He’d ruined Kate for nothing then let her go without a fight. Christ, he’d almost let his father and Daniel raise his child.
My child.
Had Kate known she was carrying his baby when he’d left her standing there beside Daniel in Charleston?
Of course, she’d known. He’d known it, too. He hadn’t let himself acknowledge it for fear he’d go stark raving mad, but the truth had been in his heart all along.
He’d known if he admitted it, even for a moment, he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on saving his men. Fury rose in his chest, burning away the lesser emotions of guilt and regret.
His own father was to blame.
Sutcliffe had schemed and manipulated, murdering innocent men in cold blood, just to ensure Talon gave him an heir. The entire plan was diabolical, but he’d never even suspected it was Sutcliffe who’d had him arrested in the first place.
He had to kill the son of a bitch for what he’d done. It was the only way he could ever be certain Kate and his child would be safe.
* * * * *
Kate stood at her bedroom window, her cheek pressed against the cool glass, staring at the rose garden beneath her. The roses were dying. She hadn’t worked with them since she’d returned and had forbidden the gardener to go near them.
It seemed fitting somehow. The sight of them withering on their vines was strangely comforting.
She’d ended up exactly where she’d begun, banished to the country to await the birth of her child. It was as though those fiery months she’d spent with Talon had never happened.
Knowing Talon’s love, even for just a little while, had opened her eyes to all she’d missed. The silence of the Manor left her bereft. Dear God, how she missed him.
She missed the heat of his body lying beside her while she slept.
She missed his beautiful smile and his tender, knowing touch.
Perhaps she would feel better once she held his baby in her arms, but somehow, she doubted it. This ache in her heart, in her very soul, would never go away, not even if she lived to be a hundred.
Surely by now Daniel’s letter had reached Talon. She still simmered with rage when she thought about what Sutcliffe had done to him, to all three of them. She was glad Daniel had decided to do the decent thing and put an end to Talon’s searching and suffering.
She would have given anything to be able to tell him herself. The news must have killed him. She wished she could have been there to hold him, comfort him, and try to convince him it hadn’t been his fault.
Without her, he would be so lost, so alone. Worse, there would be no one to tamp down his fury. Rage at his father’s injustice had always simmered just below the surface.
She shivered to imagine the lengths he’d go to, the risks he’d take, in order to gain revenge. Especially now since he didn’t think he had anything left to lose.
She pressed her palm against the large swell of her stomach. Tears stung her eyes. Didn’t he realize how much she still loved him? How much she and this child needed him? He had so much to live for if only he’d come back and claim it.
Daniel had assured her he’d grant her an annulment if Talon came back for her. But they’d both agreed that until he did, she was safer not to start the proceedings.
She was beginning to think Talon wasn’t ever going to come back.
As much as she fought against it, these months of loneliness were taking their toll. Every passing day made her doubt herself and Talon’s love.
If only he’d said the words just once.
But he hadn’t. He’d asked her to marry him, but he’d never, ever looked her in the eyes and said the words she’d longed to hear.
I love you, Kate.
It would have made all the difference in the world. She could have kept hoping forever on the strength of those four little words.
A sudden, sharp pain in the small of her back brought her self- pitying thoughts careening to a stop. She held her breath until the pain subsided then rubbed her hand nervously over her stomach once again.
It couldn’t be time yet, she assured herself. The doctor had been by to see her just yesterday, and he’d told her she had several more weeks to go.
