Page 34 of His Unexpected Heir

“Anything else?”

She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Nothing that I can think of right now.” Then she smothered another yawn.

He smiled gently, reaching out to touch her cheek. “Go to sleep, Astra. We’ll talk in the morning.” Then he leaned in and kissed her. Automatically, Astra lifted her face to accept his kiss. When he pulled back afterward, there was a long moment of stunned silence as they stared into each other’s eyes.

A noise at the bottom of the stairs shattered the mounting tension. The others were coming up the stairs, laughing and chattering cheerfully. Astra immediately turned and pushed against the door, relieved when it opened for her. She glanced back at him over her shoulder, wondering why he’d kissed her. And why she’d kissed him back.

It was just a soft, sweet kiss…nothing intense. Thoughtfully, Astra lifted her fingers, pressing them against her still tingling lips.

She stared at the closed door, desperately wanting to call Antonio back for another kiss. Just one more? It could be an experiment! Just to test the waters and see if… the attraction between them was still there?

The commotion in the hallway stopped her from jerking the door open and finding Antonio’s room. The possibility of rejection also kept her still as she listened to the laughter that slowly faded away as everyone found their rooms.

With a sigh of frustration, Astra turned, heading into the bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pulled on the nightshirt that she slept in. After slipping between the silky soft sheets, she turned out the light and stared up at the ceiling. It was only then that she remembered she shouldn’t sleep on her back and, in frustration, she growled and rolled onto her side.

She sighed and patted her swelling stomach. “It’s okay, sweetie,” she whispered. “Whatever it takes to keep you safe and healthy.”

Antonio paced his room, running his hands through his hair in frustration. That kiss. Astra hadn’t pulled away from his touch or his kiss. Just the opposite! She’d actually stepped closer, her lips trembling under his.

What did that mean? His mind kept flipping back to her absence the morning after. She’d left him that morning…and then ignored all of his attempts to contact her afterward.

With a muttered curse, he got ready for bed, but he couldn’t stop the thoughts rambling through his head. Had he misinterpreted her oddly timed phone calls?

With a sigh, he whipped the sheet and blanket down, punching the pillow as he tried to clear his head enough to fall asleep. But the image of Astra, ripe and soft with their child kept flitting through his mind. A baby! He was going to be a father!

Chapter 11

“Do you know where Antonio is?” Astra asked of Eldora, trying to hide her excitement as she thought about her latest idea for the villagers. Clutching her notebook against her chest, she held her breath as she waited for the recalcitrant housekeeper-slash-cook to answer.

Slowly, Eldora turned, her eyes…looked strange this morning. The older woman slowly let her gaze dropped to Astra’s stomach. For the first time, Astra hadn’t bothered to hide her baby bulge. At just under five months along, the bump wasn’t very large, but it was obvious. That confirmed Astra’s suspicion that the housekeeper had been eavesdropping yesterday.

However, the housekeeper simply moved over to the refrigerator and plucked a glass of milk out. Obviously, the woman had been prepared because the glass was already filled and chilled. She set it down on the rough, wooden island and moved back to the oven.

“He’s in the dungeon,” Eldora finally replied, staring down into the simmering pot.

Astra stepped closer, eyeing the glass of milk dubiously. She didn’t want to offend the woman, but her mind flitted back to the dead shrub and the odd rainbow sheen of the lemonade she’d been served last week.

Instead of drinking the milk, she lifted the glass up and offered Eldora a smile. “Thank you for this. I should be drinking milk more often.” She started to turn around, but hesitated. “Eldora, why didn’t you want to retire like the other servants after Ricardo was sent off to prison? They all are enjoying a cushy retirement with the pension accounts that Antonio set up for everyone. But you…I understand that you didn’t want to retire, but you also seem…as if maybe you regret that decision?”

Eldora’s startled, open-mouthed gaze swung back to Astra and she simply stared for a long moment. “I wanted to retire!” she hissed, absently stirring the pot as she spoke. “I wasn’t offered retirement!”

Astra’s confusion must have been apparent because Eldora’s angry eyes reflected Astra’s bewilderment. “But…Antonio was told that you didn’t want to retire. That you wanted to keep working at the castle. Was…was that information incorrect?”

Eldora’s mouth snapped shut and she looked helplessly around, as if she suddenly didn’t recognize the kitchen she’d spent the past sixty years working in. “I…I…” she stopped stirring and dropped onto one of the rough stools. “That bastard!” she hissed, her shoulders curling as she clasped her hands together. With her head bowed, she started to cry.

Astra set the glass of milk down and moved closer, not sure what to do. The woman had been so awful to her and Macie since their arrival. But Astra couldn’t ignore her obvious pain. She knelt beside the stool, reaching for Eldora’s hands. “What’s wrong, Eldora?” she whispered.

The woman looked up, seeming much older than her years. Her wrinkled features were swollen and tear stained, her eyes pleading for understanding. “It’s the Marquesso,” she whispered. “He’s…evil!”

Astra wanted to hug the woman, but kept her hands to herself. “I know. But…?”

“He must have told someone that I didn’t want to retire. He must have...,” she shuddered. “I don’t know.” She lifted weary eyes to Astra. “Be careful! That man…he’s….” She stopped, pressing her lips together. “Just be careful,” Eldora finally finished, then stood up and went to the stove, stirring the pot again.

Astra stood there for a moment, but Eldora kept her back to the room, stirring slowly as if her life depended on it.

Astra left the kitchen, carrying the glass of milk and her notebook with her. She stopped in the downstairs bathroom and poured the milk down the drain, unwilling to trust that it was drinkable. It might be perfectly safe, but Astra’s hand fluttered protectively over her belly as she thought about Eldora’s warning. She wasn’t going to take chances!

Instead, Astra walked along the castle hallway until she found the door at the back of the castle that she’d been told led to the dungeon. It was in a dark, dreary place that wasn’t furnished. In fact, this area of the castle desperately needed maintenance work. The wall sconces worked, but they were old and decrepit and the lights flickered ominously.

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