“He would enjoy that, Amelia, but there is no need for us to rush if you would like to remain here a while longer and see to your guests. Your sister and Lady Everly are with Jeremy as we speak. They have proven to be extremely attentive where he is concerned.”
She gave him a look. “They spoil him rotten when we are not there.”
He grinned. “They do so even when we are. Did you not see Lady Everly pass him a piece of chocolate under the table yesterday?”
“After I told him he could not have any more?” She would clearly have to set down some rules. Again. “That only proves my point.”
“I suppose it does.” He looked around. “I cannot wait to see this place filled with children next week. There is nothing quite like their joy and laughter.”
She smiled in response. “How would you feel about having one of your own?”
A frown appeared on his brow. “I already do.”
“Well yes, Jeremy is your son.” And would always be considered as such since no one besides Amelia, Thomas and the dowager duchess would ever know the real truth. “But...” She placed her hand upon her belly.
Thomas followed the movement with his eyes, then looked up at her face. “Are you telling me that... you are... I mean...”
Taking pity on him, she decided to clarify. “We are expecting a child, Thomas.”
She was in the air half a second later while he whooped and spun her around. Returning her to the floor, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her soundly, right there in the foyer of Coventry School and without a care for what anyone else might think. It wasn’t until they returned home that reality seemed to kick in.
That night, he held her quietly in his arms, his mood completely transformed as he gently asked, “What if I lose you?”
She understood his fear. His sister had died in childbirth. “I suppose the possibility exists, though I expect it to be decreased with Doctor Florian’s help. That man is a miracle worker if you ask me.”
“Yes. We will stay close to him during your confinement.”
“And all will pass as it should.”
Which it did, allowing them both to hold their daughter in their arms nine months later after a surprisingly quick delivery.
“I have never been happier,” Amelia told Thomas as she watched him place a tender kiss upon Baby Melanie’s head. Beside him stood Jeremy, who’d painted a series of colorful pictures to hang by his sister’s crib.
Setting Melanie down, Thomas came over and touched his lips to Amelia’s. Affection flowed between them, filling her with all the warmth he carried for her in his heart. “Neither have I, my love. Neither have I.”
Chapter 25
St. Agatha’s Hospital, one year later
Seated in the crowded office to which she’d been granted entry, Juliette wondered if she’d made a mistake by coming here. Following protocol, she had taken the precaution of bringing a maid with her. She had, however, neglected to relay the real reason for her outing to her brother. He was under the impression that she had gone to the British Museum, which she would do right after this meeting so there would be some truth to what she had told him.
Biting her lip, she glanced around at all the books and various objects strewn about.
“Is that a real skull?” her maid asked from the spot where she sat some short distance away.
Juliette looked at the item to which Sarah pointed and found a pair of empty eye sockets staring back at her. “Yes, I believe it is.”
“Good grief!”
The door burst open and the man Juliette had come to see walked in. “My lady.” Doctor Florian acknowledged her presence with a polite nod, then smiled at Sarah before making his way around his desk and sitting down. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“First of all, I should like to thank you for seeing me,” Juliette said. “I hope you will forgive me for coming like this without warning.”
He met her gaze and held it until a distinct edge of discomfort forced her to look away. “My profession does provide me with a busy schedule. I would appreciate it if you would tell me how I might be of service.”
In other words, he wanted her gone as quickly as possible so he could continue with his day. She decided not to keep him too long. “It is my understanding that there has been a recent outbreak of typhus in St. Giles. I have been following the news of it in the paper.”
Florian frowned. “That is correct. Yes.”
