the ground and brushed his hands clean on his breeches.
It was impossible to tell from Maris’s pale face whether she was pleased with his gifts. She remained seated on her fairy-white horse, clutching the reins tightly. Reyn strode through the trees and raised his arms to help her dismount.
She shook her head. “I cannot stay. But we have to talk.”
That sounded ominous. Reyn prepared himself for a lecture. He knew it was improper have sent her the gowns, but hell, there were only three of them, all beautifully made as only Madame Bernard could do. The hat he’d picked out was a vast improvement to what she was currently wearing, too. He was disappointed not to see it or the lacy butterfly again.
“It is so good to see you again, but I’ll get a crick in my neck looking up at you, Lady Kelby. I swear I’ll take no liberties when I help you off your horse.”
For a moment he thought he saw naked panic in Maris’s eyes, but she regained control. “That won’t be necessary. What I have to say shouldn’t take long.”
Not good, though I love you was only three words. How many seconds did they take?
“I am at your service then, Maris. As always. How are you faring? You look . . . beautiful.”
She did, too, though she was very pale, her face was slightly fuller, and her breasts swelled under the black riding habit. “I am well enough. I suppose you expect me to thank you for the dresses, Reyn. What were you thinking? If anyone discovers you sent them—”
“Why would they? Mrs. Bernard and her staff keep secrets like bank vaults. They are completely trustworthy. The boxes came express from Mrs. Bernard herself. My part in their purchase will never be detected.”
“David has been here. He’s suspicious of everything. I think he’s spying on me again.”
Reyn felt a spurt of anger. “Is the man still hounding you? I will talk to him if you like. In fact, I want to talk to him even if you don’t like. He’s got what he wanted. Why is he bothering you?”
“But he hasn’t. I—oh, I don’t know how to say it, Reyn. I r-rehearsed and rehearsed.” She was shaking as if they were in a swirling snowstorm.
Without thinking, Reyn untangled her hands from the reins and lifted her off the horse. He didn’t dare hold her, didn’t dare bring her close. He set her down a decent distance away, wondering why her eyes were filling with tears. “What is it? You know you can tell me anything.”
“I’m . . . I’m having a baby.” She noted the expression on his face and rushed to say, “I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t know. I thought—well, it doesn’t matter what I thought. Dr. Crandall told me at the beginning of April that I was pregnant, and then we rushed to move here. I never expected to find you next door.”
“The beginning of April?” More than a month ago. What had he been doing then? Painting fences white and shoveling manure. The muscle in his cheek jumped. “You’ve known for more than a month. If I wasn’t right next door, would you ever have told me?”
“Yes. I intended to, truly I did. But I couldn’t figure out quite how and—”
“It seems simple enough. Pen. Paper”—he tried to tamp down his anger—“a bit of sealing wax once you’re finished. ‘Dear Captain Durant, I’m having your child.’ ”
“But he—or she—isn’t your child, Reyn.”
“Ah.” Of course he’d known that. Had agreed to it, albeit with grave reluctance. “You promised you’d tell me, Maris,” he said stubbornly.
His child, but not his child. The theoretical had become real, and he was unequal to it.
“I know. I’m telling you now. And you must not come near me. David already thinks I plan to trick him.”
“You have.” Reyn looked from her face to her figure. She’d felt heavier than he’d expected as he took her from her horse, but not so heavy that his dim brain had been suspicious. She was tall for a woman. Curvaceous. The extra weight looked good on her. “Are you well?”
“Perfectly. That was part of the reason I never thought that we had achieved conception. I never”—she blushed—“have been sick, not even for a day. My courses even came, although they were diminished. I wept for days that there was no baby, Reyn. When they finally stopped altogether, I just thought I was too old. And then when I found out