Chapter Two

Six months later.

Lucas placed his hand gently on Constance's rounded belly. He felt the baby kick from within and rested his hand for a moment longer before pulling away. "Another three weeks, I would say."

Constance frowned. "Another three weeks? Like this? I have not seen my own feet in months."

Lucas smiled. "Surely you exaggerate."

"Well, it feels like months. You cannot know what this is like."

"And I shan't, as a male. Thank God."

Constance laughed and Lucas joined her. She hadn't laughed or even smiled much since her husband and Lucas's cousin, William Blakeley, the Earl of Greymoor, had died suddenly from a fall from his horse.

Lucas sat up and closed up his valise. "You will have your son soon."

"Son?" Constance said. "Even you cannot predict if I will have a son."

"You shall," Lucas replied firmly. God help him. Constance shall have a son and save his line from an earldom.

Constance reached out and took his hands into her own. Her bright blue eyes searching his. "You promise me you will be in attendance when my child is born. I cannot do this without you."

For the past six months, Lucas and Constance had developed a friendship, first out of necessity as Lucas took over handling William's affairs after his death, but then it turned into something genuine over time. Constance had needed someone to grieve with, and while Lucas was never particularly close to William, he still felt the man's loss. With his one death, he had forever altered Lucas's future. Well, nearly so. Constance was two months pregnant when William died. The next Earl of Greymoor could be growing in her womb and his birth would free Lucas of any impending responsibilities to the title. His neglect of his patients while sorting out the affairs of the future earl was eating at his conscience and he was eager to return his attention full time to his medical practice.

"I promise."

"And you will remain here at Blakeley House until after the child is born?"

Lucas fell silent for a moment. He had moved into Blakeley House in Grosvenor Square two months ago when Constance had a scare when she woke up one morning with blood spots on her sheets. Lucas had rushed over and stayed with her for a week to ensure that the babe was safe. After that, he was prepared to retire back to his own apartment when, out of terror for her unborn child, Constance had begged Lucas to stay. He currently slept in one of the many guest rooms and had moved a few of his meager belongings into the spacious townhouse.

A part of the house repelled him as much as it drew him in with its comforts. It reminded too much of the dark luxuries of his childhood and was a stark contrast of his life and those of others who lived in London's slums.

And, it took longer than he liked to drive down to his patients in St. Giles, Whitechapel, and the Spitalfields. He refused to take the family carriage with the Greymoor crest emblazoned on its door as it would be like putting a bull's eye on his back for all the footpads for miles around.

“Yes, I will remain until your child is born and ensure it is healthy.”

Constance brushed a lock of blond hair out of her face as she rested both hands on her large stomach. “And, if it is a daughter…”

Lucas froze. If the child was a girl, then he would be the new Earl of Greymoor. He took her hand in his. “If it is a daughter, I promise to take care of you both.”

Constance smiled sadly. “I know you will, but you will wish to marry. You will have a countess–the new Countess of Greymoor and I do not wish to intrude in your private life.”

“I will not marry. Well,” he corrected himself, “not any time soon. I currently have no plans.”

Constance looked alarmed. “But, you must! If my child is a girl, you will be the last in the line of Greymoors. You must carry on the line.”

“Well, I have no worries as you should not. You are carrying the next earl.”

“I am serious, Lucas. If my and William’s child is a daughter instead of a son, I will retire to the country to stay with my family. I want you to find your own happiness. I do not wish for you to worry about me any longer. You have been a godsend these past few months.” She tightened her hold of his hand. “I could not have done this without you.”

“You do not give yourself enough credit, Constance.”

But, inwardly, Constance’s words sunk in and Lucas felt a chill of fear run down his spine.

***

Edwina poured herself another cup of tea as she watched the various Bridgerton siblings rush around on the green from the window. Kate and Anthony were with them and Edwina smiled as Kate must have said something to infuriate her husband as he stalked off to his pink ball and swung his mallet a tad too hard shooting his ball off into the trees.

Benedict and Colin both howled with laughter while Daphne twittered behind her hand. Eloise looked slightly amused, but ever since the end of last season, still despondent. Eloise had not confessed the reason why, but everyone suspected it was due to a falling out between her and Penelope. Eloise would not admit to what had happened and Edwina did not pry.

"Would you not like to join them?" Violet, the Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, asked as she sipped from her cup of tea. She winced and placed it down and Edwina hid a smile behind her cup. Ever since Kate took over the duties of lady of the house as the new Viscountess Bridgerton, she had told the kitchen staff to serve her own special blend of chai. Most of the Bridgertons accepted the darker and richer flavors with open arms, but Violet still struggled with the change. Kate always had a special pot brewed for Violet with the old English blend, but Violet was determined to make a concerted effort.

"It is our last day at Aubrey Hall before we return to London," Lady Mary Sharma, Edwina's mother, added as she picked up a slice of milk cake, another addition by Kate.

After Kate and Anthony married at the end of last season in a small ceremony at Bridgerton House, the entire family retired to Aubrey Hall to escape the gossip and speculation. Edwina and her mother were invited to join them as Anthony was now the head of their own little family as well and they could not rely on Lady Danbury to host them forever. Mary was quite pleased with the change, looking forward to familiarizing herself with the rest of the Bridgerton family, but Edwina was more hesitant. As much as she loved her sister and as much as she has forgiven both Kate and Anthony for keeping the truth of their love from her, which caused one of the most embarrassing moments in her life, it still felt strange to be around them. There was a distance between her and Kate now that never existed before. It was as if Kate did not know how to behave around her, nor Edwina around Kate. The ease of their sisterhood was gone.

"No, thank you. I am quite happy with my book," Edwina said. She caught a speaking glance between the two women, but they said nothing. Edwina scratched the back of Cleo's ears, a blue-eyed Siamese cat that Kate and Anthony had bought her for her past birthday, and the cat purred loudly. Apparently, Anthony had remembered that she loved animals, preferably the ones that can curl up in her lap. Edwina always felt that Cleo was one of the many small ways both Kate and Anthony were trying to make amends.

Luckily, Newton and Cleo got along famously.

Edwina opened her book again, a novel about a pirate who kidnapped a wealthy heiress and was about to have his wicked ways with her, when the door to the parlor opened and the whole of the Bridgerton family burst through. The Bridgertons were a handsome family, the males tall with varying shades of chestnut colored hair and the females with creamy smooth skin and wide smiles. They looked particularly well at the moment with bright eyes and flushed faces from the outdoor exercise. Edwina often wondered why she hadn’t set her cap for one of the other Bridgerton brothers. Both Benedict and Colin were closer in age to her than Anthony.

And, now she had no interest in doing so. They were like brothers to her and she could not imagine a romance between any of them despite the strong hints dropped by her mother and Violet.

"Tea already?" Colin said as he grabbed a plate and started stacking up slices of cake and small cucumber sandwiches. "Thank goodness, I am absolutely starved."

"Hey there," Benedict protested, snatching a sandwich off Colin's plate and stuffing it into his own mouth. "Don't hog all the food." He oinked loudly as he reached for a slice of cake from Colin's plate only for his hand to be slapped away.

"Children!" Violet protested, clearly embarrassed by the behavior of her adult children. "We have company."

"Lady Mary and Edwina? They're family now," Benedict replied with a wink at Edwina.

"Ah, the joys of being a Bridgerton," Eloise said as she plopped down next to Edwina. She picked up Edwina's book. "The Wicked Ways of Scoundrels? I thought you would know what a scoundrel would look like by now." She looked pointedly at Colin and Benedict.

Edwina laughed. "No, not your brothers. They're not scoundrels. More rogues, I would think."

Both Colin and Benedict stood and gave her a short bow. "Rogues at your service, Miss Sharma," Benedict said.

The group laughed.

"Well, I better go up and check on Augie," Daphne said after taking a liberal swallow of her tea to fortify herself. Augie had begun teething a few weeks prior and was a right terror.

"Well, who won the game?" Violet asked after Daphne had left.

"Colin!" Both Benedict and Eloise said in exasperation.

"It was quite easy, mother, once you turn the two best players against one another."

"You say that as if it was a difficult task," Edwina said. "You just need to mention the word "game" and Kate and Anthony will be at each other's throats."

"Ha-ha," Anthony said as he entered the room with Kate. "You will all need to worry if Kate and I ever decide to gang up on the rest of you sorry lot."

Benedict shrugged with lack of concern. "Will never happen. I've never seen a pair more competitive than you two."

"Yes, remember the round of whist we played last week?" Colin asked, shuddering.

"Or the game of chess?" Edwina added.

"Or that poetry competition we had?" Everyone groaned at the mention of the one regretful night when someone had thought that for their nightly entertainment they would write and rank one another's poetry. What was meant to be a fun exercise turned brutal when Anthony wrote an hour long poem because he had heard that Kate had written one that read for nearly thirty minutes. The ways the man could expound upon flowers was devastating–to the flowers and everyone's ears. Benedict had to remind both Kate and Anthony it was about the quality of the poem and not the length. Edwina had won the night with her three line poem about Cleo. She was certain she had won because her poem was just that, three lines long.

"Never again," Eloise muttered.

Anthony glared at his sister. "Well, I thought that one line I wrote about tulips was quite nice...how did it go? Ah yes, 'tulips reminds me of two-lips, to kiss and–'"

"Kate, please, I beg of you, let me kill him," Benedict cried out. "He is offending my delicate artist soul."

"You have my permission," Kate said to Benedict with a grin before turning to Anthony. "It was quite a ghastly poem. I've never heard worse."

"Well, there you go," Colin said. "You win for worst poem."

Anthony glared at Colin before turning his attention back to the rest of the family. "We return to London tomorrow and will need to leave early if we are to get to Bridgerton House by dinner. The carriages are already waiting for your trunks so make sure you have everything ready and the footmen will gather them for you. We will retire early tonight, so no worries of any 'games.'"

"Yes, father," Colin said under his breath.

Anthony ignored him. "This season is of utmost importance. After last year, we will need to behave on our best behavior lest we stir up old scandals. Francesca will be rejoining us in London and making her debut. Eloise and Edwina will enter into their second season. Three sisters seeking husbands."

"If I may, I would gladly sit this season out," Eloise interrupted. "One less sister to worry about."

"Don't even think about it. You out of all of us need to watch your behavior. No more meetings with radicals."

Eloise rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't dream of attending something far less interesting than a night out twirling around in circles and making inane conversation about who wore what best or how to properly fan oneself in an overheated room."

Benedict laughed abruptly and stifled it into a cough when Anthony turned his glare on him.

"I take full responsibility for the event that happened last year," Anthony started again as he looked at Edwina. She squirmed knowing full well that the "event" he was speaking about was their wedding, the one sanctioned by the queen herself, and fell apart when Edwina realized nearly too late that Anthony loved Kate and not her. "One that I am sorry to have brought upon our family. We can only hope that the gossip has died down and was not renewed when Kate and I married."

An awkward silence filled the room. Edwina was sick and tired of it. She did not want to hear another apology out of Anthony's or Kate's mouth again.

"There will be no scandal," Edwina said. "There are no hard feelings between us, brother." She put a hard emphasis on the word "brother." "If the ton sees us together as a family, a true family, then there will not be any fodder for their gossip."

Kate smiled at Edwina in gratitude. "Edwina is right. If we present a strong, united front, we can take on anyone in the ton."

"Except for Lady Whistledown," Colin said. "I'm sure she is absolutely beside herself for our arrival back to town."

"I'm sure she is," Eloise said bitterly.