Page 53 of The Big Bad Duke (The Shadows #9)

T he room was still, illuminated only by the soft flicker of the fire and the silvery wash of moonlight seeping through the parted curtains. Noel lay curled in his small bed by the hearth, his tiny fist tucked beneath his cheek, his breath slow and even.

Blake stood beside the bed, arms crossed, his jaw tight.

Annalise leaned her shoulder against the doorjamb, watching both of them—her son and the man she loved.

Blake had been quiet for most of the night. He had a habit of retreating into silence when he was angry or frustrated. He had inherited his father’s temper, but unlike his father, he had learned to manage it.

This was the first step: getting to the root of his emotions and processing them silently in his mind.

Annalise always gave him space, knowing he would share his thoughts and fears when he was ready. That was the second step.

The third step would take place later in their bedchamber, where she would help him take his mind off things for a few hours.

It hadn’t always been this way, and their marriage wasn’t perfect—no one’s ever is. But they had learned from their mistakes as they grew together, making each other better.

“Maybe we should leave,” Blake said suddenly.

Annalise stepped inside the room and joined her husband by their child’s bed.

“Where would we go?” she whispered.

“Anywhere. We didn’t get to Venice last time we went to the Continent. Perhaps this time we’ll be luckier.”

Annalise didn’t answer. They likely wouldn’t reach Venice anytime soon, for the same reasons they hadn’t the last time. But she wasn’t going to tell him that—not yet.

There was a long pause. Then Blake said, “I should have seen it. All those years, all those conversations where he painted himself as the victim. Poor Townsend, forced to make his own way in the world while his cousin inherited everything. Poor Townsend, struggling with debts that weren’t even real. ”

His hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“He put on quite a performance, claiming he was perfectly content with his modest life on the Continent. He said he had no desire for the responsibilities of an earldom.” Blake’s laugh was bitter and self-recriminating.

“And I believed every word. I actually felt guilty that he had to assume the earldom while I was abducted. I felt responsible for his financial struggles—the struggles he didn’t even have. ”

“You couldn’t have known,” Annalise said gently, her hand moving in slow circles across his back.

“He blamed my father for his lack of funds, you know,” Blake continued.

“Not that my father was a good man; we both know he wasn’t.

But I increased his stipend the moment I returned from my abduction, thinking it was the right thing to do, the honorable thing.

” He shook his head, disgust clear in his voice.

“I was funding his schemes with my own money.”

Noel stirred slightly in his sleep, making a small sound that had both parents freezing until he settled again. Blake smiled faintly, and Annalise leaned her head against his arm.

Blake instantly raised his arm and pulled her close to his side.

“At least I can say I’m not ashamed of how I made my living. And I’m proud of our little family.”

Now was the time, Annalise felt, as Blake’s mood seemed to shift for the better.

Annalise turned to face him fully, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. “I don’t think we should go to Venice yet,” she said.

“No?” Blake’s brows furrowed. “Why not?”

“Do you remember last time we went to the Continent? I could barely make the trip over the channel, and then we were stuck in Paris for a month because my stomach had been so weak?”

“Yes,” he replied instantly, “but that was different. You were with child at the time.”

Annalise lifted her brows, and Blake stilled. “You’re… are you? You are?”

Annalise giggled and nodded vigorously.

Blake froze for a moment, then his palms circled her waist and settled on her belly. “We are going to have another babe,” he whispered in wonder.

Annalise grinned, loving the triumph in his gaze as he looked at her.

Then Blake turned to Noel and whispered, “You’re going to be a big brother soon.” He suddenly lifted Annalise in his arms and twirled her, her joyful laughter echoing through the room.

Noel stirred in his bed, and Annalise clasped her lips with her hand.

Blake set her back on the floor and leaned in for a swift, sweet kiss.

“Come,” he said, taking her hand and squeezing her fingers. “For a proper celebration.”