The Wagered Bride (14 page)

Lady
Emily squeezed Elizabeth's hand and shook her head. "I don't know if
that's a good idea. I love him, but he is an absolute idiot when it comes to
things like this."

"He
will do what he needs to do, believe me."

"No,
you do not understand."

The fear
Elizabeth saw in the lady's face turned her heart.

"I
cannot see a doctor coming out in a night like this. My husband will go for
him, but I cannot take the chance he will be caught in this terrible storm. He
can send a footman. Yet what if this babe does not wait?" Lady Emily's
face turned white as another contraction passed.

She
swallowed and dropped her hand against her side as she tried to relax.
"You are my only hope until the doctor comes," she said, the tears
rising to her lids. "The men in this house are healthy male specimens who
have seen more blood on the battlefield than I care to know about, but believe
me, they are entirely useless with something like this. It scares them
witless."

Elizabeth
did not believe all of them would be useless. For some reason she thought
Stephen would not be a veritable ninny.

"Am
I intruding?"

Both
ladies' heads jerked up as Stephen wandered into the room, his dark eyes
narrowing on his sister's pale face.

Elizabeth
knew she was doomed to help. She nodded to the lady, receiving a half-smile in
return as another pain started.

"No,
my lord. You are just in time to help with the birth of your niece or
nephew."

Stephen's
stunned gaze shot to Elizabeth. "Well, you can simply tell my sister she
cannot have the baby now. It is not time!"

Veritable
ninny, no. Ninny, yes. Elizabeth's eyes flashed as she stalked toward him.
"She is having the baby now. I will need your help, do you
understand?"

The man
who was never at a loss for words seemed mute.

"Very
good." Elizabeth could not think of his nearness, could not think of their
engagement, she could only think of the babe that was to be born. Another life.
"Your first duty is to take care of the men in this house, especially Lord
Stonebridge, and make certain he does not interfere. And don't let him fetch
the doctor himself."

Stephen
nodded grimly, the fear in his eyes matching the fear in Elizabeth's heart. But
she would never dare show what she felt, not in front of Lady Emily.

"My
dear, I believe it is time we retreat to our chambers. You have been looking
quite peaked—" Lord Stonebridge had entered the room and upon seeing his
lovely wife writhing in pain, his eyes went wide with shock.

"Confound
it! Someone do something!"

He ran
to Lady Emily's side while she tried to tell her husband everything would be
fine. He insisted on going for the doctor, but she asked him not to leave her.
She told him the weather was impossible anyway. Another pain came and Lord
Stonebridge seemed to be in more pain than his wife.

Elizabeth
looked on in despair as the man squeezed his wife's hand until it turned blue.
Saints above, this was going to be one long night.

She gave
a sharp glance toward Stephen, telling him to take the earl out of the room, in
addition to giving him a mental list of everything she would need. It took a
moment for Stephen to gather his wits before he dragged Stonebridge from his
wife's side.

Elizabeth
glanced back at Lady Emily and smiled. "Do you think you could make it to
your bedchamber between pains?"

Lady
Emily's violet eyes danced. "Do you think I can get past my husband before
he throws me into his arms and drops me down the stairs?"

Both
women laughed and Elizabeth knew she had found a friend.

"Well,
what the devil is taking so long?" Lord Stonebridge shouted as he paced up
and down the drawing room rug like some caged animal ready to pounce at the
smallest sound.

"Not
to worry. Miss Shelby is with Emily, trying to make her as comfortable as
possible," Stephen said as he handed the father-to-be another glass of
brandy. "The maids are willing to step in if the time comes. Many of them
have helped deliver children."

The earl
spun around. "Miss Shelby? She's a gently bred lady! And the maids?
Confound it! You should have let me go for the doctor. That footman you sent
won't be back for hours."

The duke
stepped in, a frown marring his dark features. "There is not one single
carriage out in this horrid weather, Jared. And if you dare try to leave, I
will tie you down. You know I can do it. Do you hear me? I don't want this baby
born without a father."

Stonebridge
hurled his glass into the fire. "I cannot bear this waiting!"

Stephen's
brown eyes flashed with amusement. "Speaking to the fire now, are we? I
thought we had a little talk about that."

The earl
lifted his head and grinned. "So we did."

Stephen
slapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder and sat him down for another game of
chess. But the truth was, he was scared too. Yet if anyone could calm Emily
down, it was Elizabeth. She was reliable and confident, two factors lacking in
most of the eligible females of the
ton
.

The
earl's queen shot across the room, startling Stephen.

"Confound
it," Stonebridge shouted. "We've been in this blasted room for over
four hours!"

Roderick,
Clayton, and Marcus glanced up, then went back to their card game. Their
mother, Lady Bringston, was flitting about outside Emily's bedchamber, trying
to be helpful. Elizabeth, for that is how Stephen thought of her now, was
trying to calm down Stephen's mother as much as she was Emily.

William
Shelby had made an appearance, then took to his bed, assuring everyone that his
eldest daughter had the healing touch, and even though she had never delivered
a babe before, she would rise to the occasion. It was a shocking statement to
make of a gently bred female, but for some absurd reason Stephen did not doubt
Elizabeth's capability.

It was
an hour later when the doctor came rushing past the door and was barely out of
his damp coat before the earl had pounced on the man, shouting for him to hurry
to his wife.

Stephen
and the duke had to physically pull Stonebridge into the drawing room and leave
the doctor to his work.

But for
an unguarded moment, Stephen had caught a glimpse of Elizabeth standing outside
Emily's chambers, looking understandably relieved as she issued orders to a
maid. He never thought he had seen a more beautiful woman in his life than his
fiancée in her disheveled state. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows,
wisps of wheat-colored hair curled around the nape of her neck, and sweat
blotted her temples. Something warm swelled in his chest at the sight of her
coaxing his mother to take a glass of ratafia as they waited outside Emily's
room.

"Women
have babies all the time, Jared," Stephen said, back in the drawing room.

"Well,
confound it. This is my woman," the earl ground out. "I don't know
what I would do if anything should happen to her."

Stephen
detected a slight mist in the earl's eyes, and an ache grew in his chest. He
had a sudden desire for what this man had. He wanted a woman to love and a
woman to love him back. He wanted a child to love, a family to cherish. Dash it
all. He wanted Miss Elizabeth Shelby.

"The
doctor made it on time. He knows what he's about," the duke added with the
voice of authority. "You have nothing to worry about. Besides, Emily is as
strong as a horse."

Stonebridge's
head snapped up, his eyes sparkling. "I don't think your sister would take
kindly to being likened to a horse."

Stephen
bent over the fire to see if he could rescue the queen that had been thrown
near the smoking embers. "No," he smiled, "don't think she
would, Roderick."

"Hello."

All
heads turned toward Milli who had entered the drawing room. Her head was a
tangle of dark brown curls framing two wide gray eyes.

"Ah,
our little ballerina," Marcus said, his eyes smiling.

Milli
lifted her chin. "I know you will excuse me for barging in on you, but I
want you all to know that my sister Elizabeth is better than most
doctors."

Stephen's
eyes twinkled at the girl's boldness. "Thank you, Milli. But the doctor
has arrived, and at present, your sister is caring for my mother. Now, perhaps
it is time you retire. Rest assured, you will be notified of everything in the
morning."

Milli
colored. "Well, I am only trying to put you all at ease, for Lizzie told
me that sometimes men are such babies in times like these."

Marcus
coughed. "I believe Stephen is right, my little ballerina. You should take
yourself to bed immediately."

Milli's
eyes flashed. "Women do know some things. Why, I'll have you know that
Lizzie delivered Mr. Fennington's puppies last month and a prime lot they
were."

Lord
Stonebridge shot from his chair. "She what?"

Stephen
clenched his teeth. King George, this was all he needed tonight. The thought of
Elizabeth inside Fennington's home made him want to call the man out. But
bringing up Fennington's name to Stonebridge on the night of his babe's birth
was outside of enough.

"The
puppies were so cute," Milli went on, taking the earl's question as
interest in her continuing the conversation. "But I was not supposed to
tell anyone about that."

She
frowned when her comments were answered with a brittle silence. The five gentlemen
were now staring at her as if she wore nothing at all. She swallowed
uncomfortably.

"You
see, Elizabeth has a liking for Mr. Fennington. Why, she would have run off to
Gretna Green with him if it were not for—"

Stephen
was across the room in three quick strides and barely caught the girl by her
shoulders, spinning her toward the door before she could finish.

"If
not for what?" Lord Stonebridge asked sharply.

Stephen
did not want Elizabeth's name dragged through the gutter with that cad.
"Milli has quite an imagination, do you not?" he said to the girl.

Milli
pursed her lips, as if she finally realized something was wrong. "La, she
did not marry Mr. Fennington. But as in the Shakespearean tragedy, she wanted
to." And like the little actress Milli was, she fell against Stephen, a
limp hand to her forehead. " 'Parting is such sweet sorrow—' "

"That
is enough, Millicent."

The girl
blinked as Stephen escorted her into the hall. "But I had such an
audience. Did you see the way they stared at me?"

To
Stephen's disgust, the audience followed.

"What
is this about Fennington?" Stonebridge growled.

Before
Stephen could say another word, he was saved by the wail of a newborn babe.
Stonebridge rushed past him like a horse running at Newmarket.

Elizabeth
came down the stairs, smiling as she took both of the earl's hands in a tight
grip. "It's a boy. A healthy boy."

"A
boy," the earl murmured, choking back tears as he ran up the stairs.
"Did you hear that, gentlemen? I have a son!"

The men
whooped with glee, returning to the drawing room to toast the earl's new heir.

But
Stephen stayed rooted to the floor, staring at Elizabeth. Her honey-colored
locks spilled down her back and across her face, shimmering against the
candlelight. Her face was as flushed as an English rose. But it was her engaging
smile that tripped his heart and sucked him in like an undercurrent.

"A
boy!" Milli ran upstairs to take a look at the child, passing her sister.
"Oh, how wonderful. A boy!"

Elizabeth's
smile faltered and she stumbled on the steps, obviously tired and worn, her
bottom lip trembling. "Your mother was so worried. But I think she is fine
now."

"Thank
you." Stephen stepped forward and caught her in his arms. "You must
be exhausted."

To
Stephen's surprise, her face crumpled and she buried her face in his shoulder
with a small, choking sob.

"Ah,
Elizabeth," he said into her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her.
"Don't cry. You did a wonderful job."

Her body
fell limp against his. Stephen swept her into his arms and called for the
servants to send up hot water for a bath. He strode into her chambers and sank
into a nearby chair, settling her on his lap with her face still pressed
against his cravat.

Heaven
above, she felt so good in his arms. "You did wonderfully. The baby is
healthy? My sister is well?"

She
nodded. He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Well, then, what have you to
cry about? The doctor came in time, did he not?" Another sob broke from
her throat.

"Elizabeth."
He kissed the soft skin beneath her ear.

She
shook her head, sniffing back her tears. "Y-you don't understand."

He
stiffened, instantly thinking of Milli's outburst downstairs. "If you're
crying over that Fennington fool—"