Abruptly, Nick rose to his feet, a sense of urgency in his gaze. “Where is she? I need to see her.” With his eyes fixed on Eleanor, he stepped forward. “Tell me where she is. You said she’s hiding out in the country. Where?”
Her gaze narrowing, Eleanor shook her head. “I don’t think she wishes to see you. Mother said she was very shaken when you refused to mar−”
Frowning, Nick interrupted her. “But I didn’t. I had every intention of marrying her until she sent me a letter informing me that she’d changed her mind. I tried to speak to her after that but she was suddenly gone. All this time I thought she had married another.” Shaking his head, he stepped forward, eyes intent on Eleanor. “But she’s not married, is she?”
“She’s not,” Eleanor replied, and Nick’s shoulders slumped in relief. “That’s the problem.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Nick closed his eyes for a moment before seeking Eleanor’s gaze once again. “I don’t know what happened or how this misunderstanding came to be, but I can assure you that it is nothing more than a misunderstanding. I never would have left her. I loved her. I still love her.” Shaking his head, Nick sighed, and Henry could see Eleanor’s resolve wavering. “To this day, I haven’t been able to forget about her, and if she’ll have me, I’ll marry her on the spot.”
A gentle smile drew up Eleanor’s lips, and Henry took her hand in his urging her to look at him. “He’s telling the truth,” Henry said with a glance at his brother. “These past few months he has been a mere shadow of himself. He’s been mourning her loss.” Looking at his brother, Henry shook his head. “And I never knew. I’m deeply sorry, Brother, that I didn’t see your pain, didn’t recognise it for what it was.”
Nick shrugged. “That is all in the past now. Lady Eleanor, please,” he begged, “will you tell me where she is?”
Taking a deep breath, Eleanor nodded, hope lighting up her eyes as she turned to look at Henry. “I shall speak to my brother without delay,” she said before whispering in his ear, “Maybe we shall all find our happily-ever-after.”
Squeezing her hand before she hastened away, Henry then turned to his brother, a relieved smile on his face. “Tell me about Corinne.”
A deep smile came to Nick’s face, the likes of which Henry had not seen in months.
Chapter Eleven − Not Gone Forever
Despite feeling guilty for abandoning their guests, Eleanor could not wait to set out for Halford House and see Corinne and Nick reunited.
Since her mother insisted on accompanying them, two carriages were readied, and within the hour, they were on the road. At first, Nick had demanded to be told where Corinne was so that he could ride ahead on horseback and reach the estate faster. However, still not convinced of his intentions, Lady Stanhope had refused to name their destination and glared at Eleanor until she had promised not to breathe a word of it either.
“I’m responsible for her,” her mother huffed as they began their journey south. “I’ve already failed her once. I shall not allow her to be confronted by a man whose intentions are still not clear.”
“Not clear?” Nick demanded, a touch of outrage in his voice. “My intentions have always been clear. I never once−”
“Calm down, Brother,” Henry interrupted, placing a soothing hand on his arm. “It is admirable that she is protecting her niece so diligently. After all, she barely knows us, and our brothers’ reputations would worry any decent parent.”
“There you have it,” Lady Stanhope huffed, still unable not to glare at Nick.
Seeing her mother’s narrowed gaze as it swept Henry’s face in puzzlement, Eleanor had to suppress a smile. “Mother, can you once more tell us what happened?” she asked, seeking to uncover the origin of this rather unfortunate misunderstanding concerning her cousin and Henry’s brother. “Why did Corinne believe that he no longer wished to marry her?”
Her mother drew in a deep breath, her gaze shooting daggers in Nick’s direction. “As far as she told me, they were bound for Gretna Green−not the most civilised way to get married, I might add−when she received a letter from him, saying that he had changed his mind. He wrote that he must have been mad to consider matrimony and was now more convinced than ever that he would never relinquish the carefree life of a bachelor that he’d always loved.” A growl rose from her mother’s throat. “What a scoundrel! I cannot believe I’m allowing him to see Corinne. I must be mad!”
Frowning, Eleanor looked at Nick just as he opened his mouth. “I never sent such a letter,” he defended himself, outrage burning in his eyes. “Why would I? I admit I might have acted wrongly on occasion, but that was of in the past moment I met Corinne. In fact, it was I who received a letter.”
“That is very strange,” Eleanor mumbled glancing from Nick to Henry, “that you both received letters that the other never sent. Who on earth sent these letters? And why?”
Glancing at her mother, Eleanor waited, hoping that this was not yet another way her mother had meddled in affairs that were not her own…at the time tragically unaware that Corinne had already been with child.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Lady Stanhope snapped at her before she could open her mouth. “Had I known about their relationship, considering his reputation, I surely would have told her not to see him again. However, I would never hide behind forged letters. That is beneath me!”
Turning her gaze to Henry, Eleanor froze when she suddenly realised that something seemed to bother him as his body had gone rigid and his eyes were open wide. The moment their gazes locked, he swallowed and his hands clenched into fists as he tried to remain outwardly calm.
Drawing in a deep breath, Eleanor could barely keep herself from asking him what he had just realised. However, there was something in his gaze that urged her to keep quiet.
Fidgeting in her seat, Eleanor prayed that the three days to Halford House would pass quickly. However, with each day, Nick grew more restless. Every night when they stopped at an inn, he urged them to continue through the night and growled at them whenever Lady Stanhope refused. By the third day when Halford House finally came in sight, Nick was beside himself with anxiety, his face haggard from lack of sleep and his eyes blood-shot as he had spent most of the journey staring out the window, barely saying a word.
As the two carriages drew up in front of the small estate, Nick jumped out before the wheels had even stopped turning. Lady Stanhope shrieked in outrage and made to follow him until Eleanor grabbed her arm and held her back. When the carriage had finally drawn to a halt, Henry stepped out, helped them both down before they immediately rushed toward the open front door without another glance at her brother’s family in the second carriage.
The moment they stepped into the front hall, Corinne’s startled shriek reached their ears, rushing them onward to the drawing room.
***
Cursing under his breath, Henry hastened down the corridor, following in his brother’s footsteps, praying that he had not done something unwise in his desire to see Corinne. However, when Henry burst into the drawing room and found the woman he presumed to be Corinne standing at the far wall, a hand clutched to her chest as she stared at his brother wide-eyed, open terror in her gaze, he realised that his brother’s mere presence was enough to scare her out of her wits.
“This is unacceptable behaviour!” Lady Stanhope panted as she rushed through the doors, Eleanor on her heels. Her eyes darted back and forth between Corinne and Nick, and she immediately strode forward, positioning herself in-between them, her eyes fixed on Henry’s brother. “I must insist that you leave at once!”
Nick drew in a slow breath, and Henry could see the deep emotions that pulsed under his seemingly calm demeanour. His gaze was fixed on Corinne, barely acknowledging Lady Stanhope’s presence. Almost lovingly, he looked at her, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
After her initial shock, Corinne, too, seemed to have slipped into some sort of trance as her light green eyes swept over Nick’s face
. Swallowing, she took a step back until her back came to rest against the wall, and she took a deep breath, brushing a trembling hand over her face as though she feared she had strayed into a dream. Her auburn hair ran over her shaking shoulders, and her other hand rested gently on her protruding belly. Although Henry had very little experience with pregnant women, he thought that the birth of his niece or nephew was not far off.
“What are you doing here?” Corinne asked as her eyes filled with tear, and she shook her head as though the movement could banish Nick from the room.
Swallowing, Nick took a step toward her.
Instantly, Corinne sucked in a sharp breath, and the tears in her eyes spilled over. “Please, go,” she begged, hugging her arms around her body. “I can’t,” she stammered, still shaking her head. “I can’t. Not after everything you did to me. I can’t. You can’t be here. I’m not strong enough to mourn you again.”
Silently, Eleanor stepped forward and drew her mother aside, who−to Henry’s great surprise−allowed her daughter to lead her to the other side of the room. However, no matter what Eleanor said they could not persuade her to leave. “I need to be certain that he does not hurt her,” Lady Stanhope insisted, and for the first time, Henry felt a touch of understanding as he knew the desire to protect someone only too well.
On the other side of the small drawing room, Nick ran his hand through his hair, his eyes tortured as he saw Corinne’s fear. After a couple of deep breaths, he finally said, “I received a letter from you.”
Watching him, Corinne frowned, the pain in her gaze shifting to confusion. “What letter?”
“A letter saying that you no longer wished to marry me,” Nick explained, carefully taking a step toward her, “that you had received an offer from a titled gentleman, and that you wished to marry him instead.”
With each word he spoke, Corinne’s eyes grew wider.
“It broke my heart,” Nick said, his voice thick with emotions as open tears streamed down his face. “These past few months have been torture, imagining you in the arms of another man. It nearly killed me.”
Corinne swallowed. “I never sent such a letter.” The muscles in her jaw tensed. “I received one from you. You wrote that…” Again, she swallowed back tears. “You wrote that you didn’t love me anymore. You wrote that you didn’t want to marry me after all.” With wide eyes, she stared at Nick, and Henry could read the longing to have her assumptions refuted on her face. And yet, she remained tense, afraid to allow herself to hope.
“I didn’t,” Nick finally said, his gaze holding hers, willing her to believe him. “I never wrote such a letter as it is not true.” He swallowed. “I still love you.”
At his words, Corinne’s knees almost buckled and a heavy sob escaped her. Crying openly, she shook her head as Nick stepped toward her. “Don’t. Please, don’t. I beg you don’t play with me.”
Slowly, Nick approached her. “I’m not. I would never. It’s not only your heart that is in danger here; it is mine as well.” Looking deep into her eyes, he held out his hand to her. “I don’t know who sent these letters…or why. All I know is that I never wanted to be without you, and the past few months did nothing to change that. I still want you.”
A soft smile came to Corinne’s face as she looked up into Nick’s eyes, her own shining with careful hope. “Is that true?” she asked, her voice trembling as she carefully slipped her hand into Nick’s. “Can I trust you? I did before and then…”
“I would never have left you, had I known,” Nick vowed as his fingers closed around hers more tightly. “Had I known you never wanted me to leave, nothing could have persuaded me from your side.” Nick took a deep breath. “I love you, Corinne, and I have from the moment I first laid eyes on you.”
A nervous chuckle escaped Corinne as she allowed Nick to pull her into his arms. “I love you, too,” she whispered, awe shining in her eyes as she looked up at him. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Swallowing, Nick nodded. “I thought so, too.” Lowering his head to hers, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips that had Lady Stanhope huff in indignation. Eleanor, however, glanced up at Henry, and a large smile came to her lips as tears glistened in her eyes.
“Marry me,” Nick said suddenly.
Pulling back, Corinne looked at him, a puzzled frown on her face. “What?”
“We were supposed to be married for months,” he said, the frown lines on his face slowly dissipating as a smile claimed his mouth, “and this is my child, is it not?” Despite the question, his voice held no doubt, and he gently placed a hand on Corinne’s swollen belly.
“Do you truly want this?” Corinne asked, hesitation still giving her voice a slight tremble.
“I’ve always wanted this,” Nick assured her, his face suddenly at ease as though the past few months had only been a bad dream. “Marry me.”
For another moment, Corinne hesitated, too overcome by these sudden events. However, before Nick had time to doubt her feelings for him, she nodded her head yes, flinging her arms around his neck. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Hugging her tightly, Nick closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, savouring the moment he had feared would never come.
“We’ll better call for a priest then,” Henry said, holding out his hand to Eleanor, who smiled at him in a way that made him weak in the knees.
As they were about to step from the room, a low groan slipped from Corinne’s lips and she leaned forward, holding her belly. “And the midwife,” she panted, her face contorting in pain.
Chapter Twelve − Love Trumps Rules
“The priest alone will do you no good,” her brother pointed out as Eleanor and her mother helped Corinne up the stairs and toward her bedroom, Nick by her side, unwilling to part with her for even a moment. “They’ll need a special license. We’ll have to go to London.”
“That’s three days!” Henry’s voice rang out from the hall.
“In a carriage, yes,” Arthur objected. “On horseback, we’ll be faster.”
“What if that baby is born before they can get married?” Henry asked, deep concern in his voice. “What do we do then?”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Arthur said. “Let’s make haste.”
As their voices faded away, Eleanor took a deep breath, praying that all would be well.
Upon reaching Corinne’s room, Eleanor’s mother took over, bellowing commands and giving orders like a field officer in battle. Within moments, Corinne was changed and in bed, fresh linens and water on the side table, a stable boy sent to fetch the midwife, and the maids set to the task of boiling water and providing everything else the midwife might need for birthing Corinne’s child.
With a touch of awe, Eleanor sat at Corinne’s right bedside, Nick on the other, and watched as her mother did what she did best: take control of a situation.
Only this time, Eleanor was beyond grateful to hear her mother’s steady voice, giving orders and telling them all what to do.
Never had it felt so reassuring.
“You,” Lady Stanhope hissed, a finger pointing at Nick, “out! This is no place for a man!”
With lips pressing into a thin line, Nick shook his head, his arm still wrapped around Corinne’s shoulders while she squeezed his other hand every time a contraction shook her body. “I will not leave,” he stated in a tone that allowed for no argument. “I left her before, and it was the worst thing I could have ever done. I’m staying.”
Annoyed, Lady Stanhope opened her mouth, ready to talk him into submission, when she suddenly stopped. Her eyes narrowed as she regarded him, but Nick did not flinch, his own gaze unwavering. “Fine,” Lady Stanhope snapped before spinning on her heel and striding over to the window, throwing it open to allow some fresh air inside.
Eleanor smiled at the subtle sign of approval that she had seen in her mother’s eyes at Nick’s insistence to remain by Corinne’s side.
Less than an hour later, Diana walked into the room, the midw
ife on her heel. Although a short and slender woman, her greying hair pulled back and tugged into a chignon, she moved with precision and self-assurance, and Eleanor noticed Corinne sigh in relief at the sight of her. “How are you, my dear?” the midwife asked, feeling Corinne’s belly. “I’m Mrs. Hamstead. This is your first child?”
Corinne nodded, then gritted her teeth as another contraction held her in its clutches.
Watching Corinne intently, Mrs. Hamstead patted her hand once the contraction had passed. “You’re doing fine, my dear. However, it will probably be a while. The first ones always take their time.” Then her eyes fell on Nick and immediately narrowed. “I must ask you to leave,” she said, her voice as firm as Lady Stanhope’s had been. “The birthing room is no place for a man.”
Corinne cringed, and her fingers dug deeper into Nick’s arm.
Nick, however, remained calm, gently pulling her tighter into his arms. “As I said before I−”
“I recommend you save your breath, Mrs. Hamstead,” Lady Stanhope interrupted, a look of amused annoyance in her gaze as she rolled her eyes. “He is fairly stubborn and will not quit the room no matter what you say.”
While Mrs. Hamstead looked displeased, a large smile came to Nick’s face. “I do believe that is the only nice thing you’ve ever said about me,” he observed, watching in amusement as Lady Stanhope shrugged her shoulders, refusing to look at him.
“If you consider this a compliment, dear boy,” she snorted, “you certainly must have been a scoundrel in your day.”
“That is in the past,” Nick assured her, all humour gone from his gaze. “From now on, I shall only be a husband and father.”
Lady Stanhope snorted. However, Eleanor noticed the slight curl that had come to her lips at Nick’s words, and she gently squeezed Corinne’s hand, whispering, “All shall be well, dear Cousin. With Mother on your side, you have nothing to fear.”