She put her hand to her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs. “Last summer.”
“Then you should be delivering this child in the next month or two.”
That only made her weep harder, as if she had no answer for him. “Did you truly not know you were with child, Andressa?” Maxton asked. “Did you truly think that the swelling of your belly meant something else?”
She lifted her slender shoulders. “I was praying it was not true,” she whispered. “I was praying it was all a great mistake. If I ignored it, I hoped it would go away. I… I worked very hard, hoping the seed would die, but it did not. Then, when the child began to move…”
“He moves?”
She nodded. “It moves quite a lot, especially when I am trying to sleep.”
He couldn’t help but notice she addressed the child as “it”. Not he, or she, but “it”. Beneath his hands, her belly was warm and firm. Not huge, but definitely rounded, about the size of a large melon and easily concealed by the loose clothing she wore. He removed his hands and pulled the damp drying towel tightly around her, covering her up.
Now, Maxton had a dilemma. A massive one. William Marshal wanted Andressa to return to St. Blitha, but if Maxtonhad been uncertain before, now he was doubly so. He couldn’t send a pregnant woman back there and a wild sense of protection swept him. This wasn’t even his child, but it didn’t seem to matter. Andressa was vulnerable and needed protecting. Wasn’t that what he was sworn to do, as a knight? God, he’d spent so much time killing men on command, or fighting other men’s battles– right or wrong– that the chivalry had left him long ago.
But now, it was back.
It didn’t matter that some foolish knight had seduced Andressa and left her with his child to deal with. Nay, that didn’t matter in the least. Maxton was the last one to judge when it came to sinning.
He told me he loved me…
It was one more horrific situation for this poor woman to deal with.
“I am sorry, my lord,” Andressa suddenly spoke, breaking the silence between them. “I am so very sorry for my failings and my weakness. It would seem that all you have known from me since the moment we met are failings and weakness, but I assure you, I was not always like this. Once, I was a strong, noble woman. I was excellent in my studies. I had many friends. Believe it or not, I was pretty once, too. Or, so I am told. But you have discovered me at my lowest and, for that, I am very sorry. I wish you knew me before… before all of this.”
He looked at her. “Youarebeautiful,” he said as if she were mad to believe otherwise. “As for discovering you at your lowest, I am in no position to condemn you. My sins far outweigh your own.”
She looked at him in astonishment. “Then… then you are not… you do not think I am a horrible, failing creature for what I have done?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “I am going to tell you something, Andressa,” he said pointedly. “I, too, have indulged in pleasures of the flesh outside of marriage, so if that is a sin, then I have sinned many times over. You are not alone.”
One might have thought it to be a tasteless confession, but to Andressa, it was possibly the best thing he could have said. When he could have turned his nose up at her, he proudly told her that she wasn’t alone in her failings. Not every man would have done that.
“Then… you are not disgusted?” She was still incredulous.
“Nay,” he said. “We all have our moments of weakness. You are not to blame.”
Andressa could hardly believe his reaction. For something she’d been trying to ignore, to pretend wasn’t real, his attitude made her feel like there was hope… hope for her, hope for everything. Hope that, perhaps, this wasn’t the end for her, after all.
“You are very understanding,” she said. “Most anyone would judge my actions harshly.”
He snorted softly. “As I said, I have sinned in such a way many times over, with many women who were not my wife.”
“Then you are not married, my lord?”
He shook his head. “Stop addressing me formally,” he said. “It seems ridiculous under these circumstances. You will call me Maxton. Or Max. Call me what you wish, Andressa. I will answer. But to answer your question, I am not married.”
“But why not?”
“Who would have me?”
She blinked, as if the question was ridiculous. “Any woman would be very fortunate to have you as a husband,” she said. “You are a skilled, kind, and generous knight, and surely you have much to offer any woman. Has someone been foolish enough to deny your suit? Is that it?”
He looked at her, a flicker of a smile on his lips. “I’ve not been brave enough or stupid enough to actually pursue a woman,” he said. “But your words are appreciated. I am not sure if they are true, but they are appreciated.”
Andressa eyed him. “You have told me of things from your past, things you are not proud of,” she said. “Will… will you tell me where you come from, my lo… I mean, Sir Maxton? You know much about me, but I know very little about you.”
“Why do you want to know?”
