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“Yet you made no mention of it until now?” Would he ever be able to know when she kept information from him? “Something you ate. I believe that’s what you said when I asked how your visit with Doctor Wolf had gone.”

“I didn’t want to make a fuss over something that might not be true, Adrian.”

The bite to her voice incensed him. As though he was the one in the wrong here. “You accompanied me to the Lesters’ home, placed yourself and our unborn child in danger. My God, Samantha. What the hell were you thinking?”

“That this was precisely how you would react.” Despite the harsh rebuke, she placed her hand over his, her features softening as she looked him straight in the eye. “I know you have cause for concern, but I will not be subjected to the fear caused by your past experiences.”

He understood her, yet it hurt that she’d kept the chance of a pregnancy from him because of whatever restrictions he might place upon her. “My only concern would be for you and our child’s safety, Samantha. What is so horribly wrong with that?”

“Nothing, provided you don’t make me stay home in bed for the next eight months.” She sighed. “Trust me to know my own limitations and that I won’t place our child in danger.”

“You already did,” he muttered, the pain in his heart unrelentingly fierce.

He moved to retrieve his hand but she curled her fingers around it and held on tight.

“Nothing was certain when we set off to confront the Lesters, but it is now, which is why I’m letting you know.

You and I will be parents next year and while I realize you’re angry with me at the moment, I hope you’ll find joy in the news. Even if—”

His mouth met hers, silencing her as he drew her against him.

He didn’t care that they were surrounded by hundreds of theatregoers, who’d no doubt discuss the impropriety they’d witnessed this evening during their next social meeting.

Damn them all to perdition. He was going to be a father.

No matter how utterly terrifying that was, another much stronger emotion crushed this initial reaction.

Boundless love and delight overwhelmed him with such startling force it brought tears to his eyes. When he drew back from Samantha, he saw that she too was weeping.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you too, and I know you’re not the kind of woman who needs a man’s protection, but I’m your husband, Samantha.

” He tried to find the right words to express himself clearly without giving rise to additional arguing.

“An elemental part of me demands I shield you. Both of you. Now more than ever. It’s… ”

“A feeling greater than yourself. A readiness to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost.”

“Exactly.” There was relief to be found in the fact that she understood him.

She nodded. “I felt the same way when Mrs. Lester threatened to kill me – to kill a child I wasn’t even sure I was carrying yet.”

“That’s why you stabbed her.” He’d wondered over it at the time since he’d known she could simply have overpowered the woman. Samantha had the skill required to do so, yet she’d taken Mrs. Lester’s life instead. He could finally identify with that choice.

“Precautions have to be made,” she whispered. “With Finn O’Leary a potential threat, it might be prudent of us to leave Town for a while.”

“If I walk away I’ll be letting him gain a foothold.”

“Could Murry not stay and send word if you’re needed?”

“He’s my valet. Where I go, he goes.” But Cummings, Murdock, and Kendrick might provide the assistance they needed. At least for a short duration.

Spending Christmas at Deerhaven Manor with his wife would be a wonderful change of pace.

It would offer them both a reprieve from all the trials they’d been faced with in recent months.

He kissed Samantha again as the second half of the performance commenced.

“I like your idea, however, and will strive to make an alternate plan. If possible, we should be able to leave within the next week. How does that sound?”

“As though I’d best start packing,” she answered with a wide grin that reminded him of the comfort he found in knowing he’d made the right match.

* * *

Wrapped in warm blankets and with a hot brick at her feet, Samantha watched Number 5 Portman Square slide from view as the carriage was pulled into motion.

Adrian sat by her side, his gloved fingers laced with hers while Isak sat opposite, his attention on a puzzle box he’d been gifted for the journey.

Ten hours from now, they’d arrive at Deerhaven Manor where they’d settle in for the rest of the winter.

Adrian had already sent word to Marsdale with an open invitation in case he’d like to come visit.

Samantha knew Adrian worried for his friend.

Mostly for his heart. She hoped the earl would accept the offer so they could reconnect.

There was much to relay – too much for any letter to hold.

The carriage reached the city limits and soon began its westbound journey. As they passed the turn that led toward Clearview Manor, Samantha’s thoughts moved to Harlowe, then to Hazel, Holly, and Tara. Adrian must have sensed the ache in her breast for he gave her hand a small squeeze.

Her last conversation with Harlowe had led to a stalemate.

Each had information against the other that held them in check.

She trusted him not to reveal her secrets since that would only make her reveal his.

Similarly, she trusted him not to eliminate her.

If he did, Adrian would make sure the world knew precisely who Harlowe was and what his precious Nightingale Project entailed.

Nevertheless, she didn’t quite dare to venture near Clearview, no matter how much she longed to check on Hazel’s recovery and catch up on Holly’s and Tara’s lives.

By choosing Adrian, she’d effectively turned her back on them all.

She knew they’d henceforth think of her as a traitor because that was how she would view herself were she in their shoes.

Even Melody, whose removal from Clearview allowed her the distance she needed from Harlowe in order to analyze all the proceedings more clearly, could not be fully trusted.

Her agreement to give up on Marsdale was all the proof Samantha needed.

Whatever Melody’s feelings for the earl might be, her loyalty toward Harlowe clearly trumped them.

Lady Heathbrooke’s decision to force a separation between them simply meant that Melody wouldn’t be required to cut ties by herself.

A blessing, no doubt. When she returned from Italy, the months wedged between them would likely have erased any budding feelings of romance.

In a way, Samantha prayed her friend would find love abroad and remain there, free from Harlowe’s machinations.

She herself had no desire to see him again.

For while it was true she had betrayed him, he had betrayed her in equal measure.

Whatever affection she’d thought he had for her, the belief that he cared for her as though she were his own flesh and blood, was nothing but lies.

All she’d ever been was a tool. A weapon for him to wield when needed.

The bitterness and fury this truth instilled in her was like poison.

It was therefore best if she avoided him and set her mind to other things.

Like the family she was building with Adrian.

Not just with him and their unborn child, but with Murry and Isak too.

These were people she could depend on. And she very much feared she’d have to do so in the months ahead.

Not only because of the upcoming birth, but because of the threat Finn O’Leary posed.

A worry for another day, she decided while pressing closer to Adrian’s side. The kiss he placed on her brow was welcome, the words of love he whispered next to her ear an important reminder.

She wasn’t alone. They had each other. And together, they’d stand against any challenge the future might bring.

* * *

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