Page 77 of The Artist
“Even if I wanted to stay with Mason, it wouldn’t work. His family wants him to marry a Northlander.”
“Tsk.” Louise waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t tell me someone like Mason would give up on the woman he loves. I’ve heard stories about his father’s meltdown when Laura left him for a while. You don’t know Nmen if you think Mason would ever let his family pressure him into doing anything he doesn’t want to do.”
“But he told me so himself.”
“Hmm. I guess that means he doesn’t love you and in that case you’re better off without him.” Louise stood up. “I just hope that you’ll find the strength to not let your government or the Nmen push you around. Trust me, Belle, people will do that if you don’t push back.”
My shoulders lifted in a deep sigh. “I don’t know if I’m that strong.”
Louise had an intense gaze when she looked deep into my eyes. “I can tell you one thing. There is nothing a mother won’t do for her children, so you might find that if you’re pregnant, that child inside you will force you to be stronger than you ever thought possible. I have seen small women step in front of large angry Nmen when it came to protecting their children. Motherhood turns ordinary women into superheroes if you ask me.”
“Superheroes, huh.” We exchanged a smile and then I moved to the door. “If that’s the case, then I’m hoping I’m pregnant. When will you know?”
“As soon as I run the test. Give me a few hours and I’ll get you the answer.”
I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Louise held up a hand. “Before you ask, I’m giving the test results to Mason as well. Khan anticipated that you’d ask me to lie if you were pregnant, but I won’t do that.”
“No, that’s not what I…” I shook my head. “I was just going to ask what happens if it’s negative.”
“Then we do tests again on day eight and possibly day ten. If there’s still nothing on day ten I think it’s safe to say that you’re not pregnant.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“You’re welcome, dear.” She walked over and took my hands while looking deep into my eyes. “I know this must be hard for you, being away from home and feeling scared about your future. But I sense strength in you, Belle. Maybe this can be the beginning of something extraordinary in your life.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
“Any time.” After patting the back of my hand, she let go.
When I left the examination room in the basement and walked back to the entertainment room, I made a sudden change in direction and steered toward my room. I needed to be alone and prepare for the outcome that I might be pregnant. Louise was right. Once the results were in, my home country and the Northlands would fight over me and my unborn child like I was a piece of property. If I were to stand any chance of advocating for myself, I needed to think through my options and make up my mind. Would I rather stay here or go back home?
CHAPTER 21
Results
Mason
The waiting time was killing me.
The first set of samples didn’t show any pregnancy, so we waited another two days for Doctor White to do another round of tests.
The fact that it was Christmas seemed irrelevant to me. It had been eight days since I first had sex with Belle and now I was caught in a hellish place unsure what to do. I longed to seduce her and make her mine, but I also needed to protect my heart in case she wasn’t pregnant and wanted to go home.
Belle wasn’t very communicative about her emotions. None of the French were. Yet her large expressive eyes spoke for her at times and the way she lit up when I walked into the room gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t the only one hoping that she was pregnant.
While Doctor White was drawing new blood tests from Belle, I drove my sister crazy by pacing the floor in her room. After half an hour I couldn’t take it any longer and went to the basement to continue my pacing outside the examination room.
When Belle finally came out, I was so worked up that I was panting. “What took so long? It’s just a blood test.”
Belle looked surprised to see me but stopped and brushed her hands over her purple jacket, which sat snug enough to show her thin waist. “Louise and I talked for a while.”
“Louise? You mean Doctor White?”
“Yes.”
“When will she have the result?”
Lifting her chin, Belle met my eyes with a look of defiance. “She already has the result.”
