Knight Takes Queen (19 page)

‘Most women feel the way you do, Katherine,’ Dr Fuller said, not unfamiliar with the scene. ‘It’s almost a universal desire. So as soon as you have one normal period, you’re cleared in terms of your recovery.’

‘There,’ Dominic said, softly. ‘That’s not so long.’

Kate managed a shaky smile. ‘We can decide together.’

‘Thanks, baby. I’m just a little worried, that’s all.’ He looked at the doctor. ‘Is there any way to know if Katherine will haemorrhage again?’

‘I very much doubt it,’ the doctor said. ‘But it’s impossible to offer a blanket assurance.’

‘Would it help if Katherine were less active if she becomes pregnant again?’ Dominic asked, wondering if Kate’s nearly sleepless schedule might have been a risk factor.

‘We don’t recommend strenuous exercise, but otherwise,
a normal lifestyle is perfectly fine. Pregnant women need a modest amount of activity. I wouldn’t recommend any Olympic tryouts,’ Dr Fuller added with a faint smile.

He’d hire an OB/GYN to live onsite if Katherine became pregnant. He wasn’t taking any chances. But that conversation could wait. Dominic smiled at the doctor. ‘Can Katherine be moved into another room now?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘Do we have leave to fly home in the next few days?’

‘It shouldn’t be a problem.’

‘I have a doctor who travels with me on occasion. I’ll have him come along.’

Dr Fuller nodded. ‘Then I’m sure you needn’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

Once the doctor left, Dominic went out to the front desk and asked if Katherine could be moved into a transitional room to avoid the bustle of activity in the royal suite. By now, he expected that Mrs Hastings had marshalled a small army to bring in all the necessary supplies for their wedding.

Shortly after Kate was ensconced in her room, Martin arrived with the food that Quinn had prepared. The major domo didn’t mention the miscarriage. Dominic had warned everyone not to bring it up or offer condolences. And some time later, just as Kate was finishing a hearty meal of all her favourite foods, Nana walked in, dressed in her best navy-blue pants suit and sensible shoes.

‘I hear you’re getting married today,’ Nana said, giving
Kate a wink. ‘I wasn’t about to miss that. Did Dominic tell you I’ve been packed for weeks?’

Kate felt her spirits lift as if by magic, like someone flicked a switch from the bad to good vibrations. She smiled. ‘Thanks for coming, Nana.’

Nana snorted. ‘As if you could have kept me away. And Dominic has orders to keep me up to date on your life when you aren’t in the mood to answer my questions.’ She handed her purse to Dominic as she approached the bed. ‘So fair warning, sweetie. I’m going to be
fully informed
from now on.’ She opened her arms and leaned over the bed. ‘Now give me a hug.’

Dominic’s mouth quirked faintly as he looked for somewhere to deposit Nana’s heavy purse. He wasn’t normally treated like a bell boy or valet. Walking over to the windows, he set the black leather bag on the wide marble ledge, then turned back to see Nana pulling a chair up to the bed. ‘Go and get some sleep,’ she said over her shoulder. ‘You look tired. I’ll sit with Katie.’

‘You
should
go home and rest for a few hours,’ Kate said, softly. ‘You’ve had a sleepless night.’

‘I’m not going home. I’m fine.’ Dominic moved towards the bed. ‘But if Nana’s here, I will go and make a few phone calls.’ When he reached Kate, he bent and kissed her. ‘I won’t be gone long, baby.’

‘Good,’ she whispered. ‘Because I was mostly being polite.’

He grinned from close range. ‘You’re still weak. It’s affecting your bossy gene.’

‘Then enjoy your short holiday from bossiness,’ she whispered.

‘I intend to.’ He winked. ‘Gonna miss me?’

‘Like crazy.’

‘There you go. That’s what I need. Your kind of crazy.’

As the door closed on Dominic, Nana asked, ‘Who won that fight? Those are some bloody knuckles.’

‘A brick wall won. I cry when things go wrong and Dominic hits things. Things, Nana, not me,’ she quickly added as Nana’s eyes narrowed. ‘He’s so good to me I feel guilty most of the time because I can’t possibly give him as much as he gives me.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Dominic really wanted this baby, we both did. This would have been something I could have done for him. He’s never had a real family.’

‘I’m so sorry, sweetie. But life doesn’t always go according to plan. Wouldn’t it be nice if it did? But even the best laid plans go awry. We can’t control everything.’

‘Tell that to Dominic.’

‘I think he knows that now if his knuckles are any indication. As for life dealing blows, I’ve had my share of unhappiness – you know that. First, losing your mother, then Gramps. But I’m not here to give you a lecture on bucking up when your heart is breaking. Although, I can offer you a little ray of sunshine if you’d like.’

‘Please. All I do is cry. I’ll take even a tiny ray.’

Nana patted Kate’s hand. ‘It’s OK to cry, sweetie. You probably will for a long time. I had a miscarriage before I became pregnant with your mother, so I know a little about what
you’re feeling. But in my case, Gramps took it as a sign – a bad one, because so many of his friends he’d served with in Vietnam were having deformed babies. His friends knew Agent Orange was to blame. The government knew. They just wouldn’t admit it. In fact, they fought the veterans’ claims for years while all these damaged babies were miscarried or born with serious health problems. Even when the government finally lost in court, they only paid about three thousand dollars to each veteran affected.’

‘Jesus, Nana,’ Kate breathed. ‘How awful.’

‘You bet your life it was awful – for a whole lot of families. Gramps didn’t care about the award money. His business was always good. But he didn’t want a child of his to suffer because he’d spent a year in a country that was regularly sprayed with Agent Orange. So after my miscarriage, he was even more adamant about not having children. ‘No more babies, Lori Lee, he said. When he called me both names like that I always knew he meant it bone deep.’

Kate’s eyes opened wide.

‘You’re right,’ Nana said, bluntly. ‘I didn’t listen. I felt that I had a say in the decision too. So when I became pregnant with your mother, I didn’t tell your grandfather until almost five months later. I was always on the thin side and Roy worked long hours so I thought I might get by with it.’

‘Wow, Nana. What did Gramps say when he found out?’

‘He didn’t say a word. He just turned around, walked out of the house and I didn’t see him for two weeks. He slept down at the store. He came back early on a Sunday morning.
I’ll always remember it. It was summer, the busy time for him, but he stood in our bedroom doorway, looking at me with the saddest eyes I’d ever seen. “Vinnie’s covering for me,” he said, as if I’d asked. Then he went on in that quiet way of his – you know your grandfather never raised his voice. He said, “I love you, Lori. I wouldn’t have come back from Vietnam if I hadn’t loved you so much I refused to die. So if you want this baby, I do too. If something’s wrong with the baby, we’ll just take care of it. That’s it. We don’t have to talk about this again.” And we never did. Your mother was beautiful and healthy. Roy gave away cigars for nearly a year he was so happy. Now the reason I’m going on about this for so long is because I don’t want you to think what happened means it’s going to happen again. And I’m guessing if you talk to other women who have had miscarriages, most of them have perfectly fine families now. I’m not saying you shouldn’t grieve for this loss. It’s only natural. But it’s not the end of everything.’ She suddenly smiled. ‘And I’m pretty sure Dominic isn’t going to say he doesn’t ever want any children like your Gramps did. So that’s one less hurdle, sweetie.’

‘Between you and Gramps no wonder I’m so stubborn.’

Nana winked. ‘I like to think of stubbornness in positive terms – like persistence and strength.’

‘And wanting your own way,’ Kate murmured.

Nana laughed. ‘Maybe – sometimes, maybe more than sometimes. You don’t remember your mother much, but she knew what she wanted too. I always blamed Gramps
and he blamed me for her bull-headedness. So I’m guessing you’re genetically predisposed.’

‘Thanks, Nana. Now I have an excuse.’ Kate smiled, a new warmth in her eyes. ‘And hearing about your miscarriage gives me hope. I need that.’

‘That’s why I told you. Consider me here to dispense all the hope you need. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you have lots of feel-good stories. Speaking of feel good – are you excited about your wedding? I sure am. I was beginning to worry.’

‘Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. But everything was messy for a while.’

‘I’m not looking for a detailed account. Whatever it was, I’m glad it’s over. Love can be messy. Life too. It’s hard to order perfection every day of the week. Believe me, I know.’

The royal suite was ready by five, giving Mrs Hastings bragging rights for at least the next decade. She’d accomplished the impossible in twelve hours.

Max took Nana to the lounge to introduce her to the wedding guests and Dominic escorted Kate to the suite so she could get comfortable before the festivities began. Stopping on the threshold with Kate holding tightly to his arm, Dominic regarded the festooned suite with a slight frown. It looked like an over-the-top version of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
.

But Kate was smiling as she surveyed the room, then said, ‘Oh my …’ in breathy delight and his frown instantly faded. ‘Yellow roses like that morning in Hong Kong,’ she whispered, glancing up at Dominic. ‘You
are
a romantic.’

‘Only for you, baby. I wanted to see you smile.’

She winked. ‘Good work, Mr Knight.’

He dropped a kiss on her cheek. ‘My pleasure, Miss Hart.’

‘Not for long – the Miss Hart part.’

‘No.’ He smiled one of those smiles that made the breath catch in Kate’s throat. ‘Dreams really can come true.’

Then Mrs Hastings glided over, elegant in a pale blue designer suit and her pearls, not a hair out of place despite the fact that she’d spent the last twelve hours barking orders at scores of people to bring this wedding to the level of perfection expected by a client of Mr Knight’s stature. Which also accounted for a faint wariness in her gaze when she asked, ‘Will this do, Mr Knight?’

‘Ask Katherine,’ Dominic said, pleasantly. ‘This is for her.’

The suite was a veritable bower of pale yellow roses, their scent perfuming the air, dozens of large baskets and vases filled with sumptuous bouquets, miles of ornamental ribbon-trimmed garlands and swags all artfully displayed. A long table, placed against one wall, was draped in white, fringed, beaded brocade despite Mrs Hastings’ initial resistance to such flamboyance. Although when her temperamental designer flounced out in a huff, she was forced to coax him back with an abject apology – completely out of character for her but necessary today in her back-to-the-wall position. Nigel Bell understood the limited time frame as well and extracted a further promise from her for full creative licence.

So the table was arrayed in Renaissance splendour, set with towering, flower-draped silver candelabra, lined with rows of sparkling crystal flutes, adorned with gleaming silver salvers awaiting Quinn’s food. Several ornate silver torchieres served as magnificent accent pieces in the embellished
suite. And once the whimsical fantasy was complete, the prominent set designer, who’d been dragged out of his bed that morning to take charge of executing Dominic’s request for a beautiful wedding, had offered his display to Mrs Hastings with a triumphant, theatrical bow.

‘It’s breathtaking, Mrs Hastings,’ Kate murmured, thoroughly enchanted as Nigel had intended. ‘Truly breathtaking.’

Mrs Hastings visibly relaxed; those who were familiar with her air of command would have been surprised. ‘I’m pleased you like it. Mr Knight requested the pale yellow roses.’

‘He knows I like them.’ Kate looked at Dominic with a twinkle in her eyes. ‘Don’t you?’

‘I have a very good memory, Katherine,’ he said, very, very softly. ‘I think you know that.’

Mrs Hastings cleared her throat, said, ‘Ahem,’ in her more normal magisterial tone of voice. ‘If I might introduce the minister,’ she added, briskly, indicating an elderly man in black standing near the windows.

‘Of course,’ Dominic said, coolly. ‘Let me see Katherine into bed first. She’s still quite weak. Did Ms Strahan send over something for Katherine to wear?’

‘It’s in the wardrobe.’

A few minutes later, Katherine was settled in bed and Mrs Hastings waved over the minister. Introductions were made and Dominic offered his thanks for the minister’s presence at such short notice. He explained that Max had the guests
waiting in the nearby lounge, then politely asked if they might be excused briefly so Katherine could be dressed.

Moments later, Dominic carried over the dress, and they discovered that the young designer had simply adjusted the design Kate had chosen to jacket length and added a jewelled border to the hem. With the button front, it was a simple matter to slip on even in bed. Smoothing the crème silk with her palms, she lightly brushed the glittering jewels. ‘These are gorgeous. I feel like a princess. Do you like it?’ She glanced up when Dominic didn’t respond.

Remembering how happy they’d been when Katherine had chosen the dress to accommodate her pregnancy, he’d suddenly been overwhelmed with sorrow. But as Kate’s words registered, he quickly smiled. ‘It’s perfect. You’re perfect. I couldn’t be happier.’

‘Liar.’

His lashes drifted downward slightly, shielding his gaze. ‘I’m happy about us getting married,’ he said, quietly. ‘I’m happy about you and me and our future.’ He hesitated just for a moment, then his eyes suddenly opened and fixed on her, ‘Thinking about the rest is torture.’

‘We have to at some point.’

‘Maybe you do. My response to distress is usually some kind of violence.’ He paused, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the hectic tumult and dark animosity in his brain. ‘But if you want to talk about it, I’ll listen.’

‘You can’t talk about it?’

It took him a long time to answer. ‘No.’

‘I
have
to talk about the baby.’

‘I know.’ He studied her for another lengthy interval. ‘Go ahead,’ he finally said. ‘Talk.’

She told him about the feeling of emptiness that wouldn’t go away, about her vast guilt, she told him how she’d been picking out baby names and really liked James for a boy if he wouldn’t have minded. He shut his eyes for a second when she said that. Towards the end she told him about Nana having a miscarriage before her mother was born. ‘So maybe it’s genetic and the second time’s the charm. But that doesn’t mean this doesn’t hurt like hell,’ she whispered. ‘I feel like punching things too sometimes. You’re not the only one.’

He’d been sitting on the edge of the bed while she’d talked and he leaned in close now. ‘Do it. Be my guest.’

She smiled faintly. ‘At least I can’t mess up that wrinkled shirt.’

‘Martin brought me something else. It’s around here somewhere.’ He opened his arms wide. ‘Come on, a couple of punches. We’ll both feel better.’

She punched his chest hard, twice with each fist.

He raised his brows. ‘Really, that’s it? That’s all you got?’

She bashed him in the face, he fell back on the bed moaning and she laughed. ‘God, you’re juvenile.’

Sitting up, he gave her a quick kiss. ‘Then you’re going to have to teach me to be a grown-up. And I’ll teach you how to be a cutthroat business woman. We’ll merge our skill sets.’

She gave him a little sideways glance.’ You don’t want to talk about this anymore, do you?’

The blue of his eyes was unfathomable. ‘No.’

‘OK, I’ll save the rest for later, but one thing more right now. The miscarriage might have had something to do with the contraception shot. It could have. You can at least acknowledge that, can’t you?’

He let out a little breath, looked down at his hands for a moment, then his gaze came up. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I thought about it. That would have been my fault.’

‘It’s not anyone’s fault, Dominic. It’s just a possible factor.’

‘Look,’ he said, ‘I’m going to get dressed now if that’s OK with you.’

She smiled. ‘Thanks for listening.’

He nodded, slid off the bed and walked away.

She watched him strip off his shirt, toss it into the wardrobe, put on striped dress shirt, quickly button it up and tuck it in, his movements swift and sure, his smooth efficiency always fascinating to witness. There wasn’t a wasted motion as if he was used to dressing quickly – not a thought she cared to dwell on.

He slipped into a Prince of Wales flint grey sports coat Martin had brought over, left the tie on the hanger, then adjusted his cuffs, buttoned the jacket, shut the wardrobe door and turned back to Kate.

‘You’re prettier than I am,’ Kate said with a smile.

His dark, longish hair was messy, ruffled like always as though he perennially stood in a breeze. His stark beauty was casually worn. His tall, broad-shouldered form was
strong and muscular, his physical perfection implausible, miraculous.

‘Not even close, Katherine,’ Dominic said, softly. ‘You’re so beautiful, you take my breath away. You’re the best present life has given me.’ For a second, his eyes narrowed. ‘I’d like to lock you away,’ his nostrils flared briefly, ‘but I know I can’t.’ His mouth twitched into a small smile. ‘Although I’m not giving any guarantees.’

‘Nana might be packing heat,’ Kate quipped. ‘So watch it.’

‘According to Max she is.’

‘Oh God,’ Kate moaned. ‘Why am I not surprised?’

‘Because she’s seventy-five, makes her own rules and knew she was travelling on a private plane, that’s why.’

‘You could have taken it away.’

Dominic laughed so long, Kate’s mouth was pursed tightly before he finally stopped.

‘It wasn’t that funny,’ she said with a little sniff.

‘Yeah it was. Nana told Max to not even consider taking her handgun away. He told her he wasn’t that stupid and a cordial détente was reached. That means doing things Nana’s way. Which also helps to explain the trouble I have keeping you in line.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, sugar sweet. ‘Did you say – keep me in line?’

‘We can talk about it later, after we’re married.’

Her brows rose. ‘Or we could talk about it now.’

‘Why don’t I go and get our guests?’ He moved towards the door.

‘Coward.’

He grinned. ‘I prefer to think of it as diplomacy,’ he countered, grasping the door knob. ‘You shouldn’t get agitated. You’re still recovering.’

But Kate was smiling when the door shut on Dominic.