Page 83 of The Lovers (Echoes from the Past #1)

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Suffolk, England

Elise turned to take one last look at the house before climbing into the carriage that would take them back to London.

Already the house looked abandoned and forbidding, just as it had when she first set eyes on it.

It would be locked up until another outbreak of the plague or until Edward decided to spend some time in the country, something that Elise didn’t expect to happen anytime soon.

The court had returned from Oxford, so there was no longer any excuse to remain in Suffolk, but Elise wished that she could.

She had been happy here, with James and her little Charlie.

This house never felt like the prison Asher Hall had become, but now she would be returning to London, and everything would change once again.

Edward would hire a wet nurse for Charlie and force a wedge between mother and son.

He said he would permit James to return, but on what terms?

What would life be like once they were back in the city?

Would Edward still neglect his family, or would he now spend more time at home?

And would he expect Elise to give him another child?

She hoped so since she feared she might be with child again, but it was too soon to know for certain.

Her courses had not been regular since Charlie’s birth, and after some light spotting in January, she’d not bled at all in February.

If her courses failed to make an appearance later this month, she’d know for sure.

The thought made Elise’s stomach clench with fear.

Edward would be furious if he found out that she’d lain with James without his express permission, and the realization that they’d gone behind his back would alert him to the truth of their relationship. They should have waited.

Elise had seen James only once since Charlie’s birth, just after the christening in December.

He’d sent her a note asking her to meet him at the cottage.

Elise had bided her time, awaiting an opportune moment to slip out, but once she had, she ran all the way to the cottage, desperate to see James.

James had fallen asleep by the time she got to him, so Elise quickly undressed and slipped into bed next to him, pressing her body to his and burying her face in his neck as she inhaled his familiar smell.

She didn’t think she’d ever feel aroused again after the agony of the birth, but natural instinct took over, and she reached for him, wrapping her fingers around his shaft and stroking him lightly.

James woke with a start, his lips lifting at the corners as he smiled at her.

He didn’t say a word, just rolled her onto her back and slid inside her, silencing her cry of pleasure with his kiss.

Their lovemaking hadn’t lasted long, but the intensity of it took them both by surprise.

They weren’t just lovers anymore; they were parents, their son making them a family and bonding them to each other forever.

Elise still thought of that day often, reliving the memory of their last meeting when she felt lonely for James.

It’d taken her time to get pregnant with Charlie, but it seemed that this time her womb knew exactly what it was for.

Elise allowed her hand to stray to her abdomen.

What would Edward do to them if he learned the truth?

How severe a punishment would he devise? What could she do to avoid discovery?

Elise sat silently across from Edward, her questions locked away in her brain.

Perhaps it was best to play the complacent wife and see what Edward had in store for her.

It annoyed him when she questioned him, and he often did things just to spite her, like a child.

Elise was glad that it was Peg in the carriage with them and not Barbara.

Barbara made her uneasy lately. It was nothing specific, but the girl seemed more withdrawn than ever, except for times when she grew agitated and nearly hysterical.

She was traveling in the second carriage with Pete and Mistress Benford, who’d been ordered to join the staff of Asher Hall in the role of cook.

Edward worked under the assumption that half the staff were dead, and he was probably right.

Getting new people would not be easy, taking into account the death toll.

Everyone would be looking for new servants and stable boys—anyone who survived, that is.

Elise pulled aside the curtain and peered out once they passed through the city gate and were in London proper.

She’d been away for nine months, but it felt more like a decade.

The city looked gray and cold, the chimneys belching smoke into the air as subdued-looking people went about their business.

There were no death carts rattling down streets, nor were there any corpses to be seen, but the streets were less crowded, the people wary.

Many shops and taverns appeared to be closed, and there were still countless red crosses visible on doors, the paint not having been removed after the illness abated.

Everyone seemed older and grayer, even the children who appeared hunched over and sickly, their eyes following the carriage fearfully.

There were still cases of plague, but the epidemic had passed with the cold weather, and the people were slowly returning to their homes and businesses.

Easter was approaching, but there was no sense of impending holiday, no festive mood permeating the streets.

Edward had sent a letter ahead, instructing the house to be prepared for their arrival, and Elise hoped there had been someone left to receive it.

She was tired and travel sore, and she needed to use the chamber pot rather badly.

Charles slept peacefully, lulled by the rocking of the carriage.

He was a happy baby, and he gave his mother no trouble as long as he was dry and well-fed.

Elise thanked her lucky stars for having been granted time with her baby.

Once they settled into the London house, Edward would demand that she hand the child over to a nursemaid.

Well-bred ladies did not rear their own children.

Elise hated the thought but knew she would have to comply.

Whatever time she spent with Charlie would be when Edward wasn’t at home.

There was no point provoking him into an argument she couldn’t win; she’d simply go behind his back, as she did with everything else.

She hoped that James would get to see his son.

He’d be amazed at how much Charlie had changed in only four months, his expression now full of awareness and his toothless smile so beguiling.

Has there ever been a more beautiful baby? Elise wondered fondly.

She looked up at Edward and smiled sweetly.

If she were indeed with child, every day counted, and she had to do something to prevent a catastrophe.

At this stage, she could still say that the child came early, but if she waited much longer, there would be no way to hide the fact that she’d gotten with child long before they returned to London.

“Edward, would it not be prudent to give Charles a brother?” Elise asked as her heart pounded in her chest.

Edward tore his gaze away from the window and turned to face her, a look of astonishment on his face. “You’ve changed your tune,” he said, giving Elise a piercing stare. Elise could see the suspicion in his eyes and cringed inwardly, wondering if she’d made a mistake.

“I only wish to be a good wife to you, my lord,” Elise replied. “And children are so fragile,” she added.

“Yes, I see your point,” Edward said. “I thought to give you a reprieve, but perhaps it’s time,” he mused, giving her a smile at last. “I’m glad to see that you’ve come to understand and embrace your duty.”

“My only desire is to please you, Edward,” Elise said, lowering her eyes so that her husband wouldn’t see the derision in them.

She hated lying, and she detested Edward, but she would do anything to protect her unborn child and her love for James.

Perhaps she was becoming well-versed in duplicity at last.