My Forbidden Mentor (33 page)

The ivory linen drapery brightened from the morning sun, awakening Melissa out of her peaceful slumber. Stirring against John, she raised her head to focus on his tranquil features. She smiled at his sleeping form, so still and unmoving except for the relaxed rising of his taut belly. Quite a different picture from last night, she thought, remembering how they’d stayed up until the early morning hours engaging in endless lovemaking. They had reason to celebrate after all, they were to become man and wife. Melissa lifted from John, leaving his resting body while she went to relieve herself. Stepping over to the water closet, a significant wave of nausea took over. Her smile turned into a frown and she barely made it inside the closet when the heaving took over.

The horrendous sound of retching woke John. Once he realized the sound came from Melissa, he was out of bed and at the water closet. Upon opening the door, her naked backside stood before him with arms stretched out to the walls on both sides. John’s hand touched her shoulder, offering comfort. “Are you all right?” he asked.

Trying to catch her breath, she took advantage of his nearness by reclining into his naked body for steadiness and replied in scattered breaths, “I hope so.” While taking comfort in his warm body his strong hand began caressing her shoulder and his powerful arm wrapped around her waist. It was as if he knew another wave of sickness would come about. He held her steady as she flung forward again, her stomach empty but continuing with its heaving motion.

She finally lifted her head. For now the sick feeling had passed.

“Better?” John asked as he gathered strands of golden hair that had fallen forward. She nodded in response but had hesitation written in her expression.

“What is it?” he implored.

Then a flush of color appeared on her cheeks. “I have yet to relieve myself.”

Comprehension dawned and without delay he prepared her with the necessary means. “Wait here,” he told her, coming back so fast she wasn’t sure he’d left. He held a clean chamber pot in his hand.

“Thank you,” she told him. He waited outside the door to give her privacy, and once she appeared finished, he helped her to the bed.

He tucked in the blankets, and fully covered her, then sat next to her, using a wet cloth to wipe her mouth and cool her forehead. “I’m fine, John, really,” she told him, staring into his handsome face. “I need to eat and I’ll be better,” she suggested. John rose from the bed and began getting dressed. “Where are you off to?” Melissa asked. He hadn’t said a word since he’d brought her the chamber pot.

His fingers trailed up the buttons of his shirt. “I’m off to order some food and then I’m going to find a doctor,” he said, using his fingers to skim his long hair back before placing a tie around it.

Lifting onto her elbows she pleaded, “A doctor? John, I don’t need a doctor. The food always helps.”

He came back over to her, staring at her with a look of certainty. “Melissa, I know the food helps, but sweetheart, it isn’t normal to feel nausea that strong every time you’re hungry, and today you actually got sick. Is this the first time you’ve thrown up?”

She sank back into the bed, defeated before she could debate. “Yes.”

He sat on the bed again, taking her hand in his. “So it’s getting worse.” Her familiar pout, something he had actually missed, showed itself.

Taking a deep breath, she knew he was right. “I suppose so,” she replied. A doctor would confirm if she were pregnant, and most likely she was. There was no more denying it as her menses, as of yet, had failed to start. She didn’t need a doctor’s confirmation. It was so obvious now. Would John be happy about this?

John was genuinely worried about his future wife. Taking care of her was his responsibility, always had been since his promise to her father. She couldn’t have her way this time. A doctor became necessary to ease his mind. He explained as best he could. “Melissa, I’m not giving you a choice about a doctor. I’m concerned for your health. You could have some kind of illness.” As he finished his reasoning a nagging thought flashed through his mind. Her behavior of late seemed nervous and moody, especially around him. His features turned quizzical when staring into her face, now expressing the same nervousness. Connecting her present mood with the actions she had just experienced, his conclusion didn’t appear that far fetched. “Melissa, are you late in starting your monthly cycle?” Her immediate reaction told him everything by her shutting eyes and lips pressing together. He could see the anguish working through her features. “How far is it gone?” he implored, now realizing the role of fatherhood joined his newly adjusted position of becoming a husband.

Her eyes opened, expecting to find anger in his piercing eyes but instead she saw binding affection. “Approximately three weeks,” she revealed in a quiet tone. Finally she had faced the truth with John and a sense of extreme relief came over her. The tension and pain of her relationship with John, topped with the idea she could be carrying his child, had racked her unbearably these last few weeks.

John hid his distress from her. It seemed all sorts of events were happening at once. Reuniting with Melissa, finding out Vanessa may have more vicious plans, proposing marriage and now a child on the way, all in two days time. He knew Melissa had been dealing with her own miseries so she didn’t need the extra burden of his, but she must have had some idea that she was pregnant. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked softly.

“I wasn’t sure John,” she responded guiltily.

“Wasn’t sure?”

“Whether I was pregnant or not. I’ve never been so I don’t know the signs.” In denial, she had blocked out Cecelia’s advising of the signs. “And please don’t wonder that it may be yours, if I am, that is.”

John began recovering from this unexpected critical bit of news. “Forgive me. It took me by surprise, that’s all. A lot of events are happening at once and you being pregnant was the last thing I expected to deal with at this time.”

Her emotional state flared again. “John you were the one who introduced me to the pleasures between a man and woman and you were also the one who didn’t think we had anything to worry about. How do you really feel now that it could be a reality?”

His hands flew up in defense, as if to ward off her unpredictable burst of words. “Whoa, sweetheart. I’m just finding out this morning how possible it may be when you’ve known for some time. Who’s facing reality here?”

“John you know we made love a couple of times unprotected.” She wasn’t ready to take full blame. “How can you pretend you didn’t think about it?”

“I figured everything was fine since you didn’t say anything,” he said in defense.

“When I first noticed strange symptoms you and I were miles apart. I’ve been going through my own private hell, you know.” It seemed they were dealing with one complication after another and all at once. “I admit I was in denial, only because you and I weren’t getting along, and because I’m not ready for a child.”

“If you’re pregnant Melissa, the child isn’t going to disappear because you’re not ready and don’t even think about any other options. I won’t allow it.”

Aghast that he would even think she would resort to such drastic measures, she clearly informed him. “I’ve never thought of any other options, and I never would.” She shifted away from him before asking out of frightened desperation, “Do you still want to marry me?”

“What? Now why would you ask such a question? Of course I do. Why are you so insecure all of a sudden?”

“I’m scared John. Can’t I be scared?”

“Yes, I’m sure it’s normal. Now I’m off to get you something to eat and then a doctor.” He rose from the bed.

Melissa’s hand reached for his arm to stop him. “John, can’t we do without the doctor?”

“Why?”

“I’m afraid of doctors. I don’t like being sick. Seeing a doctor means you’re sick.”

He looked down into her innocent, dismayed features, realizing he loved even this part of her personality. “Melissa, if you’re pregnant, it’s a good sickness. Does that make you feel better about it?”

“No John. It’s easy for you to say when you’re not the one who has to go through it.”

He rolled his eyes and sat down again. “I told you I’m here for you. Now where’s that pouting lip of mine? Come on, show me. I can feel your famous pout coming on. Here, let me help you. There you go, just like that, no, the bottom lip comes out further.”

“I don’t pout,” she said defensively, as her bottom lip extended well past normalcy.

“What do you mean? You’re doing it right now. You’ve pouted for me since the first time we made love.”

“And that’s what got me into this trouble.”

“Making love?” he asked with a light chuckle in his voice.

“Yes.”

His head dipped to hers to nuzzle her earlobe and neck. “Yes, but it was fun trouble, sinful, delicious, incredible. There you go,” he whispered when he witnessed her mouth beginning to curve into a smile.

“Stop it or you’ll make me laugh,” she said, squirming away from his ticklish maneuvers.

His head lifted and his smiling eyes were drowning into hers. “That’s the point, sweetheart. You’re beautiful when you laugh.”

“I am?”

“You are to me.”

Her hazel eyes lingered on his expression. His handsome face expressed a unique tenderness she’d never seen before. He took the wet cloth from her forehead before sweeping his fingers through her hair and away from her face. His warm lips grazed the bridge of her nose, descending down to her lips applying another light brush of softness. “Even though it’s quite likely you’re carrying our child, I’m getting a doctor to verify.”

“Our child” struck Melissa with intense emotion. Her small hand went to his masculine cheek, smoothing over the earthy texture of his skin. How could she deny the child they had made together? “I agree,” she told him, and then added, “John, are you truly happy?”

How could he not be happy with a beautiful woman to be his wife and a child already on the way? Despite a father he didn’t associate with and an ex-lover making his life a living hell, everything couldn’t be better. “Yes, I’m extremely happy. You’re to be my wife and in a short time you’re going to make me a father. I couldn’t ask for more.” His smile shown with radiance and she could see true contentment in his features.

She ate heartily and then got dressed. Afterwards she began periodic bouts of pacing in anticipation of the doctor’s visit. Why am I so nervous she wondered, watching from the window as people shuffled through town. Everything was in the open with John now. What was there to be nervous about? A deep voice broke into her thoughts.

“Melissa, relax. He’s only going to confirm what we know to be true. There’s nothing to be anxious about.” When John saw that she was too knotted up to respond he went back to planning his schedule for training and races, marking the first couple of weeks exclusively for Melissa, for he wanted her teachings to be finished while the babe stayed small inside her.

Nothing to be anxious about, she ran over in her mind. What was she afraid of? Birthing? Just then a knock at the door got her attention.

John lifted from the chair, stepping in front of her. “I’ll get it. You sit and relax.” She sat on the edge of the bed as John answered the door. “Dr. Marlow. Come in.” John stood aside, allowing his entrance.

He tipped his top hat in John’s direction. “Lord Blackburn, thank you.”

While John and Melissa conversed with the doctor, Robert was seated at a café a few buildings down from their hotel waiting for his breakfast. Sipping on tea, he wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t seen John and Melissa yet. He was sure they were quite comfortable sleeping in this morning. Robert thought about the meeting that was to take place after breakfast. What kind of strategy could they come up with to expose Vanessa? As his eyes skimmed the townspeople through an open window the devil herself appeared before his very eyes. It can’t be, he thought, but sure enough there she was, platinum hair, red lips and ice blue eyes, exiting a stage in front of their hotel. Jack must have informed her, and oddly, he didn’t see Jack with her. She had entered the same hotel where they were staying. How am I going to warn John and Melissa?

They were in the middle of discussing what to expect of Melissa’s confirmed pregnancy when there was a knock at the door. John went to get it. “A message for you, my lord.” The messenger nodded then left. John unfolded the note. It was an urgent request from Robert to meet him at the racetrack. Alone. Crucial business arose that needed both their attention. John’s gaze went back to the word “alone”. He folded the note and placed it among his clothing. The message seemed unusual but it was from Robert and Dr. Marlow was here with Melissa. Perhaps he could convince the good doctor to stay with Melissa while he tended to business.

“What is it?” Melissa asked. It seemed serious from John’s concerned expression.

He smiled so she wouldn’t worry. “Robert has summoned me. He probably got tired of waiting for us.” His hand reached out to take hers.

Eagerly she grabbed his hand and a grin as big as the open country gifted him. “It’s just as well, with the news we have for him,” she said, and he squeezed her hand in agreement, both almost forgetting the doctor still remained.