Page 47 of Captured By the Cold Duke
“Come in,” the duchess called from within, and Aidan pushed open the door.
“Thomas is with me, my dear,” he said, poking his head around the door. “May he come in?”
“Of course!”
Thomas followed Aidan into the room. Cassandra, the Duchess of Vaston, was sitting up in bed, a book in her hand. She looked remarkably well, her round cheeks ruddy and her eyes alight in a way Thomas hadn’t seen before. And as her husband approached, she smiled radiantly at him. He kissed her cheek and set the bottle down on the table next to the bed.
“Mrs. Trench’s finest concoction yet,” Aidan said, gesturing at it. “She assures me it will cure you of your morning sickness.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Cassandra gushed. “I am sick of being confined to bed, and once the nausea passes, I think I’ll feel up to getting out of bed.”
“Just take it easy for now,” Aidan said. “There is no rush.”
Cassandra nodded, and the look of trust in her eyes as she looked at her husband nearly broke Thomas’s heart. She then looked past Aidan at Thomas.
“Your Grace!” She beamed. “It’s wonderful to see you again! And my dear Cherie, how is she?”
“She is well,” Aidan said truthfully. “And will be delighted to learn of your condition.”
“Oh, please do tell her,” Cassandra said. “I meant to write to her, but I have been feeling so poorly since we discovered the news that I haven’t been up for it.”
“I’m very pleased for you,” Thomas said. “You and Aidan will make wonderful parents.”
“Thank you,” she said, and her cheeks flushed even more. She and Aidan shared a long look, and again, it struck Thomas to the heart. The love between the duke and duchess was so powerful that he felt almost embarrassed to witness it.
“Well, we should let you rest,” Aidan said at last. “Make sure you drink up. Mrs. Trench will never forgive me if I spend half anhour looking over her shoulder and then don’t ensure you drink all of it.”
Cassandra laughed. “Of course, I will. It was nice to see you, Thomas. Please give Cherie my love.”
Thomas bowed to the duchess, and then he and Aidan left the room. Once the door had closed behind him, his friend let out a long sigh.
“She looks remarkably well, doesn’t she?” he asked Thomas. “Despite feeling nauseous.”
“She really does.” Thomas peered at his friend. Aidan didn’t seem able to stop smiling. “And you, my old friend? How do you feel?”
Aidan chuckled, then threw his arm around Thomas. “In truth, I’m terrified,” he said to Thomas’s surprise.
“Terrified? You don’t look it!”
“Well, I’m happy also. Maybe the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. But it’s a huge responsibility, parenthood. I don’t take that lightly. I will be a father soon, Thomas! This means that from the day my child is born, I will have to make sure he or she is safe, happy, fed, and loved unconditionally. I want to do it well. I want my child to grow up feeling more loved than any child ever has. But I know it will be hard and that there will be moments of exhaustion, doubt, anger, frustration, and every other negativeemotion. So, I will have to be stronger and braver than I ever have been, in order to be the best I can be for this child.”
Aidan shook his head. “So yes, my old friend, I’m terrified. I’m terrified I won’t be worthy of this child or the perfect woman I married. But I’m also sure that there is nothing else in this world I want more than to be good enough for both of them.”
Thomas was once more overcome with emotion. He found it difficult to speak, but he forced himself to. “That’s a concept I’ve never considered before,” he said, his voice hoarse. “That a father should worry about not being good enough for his child. I was always made to believe that it was the other way around: that the child had to prove he was good enough for the father.”
“Not at all,” Aidan said, shaking his head. “And you’ll see soon enough. I’m sure that you and Cherie will have a child before long. And then, when you know she’s with child, you’ll know what I know now: that you love this woman, and the child on its way, more than life itself: that you’d do anything to protect them and make them happy. And then you’ll know that there is nothing that child could ever do to make it unworthy of your love. Because your love is unconditional.”
Aidan’s grip tightened on his arm. “You’ll see soon enough,” he repeated. “Just you wait.”
And with these words, Thomas knew exactly what he had to do.
“Was there a reason you stopped by, though?” Aidan asked. “Was there something you wanted to discuss?”
“No no,” Thomas lied. “I just wanted to see you.”
And you already answered my question.
Eighteen
