The brothers nodded meekly. Jasper watched them, eyes narrowed.
“The nerve,” I muttered.
Conor leaned over to me again. After the embarrassment, I wanted to lean away, but I held my position firmly to show Edgar that I wasn’t easily intimidated.
“Do you want to see something funny?” he asked.
I paused. “I’m interested.”
Conor turned to his cousins. “So, Edgar, how are things at home? How is your mother?”
“She’s fine,” Edgar said, disinterested. “The estate is fine.”
“Theodore, earlier you said you worked there. What do you do?”
Edgar snickered as his brother glared at him.
“I assist,” Theodore said proudly.
“Assist with what?” Conor asked.
“Yes, Ted, with what?” Edgar asked.
“Why are you saying it like that?” Theodore said. “I help with things.”
“You haven’t lifted a single finger since father died! In fact, you’ve never helped with anything!”
“That’s not true! I do help!”
“With what?”
The brothers were shouting at each other now. All the councilmen exchanged looks, while Conor looked on, amused.
“I tell the servants what to do!” Theodore said.
“Everyone tells the servants what to do! That’s the point! They’re servants!”
“You know what?” Theodore asked. “I don’t need to take this from you.”
“What are you going to do? You have no money. You have nothing. You’re worthless!”
“You know what?” Theodore asked, standing up.
Edgar stood up as well. “What?”
Theodore shoved his brother. “I’m sick of you!”
Edgar shoved him back, and Theodore nearly fell on top of Adam. “I’m sick of you!”
Theodore wound back and punched Edgar in the face. Edgar stumbled backward, grabbing onto Annabelle’s chair on the way down.
“Enough!” Jasper roared, standing up from his chair. Stephen had pulled Annabelle toward him, out of the way of the dueling brothers.
“I’m ready to bring this to a vote now,” Jasper said. “All those in favor of inducting Conor into the council, raise your hands.”
Six hands went up. Merrill was the odd one out; even Peter had come over to Conor’s side. Merrill’s vote didn’t matter anyway. It was decided.
“That’s not fair!” Edgar screeched from the ground. Blood was pouring from his nose.
Jasper whirled on him. “You two. Out. Now.”
“But—”
“Leave,” Jasper demanded. Hanging their heads, the two brothers left the house.
“You knew that would happen?” I asked Conor.
“Not exactly,” he said. His eyes were wide.
Jasper came around and extended his hand to Conor, who stood up and shook his hand.
“Welcome,” he said. He turned to the table. “Our newest member, Conor O’Cready.”
Chapter Ten
Jasper decided he wanted to have another party.
“A small, intimate one to welcome Conor to the family,” he said after I protested that it had been less than a month since our last one. “Only for the councilmen and their ladies. Nice and simple.”
I had acquiesced, not only because I didn’t want to disappoint Jasper, but because I liked Conor. I was glad he had been chosen, and I felt he would be a good asset to the men. That’s how, once again, we were bustling around getting ready for another event.
When I had first met Jasper, I never thought he would be the sort of person to throw parties. And indeed, he always seemed to be drained when they were over. However, watching him, it was easy to see he enjoyed mingling and connecting with his people. He was at the beck and call of anyone who needed him, always willing to listen to tales about grandchildren or livestock or business or what have you.
The party was held the weekend after Conor had been chosen. The servants bustled about, dusting in the most obscure of places, making sure everything was perfect. The cook had been working on the meal all day, and the scents of her cooking wafted throughout the house, making me perpetually hungry.
Annabelle came over early to help with whatever she could. I volunteered my assistance, but she and Bridget shot me down, telling me to rest up. Instead, I sat and watched, offering an opinion on table settings and decor.
An hour before everything was supposed to start, we went up to my room to get ready. I had chosen a dusty rose dress accented with pearls. Like most of my dresses recently, the dress had been cut to give me extra room around the waist to accommodate my growing bump.
“I swear, my belly button is going to pop out any day,” I muttered as I pulled the dress on.
“I thought the same thing, but mine never did,” mused Annabelle as she fussed with her hair in the mirror. “I think we all feel like that.”
“What’s it like, being pregnant?” Bridget asked as she did up the buttons on the back of my dress.
“It’s exhausting,” I sighed.
“It’s wonderful,” said Annabelle. Bridget looked between us.
“It is wonderful,” I conceded. “It’s amazing to imagine that there’s this tiny life growing inside of me. It doesn’t hurt that he certainly likes to make his presence known,” I added, wincing as he landed a kick right in my ribs.
“You all right?” Bridget asked.
“Fine,” I told her, breathing deeply. “Sometimes I worry that he’ll crack my ribs.”
“That happened to my cousin,” Annabelle told me. “She was fine, though, it was minor. Once the baby was born she healed up fine.”
“That’s a relief,” I said, sitting down. I hadn’t been lying to Bridget when I told her that pregnancy was exhausting. Annabelle had promised me that after the first few months were over, I would gain some of my energy back, but thus far she had been wrong. If anything, my energy was dwindling as the weeks went on. I was worried that by the time the little man made his way into the world, I would scarcely be able to get out of bed.
As a result, my days had become overwhelmingly boring. I often simply sat and read books. Even walking around the house wore me down. My feet began to ache and swell if I was on them too long, and I tended to feel faint. So far, I hadn’t swooned since that first month, but that possibility was always at the back of my mind, and I was always concerned about it. With the snow on the ground, I couldn’t even go for a brief and peaceful stroll through the gardens. Trips into town were rare, with the carriage causing motion sickness. Oftentimes, when I did go into town, by the time I returned home I was so tired I’d sleep for hours. It was maddening. Not only was I trapped in this house, but I was trapped inside my own body. I was beginning to go stir–crazy.
Perhaps Jasper’s idea for a party wasn’t such a bad one, despite the whirlwind the past month had been. This, at the very least, would give me a chance for a change in routine and to spend time with the girls. True, I might be sapped of all energy afterward, but it seemed a worthy trade.
As I sat down at the edge of the bed, Bridget tied a pair of satin slippers to my feet. They weren’t the same ones I had worn at the Christmas party; these were a very pale pink with a few pearls as embellishment. With my belly in the way, I couldn’t bend down to put them on myself, rendering me utterly helpless. Bridget didn’t seem to mind as she slipped them on my feet with a flourish, then held her hand out to help me up.
“Are you sure you’re all right, ma’am?” she asked.
Annabelle, still in front of the mirror, glanced at me, worried.
“Fine,” I said. “A bit tired.”
I didn’t want to admit to them how exhausted I was. Both knew how often I slept, since Bridget was my lady’s maid and Annabelle spent almost as much time here as her husband. Despite my pregnancy, I slept enough that I shouldn’t be tired at all. Truthfully, my sleep had been restless, nightmares about Seth plaguing me almost every time I cl
osed my eyes. I needed him to be captured so that I could go back to my now–normal life.
“I’m sure no one would mind if you wanted to rest up before the party,” Bridget said, stealing a look at Annabelle to confirm.
“Really, it would be fine,” Annabelle agreed.
“Oh, no, that’s all right,” I said, resting my weight on the foot of the bed. “I’ll be just fine. Shall we head downstairs?”
True to his word, Jasper had managed to keep the party a more intimate affair. Chairs were scattered around the parlor and drawing room in a close fashion, with flickering candles giving an aura of intimacy. The few guests we had were milling about, chatting amongst themselves. In the dining room, a spread of food had been put out for guests to sample at their leisure. Conor was the center of attention, thrilling Peter and Bernadette with some humorous story while Merrill sulked in the corner. Even Merrill’s wife, Anne, had joined the conversation, and this made him glower even more.
“Merrill is a sore loser, isn’t he?” I asked, watching his expressions darken.
“Oh, all of them are,” Annabelle said. “But the older ones are the worst.”
Adam had brought Hazel, and as they entered she caught our eyes. She handed off her snow–dusted coat to Mr. Potter before coming to join us on the loveseat. Given how large I had become, I was frankly astonished that all three of us fit with any sort of comfort.
“This is fun, isn’t it?” Hazel breathed. “I think I’ll quite enjoy being married to a lord. I’ve never been to this many parties in such a short span!”
“I’ve never hosted this many,” I said, thinking back to everything. Over the summer we’d had our wedding, several garden parties including the one where we announced our pregnancy, and several dinners. Once the leaves had begun to change, we’d continued the dinner parties and ended those in the garden. Then we’d had Christmas, and now here we were, almost at the end of January, our house bustling and lively again. Thinking of it all made me exhausted, and I rested my head on Annabelle’s shoulder.
“You all right, my dear?”
I looked up to see Jasper in front of me, offering me a glass of cider.
“Fine,” I said, perking up at the drink. I took it from him. The warm liquid was soothing.
Jasper sat with us and chatted for a little while. I had finished my drink and started feeling the need to use the loo, as was happening more and more frequently as the little man put his weight on my bladder. I excused myself, and the girls helped me stand up.
On my way back to the parlor, I heard giggling from the kitchen. I paused, curious. I crept around the corner and snuck a peek into the room. Bridget sat at the table, twirling her hair and laughing. Across from her was Conor. I was too far away to hear what he was saying, but she seemed to be hanging on his every word. I could see the sparkle in her eyes and the flush in her cheeks. I recognized those; it was the same look that Hazel had when she gazed at Adam, and the look I’d had when I had fallen in love with Jasper.
She was smitten.
I stepped back, swallowing the lump in my throat. I wanted the best for Bridget, I really did. She had been unduly kind to me when I spent the night on the streets. I don’t know what I would have done without her, which is why I brought her out here at my first opportunity. She could scarcely do better than Conor, a doctor and a lord. Still, I remembered the deep shock and betrayal that had invaded me when I found out that Jasper was a werewolf. It had wrecked me. I had gathered my things and fled into the woods, intending to escape to another country, claim to be a widow, and raise the baby on my own. In short, it had made me so hurt that I was thinking crazily. I couldn’t let that happen to Bridget.
There was no way I had the heart to actively break them up. Perhaps a word here or there, but I didn’t have the heart to sabotage them. That was the sort of thing Seth would do, not me. My head was spinning. I had no idea how to deal with the situation. As a duchess and her employer, I had the power to forbid her from seeing him, but I wasn’t the sort of person that would do that. The simplest solution would be if Bridget could know about the werewolves. I had no idea how she would react though, and selfishly, I couldn’t imagine her leaving me right before I was about to give birth. I relied on her help, especially in my current state. If this put her in such shock and fear that she would leave, I wouldn’t know what to do.
I mused over the situation as I made my way back to the parlor. Perhaps I wouldn’t do anything just yet. I was due in five weeks, and really, what could happen in that time? I’d deal with the situation after Lowell was here and I was able to put on my own shoes again.
I returned to my spot in the middle of the loveseat. Jasper was going around, whispering to some of the men. I was concerned that something was wrong, but watching him further, I decided it was quite the opposite. Jasper held an excitement in his composure, like he was ready to jump out of his own skin.
The thought made me sick. It was, perhaps, a bit too on the mark.
Conor slipped back into the parlor, unnoticed by many but myself. He seamlessly slipped himself back into the conversation with Merrill and Peter’s wives. After a few words, he came over to join us.
“Hello,” he said, taking a seat beside our loveseat.
“Enjoying your party?” Annabelle asked him.
“It’s not quite my usual thing, but yes, I suppose I am.”
“I saw you talking to Bridget,” I said mildly, trying to gauge his reaction. He was unflustered.
“Yes, she’s lovely.”
“She is,” I agreed. I had an idea. “Did she tell you how we met?”
“You know, I’m not sure she did,” he said.
I lowered my voice, as if I was telling him some great secret. I hadn’t planned on any sort of interference, but perhaps knowing Bridget’s history would cause Conor to back off.
“I was out on the streets after my father died. She and some other women had an encampment in an alley, and they invited me in. Of course, I wasn’t there long enough to participate in any of their activities—”
I paused, thinking perhaps I piqued his interest, but he said nothing.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that she used to be a prostitute.”
“Actually, I knew that already,” he said.
That threw me for a loop. “You...did?”
“All right men!” Jasper proclaimed from the center of the room. “What do you say we go for a celebratory run? The night is young!”
The men cheered. Moments later they had cleared out of the parlor into the great hall.
“They like to change in there when there’s many of them,” Annabelle said, standing up and holding her hand out to me to pull me to my feet. “I think it’s because it’sthe sturdiest room in the house. I don’t know, perhaps it’s the history. They do like their tradition.”
A few moments later, Jasper’s white wolf strutted out into the hallway. I knew him instantly; in fact, I had known the wolf before I knew it was Jasper. I was still adjusting to who everyone else was. Stephen was a sort of dull brown, like his hair was. Merrill and Lester were both gray, although they had different markings. Peter was such a dark brown he was nearly black. Of course, there was a new one with them today, one with fur a copper color that must have been Conor.
Annabelle, Hazel, and I walked in front of them to the back door. Though they had advanced senses and strength, doors were not their friend when they were in wolf form. I unbolted the lock, and Annabelle and Hazel held the doors open. One by one the wolves darted from the house, dashing down the balcony steps in a flurry of snow. We watched as they disappeared into the woods.
Little did we know, there were others watching as well.
Chapter Eleven
We watched as the last wolf made his way into the woods, snow spraying up behind him. The moon wasn’t quite full yet—it wouldn’t be for a few more days—but it was bright enough that the entire courtyard was illuminated with the silver ligh
t. The sky was bright and clear, stars twinkling above us, not a cloud in sight. After nearly constant snow the last few days, it was nice to have a respite on this beautiful winter night. No wonder the men had chosen tonight to go out for a run; the weather was rarely this lovely during the winter.
I shivered. It might have been an exquisite sight looking out from the balcony, but there was a slight, unsurprisingly chilly breeze. The cold air brushed across my arms and face, sending goosebumps down my skin. I shivered, rubbing at my arms. I couldn’t wait until the weather began to get a little bit nicer. With it so cold, I rarely left the house. With Jasper’s extra layer of fur, he was able to spend as much time outside as he wanted. Meanwhile, I was becoming suffocated staying inside. Cabin fever, Annabelle had called it.
“Shall we go back inside?” she suggested. I nodded and stepped back in the house. The wolves were so deep in the woods anyway that no matter how long I tried to search, I wouldn’t be able to see them from here. I crossed the threshold inside, the warm air enveloping me. Annabelle and Hazel pulled the heavy double doors shut, and Annabelle slid the lock closed. There was an audible click as the bolt shut, and I took a deep breath. I was still slightly disappointed that I was stuck in the house while Jasper was able to go out for a run.
The three of us walked back to the parlor. Merrill’s wife Anne and Bernadette were playing cards at one of the small tables, the one by the window that overlooked the front of the house. Through the window, the long, circular driveway was visible, and across from that, the thick woods. I wondered which way the men had gone. I sighed, trying not to feel like I was moping. It was very unlike me, and not very much the sort of poise a duchess should have. I cleared my throat, trying at the same time to clear away my melancholy. I suspected my mood was tied to my fatigue.
I sat back down on the loveseat, resting my head against the back. Annabelle sat next to me, and Hazel pulled an extra chair over. Now that the men were gone and the room was less crowded, there was no reason for us to squish together on the loveseat. Now I had room to breathe and was able to rest my weight along the back and armrest. I stifled a yawn. Perhaps I should drink some green tea to help myself wake up.
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