The Accidental Countess (The Aristocrat Diaries 3)

“For the thousandth time today, I am not pregnant.” I sighed, pulling the paracetamol out anyway. It was the only thing that ever worked for Adelaide’s cramps, whereas aspirin was my go-to. “I took a test this morning and you know it was negative.”

“I know. I crept into your bathroom.”

“Ffion!”

“I wanted to make sure you weren’t lying.” She shrugged, then finally looked up. “Eva, there’s two of you.”

This was going to be a long week.

“Ffion, this is my twin sister, Adelaide. Addy, this is Ffion, Matthew’s grandmother. I’m not sure if you met at the wedding.” I made the introduction with a flippant wave of my hand, then passed my sister the paracetamol.

Adelaide smiled at her. “It’s lovely to see you again.”

Ffion narrowed her eyes. “Are you the one marrying Alexander?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I remember you now. Are you pregnant?”

This woman was so obsessed with pregnancy that I was going to send her to the nearest maternity ward. She’d find what she was looking for there.

A doula course, perhaps. Keep her busy.

Adelaide coughed. “No, I am not pregnant.”

Ffion lowered her knitting. “Are you sure? One of you is, and it could very well be you since you’re twins and Eva insists she’s not.”

“Ffion, what are you doing?” Eleanor walked into the kitchen and did a double-take. “Adelaide, darling, it’s lovely to see you again.”

Adelaide accepted her embrace. “You, too, Eleanor. How are you?”

“Well, thank you. Yourself? How’s the wedding planning going?”

“Pregnant,” Ffion offered. “One of them is, anyway.”

I dropped my chin to my chest and leaned on the kitchen island.

“Are we still talking about this?” Eleanor asked. “Eva took a test. You know it’s negative because you rummaged through her bathroom bin.”

I had to get a lock for that door.

“Tests can be wrong, Eleanor. You did six before you found out with Matthew.”

“Yes, but that was thirty years ago. They’re much more sensitive now. I’m sure if Eva was pregnant, it would have shown up.”

“The other one could be.” Ffion resumed her knitting, clinking the needles together this time. “Twins are strange things.”

I glanced at Adelaide.

We’d been called worse.

“I could be picking up on her pregnancy through Eva,” Ffion continued, her attention entirely on whatever it was she was creating.

Eleanor brought one hand up to the side of her face and rubbed her temple. “Do you need to lie down?”

“I’m not wrong, Eleanor.”

“All right, but perhaps we give it a rest for now before poor Eva’s head explodes.” She glanced at me, winking. “Besides, if you’re right, do you really want to be upsetting either her or Adelaide?”

Ffion stilled, her needles halfway through a stitch. She slowly raised her gaze to us and looked at us both, then settled on Eleanor. “I suppose not, no.”

“Right. Then we should put this theory to bed until either a period or a positive test shows up.”

“All right, then.” She dropped her eyes again and went back to knitting. “I’d still prefer they both stick to paracetamol, though.”

“Yes, fine,” I replied, mostly to humour her. “We will only take paracetamol.”

“And refrain from alcohol.”

“And refrain from alcohol,” Adelaide echoed. “You have our word.”

“And cream cheese. Last I heard, it was bad for your heart, but you know those scientists. They only follow the science if it pays them these days.” Ffion nodded once to punctuate her point.

Eleanor shook her head, turning around and walking out of the kitchen.

Adelaide peered over at me, and we both shared a moment of uneasiness.

This thing with Ffion was getting out of hand.

CHAPTER TWENTY

EVA

“It was nice of Eleanor to watch Olympia so we could have dinner.” Adelaide tore a piece of bread in two and looked over the table at me. “Although I think Olympia is more interested in the dogs.”

“Same, to be honest,” I muttered.

“Eva, something’s wrong. Is it everything Ffion has said?”

I sighed. “A little. I don’t know, Addy. She’s been going on about it since last night, and I took a test to make her stop, but it only seems to have spurred her on.”

She tore the bread again and put a piece into her mouth, chewing slowly. “Is she teasing, or does she really think you’re pregnant?”

“I don’t know. I know the reason they went to Greece was to give us some privacy after we got married, and Matthew said it was so we could have a baby.”

“That sounds like the kind of thing every mum and grandma we know would do. I would expect Elizabeth to do the same thing after me and Alex get married, and she’d probably take Olympia with her, too.”

“I know, but I just… We aren’t doing that yet.”

She frowned. “Wasn’t that the entire reason for this?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, but we agreed to wait until I was settled in.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Of course.” She put the bit of bread down. “Are you feeling better about it all now that you’ve had a chance to breathe?”