Page 79 of The Forsaken (Echoes from the Past #4)

SIXTY-EIGHT

Kate curled up on the window seat and rested her head against the cool stone of the wall, both physically tired and emotionally drained by the morning’s events.

The confrontation with Guy had been unexpected and eye-opening.

She’d foolishly assumed he would step aside and allow Hugh to raise his child, but she’d been woefully misguided.

Guy was no longer the obedient younger sibling.

He’d matured and seen more than his fair share of death.

He loved her and was prepared to fight for her, even if that meant confronting Hugh and appealing to the Church.

Guy would lay claim to his child, whether she agreed to it or not, believing that Hugh cared for him enough to forgive him and agree to his terms. Kate had her doubts.

Hugh was not a man who would look kindly upon being cuckolded and deceived.

He was prideful and possessed of a hot temper.

He forgave easily enough, she’d grant him that, but this time, there was much to forgive.

Not for the first time, Kate wished she could talk matters over with her mother.

Anne Dancy would have been shocked and possibly appalled by her daughter’s behavior, but she would have offered practical advice, as she always had.

Surely Kate wasn’t the first woman to find herself in this position, and Hugh wouldn’t be alone in mistakenly believing the child his wife carried was his. Unless Guy told him otherwise.

Kate angrily wiped away a tear that slid down her cheek.

Until that moment, she hadn’t permitted herself to imagine what life with Guy would be like.

She’d indulged in romantic fantasies from time to time, but her imagination never strayed as far as marriage.

To marry Guy and raise their child together was a dream of such shining brilliance that she didn’t even dare entertain it.

It could never be, and she would not allow her mind to wander down the dark, twisted alley that beckoned her to consider the only solution that would make the dream a reality.

Never. She had made a vow before God and she would honor it, no matter what, and if something happened to Hugh, she’s have no hand in it, and neither would Guy .

Kate heaved herself to her feet as a wave of nausea washed over her. She grabbed for the basin and was sick, expelling her dreams along with her dinner.