A SINFUL SURRENDER: Spies and Lovers
Page 22
Panic beset him. “What do we do?”
A groan cut off her bark of laughter, and she hunched over her belly. “Prepare for another labor.”
He took her forearms and bellowed, “O’Connell.”
Grumbling a little under his breath, O’Connell left Starlight and shuffled toward them. “You don’t need to yell, lad. I’m not deaf.”
Marcus would have laughed if he wasn’t so terrified. “Delilah’s pains have started. What do we do?”
O’Connell looked at him as if he’d taken leave of his wits. “Take her to your rooms and make her comfortable.” To Delilah, he asked, “When did your pains start, lass?”
“While Starlight was laboring. I thought at first they were merely sympathetic, but my waters have broken.”
“You have time yet.” O’Connell shoved Marcus’s shoulder. “Go on then, lad. I’ll get what we need from the kitchen and send Ella to Lipton for the midwife.”
The next hours were a whirlwind of activity. The pain Delilah experienced cut him to the quick, and Marcus felt adrift and clinging to his sanity.
The midwife arrived and took control with a no-nonsense attitude. Understandably, she balked at having two men in the birthing room. Delilah paced while holding on to the midwife’s arms. She puffed her way through a contraction, her face red, and her sweat-dampened hair clinging to her neck while Marcus hovered.
Once she caught her breath, she looked at him and smiled. “I love you, but you’re driving me mad. Why don’t you and O’Connell retreat to your study, and if there are any complications, Mrs. MacCready will send for you. Is that agreeable?”
The midwife gave a brisk nod. “The lady and I will manage just fine, gents. Off with you both.”
O’Connell grabbed the back of Marcus’s jacket and hauled him from the room. The next three hours were agonizing. When Delilah’s cries crescendoed, Marcus could bear it no longer and took the stairs to their chamber two at a time.
He entered to his child’s first cries, lusty and loud. Delilah’s head fell back on the pillows, but her smile helped banish a portion of her exhaustion and his anguish.
The midwife wrapped the baby in linen and handed it to Delilah. “A fine son you have, my lady.”
Delilah’s full attention was on the babe in her arms, crying and waving his fist as if quite put out with his new environs. Marcus circled to the head of the bed as the midwife dealt with the afterbirth.
Delilah looked up and gave him a teary-eyed smile. “We have a son.”
Marcus sat on the bed and covered her hand with his, both resting on the baby’s chest. His screams turned into mewls as he blinked up at Delilah and Marcus with unfocused eyes. He was red-faced and covered in blood and muck, and his nearly bald head gave the impression of a wizened old man. In short, he was the most beautiful thing Marcus had ever seen.
“Edward Averill Ashemore,” Delilah said softly.
They had agreed on names some months before. Edward for his father, Averill for hers. He knew the moment was bittersweet for Delilah. She and her parents had begun a tentative correspondence during her confinement, but no invitation from either party had been issued. Marcus had hoped the rift would have been healed by the time their babe was born, but alas, it hadn’t.
“You did beautifully, love.” Marcus kissed the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you and, frankly, in awe of your strength.”
“You were right. The pain was all worth it,” she said, stroking the baby’s cheek.
The midwife put her hands on her hips. “We need to get the babe and the lady cleaned up, my lord. Could you send up hot water and clean linens with the girl?”
“Yes, of course.” He touched the midwife on the arm. “Thank you for seeing them through safely.”
The midwife’s expression softened. “Your wife did the hard work. Now go on with you.”
Before he stepped out the door, Delilah called his name. He turned back to her.
“Could you perhaps send a note to my parents informing them they have a grandson?” Her voice was hesitant, as if she was not sure she was making a sound decision.
“Of course.” Now it was his turn to hesitate. “Would you like me to invite them for a visit?”
She gazed at Edward and kissed the top of his bald head. “Yes, I think I would.”
Marcus was happy. Gloriously, shockingly happy. He had no doubt the babe would heal the rift between Delilah and her parents. While he might never fully restore his father’s honor in the eyes of Society, Marcus cherished the truth. He had an indomitable woman by his side and a new son. The birth of the colt brightened his hopes for the future.
He was a rich man. Not of coin, but of everything that mattered. Since he’d met Delilah, his heart had grown and then grown some more.
With a last glance at his reasons for being, he went to do her bidding while whistling a tune.
Ready for more?
An Indecent Invitation Book 1
A Brazen Bargain, Book 2
A Reckless Redemption, Book 3
A Sinful Surrender, Book 4
A Wicked Wedding, Book 5
Also by Laura Trentham
Historical Romance
Spies and Lovers
An Indecent Invitation Book 1
A Brazen Bargain, Book 2
A Reckless Redemption, Book 3
A Sinful Surrender, Book 4
A Wicked Wedding, Book 5
A Daring Deception, Book 6 (Coming Soon)
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Contemporary Romance
Highland, Georgia Novels
A Highlander Walks Into a Bar, Book 1
A Highlander in a Pickup, Book 2
A Highlander is Coming to Town, Book 3
* * *
Heart of a Hero Novels
The Military Wife
An Everyday Hero
* * *
Cottonbloom Novels
Kiss Me That Way, Book 1
Then He Kissed Me, Book 2
Till I Kissed You, Book 3
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Christmas in the Cop Car, Novella 3.5
Light Up the Night, Novella 3.75
* * *
Leave the Night On, Book 4
When the Stars Come Out, Book 5
Set the Night on Fire, Book 6
* * *
Sweet Home Alabama Novels
Slow and Steady Rush, Book 1
Caught Up in the Touch, Book 2
Melting Into You, Book 3
About the Author
I hope you enjoyed A Sinful Surrender! If you have a chance please leave a quick review! Although, many readers know me from my Southern-set contemporary romances, the first books I wrote were the Spies and Lovers series! I grew up reading the historical “bodice rippers” of the late eighties and early nineties along with wonderful gothic romances. Now that I have the opportunity to publish all of the Spies and Lovers series, I’m so excited! The Spies and Lovers world will be expanding soon with a new series called, Laws of Attraction!
I was born and raised in a small town in Northwest Tennessee. Although, I loved English and reading in high school, I was convinced an English degree equated to starvation! So, I chose the next most logical major - Chemical Engineering- and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years. Now I live in South Carolina with my husband and two children. In between school and homework and soccer practices, I love to get lost in another world, whether it's Regency England or small town Alabama.
My first two Falcon Football books received TOP PICKS from RT Book Reviews and a STARRED review from Library Journal. KISS ME THAT WAY, Cottonbloom Book 1, won the Stiletto Contest for Best Long Contemporary and finaled in the National Readers Choice Award. THEN HE KISSED ME, Cottonbloom Book 2, was named an Amazon Best Romance of 2016 and was a finalist for the National Excellence for Romance Fiction. TILL I KISSED YOU, Cottonbloom Book 3, is a finalist in the Maggie contest. LEAVE THE NIGHT ON, the latest Cottonbloom book, was named an iBooks B
est Book of the Month and a Recommended Read from NPR. AN INDECENT INVITATION and A BRAZEN BARGAIN were both finalists for the 2014 Golden Heart® Award.
I love to hear from readers! Come find me:
Laura@LauraTrentham.com
www.LauraTrentham.com
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NOTE: This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A SINFUL SURRENDER
Copyright © 2020 by Laura Trentham
Cover by Angela Waters
Edited by Heidi Shoham
eISBN: 978-1-946306-12-8
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.