“He admired her. But love?”
“It was obvious in the worshipful way he handled her portrait.” She shuddered. “He stroked the frame as if it was her flesh.”
Nathaniel’s mouth tightened. “That’s possible, I suppose, but, darling, are you sure you aren’t…”
“Rudge hasneverliked me.”
“I can’t believe anyone would dislike you. And as I’ve said, Rudge was not here that night.”
“You can’t be sure of that.”
“Why would he want to hurt you?”
“He has never once smiled at me since I came here. And he has offered no sympathy after my near-drowning.” She narrowed her eyes. “He must know I saw him in Amanda’s bedroom. He might have murdered Amanda too.”
“Now you really are being fanciful. He loved Amanda, yet he killed her?”
“Haven’t you heard of a crime of passion?”
Nathaniel sighed. “I can understand your nervousness.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Rudge could not have killed Amanda.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I find it very difficult to believe Rudge would hurt you, even if he could have returned to the abbey during the night. He would have had to come by boat. I’ll question him and make inquiries of the fishermen. In the meantime, best not to spend time alone in his company.”
Nathaniel watched her choose an apple from the bowl on the table, and his anxious expression became tinged with gentle amusement. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough breakfast, my dear?”
“Thank you, yes. I’ll take this with me to eat while I write my correspondence.”
He slipped his arm around her waist and chuckled. “That tiny waist of yours will become but a beautiful memory.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And if it does, will you still love me?”
“Every splendid extra inch of you.” He dropped a kiss on herlips.
She paused, yearning to tell Nathaniel her news. But she couldn’t risk him sending her to her mother until she gave birth. Right now, her bargaining abilities would be useless against Nathaniel’s need to protect her and the baby. And hopefully, the malicious person who’d attacked her would soon be found. Nathaniel would discover she was right about Rudge. She shivered and wished him gone from Wolfram today. But as Nathaniel remained convinced of his innocence, that wasunlikely.
They strolled to the stables. The usual stable smells greeted them at the door, along with the moist heat of a newbirth.
“Mr. Pitney has asked if he might see you. He is in the office, my lord,” the young stable boy said, ducking his head respectfully toLaura.
“Tell him I’ll be but a moment.”
In the stall, the young foal wobbled unsteadily on its four white feet. “She’s beautiful,” Laura said. “What will you call her?”
“I thought I’d name her after you.”
“Could you call her after my twin sister, Eliza?”
He smiled. “Eliza Girl it is then.”
A hand on his shoulder, Laura kissed his cheek. “Perfect.”
“Laura, I don’t believe I’ve introduced you to my new groom, Cadan Hammett.”
“Milady.”
Cadan had a pleasant, open face. Nathaniel had told her he was married with a child. Embarrassed, Laura hoped she didn’t flush, aware of how much of her the man had seen when she’d stumbled into the stableshalf-clothed.
