"I thought that she loved Ian. Ian certainly thought so."
"Yes, I'm sure that she did. The last words she spoke were about him."
"What did she say?"
"She wanted me to promise that she would be the one to show the baby to Ian."
"Then she must have known Hunter was the father."
"Yes, it seems likely."
"This is all my fault then. He was more my friend than Byron's. I'm the one who invited him home, and he repaid me by seducing my sister."
"Have you forgotten what delight Melissa took in flirting? I think Hunter might be the one who was seduced."
Elliott couldn't accept her view. "No, I know Hunter far better than you do, Alanna, but it's obvious I didn't know him nearly well enough when I brought him home. I admired his confidence, his courage. He was the only Indian who didn't desert us when the French attacked us at Great Meadows. Most of the men were afraid of him, and with good reason, but I considered him a friend. I wonder if he was laughing at me."
"I think Melissa broke his heart, and no, he was never laughing at you." Alanna rose to her feet and offered her hand. "Now come on, let's get back home. I'm sure we're needed there."
Once standing, Elliott kept hold of Alanna's hand. "Do you suppose we could find a blond baby somewhere, and swap him for Hunter's bastard?"
"I couldn't give Melissa's baby away, not even to save her reputation."
Elliott pondered her comment a moment, and then nodded. "I'll try and think of him as Melissa's child. Maybe that will help. Let's do whatever we can to keep everyone away from Christian, until after the funeral. We can provide Melissa with a peaceful burial, if little else."
"Yes, that's a fine idea. Let's just concentrate on laying her to rest. There will be plenty of time later, when everyone is feeling stronger, to reveal the truth."
Elliott brushed his dear cousin's cheek with a light kiss and, grateful that she was such a sympathetic young woman, he poured out his love for his sister the whole way home.
* * *
Ian had insisted upon having Melissa dressed in her wedding gown for burial, but Byron and Elliott had had to ply the young widower with brandy until he passed out before her body could be placed in a coffin. Even in death she was a rare beauty, and none of her family could bear to watch as the lid was nailed in place, and she was lost to them forever. That a young woman who had been so full of love and laughter had died so suddenly, robbing them of the opportunity to tell her goodbye, had left them all heartbroken and heavily burdened with despair.
The ride to the Bruton Parish Church for the funeral was one of the saddest journeys of Elliott's life, but he kept a close watch on Alanna. The rest of his family was too distraught to recall that she had already buried five of her loved ones, but he did not want Melissa's death to send her back into the fearful silence of her first years with them. Hoping that she would be reassured by his presence, he sat beside her in the carriage and held her hand.
Despite her cousin's worries, Alanna's thoughts were not focused on the past, but on the present, and how best to shield an innocent babe from what was surely to be the worst of scandals. Ian had not even inquired about his son; viewing his pain, Alanna hoped he did not ask to see Christian for several weeks. Perhaps by then he would be strong enough to accept the truth, and she would have found a way to relate it without breaking what was left of his heart.
She squeezed Elliott's hand as they reached the church, and his responding smile warmed her clear through. The day was overcast and cold, with a threat of rain. Melissa deserved better, but none of her friends had deserted her. The church was full, just as it had been for her wedding, only today the hymns were all sad laments rather than joyful tunes, and many people were too overcome by sorrow to sing.
With his father-in-law on one side and Byron on the other, Ian made it through the service without weeping as pitifully as he had at home, but his sagging shoulders and vacant stare made his suffering plain. Surrounded by mourners, his thoughts were filled with memories of his dear wife. He had expected to be with her for a lifetime, never suspecting the years she had been allotted would be so tragically few. He strove to appear courageous to honor her memory, but inside, all he craved was an early death, too.
Rachel fainted at the graveside, and John carried her back to their carriage, leaving Elliott and Alanna to help Byron look after Ian. Even after it began to rain and the other mourners hurried away, Ian refused to leave the cemetery. It wasn't until Byron took his arm in a firm grasp and physically forced him to go, that he was led away.
Once Byron had Ian seated in their carriage, he made what he thought was an excellent suggestion. "I think we ought to visit the wet nurse and see Christian. The poor little tyke hasn't had any visitors except Alanna, and that's not right. We have to make arrangements for his christening, too."
Rachel had recovered from her faint, but just barely, and the mention of her grandson brought back the all too vivid memories of Melissa's death, and she couldn't suppress a shudder. "No, please, Byron, this just isn't the time. Our friends will expect us to be home to receive condolence calls, and we can't disappoint them. The boy will have to wait."
"I'm not suggesting a lengthy visit, but we ought to at least look in on Christian whenever we're in Williamsburg," Byron argued.
"That's enough," John cautioned. "Your mother is right. We're all cold and wet, and this isn't the time to be anywhere but home."
"It ought to be Ian's decision, not yours," Byron chided. "Ian, what do you want to do?"
Ian just shook his head.
"You see," Rachel insisted. "He wants to go home, too. Now let's go. I don't want to lose any more children to pneumonia."
Obviously distressed, Byron sat back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. When the carriage lurched into motion, he glanced out at the falling rain rather than attempt any further conversation with his companions. Alanna squeezed Elliott's hand, and he nodded. It was time they shared Melissa's secret with Byron, but guests were already arriving by the time they reached home, and there was no opportunity to do so.