by Aubrey Brown
“Expecting? Expecting what I may ask?” He smiled.
“A baby, Gabriel, we had intercourse last evening.” She smiled in return.
Gabriel’s smile slipped, and Emma’s heart thumped heavily in her chest.
“I highly doubt that you are pregnant after one encounter.”
“I am sure you are right, but one can never be too careful,” she replied.
Gabriel stood and walked to the door and then suddenly turned around. He walked back to her bed and said, “The possibility of you falling pregnant is impossible.”
“Why is that, Gabriel?”
“I’m sterile, Mercy.”
Emma was shocked into stillness. He was sterile. Her moment of pleasure at the thought of having his baby fizzled.
“How do you know for sure, Gabriel? Have you had a doctor tell you thus?”
Gabriel stood and said, “That is personal, Mercy. And you need not know.”
“I need not know? You are speaking in riddles. Why can you not tell me?”
“Tell me who you really are, Mercy. You seem not to exist. No one knows who you are.”
For a moment, Emma did not know what he was speaking of, and then said, “You mean you have been asking about me?” Dawning horror came into her eyes. Her headache forgotten, she stood and wobbled. He put his hands out to steady her, but she stepped back. He felt her rebuff as if it was a physical slap. She looked ready to cry for a moment, but then she firmed her stance.
“You have been asking questions about me. Where exactly have you been asking pray tell?”
His own spine stiffened, and he said, “It is customary for an employer to check on references, even if the governess cannot provide any.”
“We made love in this bed, Gabriel. I believe we have moved on from the traditional employer-and-employee relationship.”
“We had sex, Miss Goodwin. You were hired here to do a job of work.”
Now true horror came into her eyes. “No, you must not mean that. We made love, we…”
But then she looked into his eyes and saw that they were dead of any emotion. He was fatally serious. Her heart crumbled all at once.
“I thought…”
“You thought?” he persisted.
She shook her head. She had thought, and now he had set her straight. Her heart shattered inside of her chest. If he wanted to know who she was, then she wanted to know who he was.
“Why are there no mirrors in this house, my lord? Why does no one see you during daylight hours? Why did you never advertise properly for a governess?”
“I will say it a final time, Miss Goodwin, you either tell me of who you are, or I will turn you out of this house tonight.”
Emma felt her heart stop dead in her chest. She looked into his once-warm eyes and saw only determination. He meant what he said.
“Miss Westlake, my name is Emma Westlake. I am the daughter of a baron.”
* * * *
Gabriel had thought of a hundred different scenarios, not one of them had been a daughter of a nobleman. However, to look at her now, he cursed himself a fool for not recognizing breeding when he came across it. She was perfect in speech and body. She all but screamed titled. He should have known, after two hundred years, he should have been able to tell the difference between the privileged and working class.
“Why are you here, Miss Westlake?” he all but bit out.
“I was promised to a duke…”
“And he was not to your higher standard tastes, so you fled your father’s home seeking adventure, with the ‘reclusive’ earl. Do you not think I have heard the rumors?”
“No, that is not what happened. I did not want to marry the man since he was twice my age and as big as he was tall.”
“He also had a wife who died from suspect circumstances. He…”
“I believe I have heard enough,” he sneered.
“You have not heard anything. You must understand that I at no time intentionally came here to fall for…the children, and I never thought we would begin a relationship,” she whispered.
“Let me relieve you of your guilt. There is no relationship, Miss Westlake. You will return to your duties as governess until I can find a replacement. I do not want a woman in my home that would trade her innocence for that of adventure and immaturity.”
Gabriel saw she was near crumpling down in tears, but he was undeterred. She came here to use him and his children.
“I made love with you last evening, because I fell in love with you the moment we met. I have not told you of my past, because I do not want to marry the duke,” she said.
“Many women will tell lies in order to secure a place to live. I am not easily swayed by beauty.”
He readied his heart for the pain that would try to intrude. She lied to him, and she used him. He felt rage bore through his undead soul at the woman standing in front of him. He was furious that her mind was blocked to him. He was angry that he had been taken in, and he lastly knew he needed to remove himself from her company before she convinced him otherwise. She was clearly an accomplished liar.
“You will not believe a word I say, will you?” she finally stated.
As an answer he walked through the door and out into the hallway.
* * * *
That was the moment when Emma truly felt her headache. She then lay down upon her bed and closed her eyes, hoping oblivion would take her into a place where Gabriel loved her, and she was healthy.
Chapter Eight
The Duke of Greensburg’s estate
“The maid would not tell us where your intended is, your grace, however, there is word that a man at Whites was asking about the identity of a girl fitting Emma’s description.”
The duke came from his thoughts and said, “Where is she?”
“A day and a night’s ride from here. I have my men leaving forthwith. They are riding the fastest horses available,” he stated.
“Bring her to me.”
As the man left the duke for the first time in weeks he relaxed and began to plan for Emma’s arrival.
* * * *
The earl’s castle
She walked into the nursery room to find the children engaged in practicing their penmanship. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of them. She grew to love them so much. She wiped her face and then sat at her desk.
A while later Emma suggested that they go for a walk through the gardens. The children seemed to agree with the idea. The siblings played and laughed their way through the lush foliage and then back into the house for lunch. After the meal was finished, they went back to their studies until Emma called a halt for them to rest and wash up for supper with their uncle. Since Gabriel and she had said everything that needed to be said the night before, Emma opted to stay in her room that night, refusing the tray given to her. She was beyond tired and overly sick with heartache. Her mind seemed to scream at her. The headaches were worse than ever, and they were persistent.
* * * *
Gabriel sat at the table with the children and tried not to notice the governess was missing.
“Uncle Gabriel, Miss Goodwin was sick all day with a headache; she even left the room a few times to be ill in a chamber pot. Is she dying?” asked Rose.
Gabriel was struck by the child’s words. “I do not believe so, Rose. She is just sick. It will pass.”
However, the words rung hollow to him as he continued to listen to their day’s lessons. As the meal came to a close, he could not help seeking Emma out. He listened for her breathing and found she was gasping. Protecting his heart, he materialized as mist above her bed. She had fallen asleep in her day dress, hair still in pins. He looked at her face and found she was as pale as the night she had come here. He did not want to care about her. He did not want to help her. She had lied to him and betrayed him. With his long-ago-deceased heart in his chest, he quit the room and put her out of his mind.
* * * *
The next day was Emma’s day off from the children
. She was given one day a week to herself, and generally, she spent the day with the children. However, she was still feeling unwell, so she stayed in her room for the whole of the day. She heard the children scamper around and wished she was well enough to play with them. She napped on and off. A tray was brought up to her with soup upon it. However, she could not seem to even look at the food. Her vision was weak, and she was becoming worried.
As the evening came she felt well enough to stand and move toward the window. She needed fresh air. When that proved to not be enough, she carefully moved down the stairs and into the garden where a bench was set out for tired guests. She tried to fill her lungs with air. However, she coughed.
Gabriel felt Emma leave the house. He had just placed the children into their beds as he looked out the window and watched as she moved slowly to the bench. Before he knew what he was doing, he moved outside and began to walk toward her. For a moment, he saw her stiffen and then relax her shoulders.
Emma heard someone walking toward her. For a moment, she was worried that it was a stranger, but when she looked up, she saw it was Gabriel. Her shoulders relaxed a measure. He was not the first person she wanted to see, however, he was better than a stranger.
“What are you doing out here, my lord? Are the children well?” she asked.
“As well as can be expected, they missed your company today,” he stated.
“I do not feel well today, my lord,” she whispered. It was as if her own voice hurt her to speak.
“I see,” he replied.
“It is not as if we need to make pleasantries, my lord. I will return to my room and rest for the children tomorrow. I bid you a good night.”
As she stood she did so with a slight wobble to her body. He felt a compulsion to stand and help her. However, he knew if he were to try she would rebuff him.
Emma walked to her room and cried at each step. It was truly over. She had hoped he would come to her and understand why she lied and why she ran from her arranged marriage. Her time here would be short, for he was replacing her. She wished she could replace him in her heart, but Emma knew she would go to her grave loving a man she did not know.
Gabriel sat under the stars and wished it was sunlight. Since he was turned, he missed the feel of warmth upon his face. Recently he thought he had found that with Mercy, or Emma. He was very happy that he had found out what kind of woman she was before he became too involved with her.
* * * *
As morning rose, Emma found herself feeling slightly better, enough that she could teach the children and not leave the room to be sick. Her vision was still not quite right, but she muddled through it. The children asked her if she was feeling better, and their genuine concern touched her heart. However, it was clear to Emma that Gabriel had not told them they were to be getting a new governess.
“Will you be dining with us this evening, Miss Goodwin? We have missed your company,” James stated.
“Aye, please, Miss Goodwin, you must,” Rose seconded.
It broke Emma’s heart at the idea these children missed her, so she decided to put away her own feelings and focus on theirs. “Indeed I will.” She smiled.
As the lessons ended Emma sent the children to rest and prepare for supper. Emma’s head was still aching, and her throat felt scratchy. She decided that perhaps leaving the house for a moment would help her. The fresh air the previous evening had done wonders for her sleep.
Emma moved about the garden in a slow fashion. It was a warm day with a brilliant sun. She turned her face to the rays and felt contentment for the first time. That was when she heard a branch snap behind her. She started to stand but was knocked over the head, felt pain, and then oblivion came.
* * * *
Gabriel came into the dining room where the children sat in their seats with tears in their eyes.
“What has you both in sadness?” he asked with genuine concern. He had poured himself a glass of blood, since George seemed to be missing.
“Miss Goodwin promised to eat the evening meal with us,” Rose whispered.
“I am sure she is still unwell, children. Let us eat and we shall say good-night to her later,” Gabriel stated.
The meal was consumed in near silence. The children were clearly upset, and Gabriel felt white-hot anger. He could not feel Emma in residence. The meal seemed to last for eternity. When they finished the children could barely keep their eyes open.
George ran into the room and said, “May I speak with you, my lord?”
“Indeed, excuse us, children.” He looked to a footman and nodded toward Rose and James.
Gabriel left the room with George at his heels. When they turned a corner, they both stopped.
“I hear that Miss Westlake has left the estate, George.”
“She has indeed. We thought she may have left to find other employment. However, her dresses and belongings are still in her room, as well as the fact that her horse is still in the stable.”
Confused, Gabriel searched his mind to feel Emma, when nothing came to him. He raced to her room, where her clothes were indeed still hanging.
“Where was she last seen, and why was I not immediately informed?” Gabriel asked.
“When the children went for their rests, we searched the castle and could not find any indication of where she had gone. We thought she was still about, sir, we…”
Gabriel thought quickly. “She may have gone to the gardens. She seems to have taken a liking to strolling in there.”
As he said the words, he disappeared into the night only to find the bench empty. That was when the smell of blood hit his senses.
He moved to the spot from which the smell was emanating. He leaned down and felt the small pool. It was still fresh. He knew it was her blood before he smelled it and then tasted it. He looked upon the ground and noticed that the dirt had two sets of footprints, one that was minuscule and delicate, the other, big and booted. They were a man’s footprints. There had been a struggle, and Emma was dragged off.
Gabriel’s heart contracted at the scene; she had been abducted, perhaps her story of the duke had been in truth, and now she was gone, and because he could not read her thoughts, he could not track her. George finally made his way outside.
“George, she was taken; I cannot sense her nor hear her,” he stated.
“What shall we do, my lord?”
* * * *
The napper’s carriage
Emma was in a dream in which she did not want to awaken from. Gabriel was holding her in his arms. He was making love to her, speaking words of vows and sentiment. He loved her and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. He was there with her, keeping her close holding her safe. She reveled in him. She loved him and forgave him. No matter the fact that he was sterile, they would make a family with Rose and James.
* * * *
The earl’s castle
Whoever had taken Emma was shrewd and left no clues behind of who they were. He cursed his inability to feel her presence. He was angry that he had not listened to her before she was abducted. She tried to tell him she fled her father’s home because she was in fear of her life, that the duke’s first wife was dead for mysterious reasons. Perhaps the person who had taken her was working for the duke. She was sick, her headaches becoming worse. Gabriel felt panic and pain all the way down to his bones.
She stated she was the daughter of a baron, and her accent was clean and cultured. He cursed when he felt the sun rising. His body screamed for the sleep of his kind.
He looked to George and said, “She said she was the daughter of a baron, intended for a duke. I believe she is from London. Go there now as fast as you can, this evening. I will follow you. We have to find her.”
With that said he fled to the bottom of the house.
* * * *
The napper’s carriage
Emma awoke with a jolt. She opened her eyes and cursed at the pain she felt there. She tried to move her hands to cover her eyes. However, th
ey were bound behind her back. She carefully opened her eyes and made contact with two men with covered faces in a small carriage. She moaned when the jostling continued. She felt she was very near losing her stomach contents.
“Who are you and why have you taken me?”
The men stared on, not answering either of her questions.
“I see. You must be in the employ of the duke,” she stated.
Her body quivered at the thought of being taken back to him. She knew their reunion would not be one of joy. He had warned her that she knew what would happen if she did not keep her place. She thought of Gabriel and could have wept. She would never see him again. He was angry with her, and he would probably at no time want to try to find her. He may believe she left, because she was a normal woman of the ton. Her heart turned over in her chest. He would never know she loved him eternally, and would always hold him in her heart.
Oh, Gabriel.
Gabriel heard Emma’s whisper to him in his sleep. He tried to claw back to wakefulness. He was finally feeling her presence.
Emma! Emma!
Emma felt as if Gabriel was by her side comforting her, but she was in a moving carriage and being fanciful.
“I will not submit to your employer. I will defy him at every turn. I would rather die than be married to a murderer,” she said with a voice that was surprisingly strong.
“You may die for your words, my lady.” And with that said he knocked her once again unconscious.
Gabriel heard a scream and then felt nothing but darkness. He was aware that sunset was to be in a few hours. He just hoped Emma would survive until he found her.
* * * *
The earl’s castle
Gabriel felt himself wake to the setting sun. He moved quickly out of his place of rest and felt for George.
