Chapter Nineteen
Juliana pushed off her bed and growled as she paced the floor. Nothing had been going right since she returned to Scotland. The only good thing about the trip was the triumph she felt when paying off Grandmama’s debtors and the look on their pathetic faces when she shoved the money at them.
Indeed, it had been a sweet moment.
Then it ended. Bad fortune seemed to have hit her at every turn. Not long after she had paid the debtors, Pearl caught some kind of lung ailment and had coughed for weeks. Last week, Wilbur broke his leg out by the stables.
And Juliana had just discovered she was pregnant.
Although, she wouldn’t exactly call carrying Andrew’s child a bad omen. Just the opposite, in fact. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, wanting to see him, talk to him, and hold him in her arms. She wanted to laugh with him and enjoy his company. Things were not the same with him gone.
There was only one conclusion. She had to go back to Andrew and tell him she would live with him no matter where it was...as long as he would never leave her. It didn’t matter anymore that her sister had taken advantage of him while he was intoxicated. It wasn’t Andrew’s fault in the least. And Juliana loved him more when he decided to stay with his family. It thrilled her that he had finally found his past.
Now she knew she had to be with him regardless. They could live in the stable for all she cared. She needed him by her side as she raised their child.
When a knock came upon her bedroom door, she jerked to a stop. She hadn’t approved of the inn Wilbur’s two cousins had taken her to, but it was someplace to stay the night. She threatened them that if they allowed anyone to disturb her, she would have their heads on a platter.
Cursing under her breath, she marched to the door and yanked it open. James stood across from her, wringing his hat in his hands. Inwardly she groaned. What now?
“Umm...Miss Juliana? I’m sorry to bother ye...”
“What is it, James?” she snapped.
“Well, me and Paul noticed that the coach wheel had come loose, so while we was down fixin’ it, two blokes robbed us blind.”
She let out another groan and rubbed her forehead. Why didn’t she just stay in London? None of this would be happening now and she would be so much happier.
“But don’t ye worry none. A nice chap happened by and gave us some money that will pay for our night’s stay. There’s even enough to fix the wheel.”
She blinked, confused over what she just heard. “What did you say? Someone gave us money?”
“Aye, Miss.”
She narrowed her gaze. “What does he want for his generosity?”
“Nothin’. He just gave us the money, wished us luck on our journey, and left. Says he’s goin’ to Scotland in the mornin’.”
“Well, I’ll be.” She nibbled on her bottom lip in deep thought. Nobody did things like that, especially in places like this. And after all the horrid things that had happened to her, this man was an angel sent from heaven.
“Is this person staying here?”
“Yes, Miss.” He motioned his hand. “His room is up the hall.”
She nodded. “Then I’ll have to thank him personally. He must be a gentleman, indeed.”
“Oh, for certain.”
Walking out of her room, she looked up the hall. “Which room is it?”
“The forth one on your right.”
She glanced at James. “Wait in my room until I get back. Make certain nothing happens to my things.”
“Will ye be needin’ us to chaperone?”
She rolled her eyes. “Good heavens, no. I will not be going inside his room.”
She hurried up the hall to the forth door, then knocked. After a few moments the door opened. She prepared what she would say...until she looked into the face of the generous person who’d helped. Her heart slammed against her ribs, and she lost her breath. No, this cannot be happening. Her luck hadn’t been that good lately.
She blinked. She had to be seeing things.
Andrew smiled wide, making his face brighten in the semi-lighted room.
“Juliana? Is that you?” Hesitantly, he reached out and touched her cheek, then withdrew quickly. “It is you!”
“Andrew?” her voice squeaked.
“Yes, my dove.”
“Oh, Andrew!” She threw her arms around his neck.
He held tight to her, also, burying his face in her neck. “I cannot believe this is real,” he muttered.
She pulled away enough to look into his eyes. “My servants told me the nice man who helped us with money was going to Scotland.”
He nodded. “I didn’t know that was you.”
“Wh—why are you going to Scotland?”
He grinned. “To get you.”
Her heart burst with love, and she hugged him tight as she placed her mouth over his. He clung to her and answered her kiss back. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she kept kissing him. She never wanted to stop.
He pulled her into his room and kicked the door closed. Taking her head in his hands, he kissed her face, gently, wiping away her tears.
“Oh, Andrew,” she sobbed. “I have missed you terribly.”
He stroked her cheek. “Juliana? Why were you coming back to London?”
Her smile shook, but she managed to do it nonetheless. “To come and get my husband.”
He laughed, picked her up and swung her around. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, laughing with him.
Falling on the bed, he kept her in his arms. “Oh, Juliana. I have missed you so.”
“Andrew? We really need to talk.”
“I know.”
She leaned up on her elbow. So did he. She ran her gaze over his face, loving every line, crevasse and hair. “I don’t want to live without you,” she whispered.
“Neither do I.”
She grasped his hand. “I don’t care about what has happened in the past. I want us to go forward from today and live as a family. I want us to marry as soon as possible.”
He smiled. “I have a confession to make, and I sincerely hope you will understand and not hate me.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “What?”
“We don’t need to be married.”
She scrunched her forehead. “Why not?”
“Because we are already married.”
Relieved his confession wasn’t something terrible, she chuckled. “Oh, my dearest Andrew. We do need to marry, and soon. I want to make it real.”
He caressed her cheek. “We have been legally wed since we left Scotland.”
Confusion filled her head. “I’m not following you.”
“Remember the clergyman that married us?”
“Yes.”
“He was truly a man of God. The marriage certificate was real. We have been married this whole time.”
It only took a second before it sank in her head. Months ago she would have been furious to hear this confession, but not now. “Oh, Andrew. I love you so much!” She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He held her tight and returned the passionate kiss, but soon pulled away and took her face in his hands. “I have something else to tell you.” He took in a deep breath. “The night we went to the opera, I came home very intoxicated. So drunk, in fact, then when I crawled in bed and found a woman lying next to me, I thought she was you.”
Juliana’s heart melted. Finally, he was going to tell her about that night. But she couldn’t let him. She placed her fingers on his mouth. “Shh...” She shook her head. “I already know. I forgive you, Andrew, because it wasn’t your fault at all. But Maddie will no longer ruin our lives, now.”
His brows furrowed and he moved off the bed and to his trunk. He opened it, then pulled out a letter. “Read this,” he said, handing it to her.
When she recognized the handwriting, her hands began to shake, but she forced herself to read Maddie’s letter to Andrew. At first, Juliana’s stomach c
hurned, but the more she read, her nerves eased. She finished with tears in her eyes.
“I didn’t do what I thought I’d done,” he said softly.
“It doesn’t matter.” Juliana stretched her hands out to him, which he took. She pulled him back on the bed beside her. “I didn’t blame you at all. Maddie told me she’d crawled into your bed, which I’m certain was a ploy to get you to run to her.” She smiled. “I kicked her out of the house. After all, it’s mine now, not hers.”
He squeezed her hands. “Thank you.” He brought her hands up and kissed her knuckles. “What about the other complication between us?”
“What complication?”
“Scotland and England.”
She grinned. “As I said, what complication?”
He pulled her close, staring down into her eyes. “I will live with you wherever, Juliana. If you want me in Scotland, I will be by your side.”
Once again, tears gathered in her eyes. “And I will be with you wherever you wish to live.” She sniffed. “Andrew, my love, I cannot live without you.” She kissed his chin. “Especially now.”
His forehead creased. “What do you mean by that?”
She chuckled. “I want our child to know his father.”
His eyes widened. “Our...child?” He pulled back and glanced at her waist. “You are...”
“Yes, my love.” She took his hand and placed it on her belly. “I carry our child.”
“Oh, Juliana—” He pulled her close and kissed her.
She wouldn’t let anything stop her from being with him tonight. She had waited too long. Much too long. Pushing him back on the bed, she devoured his mouth and ran her hands over his chest, grabbing at the buttons of his shirt. In haste, his hands moved over her, caressing everywhere at once. He fumbled with the buttons at her throat as she tried to remove his shirt. But she couldn’t take her mouth off his to get undressed the proper way.
Suddenly a pounding came upon the door, and she jerked upright.
“We know our mistress is in there, sir,” James shouted from the hallway. “If you don’t open the door, we’ll knock the bloody thing down.”
She giggled. She’d forgotten about Wilbur’s cousins. Smiling at Andrew she shook her head. “They are my servants.”
She hurried to the door and opened it. When Wilbur’s cousins noticed her rumpled dress, they gasped. Holding up a hand, she stopped them. “No need to get upset. I’m fine.”
“But...but...ye don’t even know this man, Miss.”
She smiled. “Yes, I do, and do not call me Miss any longer. I am Mrs. Lawrence.” She looked back into the room at Andrew who had stood and came to her side.
“Actually, you’re not Mrs. Lawrence.” Andrew smiled. “You are Viscountess Straton.”
Her heart flipped. Grinning wide, she turned back to the servants. “This is my husband, Andrew Dean Lawrence, Viscount Straton…the man I was coming to London to get.”
Both men took off their hats and bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you properly, my lord.”
Andrew chuckled and pulled Juliana into his arms again and looked lovingly into her eyes. “You have no need to fear, gentlemen. I will take care of your mistress until my dying day.”
Muttering apologies, they left and walked back down the hall, their footsteps echoing on their way. Juliana could not keep her eyes off this wonderful man in front of her
Andrew shut the door and pulled her back to the bed. “My life is now complete. I’m finally whole. After seventeen years, my life was returned to me. I fell in love with a wonderful woman who will be my loving wife. What could be better?”
She shrugged. “Perhaps six or seven children.”
“That’s a start.” He cuddled her and rolled on the bed until he was lying over her. He grinned. “Now...where were we before Wilbur’s cousins interrupted us?”
She threw her arms around him. “Right here. A place I’ll never leave again.”
He winked. “Ditto, my lady.”
The End
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About the Author
Since Marie Higgins was a little girl playing Barbies with her sister, Stacey, she has loved the adventure of making up romantic stories. Marie was only eighteen years old when she wrote her first skit, which won an award for Funniest Skit. A little later in life, after she’d married and had children, Marie wrote Church roadshows that were judged as Funniest and Best Written. From there, she branched out to write full-length novels based on her dreams. (Yes, she says, her dreams really are that silly)
Marie has been married for twenty-six years to a wonderful man. Together, they have three loving daughters and several beautiful grandchildren. Marie works full time for the state of Utah, where she has lived her entire life. Marie plans to keep writing, because the characters in her head won’t shut up. But her husband smiles and pretends this is normal.
Visit her website / blog to discover more about her – http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com
Other Books in the Series…
Love Me Always
Book One in the “Fielding Brother’s Saga”
© 2011 Marie Higgins
No Way Out – Catherine Martin is trapped. Either she wed an elderly man and commit to a marriage without love, or continue living with the father who believes her guilty of murder and one foot outside the asylum. Catherine picks marriage to the Duke of Ashton, Grant Fielding. However, when she stays with the Fielding family before the wedding, she doesn’t plan on falling in love…with Grant’s nephew, Nicholas.
Destined for a lonely life – Nicholas Fielding loves his uncle’s soon-to-be bride, and has loved her since they were children. Now Nick must choose between his dying uncle's last wish to marry, and the woman who will make Nick happy for the rest of his life. No matter how hard Nick tries, he cannot stop his love for Catherine.
A flurry of accidents begins to happen around the Fielding estate and soon all accusing eyes turn to Catherine. When accidents escalate to murder, suspicions expound and even Catherine’s father believes she’s gone mad. Does Nick love her enough to discover the truth?
Charmed By Knight
Book Two in the “Fielding Brother’s Saga”
© 2011 Marie Higgins
Megan Ramsey will do anything not to marry the drunken lord selected for her – even if she must follow her parents’ plan and trick a duke into marriage. Instead of capturing the duke, she mistakenly traps the man who put her family in financial ruins.
Edmund Knight will stop at nothing to take back the deed to his goldmine. When he meets the thief’s daughter, Edmund sets his mind on charming her in order to get back his treasure. Will he find the real treasure beyond his precious gold?
Belong To Me
Book Four in the “Fielding Brother’s Saga”
© 2011 Marie Higgins
Charlotte Fielding, tired of being without her wayward husband, travels to Bath to find him. She discovers him at a masked ball amidst the throng of revelers. Her revenge on him is that he doesn’t know who she is, so she seduces him. When his reaction to her identity isn’t what she expects, she hardens her heart against him. Charlotte wants an annulment and nothing less. He talks her into a bargain—to stay as his wife for a month and then if they don’t suit well with each other, he’ll grant her wish. What she uncovers about his life is far more than she bargained for. In addition to the disguises in his closet from his investigative business, she stumbles across secrets. Those of which she wished she’s never known.
Framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Ian Fielding has his hands full with proving his innocence. His wife picks that moment to show up on his doorstep, and he’s forced to take her with him. What complicates things is when he becomes unexplainably attracted to her. The timing couldn’t be more inconvenient. When th
e couple takes refuge in an old castle own by a recluse beastly lord, they soon become aware that the owner has plans of his own.
Swept into a whirlwind of mystery, passion and adventure, Charlotte must discover the truth of her own heart before it’s too late for them both.
Love Comes Blindly
Book Five in the “Fielding Brother’s Saga”
© 2011 Marie Higgins
If love isn’t blind to past indiscretions, can absence truly make the heart grow fonder?
Gregory Fielding has been wounded when he travels to Scotland to find the next big story for his London newspaper. Now blinded, he relies on the soft, comforting touch of one of the nurses at St. Mary’s Abbey. He thinks she’s a novice, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to give her his heart.
Madeline O’Neil cannot believe her misfortune. The man she had almost married three years ago is back in her life. Gregg doesn’t know who she is and she doesn’t dare tell him. Not until she makes him like the new Madeline. But as each day passes and her heart grows fonder, she fears he’ll hate her for certain once his eyesight returns. Especially when he discovers the secret she’s been keeping from him for three years…
True Love's Deception (book 3) (The Fielding Brothers Saga) Page 22
