Page 99 of The Saxon Lord's Unwanted Bride
Children of whores—the fruits of their sin—should be destroyed.
He had come to kill her child.
Chapter 26
Harald sat in the mother superior’s study, tempering his frustration at her words.
“I understand your wish for her to return,” the nun said. “I’ve told her she belongs with you. But I’m wary of letting you see her so soon. Her physical injuries are almost healed, but I fear her mind will never be whole again.”
“Is that not my choice?” Harald asked. “As a woman of the church, you must recognize my rights as her husband. What would stop me from taking her with me now?”
The woman turned her clear gray gaze on him. “Only your conscience.”
“You still think I’d bring her to harm?” he asked. “Even the child trusts me.”
The nun shook her head. “I wonder if I was right in permitting you to see Violette.”
“She welcomes my visits.”
“And what about you?” the nun asked. “Once you’ve taken your wife away, will you visit the child? Will you permit your wife to visit her? Violette has been isolated from the world, but now you’ve brought the world to her. One day she’ll know her full history—that she’s the product of rape, hidden away in disgrace.” She shook her head. “It’s a heavy burden for such small shoulders.”
The old nun spoke the truth. Had he thought only of himself when he’d asked to see Violette, rather than what was best for the child—or for his wife?
The nun sighed. “I’ll permit you to see Eloise today,” she said, “but I beg you to think on what I’ve said—for the child’s sake. Lady Eloise’s place is with you, and I cannot prevent you from taking her. But I beg you—only take her whensheis ready.”
Hadn’t Agatha said as much? Better that she come to him willingly.
He faced a new battle—but the weapons he must wield were not the sword and the axe—but kindness and love.
“Come with me,” she said. “Your wife’s in the courtyard with the child. I’ll accompany you, but if your visit distresses her, then you must respect my request to leave.”
Before they reached the courtyard, Eloise’s soft voice filtered through the cold air, accompanied by the lighter tones of the child. He rounded a corner, and his heart leapt at the sight of her.
What sweet joy to see her again! She sat, face tipped toward the sun, eyes closed. It reminded him of that day in the gardens at Wildstorm, the first time he laid eyes on her.
How much he had changed! On that day, his body had tightened with lust. But now, his heart, not just his manhood, stirred at the sight of her. She was no longer a means to keep his home, or a vessel to furnish him with an heir. The tiny woman on the bench, oblivious of his presence, was his heart, his home—and his soul.
He was incomplete without her. This small, fragile woman had the heart of a lioness—the courage to defend her loved ones against bigger, stronger opponents.
The child stirred. A daughter in her mother’s arms—the safest, most natural place for any child, protected by one who would fight the devil if necessary. And fight the devil she did—not only the demon whose lifeless body lay in a chamber in a rotting estate in Exeter, but the devil she had married.
Soon, she would hold another child in her arms—his child. Would she love it as she loved Violette? After how he’d treated her, did he have the right to expect it?
As if in response, she lifted an arm and caressed her swollen body, a smile playing on her lips. She was at peace—her living child in her arms, and another in her belly.
What right had he to disturb that peace?
Violette opened her eyes, and her face broke into a smile when she recognized him. She wriggled out of her mother’s arms and leaped forward, running toward him.
“My lord!” she cried. “Welcome!”
He lifted her into the air, but her laughter was cut short as a scream rang out.
“Violette! Leave her be!”
Eloise struggled to her feet, shaking with distress. The mother superior ran to her but her attempts to calm her were to no avail, and she continued to cry.
“Please! She’s committed no sin—don’t hurt her!”
