And then he reached out and covered her hand with his own. “Can you feel them from the outside?”
Penelope looked at him and raised her brows. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I would notice if you could. I am so very aware of what they feel like inside of me.”
Hugh nudged her hand away and cupped the small mound with his own hand. He closed his eyes as though concentrating very hard.
When he finally opened his eyes again, he smiled ruefully.
“No?” she asked.
“Not yet.”
She could not believe they were having this conversation. She’d thought he hated these babies. Oh, how she wished he could believe they were his own!
“They are most certainly very tiny still.”
“Even if you are not,” he said. But she could see he was teasing her.
And then her stomach chose that moment to grumble. She’d not eaten hardly at all the previous day and had only had a few bites of toast before Hugh hadravishedher.
Hugh patted her tummy and laughed. “Now, that, I know, is not your babies. We need to get some food in you, else they’ll think they are cocooned within a thunderstorm.”
With that, he swung his legs off the bed and fetched a few plates off the tray from earlier. Penelope did not want to move. She wanted to be sure the bleeding was stopped first.
She also did not wish for Hugh to know what had happened.
He handed her the plate and some tea, and she lifted herself to somewhat of a sitting position. This was not an easy feat to do without spilling anything. But she knew the tea would be good for the babies. The midwife had also told her to drink plenty of fluids. She gulped the tepid tea and then reached to set it on the side table, but Hugh took it from her first.
“You are tired,” he said. He still had that sheepish look, but it was far better than how he’d been before.
Sighing, and thankful for the excuse to stay in bed, she nodded. “I am.” But she smiled back at him. She took a bite of a strawberry on her plate and then handed that over to him as well. By now, he was looking at her curiously.
He looked like he wanted to say more, but then changed his mind.
Uncertain as to what to do all of a sudden, he bowed slightly toward her and took a step backward. “Very well, then. I will leave you to rest.” Again, looking as though he had more to say, he turned and left her alone.
Oh, where was Rose?
* * *
Penelope was not alone for long. Rose had merely been waiting for the viscount to exit her chamber before barging back in, a discretion for which Penelope was eternally grateful. Imagine if Rose had come in when he was ravishing her!
“Why are all of these perfumes strewn about the floor, Pen?” With a teasing twinkle in her eye, she glanced over at Penelope and gave her a sly look. “Has he remembered? Does he believe the babies are his now?”
Penelope shook her head. “He still labors under the misconception that they are another man’s but…” She did not wish to get Rose all stirred up, but needed her maid’s assistance. She needed to make sure her little fish were still thriving. “I started, well, bleeding—afterward, that is.” At Rose’s frightened look, she rushed to add, “I can feel them moving, and I think the bleeding has stopped but I did not wish to take any chances, and so I think I ought to remain horizontal for the rest of the day. It’s just that…”
“It is the day after your wedding.”
“Yes, and I don’t want for Hugh to feel, well, guilty. I think we’ve managed to come to some sort of a truce, but he’s likely to be set off again by any additional, er, complications.”
Rose was not a very submissive maid, but she did usually seem to know exactly what Penelope needed. When it really mattered, that was. She deftly wet a cloth in the basin and brought it over to the bedside. Reaching out her other hand, she said, “Let’s see how much blood there is now. If there is more than a drop or two, I think we need to call on the local midwife. You ought to meet with her anyhow. Youarea married lady now.”
Both of them sighed in relief to see that the bleeding had most likely stopped, but Penelope agreed that she probably ought to do as Rose suggested. “Do you think you could have her come without making a fuss over it? I could tell Hugh, if he asks, that is, that it is… precautionary.”
“Do you think he’s going to want to do it again? Tonight?” Rose wrinkled up her nose in disgust. This was a pertinent question, however. She did not think she ought to participate in any more sexual activity, for now anyhow, possibly not until after her fishes were born.
Which would not bode well for a happy marriage. She had heard about men and theirneeds.And, after partaking of a night of satisfaction, herself, she felt a little regretful to put it off for so long.
She’d also liked the intimacy. She’d liked it when he let her simply hold him. It had comfortedherto comfort him.
