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And I had to clear some snow off the road in a couple of places to do it. Thank goodness the rental cars here in northern Maine come with snow shovels.
After a few seconds, another valet comes running.
“What?” I ask him.
“There’s a horse missing from the stables,” he says. “The groom said Ellis took it.”
My eyes grow wide. What?
“Has someone already gone after her?” Calvin asks.
The valet nods. “Yes.”
I feel a tinge of relief. Good. At least now we have an idea where Ellis is. At least there’s a chance she’ll be found soon.
Still, what was she thinking? Why would she be riding out in this blizzard?
I scratch my chin as I pace the room. My heart hammers restlessly inside my chest.
Ellis wouldn’t go out in this weather unless she had to. Why did she feel she had to?
“Dr. Knight?”
I stop walking and turn my head towards Vivian, who’s just entered the room as well. She meets my gaze.
“Can I have a moment?”
~
“Ellis ran away?” My eyes grow wide at Vivian’s declaration. “What makes you say that?”
It’s a possibility, of course, and right now, with a horse missing and the groom’s testimony, it’s the most likely conclusion. What I don’t understand is why, which Vivian seems to know.
Instead of answering, Vivian hands me an envelope.
“What is this?” I ask as I open it.
“The results of the DNA test,” Vivian answers.
I give her a puzzled look. “But Ellis already told me that it was positive. She said she’s a Northup.”
“And she is. However, that’s not all that’s in there. You see, apart from the DNA test, they did a comprehensive blood test as well.”
I read the results of that test now. Halfway through the page, I stop. My heart seems to reach a standstill as well.
It says that Ellis’s blood is HCG positive – which means she’s pregnant.
Ellis is carrying my child.
The realization fills me with awe. Pride washes over me.
Then I feel a stab of fear.
Ellis is pregnant and she’s out there on a horse in the cold.
Fuck.
“You do know what that means, don’t you?” Vivian asks me.
“Of course,” I tell her. Then I narrow my eyes at her. “But why do you think it’s why she ran away?”
Vivian lets out a breath. “Of course you wouldn’t understand. You’re a man. You don’t know how it feels to know you have a child growing inside you. You don’t know how scary that is, how overwhelming the fear can be.”
My eyebrows furrow. “You think Ellis ran away because she’s afraid of the fact that she’s pregnant?”
That doesn’t make any sense.
“She probably just wants time alone to sort out her thoughts,” Vivian says.
“In the cold?” I ask. “When it’s snowing so hard? Surely she knows that wouldn’t be good for the baby.”
Besides, if she just wants time and space to think, there are plenty of empty rooms in this house.
Vivian shrugs. “Or maybe she went to find you. Maybe she suddenly couldn’t wait to tell you.”
That’s more plausible, though I still find it hard to believe she’d jump on a horse just for that.
“I know it doesn’t make sense,” Vivian says. “But you have to know that ever since you left, Ellis hasn’t been herself. She’s been spacing out.”
She has?
“I think she misses you. Maybe she just had this sudden urge to see you. Maybe she wasn’t thinking of the baby. Maybe she was just thinking about you.”
Maybe, but I don’t care about the reason anymore. All I care about right now is finding Ellis, bringing her back and making sure the baby is safe.
I walk to the door.
“Where are you going?” Vivian asks me. “What are you going to do?”
I keep walking. “I’m going to get on a horse.”
Now that I know Ellis is pregnant, there’s no time to waste.
~
“Wait!” Christine calls after me just as I’m about to go to the stables.
I glance over my shoulder but keep walking. “What?”
“I have something important to tell you,” Christine says.
“Then say it.”
She glances around cautiously, then approaches me. “It’s a message from Norman.”
~
“You pushed Norman down the stairs, didn’t you?” I tower over Vivian and glare at her as soon as I’m back in her room.
She shrinks into a chair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The fear in her eyes lets me know she does, though.
I grab her arm and pull her to her feet. “Did you or did you not push Norman down the stairs?”
“I…”
She staggers as her knees wobble and she leans against me. I push her away.
“Don’t you dare try to act all frail now. I know it’s all an act. Christine told me what kind of woman you really are.”
Vivian snorts. “And you believe that silly girl?”
“Yes,” I answer. “And I believe Norman. He said he saw you deliver that note to Ellis’s room.”
Vivian’s eyebrows arch. “What note?”
