‘With you at my side, we can restore our family name and fortune. I expect you to seriously consider my proposal overnight.’
‘Your proposal?’ she asked, looking at her uncle, who simply shook his head as if she shouldn’t ask any more.
‘I have arranged a marriage between you and a gentleman from Athens. He is from a very wealthy family, a family that is most interested in connecting our families in this way,’ he said. ‘Not to mention they’re very well respected in Greece.’
She silently went to stand beside her father, her letter clutched tightly in her hand. Eventually he turned on his heel and made his exit, leaving her with her uncle, who clapped his hand firmly on her shoulder.
‘Marvellous news on the orchestra front, Alex. At least it will take your mind off all this business with your father.’
‘He can’t force me to marry, can he?’ she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
‘No, he most certainly cannot. And if he tries? Then he’ll have me to answer to, and we will stop at nothing to protect you.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, giving her uncle an impromptu hug. He blustered and patted her on the back, but when she let go he smiled down at her.
‘Go and tell your aunt the good news.’
Alexandra ran back up the stairs, but instead of going to her aunt’s room, she went straight to the bathroom, turning on the tap so that no one could hear her being sick again. Afterwards, she studied her complexion in the mirror and noticed how pale she looked. Elizabeth was right; it wouldn’t hurt to see the doctor in the morning, just to make sure it wasn’t something more serious than bad food.
The orchestra was scheduled to go on an international tour the following week, and although she doubted they’d invite her to join them, she would be expected to begin rehearsals immediately. Part of her had hoped that they might invite her to join them if she showed enough promise, so the last thing she needed was to be sick.
* * *
‘Your aunt tells me that you’ve been unwell?’
Alexandra sat on the edge of her bed, still in her nightgown. She’d felt even worse when she’d woken up, the nausea making it impossible to rise straight away.
‘Actually, now that I think about it, I was feeling unwell a couple of months ago, but the feeling passed. But now…’ Her stomach lurched and she shut her eyes, wishing it would go away. ‘Do you think I could have food poisoning?’
The doctor gestured for her to lie back again, and he gently touched her stomach, his palm pressing across her abdomen, before he took out his stethoscope. He looked her directly in the eye before placing the earpieces in his ears.
‘Alexandra, when did you last have your period?’
She frowned, propping herself up on her elbows. ‘Well, I don’t know. I’ve been so busy rehearsing, and they’re often irregular, but…’When did I last menstruate?‘I’m actually not sure.’
He placed the stethoscope on her stomach for a few minutes, before putting it back in his black leather bag and zipping it up, while she watched him expectantly.
‘Alexandra, there’s no easy way to tell a young woman this, not at your age and with your marital status, but you’re pregnant. At least three months along, if I were to guess.’
She felt the colour drain from her face. ‘Pregnant?’ Her hands immediately reached for her stomach. ‘Wouldn’t I know if I were pregnant? Wouldn’t I…’
‘This is never easy news to digest, but I am in no doubt. I heard your baby’s heartbeat.’
Her mouth went dry when she opened it, her mind full of all the reasons she couldn’t possibly have a child.
‘Please don’t tell my aunt,’ she managed to whisper. ‘I would like the chance to tell her myself.’
‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘I can assure you of my discretion, but I would tell her sooner rather than later, if I were you.’
He gathered his things and stood, but it wasn’t until he shut the door that she fell apart.Pregnant?A baby would mean she couldn’t accept her invitation to join the orchestra; it would put an end to all her hopes and dreams. To their dream of what their future would look like.
What will Bernard think?She knew that he loved her, but would he love her enough to marry her if he found out she was pregnant?
Alexandra curled into a ball and pulled the covers over her body, turning her face into her pillow as she began to cry, her hands wrapped protectively around her middle.
She’d only been in bed perhaps an hour or two when there was a knock at her bedroom door. Alexandra sat up as their housekeeper looked in on her.
‘I’m fine,’ she mumbled. ‘I just need to sleep.’
