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“Should I send Lane in, my lord?” the footman asked as he picked up the tray.
“No. I believe I shall sleep a little longer.” Nicholas slid back down under the coverlet and closed his eyes.
As he lay there, sleep wouldn’t come to him. His thoughts remained on Sophie. Perhaps he should get dressed and attempt to see her today. But with the effects of the laudanum still bothering him, he knew it wasn’t a good idea. He needed a clear mind to convince her to return to London as his wife.
“How are you feeling?”
So lost in his thoughts he never heard Sophie approaching. “What are you doing here?”
“Mrs. Griffon told me you were ill and needed my help.” Sophie slowly approached the bed.
Nicholas took her form in but stopped as his gaze reached her belly. Pain exploded in his head. She was with child. His child. She left with his child and his father’s money.
“Get out, Sophie.”
“What?”
“I said get out of here. I don’t want to see you.” He turned his back to her and faced the wall. How could he have been so foolish? She was no better than Maggie. Or maybe Sophie was worse. She’d known how betrayed he’d felt about Maggie taking his father’s money and leaving with Emma. And she did the same thing.
“I’m not leaving, Nicholas. At least not until you tell me why you want me to leave.”
“Leave,” he ordered harshly. “I do not want to see you now.”
He felt the bed depress as she sat down. He turned and glared at her pale face. She looked far too innocent to have done the devious things of which he accused her. Nevertheless, he would not be deceived again.
“I told you to leave. Don’t make me call for Dominic to escort you out.”
She blinked back tears. “Why?” she whispered. “You obviously came here to see me so why won’t you . . .” her voice trailed off. “You know.”
“He told me.” Not that he’d completely believed his father when he told Nicholas that she’d taken his money. But it made perfect sense that she would need his money if with child.
“He promised me he wouldn’t tell you,” she said and then brushed away a tear. “I know I should have told you before I left but everything happened so quickly with Miss Littlebury.”
“Miss Littlebury has nothing to do with this.”
“Yes, she did.” Sophie rose and walked toward the large window that overlooked the canal. “I wanted to tell you but I was afraid.”
“You know how I felt about what Maggie did. And then you did the same thing.”
“I know,” she cried. “And I knew you couldn’t marry me so what was I supposed to do? I didn’t want to ruin your life and reputation. If I had told you about the baby you would have ruined Miss Littlebury’s reputation by breaking off the engagement. I could not ruin so many lives.”
“This isn’t about the baby,” he rasped. Why wouldn’t she understand how much it hurt him that she’d taken his father’s money?
“I don’t understand,” she whispered, turning back to face him. Her gray eyes filled with tears. “What more is there?”
“My father’s money. You left pregnant with my child and his money, just like Maggie.”
Chapter 26
“No, Nicholas,” Sophie said, returning to his bed. At least now she understood his anger. It had noth
ing to do with her being with child. “I would never take that man’s money.”
Nicholas eyed her suspiciously. “He told me he left the money on your desk.”
She got up her nerve and sat down at the end of the bed. “He did. He left me a fortune to leave the country. And I had the money returned to him that very day. After hearing the stories you told me about that dreadful man how could you think I would accept anything from him?”
“Then what were we just talking about?” he asked, rubbing his temples as if in pain.
