Three months later
“Montague writes a very entertaining letter.” Hugo laughed again and shook his head. “I didn’t know he could draw. Not as well as your father, of course, but he has some skill with a pencil.”
Lara gazed at her husband across the dining table. Whenever he laughed, it played havoc with her insides, but she resisted the urge to round the table and straddle his thighs.
“See, he has drawn a little sketch of my mother in front of the amphitheatre in Verona.” Hugo passed the letter across the table and then tucked into his ham and eggs.
“They’re extending their stay.” Lara scanned the missive, looking for an indication of how long they might be away. “They intend to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum.” Lord, that would add weeks to their journey.
Hugo dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they went further afield. Neither of them have any real reason to return. In his last letter, your grandfather spoke of visiting a friend in Egypt.”
“Well, they’re certainly making the most of every second.” Lara looked at the food on her plate and almost heaved.
“As are we.” He arched a brow in the sinful way that usually had them racing upstairs.
Lord, she could not get enough of her husband.
Knowing she should try to eat something, she took toast from the silver rack and spent an age slathering butter from corner to corner while she read Montague’s letter.
“Would you like more toast with your butter?” Hugo teased.
She took one bite to appease him. One more and she might have to race from the table and cast up her accounts. While she considered herself a knowledgeable woman when it came to most things, she wished Penelope was around to offer advice in feminine matters.
Aware of her husband’s gaze, she looked up to find him staring intently. “You look tired this morning. A little pale. Am I to blame, for keeping you up late last night?”
Lara smiled at the memory of their midnight escapade to the tower. She had been tired, but Hugo had spent the last month overseeing the new decoration, creating a sitting room for her on the third floor that boasted fabulous views across the terrace. Of course, they’d fallen into bed and not returned to the main house until the early hours.
“Perhaps,” she said, “but I wouldn’t change last night for the world.”
He continued to study her with some suspicion as he sipped his coffee. “They’re finally starting work on the old bothy next week.”
“Are you sure you wish to see it razed to the ground?” Every time they walked past the brick building, thoughts of Mr Bellham and Miss Harper filled their heads. “It won’t change what happened.”
“The mere thought of that woman fills me with loathing.”
“Rest assured she is paying the price for her crime. In more ways than one.”
Lord Northcott had written to say that his sister had been committed to Bedlam indefinitely. Miss Harper’s mental state had deteriorated dramatically, and there was no hope of reprieve. The viscount had lost his principal investor as a result, but Hugo had advanced the lord capital on the condition he accepted advice on how to manage his investments.
“I cannot put Mr Sugden off again. That will be the third time I’ve changed my mind.” He narrowed his gaze and gestured to the food on her plate. “And this is the third morning in a row that you’ve struggled to eat your breakfast. You hardly ate much at dinner last night. Are you unwell?”
Now was the perfect opportunity to reveal her news. “Not unwell. But there is something I need to tell you, though not across the breakfast table.”
His smile faded, and his jaw firmed. It drew her mind back to the night she told him she was the worst of deceivers.
Lara pushed out of the seat, dropped her napkin onto the chair and walked around to sit on her husband’s lap. “I have something to confess.” She brushed the lock of black hair from his brow and kissed him on the lips.
He eyed her suspiciously. “You promised you wouldn’t lie to me again.”
“I’ve not lied to you, Hugo. I’ve been slim with the truth, but for good reason. I assure you.”
“Then I trust it is a matter of great importance.”
“It is.” She kissed him again, simply because she was addicted to the earthy taste of his lips. “I am almost certain that I am carrying our child. I didn’t want to tell you until I knew for sure.” She stroked her hand over his face. “Can you forgive me for not mentioning it sooner?”
His blue eyes glistened, and he swallowed numerous times before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. “I hoped as much but didn’t want to cause alarm.”
Surprised, Lara pulled back and looked him in the eye. “You knew?”