continued to stare up at me as if awaiting my next move. “Is…is she well? Shouldn’t she be moving or shrieking about?”
“Oh, she’s quite well,” Miss Lamier murmured with a smile. “Hold her close, there you are. Cradle her with your arm. There, you have it.”
The tiny child shifted slightly, as she stared up at me with wide, unblinking eyes. It seemed as if she expected something. Anything. Didn’t she understand that I had nothing to give? I swallowed hard, feeling ill at ease.
“Darling, good child. So sweet. Ginny hopes the girl will have blue eyes, although it’s still too early to tell. She’s not yet two months old, and they do change so. Personally, I think they’ll be green, like her father’s.”
The long pause caught my attention. Slowly, I lifted my gaze. Both women watched me as if waiting for me to respond, when neither had asked a question. Had they? What had she said? Something about the child being two months old, having green eyes…
Green eyes.
Startled, I dropped my attention to the baby.
A heated whisper curled through my body. Something that nudged on the very edges of my soul. Dear God. Was I truly that ignorant? Had my emotions really blinded me so?
Was she mine?
Was the baby my child?
Mine.
Hell and damnation, was that why McKinnon had come to my estate that night? He wasn’t gloating, he had been telling me the truth, in his own idiotic way.
“Here, let me take her,” Miss Lamier said. “You seem preoccupied, my lord.”
The child was torn from my arms. I felt her warmth evaporate, leaving me cold, confused. I stared hard at Miss Lamier as she handed the child off to Mrs. Lamier. “Mere, do take the babe. She’s ready for her nap.”
The older woman cooed as she strolled to the back rooms, disappearing behind the curtain with the child. My child. I felt the odd desire to race after her…and do what? I could do nothing. Nothing but watch her go.
“Are you well, Lord Chambers? You look pale. Would you like to sit?”
I stumbled back a step. My chest felt tight. The world spun. “No. No, I’m fine. I just realized that I’m late for an appointment.”
“Of course.” Without another word, she opened the front door for me. “The book store is just to the right, down the lane.”
I didn’t bother to respond but swept out into the afternoon. When the air had been chilly only moments ago, it felt like a blasted furnace now. I tugged at my cravat. My heart hammered so hard I swore it would explode.
I knew without doubt it was my child. My baby.
Ginny had been pregnant when she’d left me. She’d been with child, my child, and hadn’t bothered to return to let me know. Hadn’t even bothered to send a note. Was her pride truly that strong? So strong she would go begging to McKinnon, for God’s sake, rather than come to me, the baby’s father?
I pushed open the door to the small brick shop, ignored the shop owner’s greeting, and moved purposefully down the aisles. I found her at the back, her arms full of books. Seeing her again, knowing that I hadn’t imagined her, nearly brought me to my knees. I froze, greedily taking her in.
She wore a simple braid wrapped around the crown of her head, a few wisps of hair trailing over her shoulders. Her gown was fitted perfectly to her lush form. A pressed, clean, rich brown dress. Functional, with just enough lace and ribbon to make her look fashionable. But innocent. A lady. There was no mistake. Unlike the bold, red dress I’d given her to wear. I’d never treated her like a lady, had I?
As if sensing me, she turned. She didn’t jump in surprise, didn’t even frown in annoyance. For one long moment, we merely stood there staring at each other. The bond between us was stronger than ever. I could feel it like I could feel the energy in the air before a storm.
A bell at the front door rang merrily, jolting us. I was the first to respond. “Hello, Ginny.”
“I can’t decide on a book.” She looked down at the novels. “One on astronomy? Or perhaps, on the ocean. I do so love the ocean.”
It was ridiculous to talk about the ocean, now of all times. Yet, I couldn’t seem to think of anything else to say. “Have you been there?”