AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He simply raised his eyebrows.
“Oh, very well,” she said. “I suppose there’s no point in trying to soften you up, especially since what I have to ask is so enormous.”
In the back of his mind, a faint warning bell sounded. “Then you’d better just get it out.”
She sucked in a deep breath, as if for courage, pushing her lovely breasts against the lacy trim of her dressing gown.
“I want you to take my baby,” she said. “And stop staring at my chest.”
He jerked his gaze up. “What . . . what did you just say?” He stared at her, his brain scrambling to make sense of her words.
“I want you to take my baby.”
Good God.She was serious. Even though she calmly regarded him, he could feel the tension pouring off her in waves.
“You don’t mean, permanently, do you?” he asked.
“Of course I mean permanently, you dolt.” She closed her eyes for a moment, collecting herself. When she opened them, she grimaced an apology. “I’m making a hash of it, I know. It’s because I’m so nervous.”
Royal forced himself not to overreact. “It’s all right, love. I’m just trying to understand. Why would you think it a good idea to give the baby to me, especially since your aunt already found a suitable family?”
She touched her babe’s cheek with a gentle fingertip. “I can’t bear the idea of her going to strangers. I suppose that’s stupid, since that’s how these situations are typically handled. But I simplycannotdo it.” Her desperate gaze begged him to understand.
“It’s not stupid at all,” he said. “But surely you can trust your aunt to have this right.”
She made a helpless gesture. “I don’t know. I’ve never met them, and I can never meet them if I want to keep her safe. If Cringlewood ever found out, he would use the baby against me. He would force me to marry him, and that I cannot abide.”
“Ainsley, I would gladly take care of that bastard, if you’d let me.” And he would enjoy every moment of it.
“You would only make things worse.”
“But—”
“Please don’t argue with me about that,” she said firmly. “And stop upsetting the baby.”
He glanced down. The mite had once more fallen into slumber, her mouth sagging open as she made little baby snores.
Ainsley gave him another sheepish smile. “I told you she was a good sleeper.”
“So you did.” He thought for a few seconds, and then nodded. “All right. I will respect your privacy on this particular issue—for now.”
She went back to looking huffy. “You don’t really have a choice.”
“I do if I’m to take your baby.”
She froze for several long seconds. “Does that mean you’ll actually do it?”
Dammit. He’d walked right into that one. “I’m still trying to understand why you’re asking me, of all people.”
“Because you’re my friend, Royal, my true friend. I haven’t got many of them. And I trust you to keep my secrets.” She pressed a hand to his shoulder, leaning forward a bit. “I trustyouto keep her safe.”
The intensity of her gaze robbed him of breath. He wanted to believe she had no idea what she was asking of him, but that was nonsense. Ainsley knew exactly what she was doing. She always did.
“All right, you trust me. But how can you think I could possibly take care of an infant? I’m hardly in a position to support myself, much less a child.”
“But you wouldn’t have to do it alone, would you?” she argued. “You’d have your entire family to help, especially Victoria. I can’t think of a better family to protect and raise her than the Kendricks.”
He stared, incredulous. “But I thought you hated most of my family.”
