next morning. Mia was still in bed but hearing her mother’s voice carrying down the hall, she quickly felt her side and breathed a sigh of relief that the swelling from yesterday had gone down. The door opened after a brief knock and her mother barreled into the room.
“Why are you still abed at this hour?” She placed her bag on the end of the bed. “Are you getting lazy without me to wake you every day at six?”
“I was just a little tired this morning, Mother.” Mia tossed the coverlet off her and rose. “As long as you are here, help me dress.”
“First I want to look at your ribs.” Her mother pulled up Mia’s shift and stared at her ribs before running her fingers over the bones.
Mia swallowed down a gasp of pain as her mother pressed her finger into one area. “Well?”
“You are mending nicely. Your ribs feel much better.” Her mother bound her ribs again and then helped her dress. “Now, the real question is are you with child?”
“What?”
“I know your cycles, girl. I also talked to Lucy and she said you have not asked for rags while you’ve been here. At this point you must be eight or nine days late. Do you have any symptoms?”
Mia blinked as tears welled her eyes. “No,” she whispered. Other than being overemotional and now ten days late.
“Are you sure? No sickness?”
“Nothing, Mother. I have no problem eating at any time of day.”
“Are your breasts tender?”
Mia shook her head. “No more than usual.” The reality of the situation bubbled to the surface and slammed into her. “Oh God, Mama, what if I am?”
Her mother brought her into a strong embrace. “Darling girl, I think you have to face the idea that you are most likely with child.”
Tears streamed down Mia’s cheeks. “Not with him. Not with him,” she cried.
“I know, sweetheart. Davies is definitely not the ideal man with whom to procreate but you are very late at this point.”
“It’s all I can think of,” she admitted. “How do you carry and learn to love a child when you know what a terrible person the father is?”
“Honestly, I am not sure. I can only tell you when you see your baby for the first time, it is an amazing moment of pure love. In your case, you shall have to focus on the positives and not what you know of Davies.”
“I hope you are right,” Mia said, pulling away from her mother.
“Have you told the earl?”
She shook her head against her mother’s shoulder. “I cannot. What must he think of me as it is? I have been with two men and now I am with child because of it.”
Her mother sighed softly. “It is time you told him.”
“I know. I suppose I shall have to move back with you.”
“No, he will keep you here until Davies is caught.”
“Mother, no one has seen Allan since this happened. He is probably in London where he can get lost in the crowds. Why would he come back now?”
Her mother gave her a strange look. “Because he obviously came here for a reason. Chose you for a reason. And I doubt he got what he wanted from you.”
Mia bit her lip, thinking about the small emerald she’d found last night. She remembered how her heart pounded in her chest when she thought she’d seen Allan in the woods. What if he had been watching to see where she found the small treasures?
“I just don’t understand why he would come back. He knows Hart found me.”
“This is some odd business you have gotten into, Mia. Until the man is caught and questioned, we may never know his motives for choosing you. And that is why you must stay here.”
“But I need to help you with the tenants.”
“It’s summer, Mia. Other than a few babies to birth and a few children’s bones to set, there is not much they need. I can handle that for both estates.”
“Of course,” Mia said.
“You must heal yourself and stay safe. No wandering away from the house without a footman or better yet, the earl himself.”
Why would her mother suggest the earl should be the one
“Why are you still abed at this hour?” She placed her bag on the end of the bed. “Are you getting lazy without me to wake you every day at six?”
“I was just a little tired this morning, Mother.” Mia tossed the coverlet off her and rose. “As long as you are here, help me dress.”
“First I want to look at your ribs.” Her mother pulled up Mia’s shift and stared at her ribs before running her fingers over the bones.
Mia swallowed down a gasp of pain as her mother pressed her finger into one area. “Well?”
“You are mending nicely. Your ribs feel much better.” Her mother bound her ribs again and then helped her dress. “Now, the real question is are you with child?”
“What?”
“I know your cycles, girl. I also talked to Lucy and she said you have not asked for rags while you’ve been here. At this point you must be eight or nine days late. Do you have any symptoms?”
Mia blinked as tears welled her eyes. “No,” she whispered. Other than being overemotional and now ten days late.
“Are you sure? No sickness?”
“Nothing, Mother. I have no problem eating at any time of day.”
“Are your breasts tender?”
Mia shook her head. “No more than usual.” The reality of the situation bubbled to the surface and slammed into her. “Oh God, Mama, what if I am?”
Her mother brought her into a strong embrace. “Darling girl, I think you have to face the idea that you are most likely with child.”
Tears streamed down Mia’s cheeks. “Not with him. Not with him,” she cried.
“I know, sweetheart. Davies is definitely not the ideal man with whom to procreate but you are very late at this point.”
“It’s all I can think of,” she admitted. “How do you carry and learn to love a child when you know what a terrible person the father is?”
“Honestly, I am not sure. I can only tell you when you see your baby for the first time, it is an amazing moment of pure love. In your case, you shall have to focus on the positives and not what you know of Davies.”
“I hope you are right,” Mia said, pulling away from her mother.
“Have you told the earl?”
She shook her head against her mother’s shoulder. “I cannot. What must he think of me as it is? I have been with two men and now I am with child because of it.”
Her mother sighed softly. “It is time you told him.”
“I know. I suppose I shall have to move back with you.”
“No, he will keep you here until Davies is caught.”
“Mother, no one has seen Allan since this happened. He is probably in London where he can get lost in the crowds. Why would he come back now?”
Her mother gave her a strange look. “Because he obviously came here for a reason. Chose you for a reason. And I doubt he got what he wanted from you.”
Mia bit her lip, thinking about the small emerald she’d found last night. She remembered how her heart pounded in her chest when she thought she’d seen Allan in the woods. What if he had been watching to see where she found the small treasures?
“I just don’t understand why he would come back. He knows Hart found me.”
“This is some odd business you have gotten into, Mia. Until the man is caught and questioned, we may never know his motives for choosing you. And that is why you must stay here.”
“But I need to help you with the tenants.”
“It’s summer, Mia. Other than a few babies to birth and a few children’s bones to set, there is not much they need. I can handle that for both estates.”
“Of course,” Mia said.
“You must heal yourself and stay safe. No wandering away from the house without a footman or better yet, the earl himself.”
Why would her mother suggest the earl should be the one
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