up."
"I know." Jarrett kissed her forehead. "If you changed your mind and told me you wanted to wait another day, you wouldn't be the same woman I've risked everything for. I'm ready whenever you are."
Regretfully Tressa stood and padded across the floor to the wardrobe. She hadn't even had a chance to look at her new clothes last night. As Adara had promised, the new leather outfits were in there. They looked and smelled more glorious than Tressa could have imagined. Her fingers grazed over the pant legs under the long tunic, barely feeling the outline of a dagger. She smiled. Adara had done just as she’d asked.
"What are these?" Jarrett asked, sliding his arms around her waist and nuzzling his lips into her neck. His hands slipped dangerously low, almost convincing Tressa to push him back into bed.
"Some new clothes Adara made for me. I can't wait to get them on. Aren't they beautiful?" Tressa pulled one out of the wardrobe and held it up in front of her.
Jarrett's hands had made their way north, cupping her breasts. "Mmm, yes."
She slapped Jarrett. "You're not looking at the clothes."
"No, I'm not," he said. "Should I be?"
Tressa dropped the outfit on the floor and spun around, still wrapped in his arms. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his, letting her tongue meander.
Jarrett pulled her closer.
Tressa grunted, pushing him away. She wrapped her arms around her stomach. Falling to her knees, Tressa fought against the tears spilling from her eyes.
Jarrett squatted next to her. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Pain coursed through Tressa, unlike any she'd ever felt. A tearing sensation ripped through her lower stomach. Her muscles cramped and she crumbled to the floor.
Jarrett picked her up, cradling Tressa against his chest like a baby. He laid her down gently on the bed. "Stay here, I'm calling for the physic."
A warm liquid burst from between her legs, streaming down her thighs. "What?" Tressa reached down, her fingers touching the sticky substance. She looked at her fingertips, covered in blood and mucous.
"I don't understand," she whispered to no one.
The door burst open, Jarrett ran in, followed by a female healer. After only a quick glance the woman yelled, "Get me Lea and Darja."
She sat on the bed next to Tressa. "How far along were you?"
"I'm sorry?" Tressa asked. She looked up at Jarrett. "What's going on? What's wrong with me? Am I dying?"
The woman stroked Tressa's hair. Sympathy dripped from her eyes. "You've lost your baby."
Baby?
Tressa's eyes met Jarrett's. "What does she mean? I wasn't pregnant."
"Oh dear." The healer grabbed Jarrett's hand. "You didn't know?"
Jarrett's eyes wide, he shook his head. "No. We didn't." He sat on the bed next to Tressa. "Did you know?"
"No." It came out a strangled cry. "I didn't. I would have told you. I would have..." She trailed off. She didn't know what she would have done differently. The baby would have been Bastian's. He was the only man she'd been with since leaving Hutton’s Bridge — up until the night before.
A baby. The only time she'd ever managed to get pregnant after all those years of trying.
Gone.
Lost.
And she didn't even know.
"We made love last night. Is this my fault? Was I too rough with her?" Jarrett pleaded with the healer. "Is this my fault?" Tears glistened in his eyes.
"No," the healer said. "That is quite unlikely. Miscarriage is common. You can try for another soon enough."
Tressa shook her head. Anguish spread through every part of her. It tingled in her fingers. Bit at her toes. Cramped in her stomach. Tressa leaned over the side of the bed and threw up.
A gaggle of attendants broke into the room carrying buckets of water and cloths. One knelt on the floor, cleaning up the mess Tressa had just made.
"It'll be okay," the healer said, stroking a wet cloth along Tressa's legs, cleaning up the remnants of the expelled life. "You will heal. You will conceive again." A pipe rested between her lips, a sweet smell wafting from the bowl.
"No." Tressa whispered. She said it over and over again. Her lips going dry with the effort. "No. I cannot."
"Tressa, my love." Jarrett sat next to the healer. He kissed the top of Tressa's head. "I am so sorry I couldn't protect you from this."
She looked up at the man she'd come to care for. Her heart ached. Was this her punishment for leaving Bastian, then? Was she to suffer for the rest of her life? Never to