The American Heir: A Jet City Billionaire Romance

  Haley looked to me for an answer.

  "Sea—"

  She cut me off. "We haven't discussed it. It's all still new to us. We just found out we were pregnant yesterday." Her smile was beautiful and happy. "We'll let you know as soon as we decide."

  She hesitated. "I have an important question for you, doctor. I know it's usual to wait to announce a pregnancy until ten to twelve weeks along. To, you know, see if it sticks." She bit her lip, looking too damn vulnerable. "But the news, or rumors of it, anyway, is out already. So I thought…well…

  "The duke and I have scheduled a press conference this afternoon to confirm the news and silence any rumors. We can cancel it, if you think that's best." She sounded suddenly young and uncertain.

  The doctor patted her hand in a fatherly way. "I understand the concern. Normally, I would say wait. But in this case the pregnancy looks quite healthy. It's your private decision to make. But I don't see any danger signs."

  She nodded and relaxed. "Thank you for putting my mind at ease. Whatever happens, I think the truth is always best." She flashed a challenging look at me. "If something does go wrong, it will be a comfort to have other people's support and not suffer in secrecy and silence."

  She was talking to me again.

  "It's an honor to be attending a duchess' pregnancy, in whatever capacity you allow. Attending to a high-profile aristocratic pregnancy will be a happy first in my career," Dr. Turner said. "I don't get too many firsts this late in life. Maybe some of your celebrity will rub off on me."

  "I'm not sure you'll really want that celebrity once you get it," Haley said. "I wouldn't be surprised if a pack of reporters aren't already hanging about the lobby and trampling your lawn." Her laugh was tinkling and magical. She was so damned happy about this baby. "It's too bad the late duke never had children or grandchildren for you to deliver."

  The doctor laughed. "Quite so. It was a disappointment to the entire village that there have been no heirs born here in the last hundred-odd years. It would have been a great honor to deliver one."

  "I imagine you've delivered babies on the estate, though?" Haley arched a brow.

  I knew what she was up to, but she was smooth.

  Dr. Turner shook his head. "No. I can't rightly say I have. Old Gibson, of course, never married or had children that I know of.

  "The gamekeeper, Bird, is the only one from the estate proper who's had children since I started my practice here. And him just the one son. I didn't deliver his boy. He was born out of the country. In China, I believe."

  Haley tensed and her eyes lit up. I froze.

  "Nice-looking, strapping lad," the doctor said. "Never favored his mother much. Looks like his father, but with all the best features. Nineteen or twenty by now, I believe. Away at university. I imagine you'll meet him soon enough when he comes home for break. He has aspirations to work at the castle for you like his father and carry on the family tradition.

  "I believe his mother would have been proud of him, too, if she were still alive. Bird's been a widower now for over five years. It's a miracle one of the village widows hasn't snapped him up."

  "Bird's wife was from around here?" Haley asked. She looked almost crestfallen, but was clearly trying to cover it.

  "Yes, indeed. A local girl. She and Bird grew up together." Dr. Turner set his stethoscope on the counter.

  "They're very lucky, then. It's lovely here." Haley sounded so genuine. "Very different from Seattle. Quite homogenous. Even the duke and I stick out as Americans, and we both have British heritage."

  Dr. Turner laughed. "Well, I can't say as we've had many American dukes before." He grinned at me.

  I thought that if I hadn't been the duke, he would have winked.

  "But you're right," the doctor said. "We don't have the diversity of people or culture here that you'll find in London."

  Haley was on fire as we left the doctor's office and headed to the post office to mail her birth control pills to the lab.

  "We have to talk to Bird." Her voice was fierce with passion and her face set with determination.

  "Haley—"

  "No, don't." She took my arm. "It's too much coincidence that he was in China around the same time as Sid was born. He must know something. Either the duke sent him there to take care of things or—" She gasped. "He could be Sid's biological father—"

  "Didn't you hear what Dr. Turner said? Bird's son is his and his wife's. At best, if Bird had an affair with a Chinese girl, the son of his we know about would be a half-sibling. Not the full one Thorne thinks exists."

  "A half-sibling is better than nothing." The fierceness was on her face now. "My grandfather wasn't the monster you think he was. If you'd read his letters to Helen…"

  She paused. "You must read his letters to Helen. He loved her and, by extension, me. I'm the last thing left of her. He knew I love Sid. He may not be above using her health to blackmail me. But I think he believed he was blackmailing me for my own good.

  "He left a cure for Sid. I know he did. We just have to find him or her. I'm equally sure Rans hid it. But I'm his granddaughter. I have his wily mind. I'm only beginning to realize that."

  Chapter 5

  Haley

  Riggins was quiet as we went to the post office and mailed my pills off to the lab he'd chosen for testing. Personally, I didn't think it was likely that they'd been tampered with. But I was desperate to find out how the Dead Duke had made sure I'd gotten pregnant. The first step was eliminating the obvious—substituting my pills with placebos. That would have been hard to do. But what would the results say to Riggins if the results came back that the pills were genuine? Would he think I was trying to throw him off course?

  He had to believe that I wasn't duplicitous and complicit with the Dead Duke's plan for me to bear an heir. Our relationship and future happiness depended on it. Even now, with the strain, suspicion, and doubt between us, I wanted Riggins more than life itself. I couldn't imagine life without him. Or with him only on the periphery as we shuttled a child between us. My plan hadn't changed—win his heart and find Sid's cure.

  My mind whirled with possibilities. Why had I not known that Bird had gone to China around the time Sid was born? Why was he the one person on the estate that I hadn't met?

  On the one hand, that was all completely logical. Other than delivering fresh game to the castle kitchen, there was little need for the gamekeeper to be at the castle. He had his own cottage on the edge of the estate and his job was in the field, not indoors.

  The wildlife was Riggins' domain. By longstanding tradition, game management was the duke's purview, not the duchess'. My great-grandfather had known I wasn't interested in hunting or wildlife particularly, so why would I interfere with tradition?

  No, the wily old man had counted on Riggins taking care of it, buying me time to get pregnant before I discovered Sid's cure. He wouldn't have wanted me to find the cure and get out of the deal before producing a child that bound.

  But now I felt an urgency to talk to Bird. As soon as possible. First, though, I had to get through the rest of the day. The sun was shining and had warmth when you stood directly in it, though the air was still cool. The sunshine gave me courage. Riggins and I had unfinished business. Yes, he was stinging from thoughts of betrayal. I was hurting, too.

  It had been foolish, maybe, to think he'd chosen me over Rose for myself. Before I knew about my true connection to Rans and Helen, I could even believe I was Riggins' choice. It had been a pleasant fantasy. But now that the results of the DNA test were clear and I knew about them, I was washed in doubt. It sounds stupid, really, but the sunny day gave me courage. What could possibly go wrong on a beautiful day like this? Besides everything?

  The dress shop was a few blocks down and over from the post office. Everything was within comfortable walking distance of the castle and everything else. I loved the village. It had a relaxed feeling reminiscent of a simpler era, even though things were anything but uncomplicated for anyone.
But it gave the illusion of it, anyway.

  As we strolled to the shop, I nibbled on some crackers I'd brought with me in my oversize purse. We'd decided beforehand to have tea at the castle after we finished our errands. But I couldn't go long between meals without snacking on something.

  I stopped suddenly, catching Riggins by surprise. "You knew I was Helen's grandchild as soon as the DNA results came back. That's what you meant by unusual results. I was too closely related to be a great-niece."

  He gave me a startled look. "What?"

  "You knew," I said again, watching him closely.

  He shifted his weight from one foot to the other before finally nodding. "Yes."

  "Did you check my DNA against the Dead Duke's?" I had to know. If he wasn't going to love me, I had to have a reason not to trust or love him.

  "No." He held my gaze.

  "But you must have suspected. Why else would the Dead Duke be so adamant that I had to marry you?" I couldn't understand his lack of curiosity.

  "For the reason the will stated—that he wanted his and Helen's DNA to continue the line, meaning me and a descendant of Helen. I didn't question it. If he wanted to hand hundreds of millions over to a descendant of Helen and another man, it wasn't my business."

  I looked him in the eye. "I don't believe that. You're not that incurious."

  "You're calling me a liar?" His tone was surprisingly neutral, but his eyes were narrow, as if he was barely hanging on to his sense of control.

  "I believe you didn't have my DNA tested against his. I don't believe your reason." I touched his arm, trying to be conciliatory without letting him completely off the hook.

  His expression softened. "You're too damned sharp, duchess."

  "You would have preferred a stupider woman?" I squeezed his arm.

  He shook his head. "In this instance, maybe."

  "So? Why didn't you check the DNA?" I wasn't giving up.

  "Because I'm a coward." He covered my hand resting on his arm with his hand. "I didn't want to know the answer in case it obligated me to more than I was prepared to deal with. I talked to Thorne about the possibilities and asked if there was any way to give the estate to you in case you were the duke's great-granddaughter. Not that I had any intention of finding out for sure."

  Riggins held my gaze. "Thorne explored it. But the will, and the poison pill, are airtight. I can't give the estate to you, even though you're from the direct line and the last heir of it.

  "I'm sorry to shatter your illusions of him, Haley. The Dead Duke didn't just want his great-granddaughter to have the estate because of a sentimental notion of familial love. He wanted the estate intact with a duke from his line running it." He sounded genuinely sorry.

  A lump formed in my throat. I nodded. "Don't be. I believe nothing less of him." I paused. "Are the DNA results you knew about why you chose me over Rose?"

  "Partly."

  "Oh." I looked up into his eyes, which were suddenly dancing with devilment. "Only partly? There's more to it?" My heart raced. I was hoping there was much more to it.

  "I suppose I thought you would be more compliant."

  I gave him a gentle shove.

  "Clearly, I was wrong." He laughed softly. "I'm not the best judge of character."

  "Obviously not." I smiled back at him, still looking for more.

  Riggins took my arm. "Time to be doing the shops. We're keeping the shopkeeper waiting. Let's go buy you a new dress to wear to our big announcement."

  It was a clever diversionary tactic, but eventually he would have to tell me his true feelings for me. "Your British is coming along quite nicely."

  He grinned as we started walking. "I've been studying while I was gone. I had to do something to fill the lonely hours."

  I looked up at him sharply, trying to see if he was still joking with me. He was looking straight ahead with an inscrutable expression, damn him.

  The shopkeeper, Heidi, met us at the door and showed us to a private fitting room. Heidi was about Riggins' age, I guessed. And stylishly dressed. Her little shop was well laid out, gently perfumed, and elegantly stocked. Her mother, Linda, worked with her as her shop assistant and was on hand to help with my selection. This was an important event for them, too. And could mean a boatload of future business for them when word got out that they had outfitted the duchess for her press conference to announce her first pregnancy.

  Riggins was shown an upholstered chair in the waiting area where I could parade in front of both him and a trifold mirror. I was shown to a fitting room where a rack of dresses in my size had been wheeled, waiting for me.

  Linda and Heidi were both pleasant and friendly. It wasn't hard to get them chatting. In short order, I discovered they'd both been born and raised in the village. Heidi had gone away to London to fashion school and come home to set up shop. Linda was immensely proud of her daughter. Neither of them knew much about the late duke.

  "Never met him," Linda said when I asked about him. "Kept himself to himself. The new duke is already much more friendly and available." She peeked in Riggins' direction, even though he was outside the closed door of the fitting room in the viewing area waiting for us.

  Her eyes got a friendly sparkle. "And continuing the tradition of being very handsome, besides." She grinned at me. "We're proud of our dukes. The Dukes of Witham have a reputation for cutting fine figures. The late duke was reportedly quite handsome in his younger years, and not bad looking at the end, for a man in his hundreds." She winked.

  Heidi and I chuckled with her.

  "That seems to be the general consensus of the late duke," I said. "Why was he so reclusive? Does anybody know? Was he just shy? Or arrogant?" I slid into one of the dresses they'd pulled for me to try on.

  "There might have been some arrogance. He was from another era," Linda said, "when the aristocracy had more power and respect. But I think he liked his solitude and didn't find much pleasure in other's company. We've been friends with the Bird family for years. They've never had but good to say about the late duke."

  My ears perked up. But I also had to admit to a certain amount of deceit and spying. I had known of the connection between the families beforehand. Our chef, Alice, had mentioned it. Which was part of the reason I'd decided to get a new dress when I had a closetful that would do.

  I'd made the arrangements as part of my general plan to check up on anyone who'd been with the castle for a long time, before I'd known Bird had gone to China. I was even more interested now.

  "Bird, as we call your gamekeeper, has always spoken highly of the late duke. Said he was loyal to his employees and generous with them."

  "That's good to hear," I said as Heidi zipped me into a dress. Back zippers were such a pain. I turned sideways and admired myself in the mirror, certain Riggins would have an opinion on the dress.

  Heidi stood back. "Very pretty, madam."

  I nodded, still studying myself. "We'll have to get the duke's opinion." I pursed my mouth, wondering if the dress was right for the occasion. "He has a good eye for fashion."

  I turned to the other side to view myself from another angle. "Someone mentioned to me recently that Bird spent some time in China. Many years ago, I think?"

  Linda nodded. "Yes, madam. Almost twenty, if I remember right. He spent a year, at least. The late duke sent him there to learn some Chinese techniques for keeping game and to look into get some rare Chinese birds for the estate. The late duke was rather fond of the rare and exotic."

  "Bird's wife was alive then?" I asked. "She went with him?"

  "She was." Linda nodded. "She joined him later, after he'd been there several months at least. She was a hard woman. Many thought the marriage wasn't particularly happy. It was certainly childless for many years. But she came back from China with a baby boy and seemingly happy about it. Though the marriage seemed strained for a long time after they came home. And there were never more children."

  She smoothed the shoulders of my dress. "She was proud of her
boy, though. Right up to the end. She passed away five years ago now. Cancer."

  "Very sad." I faced the mirror head-on. It may have been subtle to everyone else, but I was sure I was already losing the definition of my waist. The dress I was trying on was belted and fitted at the waist. I wouldn't be able to wear it long at all. I bit my lip, not wanting to give away the news too soon, although the gossip was already all over the village. "I'm not sure about this one. Maybe something with an empire waist?"

  Heidi smiled knowingly. "Certainly, madam. An empire waist would be smashing on you."

  I turned my back to her to have her unzip the dress.

  "You don't want to show this one to the duke before you take it off?" Heidi said.

  "No. I can pass on this one on my own." I held in my breath as she unzipped me. "Bird has never remarried?"

  Linda chimed in. "No, and there's many village women who'd be eager enough to catch him. I have a few friends myself who'd be up for the task of being Mrs. Bird. He comes from a respected family, has a good job and a nice cottage on your estate. For life, as the old duke stipulated." She winked at me. "There's more than one woman my age who wouldn't mind settling down on the estate."

  I laughed. "Do you know—I haven't even been to the cottage. What do you think Mr. Bird would do if I paid him a surprise visit?" I wasn't joking. Not really. I had to talk to him.

  "He'd jump right out of his skin. You'd give him the start of his life, I imagine." Heidi laughed. "I don't think he's used to entertaining, especially not duchesses."

  "So why hasn't Bird remarried? Was the last Mrs. Bird the love of his life?" I slipped into another dress.

  "I shouldn't say so," Linda said. "He was henpecked right to the end, which is sort of sad, given his name."

  I nodded. My lips twitched. I liked these two women with their good humor.

  Linda sighed. "He came back from China a changed man, though, he did. More serious. More melancholy than I remember him being when we were in school together years ago." Linda zipped me and tugged the dress until it hung perfectly. "You look lovely! You have to show the duke this one."