“You heard the doctor. All is well. We should get some rest,” the duke suggested.
“You must be joking,” Gabriel replied. Stupid suggestion. As if he could sleep knowing the woman he loved was going through this.
The duke looked at him and nodded, seeming to come to a decision. “Let me show you something.”
So saying, he walked towards a wall and pressed down on the molding. As the panel swung open, a concealed door became visible. The duke opened it with a key and, taking a lamp from the table, he motioned Gabriel to follow him.
The tunnel was ancient and dusty. But at least it seemed solid and free of vermin.
“What is this?” he inquired.
“This place was an abbey. In the past, during turbulent times, the monks needed ways to hide and escape persecution. The house is riddled with them. All the way from the top floor to the bottom, and even underground. One such underground tunnel comes out a few hundred yards from the house.”
Gabriel nodded, frowning. It made sense, since this building had been an abbey and not a castle, that it would have escape routes rather than defense structures. From a tactical standpoint, this place would be a nightmare to defend. Good thing they were not at war. Still, the prospect of having a secret entrance with access to the whole of the house didn’t seem ideal to Gabriel.
“Are all the accesses to the house locked?”
The duke waved a hand, dismissing the idea. “They are as safe as can be. Not only are they locked, but nobody knows they exist. Not even the servants. That is the reason for their lack of cleanliness.”
“Still. It is not safe. Someone could stumble upon them. And from there, it’s only a matter of time until you have break-ins. What about your nephew? Does he know about these?”
The duke frowned. “I’m not sure. He lived in the house as a child, but I don’t know if he ever discovered them.”
“We must assume he knows them, then. Do you have a set of plans for the tunnels? I would like to inspect and secure all the corridors.”
“There’s an old set from centuries ago. They are in the library. But that is not the reason I revealed the tunnels. Come, I want to show you something.”
The duke kept walking, and he seemed to count doors. At last, he came to one, peered in, and grunted with satisfaction. Pushing the door, they found themselves among gowns and other women’s articles. Hannah’s dressing room, he would guess. The room even carried her fragrance.
The duke confirmed his deduction. “This is part of the duchess’s suite. Through that door is Hannah’s bedchamber,” he whispered, pointing to the wall opposite. “Come, let me show you how to get from your room to the duchess’s room.”
“Thank you.” There was so much more Gabriel wanted to say.
Such implicit trust manifested by the gesture. By showing him the tunnels, the duke was not only revealing a secret that, according to his own words, few people knew. He was also giving him discrete access to Hannah, with no one being the wiser, as long as he was careful. It was an immeasurable gift.
“No, it’s I who should thank you.” There was torment in the duke’s eyes. “Or maybe apologize. Until now, I had not fully realized the great sacrifice you are making.”
“I would do it again.” He meant it. As painful as this situation was, he regretted nothing when it came to Hannah.
JUST AS THE DOCTORhad predicted, Hannah’s labor lasted all night, and well into the next morning. At one point the duke requested for the doctor and nurse to leave the room so Gabriel could sneak in to see Hannah. When she caught on where he was coming from, she would from time to time send the doctor or nurse away to have a few moments with him.
By late next morning, Hannah’s pains were coming closer together. He couldn’t go to her side anymore because the doctor and nurse were constantly with her, but he could see them from his hiding place within the tunnels.
Each small exhalation of pain Hannah uttered twisted his heart, although she seemed comfortable enough. And then the doctor announced it was time to push the baby out. He died a thousand deaths while she grunted and strained and fell back on the bed, panting and gasping for breath.
What he wouldn’t give to go to her. Hold her hand, smooth her hair back. But he couldn’t do it. His place was in the shadows. Always in the shadows. The unrecognized son, the covert lover, the secret father. He didn’t belong to any family. Not really. He was always on the outskirts, looking in.
And then, the most wonderful sound he had ever heard rent the air. A baby’s cry. A bit hoarse, indignant, but strong and healthy.
“Congratulations, Your Grace. You have birthed a healthy son.”
Through a blur of tears, Gabriel saw the doctor hand the baby to the nurse, who cleaned and wrapped him in soft blankets before placing him in Hannah’s arms.
A son. A healthy son. All their plans, the months of waiting, of wishing, had borne fruit. Their tiny baby was the heir to one of the most illustrious titles in all of Britain. Would probably succeed to it before he had even reached his first year of life. Yet none of that mattered. He was glad the duke had the heir he needed, but he would have loved the baby just as much if it had been a girl.
Hannah murmured something to the bundle in her arms, and the baby quieted. God, how he ached to hold him in his arms.
His chance came later that afternoon. After the birthing was done, and the doctor and nurse had finished taking care of the baby and mother, they retired with the instruction for the duchess to rest. He slipped out of his hiding place. Hannah showed no surprise at his entrance. Only a soft joy radiated from her as she smiled at him.
