BBW ROMANCE: BWWM Romance: A Cowboy’s Southern Comfort (Military Cowboy Pregnancy Romance) (Interracial Army Contemporary Fantasy Romance Short Stories) (36 page)

His Majesty wanted to make sure all was in order for the wedding. Stuart grimaced and tossed the note aside. There was a sharp intake in breath, and he looked up to see Mary standing at the door.

“You so easily toss aside the summons of a king,” she said in a tight voice.

“It’s not a summons,” he said tiredly. “It’s merely an inquiry to see how the wedding plans are coming along. I’m sure you can brief him on the progress.”

“Your Grace, I apologize for my actions this morning. I was quite worried for your absence, and if I may be so bold to point out, you seem to be a different man. Is everything all right?”

Stuart turned to gaze steadily at her. “Lady Westin, there is no love between us. I had thought that by now there might be some fondness, but we must both admit that it’s simply not there.”

She gasped. “You would call off our wedding on the count of an absence of fondness?”

“Not at all,” he said in a low voice. “I understand my responsibilities. But let’s not pretend this wedding is anything more than it is. I’m satisfying my king, and you’re gaining a title. To that end, we must remember our place in this endeavor.”

He went back to glancing through his messages, and he forgot that she still stood there. His mind traveled back to last night when Jackie was in his arms.

She’d been passionate and full of life. She’d been everything he ever dreamed about, and even now he could still feel her as though she were a part of him.

But she wasn’t here. She’d tossed him out at the very mention of his title. And he couldn’t blame her. He’d been a scoundrel to seduce her. The moment he’d realized it was more than just physical intimacy, he should have left her behind. He was used to leaving a string of broken hearts behind him, but this time the heart he’d broken was his own.

***

Weeks had passed, and the town was alive with news of the marriage between the Duke of Billington and Mary Westin. Jackie couldn’t escape it. Madam Costella talked of nothing else, and Jackie continued with the wedding dress. It seemed almost cruel that fate would hand her this task, but she’d let a stranger seduce her.

Perhaps this was her reward.

The letter that the duke had written several weeks ago had tasked Jackie with making a wedding dress specific to her liking. Cost was no object. The letter had also apparently warned Madam Costella against interfering, but it didn’t keep the woman from badgering her at every turn. The most exotic fabrics were paraded in front of her, and if it weren’t for the circumstances, Jacking would have been ecstatic.

She also couldn’t help but notice that the measurement for the dress would fit her as well. It was obvious that the Duke had a certain taste when it came to women.

The dress was to be kept an absolute secret, so the dress never left the attic of the shop. Jackie hid away hours every day to work on the beautiful fabrics, and once the pattern was finished, she began to scrutinize it critically for detail. Puffy sleeves and huge bodices were all the rage these days, but they seemed over the top to Jackie. If this dress was to have her name on it, she wanted to be known for simple elegance.

Stuart’s wife. This dress would be for the new Duchess of Billington. What did she care what it looked like? She would never be in his arms again. He would never look at her again with lust and desire.

But this Mary Westin would be in his arms every night. And Jackie was making her a bloody wedding dress.

In a sudden fit of rage, Jackie reached over and ripped the sleeve off the dress. The threads popped, and Jackie slumped to the floor holding the fabric in her hands. As tears threatened to fall, she took a deep breath. What in the world had gotten into her? She wasn’t usually prone to fits of violence or depression.

Footsteps sounded on the stairwell, and Jackie quickly straightened herself and wiped her cheek. Madam Costella opened the door with a bang. “What was that? I heard fabric ripping!”

“It was the sleeve. I decided that it wasn’t quite right,” Jackie said quietly as she tossed the sleeve on the counter. With her shoulder’s back, she ripped the other one off. Madam Costella gasped.

“Jacqueline Baker! What has gotten into you? Those sleeves were perfect!”

“They were nothing more than the copy of a bloated fancy of society,” Jackie snapped. “If my dress is to be seen by hundreds, I would have it reflect my taste.” She stepped back and eyed the fabric critically. “The Duchess should wear something that stands out. It should make a statement.”

“So what will you do instead?”

“The duchess is no doubt beautiful. There is no need to hide her face from the world, and yet a veil is still needed. I think a long lace veil that flows along the back would be lovely. These puffy sleeves would simply take away from that. Something simple. Perhaps…” Jackie cocked her head. “Like a long glove.”

“Like a long glove?”

“Yes.” A sad smile crossed her face. “It would be beautiful. An unattached sleeve. It will attach to the shoulder of her dress by a discreet thread, and it will cover her all the way down to her wrist and flow over the backs and palms of her hands with lace. No fingers. Just a simple hook over the middle finger.”

Madam Costella shook her head. “That does sound lovely, but I don’t know if a future duchess would want to start a new trend.”

“Not a new trend,” Jackie said sadly. “Just something far more fitting for an elegant woman.”

“Mary Westin is elegant,” the lady said with a smile. “She’s beyond rich, and her beauty leaves men stunned. The Duke must count himself a very lucky man.”

Jackie couldn’t trust herself to say anything, so she didn’t. The owner of the shop left her to work, and as two more weeks passed, she finally finished the dress. It was stunning in every single sense of the word, and she was almost sad to see it shipped off.

But she was also relieved. She could finally go about ignoring the wedding that was only weeks away. Besides, she had far more pressing matter that concerned her.

Soon, she would not be able to hide her growing midsection as the baby inside her bloomed.

Her thoughts so preoccupied, she never noticed the man that had been following her for some time. She didn’t notice the discreet questions he asked her neighbors, or the fact that he seemed to notice that her dresses were getting a bit tighter.

If she had noticed, she probably would have packed her things and escaped that very night.

***

Stuart was halfway through his accounts when the door to his study opened with a bang. Alarmed, he shot up in the air and whirled around. His butler was gasping for breath with his heart on his chest.

“Good God man!” Stuart said as he went to help him. “Are you ill?” A message had been mistakenly delivered here for Lady Westin, and Stuart had sent John to his betrothed to deliver the message. He had no idea it would nearly kill the man.

“No, your Grace,” he wheezed. “I’m just trying to catch my breath.”

“Catch your breath?” Stuart reared back and glared at him. “You’ve just scared years off my life, John. What are you doing?”

It took another minute before the older man could straighten. “There was a man with the Lady Westin.”

Stuart frowned. “What sort of man?”

“An investigator. I confess that I eavesdropped on the situation while I waited for her attendance. I did not mean too, but she was in such a state of anger that her words could practically be heard outside of her estate.”

“And why would the Lady Westin be angry?” Stuart said slowly.

“She’s discovered that a certain woman in town is pregnant. A seamstress by the name of Ms. Baker.”

Jackie was pregnant. Stuart reached out to grasp his desk as he slowly sank down into his chair. Was it his child?

“I only tell you this, sir, because I’ve heard you call for her in your sleep. You call for Jackie Baker,” John said softly.

“She is my heart, and I’ve only just discovered her,” Stuart said sadly. “Pregnant. The child could be mine. I’d always thought that after my first wife to get pregnant, that I couldn’t have children.”

“If I may be so bold to suggest, your Grace, perhaps the child is not yours.”

The thought of Jackie in the arms of another man sent a wave of fury through him. But just as it began, he relaxed. “She is not that sort of woman,” and in his heart, he knew that it was true. “I must speak to her.”

Jumping again from his chair, he raced passed John. “I must go to her!”

“Your Grace! What about Lady Westin?”

But Stuart didn’t hear him. He barreled past his servants and snagged a horse. It was nearly half an hour’s ride to town, and the air was heavy with mist and fog, but he thought of nothing else but her as the horse’s hooves hit the ground.

This time, there was no darkness or disguise to hide his face from the villagers. They gaped and pointed as he rode into the poorer part of town, and when he reached the bookstore, he barely looped the harness of his horse around the trough before he burst through the door.

The shop owner looked up, startled, but he didn’t even give him a second glance as he thundered up the stair. “Jackie! Jackie!”

“For heaven’s sake!” she cried out as she threw the door open. “You will raise the dead if you do not lower your voice! What are you doing here?” she hissed.

For a moment, he could only stare at her. Even when she was hot with rage, she was still the most beautiful thing that he’d ever laid eyes on.

“Ms. Baker? Are you all right up there?”

Jackie’s eyes widened in panic, and she gripped Stuart’s arm and pulled him through the doorway. “Yes, Mr. Towson, I’m quite all right. I apologize for the intrusion. The Duke here is quite excited for the order he’s given me.”

“Very well. Please let me know if you need anything.”

“I most certainly will do just that!” She shut the door quietly and whirled on him. “Are you trying to make a scene?”

He was at a loss for words. “I’ve missed you,” he said lamely. There was a flicker of something in her eyes. Did she miss him as well? His heart leapt, but her next words were scathing.

“I’m sure once you’re married that you’ll be far too occupied to entertain such inappropriate thoughts.”

“I have a reputation for being a ladies man. That much I will admit too. But it’s different with you, Jackie. Surely you felt the spark between us.”

She raised her chin. “I will not be a kept woman, your Grace.”

“Stuart.”

“Your Grace,” she said sternly. “We are both guilty in what transpired between us. While you should have been honest with your title and your circumstances, I should never have allowed things to go as far as they did. What’s done cannot be undone, but we can move on.”

“Is it true that you carry a child?”

She froze. “How could you possibly know that?”

“So it’s true then.” He sagged against the wall. “The Lady Westin has grown suspicious of my actions of late. She hired an investigator. Why would you keep it from me?”

“Who says the child is yours?”

A fist clenched around his chest, and his mouth dropped open. “Are you saying that it isn’t?”

Slowly, she reached out and grabbed his arm. “Stuart, I realize that the news must have come as quite a shock to you. You don’t have an heir of your own, and you saw this as an opportunity. But think it through. Your wedding is the talk of the country. What would you gain by introducing a love child into the mix? Your betrothed would never allow the child to enter you home. Society would never accept it as yours. What kind of life would it have? Even a bastard of the aristocracy is still a bastard.”

“Is the child mine?” he asked as he pulled away.

“I’ll leave,” she said with a sad smile. “I’ll start somewhere new and raise it as a widow. So long as I can work, the child will want for nothing. Please leave and be satisfied with that.”

“I love you, Jackie.”

She pressed her hands to her lips and shook her head. “No. You don’t. You love the idea of a child. Chances are good that it’s not yours. I’m sorry, your Grace.”

He felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. She moved passed him and opened the door. “The dress has been sent to you. I hope it’s to your liking,” she said. Her voice was trembling, and she didn’t turn.

Stuart exited the building with a stiff back, and he paused before she could close the door. “I didn’t just come here for the pregnancy, Jackie. If you need anything, please ask.”

And with that, he left fearing that he would never see her again.

***

Jackie pressed a hand to her trembling mouth as she fought back the tears. Blaming it on hormones, she crossed the room to her single window and looked out. Stuart was mounting his horse. He glanced up at the window and met her eyes before he finally rode off. No doubt he believed her. She’d felt terrible lying to him, but she suspected he would try to do the honorable thing and marry her.

But to be married to the man she loved and not have him love her in return would be a hell that she would never be able to endure. The scandal alone might ruin him, and she could not do that to him.

Pressing her hand to her middle, she tried to devise the best strategy. She would have to stay for the wedding. The notoriety would help her stay on her feet. And then she would have to find someone to help her out of her situation.