Page 69 of The Artist
“Fine. Then you can carry this message to your government. We’ll keep Belle here until we know if she’s pregnant or not.”
“I don’t think so. It would be different if Belle had carried out her civic duty of carrying two children, but she hasn’t. It’s not optimal that she’s gotten pregnant outside the registry, but in Mason’s case there should be no risk of inbreeding.” Victor tapped his chin. “It’s rare for this type of thing to happen, but I’ve heard of women who got accidentally pregnant. Fresh blood could have its advantages and once we run scans, we should be able to determine if she can be allowed to carry out the pregnancy.”
I wanted to smack Victor and curled my lip up with an angry stare. “Stop talking!”
Magni moved to Victor’s other side and growled low. “For the sake of peace between our countries, let’s pretend you didn’t just speak about ending her pregnancy.”
Victor rocked back on his heel but kept his stoic composure. “Her possible pregnancy, you mean. I’m just stating the facts. Belle is a French citizen and has yet to perform her civic duty. From a rational point of view, I’m sure you can see that to our government there’s no question that Belle’s baby will be a French citizen.”
“My child isnotgrowing up without parents,” I hissed.
“We have plenty of adult interaction while growing up,” Victor assured me. “In fact, I would argue that our way makes sure that all children are treated equally and that there are always adults around to meet their needs.”
Khan cut through Victor’s bullshit and looked at my mother, Laura, who had been quiet so far. “How soon can we tell if she’s pregnant?”
“I’m not sure…. We’ll have to ask Doctor White. My guess is a blood test could show it after a week or so.”
“Tell you what,” Victor clapped his hands together. “Once we’re back home, I’ll personally make sure Belle is seen by one of our doctors and we’ll let you know. There’s probably nothing to worry about. Aren’t you people supposed to be infertile anyway?”
That comment made all us Nmen collectively scowl at him. “Don’t fucking confuse us with Momsies,” Magni sneered. “I’m the biological father of four, and we Nmen are donating our sperm to the Motherlands because of their men’s poor sperm quality.”
Victor took a step backward toward the door. “Excellent, but as I said… We’ll let you know if she’s pregnant once we have the answer.”
We let Victor leave the room before Thor muttered low. “I can’t stand that man.”
“Don’t underestimate him.” Khan stood in front of the interactive wall, which showed a snowy mountain top.
“Mason, do you want me to talk to Belle? I could try to convince her to stay here for another week until we have answers,” Aubri said.
“No, I’ll talk to her myself.”
The way Aubri creased her brow made the scar on her forehead stand out more. “Alright. Let’s hope she isn’t pregnant and that you can both put all of this behind you. We all make mistakes.”
“Right.” I gave a curt nod before leaving the room –internally boiling over with frustration and confusion but feeling no regrets.
CHAPTER 18
Pressure
Belle
Pearl and Freya led me to the beautiful library in the mansion where I’d last been for the welcome reception. It was a spectacular room with thick carpet and wall-to-ceiling shelves with thousands of books, many dating back to before the Toxic War. The quiet acoustics and scent of old books in this room were soothing. So was the late afternoon sun that threw a ray of light through the grated window in the cozy reading nook where I sat with Freya.
Pearl stood by a cabinet with a selection of cookies and drinks. “What would you like, dear? We keep the options limited to water or tea to protect the carpet and the books in here. I’ve put up signs to remind people to be careful with the old books, but not everyone is concerned about getting them stained.” Pearl met my gaze. “Would tea and some biscuits be all right?”
“Yes, please, that sounds lovely.”
Freya helped her mother bring over cups of tea and then Pearl came to join us with a small tray of biscuits.
“I know the men can be a bit much with their tempers, but they don’t mean any harm,” she said and took a seat next to me. “Still, I feel I must apologize on behalf of my husband. It must seem strange and offensive to you that Khan is so resistant to the idea of any of his children, nieces, and nephews being with someone who isn’t of Nmen lineage.”
Pearl’s silver-gray hair reached her shoulders and made her blue eyes pop. The deep frown lines on her face made me force a smile. “No, it’s fine. You don’t have to apologize. I get it.”
“Do you?” Pearl’s frown lines deepened.
“Yes. Northlanders are large and strong. Khan was clear that he doesn’t want to weaken his people’s DNA.”
Freya’s hand covered mine and her lovely green eyes were full of sorrow. “No, Belle, don’t say that. My father knows that not everything is about physical strength. Your people are magnificent. You’re intellectually strong, brave, and resourceful. You’ve found a different way of living that the rest of the world may not understand, but I’m sure that if we did, we could all learn a lot from you French.”
