Page 102 of Scandalous: Family Ties and Spies

Valeran was now trembling badly against her, and she tried to turn around, but he stopped her.

“Look, mouse. Do not close your eyes. Look beyond what others see, my beautiful, plump country mouse.” Valeran’s hand cupped her chin, gently holding her head so she couldn’t look away from the mirror. “See what I see. See yourself for the beautiful, radiant woman you are. Look beneath the surface, Amalie. See why the cat thinks you’re delicious enough to eat. See why the cat worships you. See yourself, Amalie. See all of you.”

Tears formed in her eyes as she stared at the woman in the mirror. The words her husband used to describe her with such fervent love and depth of emotion were words she’d never thought possible to ever hear from any man, let alone the wonderful man holding her so close.

As she stared at herself, the way he’d described her body slowly seeped into her consciousness. For the first time, as she stared at the mirror, she saw what Valeran saw. A woman worthy of his love. A woman who was more than just her physical form, but a woman whose spirit exemplified why her husband thought himself the luckiest man in the world.

“Well?” he whispered. Cheeks wet with tears, she heard him choke out a sound of remorse. “Amalie, I—”

“I see…my beloved, cat. I finally see.”

Valeran quickly turned her around and pulled her as close as their child would let him. As she cried softly in his arms, he murmured gentle words of love in her ears over and over again. When her sobs eased, Valeran picked her up and moved toward the bed.

“Oh, Valeran—” He jerked to a halt and scowled down at her. “You’re carrying two, nae just one, mo ghràdh.”

“That’s what I thought, mouse.” The satisfaction on his features made her laugh.

“Why do I think ye will be hard tae live with, now that ye have made me see what ye see?”

“Probably so, mouse, but right now the cat is going to plead with the mouse to ease his suffering.”

Another laugh passed her lips, and she turned her face into his warm chest. A happiness she’d never dreamed possible rushed through her. Never had a mouse been so delighted at the thought of toying with a cat.

Epilogue

Callendar Abbey

December 30, 1913

I cannae believe ye dinnae tell me. Have ye forgotten what happened several months ago? Ye almost died.” Amalie’s words rolled off her tongue as if she were reliving the terror and pain she’d experienced this past summer. Frustrated, he shook his head.

“Damn it, Amalie, I’ll be working at the foreign section’s main headquarters. I’ll not be working in the field.”

“I dinnae give a damn, ye Sassenach bawbag. Ye will still be in danger.”

Valeran shoved his hand through his hair as he fought to control his own anger. It wouldn’t help the situation. Time and again, Amalie had adamantly stated he’d almost died for the Crown, and she didn’t want him to return to duty. While he understood his wife’s fear, Valeran also knew returning to the Secret Intelligence Service was something he needed to do.

Not only because he wanted to hunt down the bastard who’d slit him open and murdered Peter, but because he was needed. The division wasn’t just short-staffed, his knowledge of operations and agents made him essential to coordinating resources.

What in the hell had possessed him to agree to C’s request without discussing it with Amalie, first? The answer was immediate. Under ordinary circumstances, Amalie would be furious with him for even thinking about returning. However, she would have listened to reason, and they always found a way to compromise. But the past few weeks had proven challenging where his wife was concerned.

Almost from the beginning of her pregnancy, Amalie’s moods had been chaotic, although nowhere as volatile as in the past few weeks. From one day to the next, Valeran never knew whether he’d be dealing with his sweet, beautiful mouse dissolving into tears from just one word, or a Scottish spitfire who was more often than not, a lioness ready to rip him to shreds. At the moment, she was a snarling feline.

Valeran had attributed her emotions to the eminent arrival of their child. It had been an accurate assumption, but not for the reason he’d thought. Not until two days ago had he learned the underlying cause for Amalie’s uncontrollable bouts of anger and tears in recent weeks.

The day after Christmas, his mother-in-law had witnessed one of his wife’s tirades. When Amalie had stormed off, he’d learned the real reason for his sweet mouse’s erratic behavior. Lady Patience’s explanation had given him a new perspective as to Amalie’s volatile emotions. But he was angry Amalie hadn’t told him the doctor expected her to have a difficult birth.

Valeran didn’t know why she’d not told him. For more than a month now, Amalie’s emotions had been out of control. She was clearly terrified. If he’d known what she was struggling with, he would have done everything in his power to make her feel safe. He could have comforted her, reassured her. Instead, he’d walked away when he failed to help dry her tears or retreated from her sharp tongue.

Neither one of them had been honest with each other, something that troubled him deeply. He’d always made an effort to be open and honest with his wife. He was certain she’d done the same until now. His mother-in-law had been the one to tell him about the doctor’s warning.

Valeran had not heard the news directly from Amalie, and it made him angry as hell. It didn’t excuse his failure to tell his wife about his decision, but damn it, the woman should have told him what the doctor had said, instead of carrying the fear and burden on her own. She should have told him, just as he should have told her three months ago that he’d agreed to work with C in coordinating field assignments.

No, he should have discussed it with her before he’d made the decision. He should have made her understand why his return to the foreign section was so important. Behind him, Jamie stepped away from the large open fireplace in Callendar Abbey’s main salon to move toward his cousin.

“I promise you, pet, he’s not going back into the field,” Jamie said in a gentle, soothing voice.

Valeran almost laughed. If his best friend thought himself capable of calming Amalie with quiet reassurances, the man was out of his mind. Jamie knew his cousin well, but he’d not lived with the woman for the past month and a half.