Page 67 of Bad Duke

THREE WEEKS LATER

“Dr. Stevens doesn’t know shit.” I throw my handbag onto the sofa when we get back home from my appointment.

“I don’t think you’ll be saying that to her when she’s offering you drugs.” Alex places a kiss on my temple and laughs to himself. I guess someone who hasn’t been pregnant for 41 weeks can find humour in this situation. But I don’t.

“Take a seat, I'll get you something to drink. We have that tea that's supposed to help.” He tries to comfort me but I shoo him away.

“I don’t want to sit down. I want to walk and hope gravity drags this child out of me. And the tea doesn’t work, I’ve been drinking it for two weeks. It tastes like shit.”

“Your Grace…” Barnaby looks pleased to see us when he steps in from the hall. “How did the appointment g–” Alex quickly shakes his head to silence him.

“How do you think it went?” I look down at the enormous weight I’m still carrying. He offers me one of his sympathetic smiles as I shuffle over to the gym ball in the corner of the room and start to bounce. I’m tired because I can’t get comfortable enough to sleep and I’m tense because, as desperate as I am to get things moving, I’m also terrified of giving birth.

“Sweetheart,” Alex makes his way over to me and starts kneading my shoulders. “I know you're really struggling with this but?—”

“No, you don’t! You have no idea, and all this is your fault. I can barely move. Your child thinks my bladder is a drum and I just…” I burst into tears for no explainable reason and Barnaby scarpers off as fast as his old legs can carry him.

“Shhhh, come on.” Alex helps me back onto my feet and guides me over to the sofa. “Don’t cry, I know you're uncomfortable but Dr. Stevens said if you get to 42 weeks she’ll induce you.” He wipes away my tears with his thumb.

“That’s a whole week away, and we’ve tried everything to make this happen. Honestly, Alex, another week feels like a lifetime.”

“Obviously, you're too good at being pregnant, and our little boy wants to stay in there.” He tries to distract me with a compliment and I snarl in response.

“Seriously, Liv, you’re doing an incredible job and I’m so proud of you.” He kisses the top of my head as his palm strokes over my stomach. “It won’t be long now, and when it happens I’m going to take really good care of you.”

I swear this guy has some kind of superpower, not only can he read my mind, but he always knows all the right things to say.

“You always take care of me.” I pout at him, feeling awful for the hormonal wreck I’ve been the past few weeks. Alex has put up with all kinds of emotional breakdowns from me, and he’s kept his cool for every one of them.

“You're tired, you were up all night, last night, why don’t you go upstairs and get some rest?” he suggests.

“You were up all night with me, you must be tired too. Why don’t we go up together?” I suggest, the way his fingers stroke over me distracts me from the ache in my back and puts a flutter in the pit of my stomach.

“Because you know if we do what will happen, which defeats the object of you getting rest. You could go into labour at any time, you need your energy for that.” He makes a valid point but not a helpful one.

“I’m going to make you some of that tea, and yeah, it tastes like shit but, it’s good for you.” He kisses me again before he gets up and heads for the kitchen.

“How did the appointment go?” Leah asks when she steps through the door a few minutes later. She has a rag in one hand and a tub of wax polish, that I love the smell of, in the other.

“Well, I’m still pregnant so, not as well as I wanted.” The baby shifts inside me, and what I assume is her tiny foot pokes out. It makes me smile and reminds me that despite my discomfort, this really is a blessing.

“Something came for you today, it must have been hand-delivered because it was on the doormat when I came back from walking the dogs.” Leah delves into the front of her apron and pulls out a cream envelope with my name calligraphed on the front. “I wonder what you’ve been invited to this time.” She raises her eyebrows before walking over to the mantelpiece and starting on the brass statues.

“Do you want to take a guess? Village show opening, or charity fundraiser?” I wave the envelope in front of me playfully, before I open it.

“Maybe it’s Emillie Deauvier inviting you to her French chateau for a wild, girls' weekend.” Leah laughs as I rip open the envelope. “I can just imagine you and her sipping wine and…” Her voice fades to silence as I look at what I’m holding in my hand. My body instantly turns cold and I swear my heart stops.

“Olivia…Olivia!” Leah calls my name over and over, as I stare at a picture of my brother, lying on the bed in our old apartment, with an open gash across his throat and blood soaking the sheets beneath him. It looks like something out of a horror movie but I can’t take my eyes off it.

“Olivia!” Leah drops to her knees in front of me, trying to shake me out of the trance I’m in.

“Mr Stanley!” I hear a scream as she rushes away and as I slowly move to stand up, I see what's written on the back of the photo and it makes my knees give in.

He was never going to let him live!

I choke on the bile that rises to my throat and grip the edge of the sofa when the floor starts to move under my feet.

“Liv…” Alex comes rushing down the hall toward me. “It’s okay, just breathe.” He must think the baby’s coming because he’s stroking at my back, and looking excited but I can’t bear his hands on me.

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