Midnight Masquerade (15 page)

“
I completely agree love, b
ut
understand that
they all feel responsible
for you, not one of those military trained geniuses were
able to protect you love.
That rests heavy on all of their hearts.
” Helena added, getting up she walked to the bathroom, “I’m going to draw you a bath, you
are going to soak in a
long hot bath and I’ll wash your hair and help you get dressed. After that, I’m going to go downstairs and get Alastair.”

“He won’t want me anymore Helena.” 

“I love you so L
ia, but if you think that man was only
crazy about you because you were carrying his child, you’re a fool my
darling
. You two need to mourn
the loss of this child together, you need to come to accept what has passed and press forward, hopefully as a couple.
Let him
help
you Amelia, let him fully into your heart.
You do not need to be so brave all the time my dear, learn to open that part of yourself up to him. Show him your vulnerable side.
”

Later that morning d
ownstairs in the library
Alastair
looked over his shoulder
to see Helena gracefully walk in as Gideon and Luke were arguing wi
th each other. Nodding to her,
he saw he
r
tip her head, motioning for him to follow her
out to the hallway.

Getting up from his seat, neither brother even bothered to look at
him,
as
the brothers
were
engrossed in their own argument to pay attention to
anyone else.
Following Gideon’s duchess out of the library, he shut the door behind them, effectively cutting off most of the noise.

“What is wrong Helena?” He could tell she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. Putting his hands into his pockets, he stood there w
hile he waited for her to speak, his heart pounded as fear crept in that Amelia had passed in her sleep.

“She was pushed Alastair, by an masked man who said he was
death
. She didn’t jump.”

Her words brought about a tornado of emotions. Someone had pushed her over the edge of the balcony, trying to kill her
, another attempt on her life
.
He knew it, he had just known in his heart that the woman he loved would never jump.
“She’s awake?”

Nodding, “Yes, she woke up an hour ago in raw pain from her side. I’ve helped her bathe and told her about the baby. She is heartbroken Alastair,
even if she refuses to admit it,
she needs you.”

The words weren’t even all the way out of Helena’s mouth and he was running up the stairs towards Amelia’s room.
These passing
days since her fall he had prayed and sat by her side
night after night
, pleading her to open her eyes. He had thought about nothing but her final words to him
for days.
Goodbye Alastair.

Rounding the corner his heart pounded as he opened her door and walked in. Seeing her in the middle of the bed, on her side, arms wrapped around
her
self
as she cried. The curtains were closed allowing no sunshine into the room as she wept, mourned their child alone in her room.

Feeling the wind taken from his sails, he shut the door and locked it behind him. His prayers had been answered, she had come back to them. So easily he could have lost both of them.
Her heart was broken, and he intended to heal it.

Walking to her bed, he laid down behind her and gently drew her into his arms as she cried. Closing his eyes he held her, her pain was real and raw. Someone had pushed her over the edge of the balcony in attempt to kill her, only to have her lose the precious baby in her womb.

Kissing the side of her head, “Lia, I am so sorry. I should have never fought with you that night, I’ll never forgive myself for this mess. I co
uld have lost both of you, I should have just let you run to Scotland, you would have been safe there
…
”

With pain
in her face
, she slowly rolled over to face him. Her beautiful face red from crying, the loss in her eyes was more than he could bear. Touching foreheads with her, he felt her wrap an arm around his waist and squeeze.

“This isn’t your fault Alastair
. I was so stupid to run away alone. You
all
had been warning me and I sloughed off your concern and look what it cost me.” Burying her head into his chest he felt his shirt soak up her tears as she continued, “I’m the one who is sorry, my carelessness and reckless behavior cost
us our
child.”

The words
our child
felt like a dagger in his heart. He had been dreaming about his life with her and their child the moment he found out she carried his heir.
“Don’t you dare apologize for someone trying to murder you
Lia!
I should have been there, I should have been by your side to protect you. I should have followed you when you walked away from me, I would have given my life for you, for our future children, for the baby we lost
,
but don’t apologize because someone took that away from us. It wasn’t your choice, it wasn’t my choice….”

Wiping off her face, she looked up at him, “Future children?”

Tucking a stray curl behind her ear, “You told me you loved me.”

“Alastair…” she paused, “
I have
never
told you that I loved you.”

Holding her in his arms, he stared down into her lucid grey eyes,
“When we were riding in the park, after I found out you were pregnant, believing it to be another man’s child, you told me that you loved the father.”

“I also told you that I would never marry him.”

“You were wrong that day.” He countered, looking deep in her stormy eyes.

“About what?” She asked, her face scrunched in confusion.

“You told me that the father of your child did not return your affection.” He whispered, holding her as her eyes grew wide. From outside the door, a loud noise broke the spell they were both under.
A battery of pounding on Amelia’s door
rattled the entire room.

“Alastair
Cedric Bancroft, you bloody bastard!
You open this door right now or I will disown you as my friend for the rest of my life!” Luke shouted against the locked door, rattling the handle, “Or I’ll break the son of a bitch down
!”

Groaning, he let go of Amelia and rolled out of bed, unlocking the door and swinging it wide
revealing
Luke standing in the doorway furious.

Stepping in he pointed at him, “You are to never be behind a locked door with my unmarried baby siste
r ever again, do you understand?
”

“Luke!” Amelia exclaimed from the bed, her voice showed her irritation at being interrupted.

Rolling his eyes to the sky, Alastair offered, “I’m goi
ng to marry her Luke, calm down we were just talking you bloody fool.
”

“I’m
not
going to marry you Alastair!”
Amelia screamed in protest to his statement.

Both men turned towards he
r
as she shouted. Now sit
ting up in the bed, her hair fel
l around her like a dark angel. Beside him, he heard Luke turn the tables on Amelia that had him inwardly grinning.

Luke crossed his arms and stood befo
re her next to him, “Amelia Eliz
abeth Somerset, I have prayed to our parents
, to G
od and every
other
deity
I have ever read
about that
you would return to us safely. I am blessed that you are alive,
that you are well enough to be
sitting in that bed yelling at us
but
…if you are going to be in a nightgown in a bedroom with a
bloody
duke, both unmarried and obviously in
love
with each other you better start changing your damn mind regarding marrying him!”

“No one will
tell
me what I can and cannot do, or who I will marry! I am not a little girl anymore Luke, no man, even you or Gideon will tell me what my future will be like.”

Bowing his head, Alastair knew this wasn’t going to end well, “Lia….”

“Out, both of you! Luke, take your best friend and throw him out the door if you please. I don’t want to see either of your faces right now!”

“
What? What did I do?
Lia please….” His heart was breaking. All he wanted to
do was comfort and console her
.
Luke’s attitude had fanned her independent flames, she was not seeing reason.

Pointing to the door, “Out, get the bloody hell out of my room both of you!”

Looking at Luke, he nodded towards the door and did as she requested.
He didn’t want her upset any
further, she had just woken up and found out she lost their baby.
Leaving her alone in the room they shut the door and walked downstairs.

“
Bloody hell Luke, what the hell were you thinking?
” Runn
ing a hand through his hair, his patience was running thin this week. Between the rumors and losing the baby and Amelia’s injury he was ready to snap.

Slapping him on the back, “Eh, sorry about that. I got a little overwhelmed there…”

“Overwhelmed, is that what you’d call it? Seriously, she’s stubborn enough as it is. The last thing I need is for someone telling her she has to marry me!”

“
Actually, you said you were going to marry her before I told her she was going to.
She will regardless.” Luke teased, elbowing him.

“I need to talk to you and Gideon.”
He said somberly
and the made it to the main floor and quickly walked towards the now quiet library
.

“That doesn’t sound promising Alastair, what are you about to drop on us old boy?” Luke asked as
he threw the
library
door open and marched in, following closely behind, he saw Gideon was alone.

Gideon looked up from his stacks of paper as they walked in, “She was pushed.”

“Yes she was, which means our killer struck again. We have to do something Gideon, the man is becoming more desperate.
This is at least the second time he’s tried to take her life; both attempts have been made with skill and thou
ght. She’s lucky to be alive.” Alastair
said as he took a seat before the desk, Luke dropping down into the other seat, sitting before Gideon as they had so many times before.

“I told you she would have never jumped Gideon, no matter what anyone says, that woman would never kill herself over a man, especially one she loudly protests she refuses to marry.” Luke added, grinning at the last part.

R
ubbing his face, Gideon sighed, “So our
fiery
little Amelia is back to us in full force eh? What did you two idiots do? Luke, did you go up there and upset her after what she’s been through?”

Shrugging and cringing slightly, “I might have overreacted to finding Alastair and Amelia behind the locked door of her bedroom.”

“Jesus Luke, she has a broken set of ribs, what on earth do you think those two were going to do? We both know that despite her refusal, Alastair will marry Amelia. How in the world is he to convince her to marry him if your busting the damn door down acting like she’s a teenager
again
?” Gideon scolded.

Sitting there, Alastair had to fight his smile as Gideon championed him. Luke was of course his best friend; he had always been overly protective of Amelia, as he should
be
. Gideon was older
,
and had obviously accepted the suit
with much more grace than his younger brother
, and
clearly understood how difficult it was to land
fireball.

Leaning back in the chair, Luke groaned, “Well damn and blast.”

Alastair
knew he had to
pursue
his plan, now was the best time to blurt it out, “I would ask you gentleman to remember your
paths and pursuits
of your wives.
” Looking across the desk at the eldest Somerset,
“
Gideon, you and Helena were never apart once she started to receive threats
on her life
.
You took her under your direct protection
far before you were engaged.” Looking next at
Luke, he continued, “Luke,
you did the same with Genevieve
when she became entangled in our mission
.”