His heart lurched. He did not like her tone or expression. What terrible news did she wish to impart? And he retreated instantly, closing his expression as if she were his worst adversary and not his beautiful bride. “Do tell,” he said formally.
She clung to the desk. “I am having our baby.”
For one moment, he felt that he must have hallucinated. His heart raced.“What?”
“And I beg you,” she said hoarsely, “to promise me a life of peace and happiness. To promiseusthat life!”
He jerked, barely able to comprehend what she had told him.She was with child.But how? When? His mind raced, calculated. Their child must have been conceived after their marriage in December. Dear God, he was going to be a father—it was too soon!
And Eastleigh’s mocking expression as he had stood in Adare’s salon just a moment ago filled his mind.
“I beg you to give up your need for murder and revenge!” She began to cry. “I can’t bring our child into such a life! Don’t you see? We are about to become a family, and I need you to choose.”
Once again, it was a moment before he understood her. He was shaking and his knees felt weak and all he could think of was the baby and the fact that he had a ruthless enemy in the world. He stared at her as she wept. Choose? She wanted him to choose? And the ugliest comprehension came.
He inhaled, becoming rigid with anger. “Don’t do this, Virginia,” he warned. There could be no choice to make! Not yet, not now!
“You must choose!” she cried, trembling wildly.
“Don’t ask this of me,”he commanded as if on the quarterdeck of his ship. And he felt everything begin to slip away, fading then and there, the joy, the love, the fear…
“You must choose,” she whispered. “I will not bequeath a life of hatred to our child. I will not put our child in jeopardy. Choose, Devlin. Choose us—the baby and me!”
But he could not choose. He simply could not. And he felt his heart disappear, vanishing into nothingness. And with its disappearance, all emotion congealed into ice and was gone.
“Don’t!” she begged. And she ran forward. “Don’t turn away from me now! Not after all we have shared—not when I am carrying your child!” And she seized his hand and placed it on her abdomen.
He stared at her small, still-flat belly, but there was only emptiness now. No joy, no love, just the dispassionate nature his enemy had left him with when he was ten years old.
“You can have us—or you can have your revenge. But you can’t have both!”
He dropped his hand and turned away. “I am sorry,” he said, “but you knew my nature when you married me.”
She cried out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
VIRGINIA REMAINED IN BEDfor the entire day, afflicted with a huge migraine and a malaise of the soul. She did not weep. She was too frozen with fear to do so.
She had the baby to consider now. Her unborn child had become her priority. It had been one thing for her to manage a relationship with Devlin, to somehow survive his ruthless obsession and his hard heart, but dear God, what kind of father would Devlin be?
If only she did not love him still…but she did, and she always would.
Virginia did not know what to do, and Devlin was leaving for his tour of duty—for his damnable war—in three more days.
Now she faced the closed bedroom door, dressed for supper. She had not seen him even once since their argument yesterday. He had chosen not to share their room or their bed last night and she had avoided him as well. What should she do? She had no appetite, but that was not the issue. He remained her husband and the child within her womb would always be his. But she no longer wished to compromise herself for the sake of their marriage, for the sake of being with him. It felt as if their marriage was turning to ashes before her very eyes.
Virginia opened the door and went downstairs, trembling nervously, her face stiff with tension and trying desperately to appear natural.
To her surprise and dismay, once in the entry hall she heard male voices that she recognized. Tyrell and Cliff were with him, apparently having a drink before supper. She liked both brothers but now prayed they did not intend to stay and dine with them. Virginia slowly approached the salon. Its double doors were wide open and she saw all three men seated causally there, glasses of wine in hand.
Tyrell and Cliff saw her almost at once and came instantly to their feet. Devlin also stood, but more slowly, and he did not quite look at her. His brothers bowed, but in turn, their smiles faded as she came forward and she knew her distress was clear.
“Good evening,” she said, holding her head high.
“Virginia, you are as lovely as always,” Cliff murmured, but he had lowered his lashes over his blue eyes, a clear indication that he was merely being gallant.
She thanked him. “I hope you will be staying for supper,” she said, aware she was being as dishonest as him.
