Page 65 of The Lord who Captured Her Innocent Heart
“Not when it comes to my child,” Peter returned, his eyes flashing.
Ella was grateful for this. This was another way they balanced so well: with Peter’s volatility and Ella’s ability to talk him down. Still, the fact that his eruption had been caused by the sudden existence of a new life — a life that was one half Ella and one half Peter — thrilled her. It ensured he would protect them forever.
The carriage churned to a very slow halt outside of Frederick and Tatiana’s home — still on the grounds of the Braxton estate, yet not the main house. Peter stepped down and then assisted Ella down to the stones below, keeping an eye on her feet to ensure they didn’t waver.
“Pregnant women are very apt to faint, you know,” he said, looking at her more like a teacher than a husband.
“Yes, yes. I know.” Ella sighed. She swept her hand across Peter’s cheek, allowing her thumb to trace over his nose. “You’re entirely too sweet for your own good. But perhaps you know that already.”
“You only tell me a few times a day,” Peter teased, placing a kiss atop her head.
It was marvellous watching Tatiana “play house,” especially as the girls had daydreamed up this reality — when they would be “women” of their households, in charge of what china was used, what to serve for dinner. Tatiana perched at the head of the table, looking entirely like a queen, allowing bits of her black hair to whirl out of her up-do. Ella dropped to kiss her on the cheek and then collapsed beside her, exhausted.
“The baby?” Tatiana asked.
“It’s always the baby, isn’t it?” Ella returned.
“How different our lives are, now!” Tatiana cried.
Frederick appeared in the doorway, looking handsome and windswept, despite apparently spending the entire day at his books. He was in the midst of writing a series of essays about the current political climate. Immediately, Ella flung herself into a political conversation, one that caused her to speak far too quickly, almost manically, so much so that eventually, Peter slipped his hand over hers and murmured, “Darling, I think it’s time for the first course.”
Ella hadn’t noticed. Her cheeks burned red. Frederick sat at the opposite side from Tatiana, beaming at the three of them. He flourished his napkin over his lap before falling into prayer, speaking with a booming voice — one he’d apparently taken on in the wake of his marriage to Tatiana. It seemed they were all coming into themselves, as adults. It suited them.
The first course’s soup slipped down easily. The second, a serving of duck, seemed almost too fatty for the baby, and Ella sat back a moment, pondering how much she could safely eat without feeling ill. It seemed that Tatiana had had a similar thought, and she murmured to her, “I think I might have made an incorrect estimate with the menu.”
“It’s absolutely delicious!” Peter said, slicing through the tender meat with a knife.
There was a moment’s pause, during which the men chewed heartily. Ella and Tatiana exchanged smiles, both seeming to relish this moment: brewing babies, with their favourite men at their sides.
“Peter. Ella,” Frederick said then. He slipped his fingers together and knelt his chin atop them. “I don’t suppose you’d mind if I asked you a question? You see, it’s been rather pressing for both Tatiana and myself in recent months. But we wanted to bide our time before asking.”
Ella’s stomach did a little leap. She half-thought about taking a bite of duck, if only to void her from answering.
“What is it?” Peter asked.
“Oh, darling. We don’t have to get into it,” Tatiana tittered, seemingly anxious.
“No. I’m curious, as well,” Ella affirmed. She bit her bottom lip, playacting at bravery.
“All right. All right,” Frederick said. He dabbed his lips with his napkin, then gave them a mischievous smile. “It’s only that — you see. We’ve all known one another for quite some time.”
“I would say most of our lives,” Peter affirmed, his voice teasing.
“Right. But in any case. I felt, for the majority of that time, that I wanted nothing more than to court Tatiana. It was something that kept me up at night. Of course, I know she didn’t share this until much later. She likes to remind this to me during our brief little rows.”
“Only when the baby’s starved,” Tatiana said, chuckling and casting him a wink.
“Right. Well, regardless. We were curious when it was the two of you knew you wanted to begin courting? We can’t possibly name the time. We were both so caught up in our own romance, of course, and yearned to know the back story.”
Ella and Peter paused and shared a look. Peter lent a small shrug, which Ella returned.
“All of it seems so strange, now.” Ella sighed. “Especially given how much has happened since then.”
“You see, it all happened as a bit of an accident,” Peter affirmed. “I don’t suppose either of us expected it.”
“No.” Ella laughed. “Not in the least.”
Peter dove head-first into it, then. “Tatiana, if you don’t mind me saying so. I thought I was absolutely head over heels in love with you. And my dear Ella, she affirmed to me that she, in fact, was in love with Frederick here. We both burned with a kind of mirroring jealousy, discovering that the pair of you planned to, well. Marry.”
