She rushed onward. “I had just watched the duchess give birth, you see? To this new life. And I was so overwrought. I’d finally come to terms with the fact that Viscount Darlington, Rome, was never going to reciprocate my feelings. I’d finally decided in my heart that I would never marry, never be a mother, never have a child. And at the time, I was at peace with my decision. But then…”
“But then, what? Penelope? Don’t stop there.”
“I held little Edward. And when the nurse took him away from me, to clean him up so that Lilly might feed him, I had the emptiest feeling right here.” She pressed her fist up to where her heart was. “I became terrified that it would never happen to me and that I had waited too long.”
“So, you changed your mind and what?”
She looked down at the floor, ashamed of what came next. More ashamed in this moment than she’d ever been in her entire life.
“I found you. In the library. And you were well into your cups.”
He tilted his chin back and stared at her warily. “You do not expect me to believe that I was so overcome with drink that I bedded you? That I took your maidenhead in my dearest friend’s home? You expect me to believe that I did all of this with no memory of it whatsoever?”
She shrugged. What else could she do? Fall on her face and beg him to believe her? “It’s the truth, Hugh.”
And then he laughed. Not a pleasant laugh but a derisive, disgusted, unbelieving laugh. “Oh, that’s good, Pen. You certainly have put your imagination to work coming up with that fairytale.”
She shook her head. “I know it sounds implausible, impossible even! But imagine my dismay when you lost consciousness at the… Well, when it was over. And then you left the next day!”
“You forget, Penelope, that moments ago I felt the size of your belly. You, my dear, did not come to be with child from me in February. Another man, in December perhaps, even possibly in November? You must be getting very concerned indeed. You cannot have a very long time to wait before the baby comes.”
“There is more than one.”
He truly scowled at these words. “Are you so wanton, Penelope? That there is more than one man who could possibly be the father? I’d never have guessed in a million years.”
“No, Hugh! Listen to me!”
“I’m afraid that I have been. God, Penelope, why did you have to bring me into all of this?”
“More than one baby! Hugh! And only one man! Only one time. Ever!”
He was scaring her. She was certain he had to have remembered something? Surely? Oh, God. If he didn’t remember, would he ever believe her?
Hugh glanced up sharply at the fervor of her statement.
“I swear to you! I would not lie about this. You must believe me!”
He simply stared at her, hoping he could read her mind perhaps? She wished he could so that he would know that she wasn’t lying to him.
“You say you rutted with me at Summer’s Park, got with child—twins, you say? And now wish for me to marry you?Needfor me to marry you?”
Well, that was, baldly put, the truth of it. It sounded so very sordid. “I do,” she answered solemnly.
A coldness came over him. A coldness like she had never experienced from him before.
He did not believe her.
“Very well.” Glancing at her stomach, he spoke in flat tones. “In light of the dire consequence of waiting any longer, and in light of the fact that I did offer for you, I’ll marry you, Penelope. I will obtain a special license, and we’ll do so within the week.” And then he pulled something out of his desk and went to work on it.
She remembered the last time he’d worked on some business in her presence, at Augusta Heights, when they’d worked together. After a moment, he looked up at her again. “Was there anything else you wished to discuss?”
Ah, so, he was tired of looking at her. “Er, no, I suppose not.” She rose from her seat slowly. Now would be a very bad time to exhibit any weakness caused by her condition. She did not want to be such a burden for him. She’d never intended… She’d never thought…
“I know you must hate me right now, but thank you, Hugh. Thank you for being the man I knew you would be.”
“My lord,” he said.
She tilted her head. “My lord?”
