Page 53 of Bad Duke

“Was that…” The smile on my face stretches wide and turns real.

“I think so.” Olivia giggles, sounding deliriously happy. “Your little girl wants you to know that she loves you.” She touches her hand over mine.

“You are going to be so disappointed when this baby is born a boy.” I stretch my hand over her stomach, stroking firmly so he knows I felt him.

“Can we just get on with being happy now, Alex?” She slides her hand through my hair and begs me with her eyes. “I picked what I wanted from the menu.” She shrugs, reminding me that I keep letting her down. I don’t want to, but this is all for her own good. As soon as I find out who Fox is and make him dead, she can have everything I promised her, but until then I won’t take any risks.

“Thank you.” I stand up and kiss the top of her head. Taking in the scent of her hair and holding her for a few seconds before I lead us inside.

OLIVIA

It’s amazing what a difference four weeks can make. My cute, little bump has now turned into a giant orb that slows me down wherever I go and prevents me from seeing my feet. Alex is fascinated with it. He spends hours stroking me and trying to feel the baby kick. He’s even started reading some of the books from his mother's library to us both. My girl has good taste, she likes Du Maurier.

“What are your plans for today?” Alex asks as he fixes his tie in the mirror. He has to leave the house to go to a meeting in the city and I’m already feeling cranky about it.

“Mmmm, let me think. I can sit around and read. I could lie and read. I could sit and watch TV or I could lie and?—”

“I get it,” he interrupts me, climbing back over the bed to get to me. “But you're doing a very important job.” He slides back the cover to reveal my stomach before kissing it. “I’ll visit that coffee shop you like and bring you back some of those brownies while I’m in the city,” he offers.

“Keep feeding me the way you do and I’ll be the size of this house.” I shift myself into a more comfortable position.

“When growing a duke, the bigger the better.” He stretches over to kiss me on the lips before he has to go.

“Don’t give anyone any shit today,” he warns, knowing that I’ve taken a few of my frustrations out on the men he has guarding this place, like Fort Knox. It’s out of character for me but pregnancy hormones mixed with cabin fever is a lethal combination.

Once Alex has left, I sigh and look at the two dogs that are lying on the floor. They aren’t getting walked half as much as they used to. Alex has limited me to one walk a day around the lawns because they are flat and he can watch me from his office. He even insists on one of his men walking with me which is equally as frustrating.

I love how caring and cautious Alex is being but it’s really taking its toll. I want to walk in the woods again. Watch the boys flush birds from the bushes and run between the trees, being stuck in the house without Alex here is going to be no fun at all.

“Who fancies a walk in the woods?” I ask them, deciding to be rebellious, as I heave myself out of bed. Alex is being over cautious and I refuse to spend another day sitting around the house. I’ll take whatever punishment I get for breaking his rules. I throw on a pair of leggings and one of Alex’s jumpers before I head down the stairs.

“Morning, Mrs. Stanley.” The guard who’s been put on my watch today greets me with a nod.

“Morning.'' I smile at him sweetly as I make my way towards Alex’s office. “I have a very personal call with my obstetrician, scheduled.” I lie, stroking my hand over my stomach. “I don’t want to be disturbed.” It’s difficult but I try my best to speak with authority.

“Of course, ma’am, take all the time you need.” He pats Vinci’s head as we pass him and once I’m inside the office I close the door and quickly set to work. I stand in front of the fake bookshelf Alex brought me through on the day of his father’s funeral, and start pulling out books, hoping it will be the trigger. I eventually locate a small button behind a very old copy of Moby Dick, which works when I press it.

“Come on,” I whisper to the dogs, managing to squeeze myself and my stomach through the gap and into the secret corridor. Vinci and Pico take some persuasion but they follow me through the hidden passage till we come to the next door. I kick the lever on the bottom to open it, and it’s a much tighter squeeze for me to climb through the cupboard than it was the last time I did it. I do manage though, and after a quick peek into the staff corridor to make sure no one’s around, I head towards the boot room. The dogs start to get excited when I slip on my walking boots, and I try to keep them quiet while I check the coast is clear outside, through the tiny window above the sink.

“Come on boys, now's our chance.” I open the door and move as fast as my body will allow me, crossing the gravel, onto the lawn and then taking the path that leads to the woods.

“We made it.” I breathe a sigh of relief when we are under the shelter of the trees, and tipping my head back I take a good long breath of fresh air.

“This is what you really need.” I talk to my tummy as the dogs do their thing and weave through the trees. As always Pico stays close by, they’ve both become even more protective since I became pregnant, and seem to have even developed a tolerance for Alex over the past few months.

I stop to take a rest when my back starts to ache and I get out of breath. My lack of exercise, recently, is starting to show and when I rest on one of the wooden stumps and hear voices, I realise how close I’ve gotten to Will’s cottage.

“Rookie mistake.” I shake my head, knowing that if he saw me he would report me to Alex. The voices are getting louder and when I realise that one of them belongs to a woman, curiosity gets the better of me and I move to get a little closer.

I can see the cottage now and the bright, pink car that’s parked outside sticks out like a sore thumb against the backdrop. I manage to crouch behind a bramble bush so I can find out what's going on.

“You're acting like I enjoy this, I don’t!” Will yells at the girl, who looks to be around my age and is dressed more like she’s ready for the catwalk than the countryside.

“You think I do?” She lashes back at him. “This is hard, Will, and I feel like I’m doing it all by myself.”

“Hey, come here.” He quickly grabs her and wraps her up in his arms, the same way Alex does me when I have one of my tantrums.

“I’m sorry, and it won’t be like this forever, I promise.” He rests his chin on the top of her head and soothes her. I’ve seen enough to realise that I’ve been reading Will wrong. I thought he was the kind and loyal type. He’s got Leah madly in love with him, and he’s making her all kinds of promises. She’d be devastated if she found out he has a side piece. I stomp back through the woods with the boys beside me, and the closer I get to home the more and more angry at Will, I become.

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