I gripped her shoulders.
“You can’t go. We don’t want anything to happen to the baby. Besides, you need to stay and care for Emily.”
I softened my words, kissed her nose, and then released her.
Olivia’s eyes flashed with defiance.
“Emily has a nursemaid, in case you haven’t noticed over the past five months,” she said, her arms waving dramatically.
Then, without warning?—
She snatched a feather-stuffed pillow from the massive bed and hurled it at me.
I batted it away, biting back a grin.
Stubborn, fiery woman.
The room Count Montego had given us was by far the most opulent I had ever set foot in.
The ornately carved bed sat on a raised podium, its frame and headboard adorned with intricate scrollwork and inset jewels.
Above it, a massive chandelier dripped with more gems, each glistening with the glow of over twenty “modern” oil lamps.
Our assigned maid had to climb onto a stool in the center of the bed to light and extinguish the candles each night.
The walls were paneled in blond-colored wood, with dark walnut inlays creating intricate designs.
Carved dressers and armoires lined the room, each piece of furniture a work of art.
The two massive windows, framed by heavy gold-colored curtains, overlooked a breathtaking view of immaculately kept gardens and rolling hillsides.
But none of it mattered.
Because Olivia was still glaring at me.
Her arms crossed over her chest, her expression fierce and unrelenting.
“We already lost a baby,” I reminded her.
The words hung between us like a blade.
I stepped closer, my eyes locking onto hers.
“I’m doing everything I can to ensure we don’t lose a second one. I refuse to let you go out in this weather and explore a treacherous cave.”
Olivia’s nostrils flared.
Her hands balled into tight fists at her sides.
“Everything in your power?” she repeated, her voice rising. “Your power?”
She took a single step forward, fire burning in her gaze.
“Which one of us is growing this baby inside her belly?”
I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling.
Fighting with my lovely wife could be utterly exasperating.
