He didn’t want to leave her, either, but for entirely different reasons. But he remained resolute. “You? Lost? I do not believe it. You’ll be ruling this place within the month. God help Aubrey.”
“No, William, you cannot leave,” she said. She was growing more agitated. “I need you with me. Especially now that…”
She abruptly broke off, looking away, looking uncomfortable. He smiled at her. “Especially now that you are married? That reason, more than any other, supports the fact that I should return to Warwick. Aubrey has tolerated me long enough. I doubt his good humor will hold out much longer.”
She shook her head. “It’s not… that.”
“What, then?”
She shook her head again, pulling the cloak more tightly about her shoulders. The golden eyes drifted across the festivities below. “Oh, William,” she suddenly sobbed softly.
He looked at her, concerned. She hadn’t wept all day and he hoped a breakdown wasn’t coming. “No tears, Avalyn,” he said softly. “You are Lady Aubrey now. You have a station and reputation to uphold. You have a beautiful castle and a husband who clearly adores you. There is much to be grateful for.”
“I am in trouble,” she whispered.
He peered more closely at her. “What trouble?”
She didn’t answer for a moment. Then, very slowly, her gaze focused on him once more and he could see how utterly distressed she was. “It’s… it is just that I have no one else to tell. I’m so frightened. I need your help.”
His brow furrowed though he tried to keep light of the situation. “You’ve never been frightened of anything in your life.”
“I am frightened of what will happen when Charles finds out.”
“Finds out what?”
She swallowed hard; he saw it. “That I’m pregnant.”
He looked at her for a long, painful moment as the words settled. His first reaction was one of volcanic proportions; everything within him threatened to erupt all over the place. But in a last moment of sanity before the explosion, he saw the look on her face and knew that she could not take his emotionaloutburst. So he forced himself to take a deep, cleansing breath, banking the fires of fury that were surging. It was a moment before he could speak.
“Brogan?” It was all he could say.
She nodded. “No matter what you think of me at this moment, William, know that I always believed I would be his wife, up until those few weeks ago when his presence was discovered here. We loved each other deeply and this child was conceived in love. That is more than any child that Charles and I may have can lay claim to.”
He couldn’t look at her any longer; he felt like a jilted lover, a betrayed father, a slandered brother. But if he was feeling this way, he could only imagine what Aubrey would feel. The mere thought almost sent him into a panic. When he heard her soft sobs again, he reached out and squeezed her arm.
“I do not think poorly of you,” he whispered. “My respect for you shall always be of the highest regard. And I know that you loved Brogan very much. I know that you believed you would be his wife.”
She wept into her hand. “What will I do? Help me, William, for I cannot think clearly at the moment. My thoughts are numb.”
He couldn’t help it; he pulled her into his arms, holding her close to comfort her. She clung to him.
“Do not worry, my lady,” he whispered into her elaborate hair. “Stay calm. I will think of something.”
“You cannot return to Warwick,” she insisted, pulling away and struggling to compose herself. “I need you here.”
He pursed his lips in agreement. “I would say that you do.” Initial shock fading, his mind was beginning to work. “How… advanced is this pregnancy?”
She sniffled, wiping the remainder of her tears away. “A few weeks at most. Very early.”
William’s jaw ticked in thought. “Early enough that Charles might think you conceived on your wedding night?”
She looked blankly at him. Then her face crumpled again. “I… I have to let him…”
“Shh,” he shushed her quietly, daring to wipe at her new tears. “He’s your husband, Avalyn. You must let him do his duty. And you must do yours.”
“But… I do not want him to…”
“You must. You have no choice.”
