Pulling back, she had the feeling she had a rather telling expression on her face, for Mara eyed her skeptically. “What aren’t you telling me?”
When Lyra merely smiled, Mara’s mouth fell open. “You too?” she squealed. “Oh, this is wonderful! Maybe they’ll be born at the same time. I can’t wait to decorate each other’s nursery. How did Alister take it?”
Lyra looked down and picked at her gown. “I haven’t exactly…told him yet.”
“What?How could you not?”
“You know about my…problems in the past. I just don’t want to get my hopes up until he or she is actually here.” She shook her head. “Or at least until I start showing…”
“I suppose I can understand that.” Mara’s mouth twisted in thought. “But I still think the father has a right to know. Have you seen a doctor yet?” When Lyra shook her head, Mara said, “I’ll write Dr. Harris today and hopefully he can fit you into his schedule first thing after Christmas. He was the one who checked in on Big B after he was freed from that terrible French prison. I never thought I would like any East End physician, but I have to say he is rather amazing. Unfortunately, his reputation has spread throughout London, and he’s harder to pin down than a butterfly, but I wouldn’t dare suggest anyone else.”
A brief knock sounded at the door and a moment later Alister entered. “Might I have a moment alone with my wife, Lady Eversleigh?”
“Only if you call me Mara and stop all thismy ladynonsense,” she teased.
“My apologies.” He bowed. “Old habits and all that.”
With a wink at Lyra, Mara let herself out of the room.
“I can understand why you were such good friends,” Alister noted as he walked to Lyra and kissed her reverently on the lips.
When he pulled back, a furrow appeared between his brows. She felt her stomach plummet. “What’s wrong?”
Thankfully, it turned out to be positive news, for he explained what Euphemia had done.
She instantly gave a sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful. A true Christmas miracle.”
“Perhaps,” he agreed, his focus still distant. She watched as he walked over to the window overlooking the street. He crossed his arms for a moment before he faced her once more. “I overheard you talking with Mara.” There was a decided pause. “When were you going to tell me about the baby?”
Lyra blanched. She thought about going to him, but his stoic expression caused her to hesitate. A frisson of fear shuddered through her. She could sense Alister’s pain and it cut her to the quick. She tried to speak calmly. “Then you should have also heard that I didn’t want to say anything until I could be sure everything was going to be fine.”
“How many times do I have to prove that I’m not Roger?” he countered. “I thought you trusted me enough where you could tell me anything, and come what may, we could weather the storm together. What if you’d had another miscarriage? Would you have even told me about it?”
She felt her own frustrations bubble to the surface. “How can I trust someone who still thinks that I could be capable of treason?”
Alister stilled, and she felt her heart falter in her chest. “We’ll discuss this when I return.”
He was halfway to the door before she found her voice again. “Where are you going?”
She knew she sounded desperate, but she couldn’t help it. His actions were so calculated and unfeeling that it terrified her. She felt as if her worst fears were being realized and he was already turning away from her.
“To Whitehall to clear our name.”
“Shouldn’t I come with you?” She hated for them to part like this.
“It’s better if you stayed here under Roarke’s protection, unless you choose to go to Weston House and start packing up your things this evening.”
Her blood froze. “Where are you sending me?”
She knew it was the wrong thing to say, for his expression instantly darkened. “To Albright House to be with me, unless you’d prefer to be somewhere else.”
He didn’t slam the door on his departure, but it felt like it in her heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“It’s all wonderful, Mara. Thank you.”
From the honey-scented oils of Greece to handcrafted jewelry from Italy, Lyra was touched by the gifts Mara had selected for her during her recent travels. Her thoughtfulness only made her want to cry that much harder.
