Derrick felt like he was trying to breathe through his nose while someone was pinching his nostrils most of the way closed. His chest ached, and the room seemed to be spinning in a slow circle around him, like a dry leaf floating to the ground in autumn. His stomach turned over, and he threw his head to the side, not wanting to be sick on himself. His stomach calmed and the room came to a stop; he sighed in contentment and opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry at first, and he blinked to clear it. His eyes felt as though they were full of sand, and he raised his hands to rub them, surprised at the effort this small movement required. Able to see clearly at last, he observed his surroundings.
The last thing he remembered before waking was sitting in the carriage next to Angie, wishing they were already home, sharing their bed and preparing for sleep. Now he found himself in one of the guest chambers at the Hollins home, and there was Angie, on a lounge near the side of the bed, her maid near her feet.
Her chestnut hair was untamed, a few pieces tangled to the point of standing away from the mass. Her dress was wrinkled and the skirt stained with some liquid that now had dried. Her face was drawn and pale, appearing even thinner than usual, as though she had lost weight just since he had last gazed at her. Her eyes were surrounded by dark marks, a sure sign of lack of sleep. His heart ached to see so much evidence of her distress, and he thought that she had never appeared so beautiful to him as she did now.
The sound of a throat clearing quietly brought his attention to the other side of the bed, and he turned his head to find the source. Angie's brothers stood just inside the door, their expressions a combination of pleasure and serious intent. They stepped in and dismissed the maid, the younger brother stepping to Angie's side. The maid closed the door softly as she left, leaving the men to speak privately. Derrick felt his nerves tingle with anxiety. What could be their purpose?
"It is good to see you awake at last," Robert spoke first. "For a time, we feared the worst. What do you remember?"
"Only being in the carriage and wishing to be home in bed," Derrick replied.
The sound of fast, shallow breathing drew the attention of all three men to the lounge. Where before her countenance had been relaxed in sleep, now there were lines of tension, and the corners of her lips and eyes pointed downward. Derrick tried to press himself upright with his arms, urgently needing to ease her anguish. Weakened by his illness, his arms collapsed and tumbled his head and chest back onto the bed.
Theo moved to the head of the lounge. He gathered one of Angie's hands in his own and set his other hand to stroking her hair. Immediately, the tension on her face dissipated, and her body relaxed back into slumber, a tiny upward curl at the ends of her lips. Derrick allowed his own body to sink down into the mattress again, but his concern for his beloved wife remained.
"Whatever is wrong with her, that she is so restless in her sleep? I have become familiar with her spells of debility, but I have never witnessed such agitation without her waking." His heart thumped against his ribs, wanting to repair whatever was disturbing her rest, even as he struggled to breathe himself.
Theo's face was tender as he explained that Angie was sometimes completely paralyzed by the worst episodes of her condition, and it tormented her to be so helpless. A gentle touch soothed her easily, as he had demonstrated. Derrick felt the last of his worry for Angie dissolve at this revelation; touching her gently would not be a chore for him.
Theo then spoke of her devotion to his care at the cost of her own health, relating a story of how she awoke from a deep sleep to protest being carried from the room, refusing to leave his side. Derrick thought his heart would burst, so full of love was it. He hoped for a quick recovery for the two of them so he could care for her, as she had been caring for him.
"How long have I been ill?" he queried, thinking of the final condition of the will. It would be much easier to care for her with his title and wealth than without, but there had been less than 3 weeks until the deadline when he had been captured. Perhaps the deadline had already passed, he thought. His heart sank, remembering the small amount of allowance he would receive were this true.
Clearly the brothers had been thinking about the will's conditions, as well, for Theo informed him there were but five days remaining in his marriage's first month, leaving little time to accomplish the required ceremony.
Even as Derrick's mind raced, working through all that needed to be done, Robert asked if he might propose a solution to their situation, something that would relieve both Derrick's concern for his title and estate, and the brothers' concern for their sister's care. Having been unaware that they had such strong doubts about his ability to care for Angie, Derrick agreed to hear out Robert's idea.
Robert drew in a deep breath and straightened, standing as tall as Derrick himself, though his shoulders were not as broad. In brief, direct terms, he outlined a plan to return the estate to Derrick's heirs upon his own demise. His plan included allowing Derrick to remain living in the family home, being paid to maintain it in good condition. It sounded like a good alternative to worrying about a bedding ceremony when he was still recovering from a serious illness.
The mention of heirs had him turning his head from Robert to gaze at Angie. His mind conjured images of her large with his child, and of all of the practice needed to conceive. He could not hold back the grin that split his lips at imagining waking up next to her naked body, curled up in bed beside him after a night of love making. But while observing her sleeping, looking so fragile, he wondered if any of his visions could come true. He loved her with every part of his being, but he would not hurt her for the sake of his own desires.
He rolled his head back to meet Robert's eyes. He needed to know. "What about Angie and her condition? What happens to my estate and title if we are unable to have children together?" He forgot to breathe at the grim looks Robert and Theo exchanged before Robert answered his question, and a wave of nausea swept over him.
Robert's tone was somber when he said, "The physician is uncertain Angie can bear children safely. If your father's deadline passes unfulfilled, you can annul your marriage to her and find someone else more suitable for producing an heir for you. My brother and I would continue to care for Angie, as we have for years. She will want for nothing, and neither will you and your family."
Family. That word slammed into Derrick's heart and shattered it, like a hammer into a wine glass. The dual blows of realizing he might never have children with Angie and that following Robert's plan would require him to make a family with another woman, just to produce children to take back his family title, crushed his very soul. There must be some other way to go about this. If only Angie would wake so they could speak about it; she always could see a different angle to any issue than he, and he had never needed her wisdom more than now.
He shifted his head to look at her again, and he noticed her breathing had changed again. It had been deep and even after she had calmed under Theo's hand, but it had grown shallow again, but with a long moment between breaths, as though she was holding in her breaths, possibly listening for his response.
With a jolt, he realized the silence in the room was growing thicker, for Robert and Theo were standing by earnestly for his response to their proposal. He knew he could not consent to it; better to live in poverty alone with Angie wrapped in love, than to break her heart and his own in order to continue living in the manner he was accustomed to. He only lacked a plan of his own to care for her, to satisfy his own honor and her siblings' concerns. Until then, he would neither refuse nor agree, biding his time.
"This plan has been carefully constructed, and I would like to give it the justice of a considered answer. Unfortunately, I find myself becoming weary and unable to center my thoughts on the matter at this time. Please allow me a day to think on it." His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, and his attempt at a smile felt weak. He was not lying about tiring.
The brothers nodded and returned his polite smile with their own. After promising to let him rest, they departed, and the maid returned to sit near the lounge again. Derrick felt himself drifting back into insensibility. Before his eyes could seal shut, he rolled his head back toward Angie, wanting her face to be the last thing in his mind as he drifted into dreams. The sight of her peaceful slumber soothed his thoughts, even as he wondered at the glittering of moisture in the corners of her eyes.
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The Contract Duchess, a Regency Romance: Key To My Heart Book 1
التاريخيةHow difficult can it be to consummate a marriage of convenience? More than you might imagine. Derrick Williams had his life as the Duke of Chesterton planned out when he arrived at the reading of his father's will. An unexpected condition on the tit...
