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Benedict cleared his throat. “I know how much I’ve messed up. I don’t expect you to forgive me straight away. But Cassandra, you should know, I don’t intend on going anywhere. If it takes me ten years of begging, I will get things back to how they were between us.”
She was about to answer when the hotel door buzzed.
He frowned in consternation. “That will be the doctor. Talk about lousy timing.”
He stalked across the room and welcomed the woman into the suite. “Cassandra, this is Dr Benson.”
Cassandra gave her a small smile. “Hello, Doctor.”
“You feinted, I believe?” Dr Benson asked, moving to sit beside Cassandra.
“Yes.”
“Do you feint often?”
“No, but...” She lifted her eyes to Benedict, and gave him such a bright, happy smile, that he was overcome with emotion. “I’m pregnant.”
For once, Benedict was completely unable to control his reaction. He straightened, and gripped the corner of the lounge for support.
“Congratulations,” Dr Benson said curtly, completely oblivious to the byplay between Cass and Benedict. “How far along?”
“Almost twelve weeks.”
“Have you had an appointment recently?” She asked, flipping open her medical case.
Cassandra nodded. “About a week ago, now.”
“Right. Lie down, let’s just take a listen and see what’s going on.”
Cassandra couldn’t take her eyes off Benedict. His face had split into a grin that was reflected in his dark eyes, but he was also worried, she could tell.
The nurse ran a small device across Cassandra’s stomach and gave them both a smile when she picked up a strong heartbeat only a moment later. She checked Cassandra’s blood pressure, temperature, and gave her the all clear. “Just don’t overdo it. It sounds like you’ve had a hectic day. You need to get plenty of rest.”
“Oh, she will be, Doctor,” Benedict drawled as he led the doctor out of the hotel.
“A baby,” he said slowly, when he returned to the hotel room a moment later.
“Are you okay about it?” She asked shyly, her pale face tilted up at him nervously.
“Okay about it?” He almost roared. “I’m the one who should be asking you that. You’re so young. And things between us are so muddied.” He grimaced.
“No they’re not.” She denied, her face suffused suddenly with the contentment she felt. “You love me and I love you. And we will both love this baby.”
He expelled a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “How can you love me? After how hard I was on you?”
“Everyone has a fault. Mine must be loving you,” she teased jokingly, pulling his hands so that he sat beside her on the couch. “I have loved you forever.” She looked away from him, her eyes momentarily darkened. “It did hurt, when I found out you’d lied. I thought you and Alyssia had hatched this plan, for you to seduce me. That maybe you were both laughing about what a gullible twit I was.”
“I would never do that.” He promised insistently, pressing a kiss against her forehead. “I didn’t know what I was going to do, truth be told. That night we met, I didn’t know for certain who you were.” He frowned. “I’d seen pictures of you at Hervey Manor, one year when I’d visited. Your eyes had stayed with me. Such beautiful, haunting eyes. Though you’ve grown up, your eyes are the same, and I wondered if it was you. By the end of our first date, I was already head over heels in love with Kate Harris, and I dreaded finding out the truth. But I forced myself to check out my suspicions. You were Lady Cassandra Hervey. I knew I should have called Alyssia straight away, but Cass, I couldn’t let it finish so soon. I didn’t want to let you go. It was only when I thought you were about to disappear on me, that I had to act.”
She looked up at him. “I was going to disappear again. I hated the thought of leaving you, but I don’t want to go back to what my life was before.”
“I understand that, now. I see how happy you are here. Though you love Peter, and may come to love Alyssia, you are like a butterfly with clipped wings in their presence. You need your independence. And when we are married, you can call all the shots on where we live. I promise.”
“Married?” She squeaked, lifting her eyes to him.
“Of course, married.”
“Because of the baby?” She asked slowly.
