He had not been taking care of Frances at all and had left her to manage the entire household by her lonesome. It was not fair for her, and he was beginning to see the effects of his actions.
Mrs. Bellum gave a slight nod. “It’s my duty, Your Grace. Her Grace has been doing her best, but she cannot do it all alone.”
Christopher sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I want her to rest for the next few days. See to it that she has no duties other than to relax and recover. I’ll handle the children in the meantime.”
Mrs. Bellum’s eyes softened slightly, showing a rare glimpse of approval. “Very well. I will make sure she gets the rest she needs.”
Christopher returned to the room where Frances was sleeping next to the twins. He gently lifted her into his arms, careful not to wake her or disturb the boys. As he carried her to her bedroom, he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked in his arms.
Once they reached her room, he laid her gently on the bed. As he pulled the blankets over her, Frances stirred, her eyes fluttering open slightly.
“Where am I? Where are the children?” She seemed wholly confused.
Christopher cracked a smile at her innocence. “You had fallen asleep in their room, so I brought you back to your room. The children are fast asleep as well.”
She blinked at him a few times, dazed. And then began to roughly tug at the side of her corset.
Christopher’s eyes widened, and he froze, unable to tear his gaze away from her. For a moment, it looked as though she was about to tear off her dress. He felt a jolt inside of him at the thought alone.
“Franc—”
“My corset,” she whined in a groggy voice. “It is far too uncomfortable.”
Christopher gulped. With just how tight it was, he would not be surprised. “It does not look ideal.”
She shrugged her shoulders and then looked up at him with a pout on her face.“Could you help me untie it?”
Christopher hesitated for a moment, then carefully began to untie the laces of her corset, trying to be as gentle as possible. He could feel her silky soft skin under his fingers.
For a moment, he was tempted to let his fingers linger longer than they needed to, but then quickly controlled himself, and the fabric fell open.
As the tension eased, Frances let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she murmured
“You’re welcome.” Christopher took a step back.
She looked so… inviting in her bed.
“I should let you get some rest.”
Just as he was about to walk away, Frances stopped him by gently grabbing his hand. “Christopher,” she said softly, her eyes still half-closed.
“What is it now?”
She was being more honest than usual. The tiredness had done much to let her walls down.
“Why don’t you want to have an heir?”
He hadnotexpected her to ask that.
“Is this really the time?” he challenged.
“It is something I have thought about a fair amount, and I only wish to know your reasoning.”
Christopher sighed, hearing the sincerity in her voice. He took a deep breath, struggling to find the right words. “I feel guilty,” he admitted quietly.
“What is it that you are guilty about?”
Truthfully, he did not know the full answer to that either. But just that it was a constant emotion for him.
