moment, Your Grace,” said Mrs. Jenkins, tears welling in her eyes. She eased open the door just enough to poke her head in, and Roland heard a hurried exchange. Backing out, she closed the door and turned to face him. “It’s a girl,” she said, her eyes now shining. “Praise be to God, a healthy baby girl! She is very
small, but just listen to her, bless her!”
The door opened again, and a tired-looking Harriett squeezed out. “Mrs. Jenkins, tell Jeremy we need more coal brought up. This room must be kept warm, and tell him to—”
Roland’s heart raced as her gaze settled on him. “I suppose congratulations are in order.” His face stung with sudden heat. How ridiculous it must have sounded, considering the circumstances! “I mean—”
“It’s quite all right,” she said, a soft smile curving her mouth. “The birth of a healthy child is always a miracle worthy of celebration.”
“I cannot but agree,” he replied, glad to know he hadn’t put his foot in it.
“Indeed. You’ve the right of it, you do,” said Mrs. Jenkins with enthusiasm. “A healthy child is always a blessing.” She looked between the two of them for an awkward moment. “I’ll just go and relay your needs to Jeremy, shall I? Yes. I’ll do that.”
Roland waited until the housekeeper had bustled off out of earshot. “Harriett, I would like to offer my help with regards to your sister’s situation.”
“How?”
“After we are married, we will adopt the child.”
~ * ~
Astounded, Harriett stared at him. “You would do this? For Arabella?”
“I would do it for you, and for our family.”
