“Shall we pay him a visit?”
“I think it would be prudent.”
“Debtor’s prison would be a nice place for him to rot. I want to marry Claire. Do you think you could get a special license for me?”
“I think we should handle this with Mayden as the first priority,” Robin said. “Let’s get this settled, and by the time we’re done, two more weeks will have passed and you can be married by banns.”
Claire had to stay in bed and rest for a week anyway, per the doctor’s or
ders.
“Her father is probably going to hit you when he finds out, even if you’re married to her by then.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“I would do the same for Anne.”
“Hell, I would do the same for Anne.” Finn repeated. He would. He loved his family, and he would love this child Claire was going to have.
***
Claire stretched wide beneath the counterpane as the sun filtered through the curtains and woke her. The sun was high in the sky, so she’d slept much longer than usual. The linens felt cool against her skin and she knew she’d been warm through the night with Finn wrapped around her. But now he was gone.
He hadn’t forgiven her when he’d come to bed. He’d just pulled her into his arms and murmured softly in her hair as she’d cried into the crook of his arm. But he’d held her and soothed her, and she’d finally exhausted herself and slept.
Did his being gone mean he was still angry at her? What if he didn’t want a fae child? She’d been so worried with the fear of having a human child that she hadn’t even considered that he might now fear having a fae child, one that could be taken from them if the circumstances weren’t just right.
He was in an impossible situation, and he had been in it since the day he’d met her. Guilt niggled at her conscience a bit as she reasoned with herself that this was all right. They would marry and they would have a child. Then they could move between the two worlds at will. She could continue to go on her missions, and he could continue to take care of his holdings, his investments, and manage his detective business.
She actually wanted to find out more about his business. As they’d lain there on the settee in the painting, he’d told her a little about his cases, but she’d fallen asleep in his lap before she’d heard much. Maybe over dinner tonight, she could ask him more questions.
Claire tossed the counterpane off and moved to get up. The physician had told her to stay in bed for at least a sennight. But certainly she could get up to use the chamber pot, couldn’t she? She took care of her personal needs and washed herself using his wash basin and a pitcher of cold water someone had left.
Claire still wore his dressing gown from the night before, and she belted it more tightly around her waist. But then she caught her reflection in the looking glass and unbelted the robe, slid it from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She stood in front of the full-length mirror and turned to the side. Her breasts were bigger than before. She hefted them in her hands and glared at herself.
Her stomach was slightly rounded, but it wasn’t overly large and she could probably go about in society for a few more months before she had to go into seclusion.
A knock sounded at the door and Claire jumped, sliding back into Finn’s dressing gown. “Come in,” she called, when she was tucked back beneath the counterpane.
Sophia opened the door and stepped through it, and behind her was their mother. “Good morning,” Sophia chimed. She took in Finn’s bedchamber as she walked into the room. “It seems a little odd to be visiting you here.”
Claire chuckled. “It’s a little odd to be here.”
“Well, I suppose you can’t leave, since the physician told you to stay in bed for a sennight,” Claire’s mother chimed.
“A sennight?” Sophia asked. “Goodness whatever did you do to yourself? Did you twist your ankle? Did you hit your head? Do you have a stomach ailment?” She felt Claire’s forehead with the back of her hand.
Claire grabbed for her hand. “I’m fine, really.”
“Well, you can’t possibly be fine if you have to stay abed for a week.” Sophia regarded her skeptically.
“I’m going to call for a tray,” her mother said. “Have you eaten anything yet?”
Claire yawned. “I just woke up, actually.”
Her mother slipped out of the room. Sophia pulled a chair closer to the bed and hissed, “Are you all right? Lord Phineas was at the Hall when I left, and he looked like he had a difficult night.”
Claire snorted. “I imagine finding out you have a child on the way is a difficult way to spend the night.”