What should she say? Whatcouldshe say?
She drew a deep breath. Released it. “I’m fine. Your stepmother is a rather insightful person.” Her voice sounded more confident than she felt.
He looked over to the sedan chair that was being carried away. “She knows how to create a scene,” he answered.
“So you don’t believe the letter is truly from your father?” Thea asked hopefully. If the letter was false, then other things Cass had said could have been untrue as well.
“It was from him” was her husband’s blunt reply.
Thea nodded, feeling cold and hollow inside. Neal took her arm. “You don’t look well. Come inside. The boys have prepared refreshments for us.”
Her sons.Her poor sons. How would they take his death? He’d so quickly earned a place in their lives.
Neal led her toward the house, and she was happy to just follow.
The rest of the day was a blur to Thea. She seemed to go through the motions of living,understanding now that the happiness she had enjoyed might have been nothing more than an illusion.
She did not want Neal to die. Not on her account. She didn’t think she could live with herself if that was to happen.
Dinner was a quiet affair, with Jonathan and Christopher providing most of the chatter. Harry was not there, of course. Thea had seen Rowan pacing the upstairs hall. She knew Harry had slipped away, and the manservant feared what could happen to him. A pale, somber Margaret ate in silence and then disappeared to her room as quickly as possible. She didn’t even glance once in Thea’s direction.She knew.
And Thea felt guilty.
Only Neal seemed content to pretend all was normal, laughing with the boys and eating a robust meal.
That night, when her husband turned to her in bed, she held him tight. She never wanted to let him go. Her certainty that the curse was real had grown immeasurably, and she didn’t know what to do. Holding him, being with him was her only way of fending off the danger of their world.
Neal made love to her with a gentle passion thatbrought tears to her eyes. He stroked, caressed, and loved every inch of her body.
And when he entered her, Thea felt the two of them meld together. She never wanted to forget this feeling of having this man she loved so deep inside her.
Together, they moved toward the inevitable, the pinnacle, the release—only this time was different.
She felt her husband’s seed fill her, and she knew that it had taken. She could sense that spark of life, that spirit of a new being.
Afterward, as they lay nestled together in bed, she placed her hand upon her belly, knowing that in time it would grow ... and the curse would live on.
Thea knew there was only one thing she could do. She had to save Neal. She had to protect him. She had to make him hate her.
Neal was scheduled to be in meetings at Whitehall all the next day. In the wee hours of the morning, while he’d been sleeping by her side, Thea had formed a plan. She knew what she had to do—she had to leave him. Desert him. Abandon him.
Then he would not love her. He might even hate her.
It was the only plan she could devise, and, yes, it was born out of fear and desperation. She did not believe she could even share her plans with Mirabel. Her friend had become a staunch supporter of Neal’s and would do all in her power to talk Thea out of this decision.
She had some money. Neal was very generous in her allowance. She knew he would not begrudge her taking the funds for herself and her sons. Her sons. The thought gave her pause. Herthreesons.
She was pregnant. She had no doubt of it, and she knew this unborn child was a male. Perhaps, if Neal lived, then this child would be safe from the curse as well. She knew she was guessing, but what other hope did she have?
While her boys were with their tutor, Thea snuck into their room and packed a few things. She did not cry as she did this but moved with steely determination. Thea would not let Fenella win.
Back in her room, she began making the same preparations. She had to leave before Neal returned, and she had to do it in a secretive manner.
Unfortunately, she was caught.
A knock sounded on the door as she was folding the last of her clothes and putting them inthe bag resting on the bed. “One moment,” Thea started to say, picking up the bag, thinking to hide it, but the door opened on its own.
She was surprised to see Harry standing there. He did not look well. His skin was pale and clammy, his eyes dark.