Page 93 of The Viscount's Unwanted Bride
“The driver,” she rasped, wincing at how the words reverberated in her skull. “Is he all right?”
“Mostly,” the doctor said. “He had a minor bump to the head and some bruising. I examined him after dressing your wound earlier.”
Oh. So this must not be the first time he’d visited her room. If she was indeed in her room. She was too tired to look around and confirm.
“How do you feel?” Theo asked softly.
She tilted her face toward him and did her best not to grimace as her head pounded. “Sore.”
Dr. Hanson tutted. “No doubt you will be for a while. The good news is that your body seems strong. I doubt there’s much for us to do other than keep you warm and comfortable while you heal.”
That was a relief. If she’d hurt the baby, she’d never forgive herself.
Oh no. The baby.
Her free hand flew to her stomach, clutching at it as if she’d be able to tell just from touching her belly whether the child inside was healthy.
Dr. Hanson’s gaze softened. “There are no obvious signs of distress, but it will be a while before we can be certain whether they’re unharmed.”
Tears sprang to Kate’s eyes, and the back of her throat thickened. What would she do if this stupid, impulsive decision made her lose the baby? Dear God, what wouldTheodo if that happened? He’d already been through so much.
“I’ll give you two some time,” Dr. Hanson said, glancing between them as if reading Kate’s mind. He bowed and excused himself from the room.
Theo spoke before Kate had a chance to. “I’m sorry.”
She froze with an apology on her own lips.
He squeezed her hand and shifted closer so she wouldn’t have to strain so much to see him. “We shouldn’t have continued the deception for so long. Nicholas told me it would be bad to keep it from you after we were married but I….” He shook his head. “To tell the truth, I worried you’d think less of meor perhaps feel you’d married the wrong brother. I care about you, and I didn’t want to see you look at me with disdain or disappointment.”
Kate tilted her head ever so slightly. “I am unhappy you deceived me, but I do care for you, too—I think that’s what made it all the worse when I realized. I hindsight, I am… glad… to have married you and not Nicholas.””
“You are being more understanding than I deserve.” He dipped his head and ghosted his lips over her brow. “I should have been forthright with you sooner. You deserved to know that it wasn’t me on the balcony with you.”
“I did,” she agreed, because really, how fair was it that she hadn’t even ended up married to the man who’d ruined her? Obviously it wasn’t fair to him that he’d been forced into the situation, but it wasn’t fair to her either. She’d had no idea what was happening in the background with his family drama.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t regret marrying you, though. I never will.”
She wet her lips, and her pulse ratcheted up. “You truly don’t?”
She’d thought he’d been saddled with her as some kind of unwanted chattel. Someone he’d come to care for but never really wanted.
Theo scanned her face, his expression tender. “Not at all. It may not have been me on that balcony with you, and it’s true that I didn’t want a wife because of the suffering both Elizabeth and I experienced, but I’m so incredibly grateful to Nicholas for pushing the matter, because you make me happy, Kate.”
Warmth suffused her, and the corners of her mouth lifted despite her wariness. She hadn’t expected to hear that. He’d told her earlier that he cared for her, and he’d shown it in many ways these past weeks, but she had no baseline to compare him to. No way to know whether he was usually so considerate of others.
He dragged his teeth across his lower lip before releasing it. “I’m terrified of something happening to you. I’m sure you’ve realized that. But I also can’t imagine being without you.” His features tightened and became fierce. “I don’twantto imagine being without you. When I saw that carriage tip over, I could scarcely breathe. Please don’t ever do that to me again.”
She lowered her gaze, ashamed of herself for being so thoughtless. “I won’t. I never should have left. I’d already realized I was being foolish. We were preparing to return when… well, when something went wrong.”
He blinked rapidly, and she realized that there were tears in his eyes.
“Don’t cry,” she murmured, sliding her palm against his. “I won’t be such a ninny again. I’m sorry for how many unpleasant memories it must have stirred.”
Now that her thoughts were clearing, she was so terribly disappointed in herself. She could hardly bring herself to look at him.
Not only had she made him relive Elizabeth’s death, but she’d completely forgotten that his father had died during a storm. Considering the circumstances, it was amazing that he was so composed.
“You didn’t mean to.” His grip on her firmed. “Just don’t do it again.”
