The Marriage Contract

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  He finished lighting the candles and turned to her. He took a moment to think the situation through. Loretta had told him what it was like to have her children. Unfortunately, he’d only paid half attention since he’d been more interested in holding his niece or nephew than learning about the details of their births. But he did remember something.

  “It’s normal for the series of pain to get stronger,” he said. “They’re supposed to become more frequent and intense.”

  She grimaced and let out a low moan as she gripped the blankets on the bed.

  A knock came from his bedchamber door, so he hurried to answer it. When he saw the butler, he said, “My wife is ready to give birth. I need you to summon Dr. Westward.” He told the butler where Dr. Westward lived and then returned to her bedchamber.

  Patricia had her eyes closed, and, if Stephen was right, she was counting backwards.

  When she relaxed and opened her eyes, he said, “The butler is going to send for the doctor.”

  He poured some water into a cup.

  “I don’t think the doctor’s going to make it in time,” she said, her breathing heavy.

  He returned to her with the cup and held it out to her. “Sure, he will. Everything will be fine. Here. Get something to drink. I don’t want you to get thirsty.”

  She accepted the cup and took a long swallow of the water.

  He frowned. She was thirstier than he’d expected. He was ready to grab the pitcher and pour more water into the cup when she dropped the cup and gripped her stomach.

  He retrieved it. This time he went to the cord in her bedchamber and summoned her lady’s maid. He should have done that while he was ringing the butler.

  He set the cup aside and returned to her. “The maid is coming up. She’ll get you comfortable.” When Patricia moaned, he amended, “She’ll get you as comfortable as possible.” Given her condition, she wasn’t going to be comfortable until after she had the child. “In the meantime, why don’t you lie back and try to rest up.”

  He fluffed two pillows then positioned them close to her. He urged her to move back so she could lean back on them.

  “The baby’s coming,” she told him. “I can feel it.”

  A surge of panic swept over him. “Make the baby wait.”

  “I can’t.” She pulled up her shift and spread her legs. “You’re going to have to get him when he comes out.”

  His eyes nearly popped out of his head. She couldn’t be serious!

  A knock came at the door, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Good. The maid would know what to do. Then he could hightail it out of here and wait for everything to be done before he came back in this room.

  He threw the door opened and waved her lady’s maid in. She was holding some clean, neatly folded towels. “Thank goodness you’re here.” Before she could say anything, he waved her into the room and led her to the bed. “Patricia says the baby’s not going to wait for the doctor. You need to deliver the baby.”

  The lady’s maid face went white. “I’ve never delivered a baby before.”

  Since she looked at him as if she expected him to do it, he said, “I haven’t, either.”

  Patricia moaned in pain, and they both turned to her in shock, neither making a move to go to her.

  Finally, Stephen pushed the maid over to her. “You’re a lady.”

  “So?” the maid asked.

  “So, you can give birth.”

  “That doesn’t mean I have given birth.”

  “But you have a lady’s instinct about it.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “All ladies are born knowing how to give birth. It’s part of being a lady.”

  The lady’s maid shook her head. “I hate to disappoint you, but ladies aren’t born knowing what to do in this situation any more than a gentleman is.”

  “Would one of you get over here?” Patricia called out, her tone impatient. “The baby’s coming. One of you has to catch him.” Then she groaned and began to push.

  Stephen didn’t know what prompted him to act, but as soon as he saw the top of the baby’s head between her legs, he rushed over to her.

  The lady’s maid set down a towel under Patricia and then unfolded another one that she handed to him.

  It was on the tip of his tongue to comment about how ironic it was that she knew enough to set out the towels, but she didn’t know how to deliver a baby. Patricia’s moans forced his attention back to the matter at hand.

  He took a deep breath and told himself to pretend this wasn’t really happening. Maybe if he pretended that he was going to catch a ball, as he’d done while playing a game as a child, then this wouldn’t be so scary. But catching a defenseless tiny human was a lot more anxiety producing than trying to win a game.

  The lady’s maid helped Patricia sit up and offered her words of encouragement. Stephen realized Patricia was the one in pain, but he wouldn’t have minded some encouragement, too.

  The baby started to come out further, and before he had time to blink, it slid into the towel he was holding. He hurried to swaddle the baby before it could slip out of his hands.

  For a moment, nothing happened, and then suddenly, the baby let out weak cry, quickly followed by a stronger one. He took a good look at the child and smiled. The baby was so small, but the child was perfectly formed. He’d only gotten to see his niece and nephews after they were a month old. He’d never gotten a chance to see a newly born child before. He didn’t realize how fully developed they were.

  “Is it a girl or a boy?” Patricia asked, out of breath.

  “Oh, um…” Stephen pulled back the towel and checked. “A girl. It’s a girl.” His eyes teared up. “A perfect baby girl.” A child who had a fresh start. A child whose life was a clean slate.

  Knowing Patricia would want to hold her, he tucked the towel better around the baby and carefully handed the child to her.

  Patricia took her daughter in her arms and laughed. “She’s so small. I thought she was going to be bigger than this.”

  “She’s like a little angel, isn’t she?” the lady’s maid asked, smiling at the child.

  A knock came at the door of the bedchamber. The lady’s maid hurried to answer it, and on the other side were two maids who were carrying in things to clean Patricia and the baby.

  Stephen breathed a sigh of relief. As much as he enjoyed getting to be the first one to hold the baby, he didn’t want to clean the afterbirth. And he was sure Patricia didn’t want him lingering around for that, either. This was a private moment.

  “I’ll wait for the doctor,” Stephen told them as he washed his hands. “Even if the hard part is done, he’ll want to make sure everyone is all right.” He looked over at Patricia. “I’ll let Lewis and Loretta know they have a niece.”

  She gave him a smile that lit up her entire face. “Thank you.”

  He nodded then left the bedchamber.

  ***

  “Congratulations are in order,” Dr. Westward told Stephen an hour later at the doorway in the den. “Both mother and child are doing fine.”

  Stephen had expected that to be the case. He glanced back down at the missives he was writing to Lewis and Loretta. He could add that to what he’d already told them.

  “Thank you for coming out,” Stephen said as stood up and walked with the doctor down the hall.

  “I don’t know what you’re thanking me for. You and Patricia did all of the work. By the time I got here, everything was done.”

  “I’m sure Patricia feels better knowing you say that she and her baby are fine.”

  “That’s your baby, too. I know you didn’t have anything to do with the conception, but the real work of having a child doesn’t start until after the birth.”

  Patricia did tell him she’d like for him to be the child’s father. So really, tonight, he’d held his daughter for the first time. And after tonight, there would be many other times he’d get to hold her. More than that, h
e would help raise her.

  “Are you a father?” Stephen asked.

  “Yes, and I have three children.”

  They stopped in the entryway, and Stephen turned to him. “Do you have any advice on how I might be a good father?”

  “Love your daughter.”

  Stephen waited for the doctor to continue, but he only stared at him as if he expected him to respond. “Is that all?”

  “Love will guide you through all of the decisions you’ll ever have to make.” The doctor accepted the frock coat and gloves from the footman and slipped them on. “I know it’s simple advice, but it fits. Love will enable you to do what’s best for her.”

  “You’re right. That is simple.” It sounded too simple, but since Stephen had no experience being a father, he’d have to take the doctor’s word for it.

  “When Patricia has her next child, be sure to send for me as soon as she notices her contractions becoming more frequent. I asked her about the timing of them, and she delivered faster than most ladies.”

  Patricia’s next child? Surely, the doctor couldn’t mean that Stephen would be the one to give her that next child. He hadn’t touched a lady in five years, and that had been the one he’d taken as a mistress. Not that he was proud of it. But since his marriage to Eloise, he’d lived the life of a monk. He’d just assumed he’d live the rest of his life that way.

  Before he could give the matter further thought, the doctor gave Stephen a pat on the back. “Fatherhood will be what you make of it. My advice is to enjoy it. Children are a gentleman’s legacy.”

  Surprised he should put it that way, Stephen asked, “It is?”

  “Of course. You will have a role in their upbringing. They will learn a lot from the world from your example. Your life will impact theirs.”

  “Are you saying that having a child gives a gentleman a second chance?”

  “Or a mother. Each parent gets a second chance when it comes to having a child. That’s why, as simple as my advice is, love is the most important thing you can give that little girl upstairs.”

  Dr. Westward put on his hat then tipped it to Stephen as a way to say goodbye. Stephen nodded in return.

  A second chance. A fresh start. Was it really possible that having a child could mean such a wonderful thing? When he recalled holding the baby, he had felt a spark of hope. Maybe he hadn’t just felt hope for her future, but he’d felt it for his future as well.

  “Is there anything you need, Mr. Bachman?” the footman asked him after he closed the door.

  Stephen shook his head. “No. I have everything I need.” Then, he went back to the missives he was writing to Lewis and Loretta, and for the first time in years, he didn’t feel like the weight of the world was pressing down on him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Patricia kept to her bedchamber for the rest of the day. The maid brought her meals up to her, and Marcy helped her take care of the baby. At one point, Patricia thought about asking the maid to invite Stephen to see the baby, but then she thought she’d wait until the next day to see him.

  She’d probably scared him by making him deliver the child. She honestly thought she’d had more time to go before delivery was imminent, but the pain hadn’t intensified right up until the very end. From there, she’d had the urge to push, and nothing was going to stop her at that point. Then the next thing she knew, the baby came out, and Stephen was holding her.

  It was a shame he’d been wearing the mask. The moment was such a personal one that she would have preferred to see his face, even if it wasn’t like other people’s. But she could respect his need for privacy. He’d been willing to deliver the child, and she couldn’t ask any more of him than that.

  Marcy had apologized for not doing it, adding, “I was so frightened that I’d hurt the child. I’ve never held a little one before.”

  Patricia had quickly reassured her that it was all right. The important thing was that the baby was healthy. And as soon as she held the girl in her arms, Patricia’s heart had swelled with so much love she hadn’t felt it was possible to feel that way about another human being. She’d had no idea that being a mother could be such a wonderful experience.

  The next day, Patricia ate breakfast in her bedchamber, but she only did that because she’d slept in until noon. She was determined, however, to go to the dining room that evening. She’d like to talk to Stephen. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk to her. She supposed if he didn’t, then he would stay in his bedchamber instead of eating with her.

  She sighed as she rocked her baby in the chair by the window. She might not mind Stephen’s absence so much if she didn’t like him. But she did like him. He was pleasant to be around. He listened to her, and he seemed genuinely concerned about her.

  Besides Lewis, it’d been a long time since she’d felt a connection with anyone. With Lewis, however, the connection was that of protection. Lewis was a friend in some ways, but he was mostly like an older brother who wanted to keep her safe. She didn’t feel that way when it came to Stephen. Yes, Stephen was a friend, but there was something else—something more—she felt with him.

  There was a knock on the bedchamber door.

  “Who is it?” Patricia called out, her heartbeat picking up in excitement.

  “It’s your lady’s maid,” Marcy replied.

  Patricia squashed down her disappointment. She should have known better than to think it might be Stephen coming to ask how she and her daughter were doing. The maid had probably reassured him that she and her daughter were doing well. So really, there was no need for him to see her.

  Pushing the thought aside, she encouraged Marcy to come in. “I’m decent,” she assured her.

  And even if Patricia wasn’t, she could hardly be embarrassed anymore. Marcy had seen her at her worst. The poor lady had had to clean her up and then put sanitary cloths under her right after the baby’s birth. The days of Patricia being modest at all times had come to an abrupt end. She didn’t think she’d get those days back any time soon since she still needed Marcy’s help with cleaning herself up. It didn’t help that she was sore between her legs, either. She hadn’t expected that to be the case. She’d assumed she’d go right back to normal after the delivery. But she hadn’t.

  Loretta had only given her tips on how to take care of a baby. Patricia hadn’t thought to ask about how long it’d take to recover from giving birth. Marcy and the maid who’d helped her had no experience with having children, so they couldn’t help her.

  Marcy came into the room, shutting the door behind her as she did so. “The Duchess of Lambeth is here, and she’s brought her children with her.”

  Patricia’s eyebrows furrowed. Loretta was here? She thought over the last conversation she’d had with Loretta and realized the two had agreed that Loretta and her children would come out here today in order to get Stephen to leave his bedchamber.

  “Oh! I forgot she was coming.” Patricia stopped rocking her daughter. “I invited them over.”

  Patricia tried to stand up but wobbled. Marcy hurried over to help her regain her balance.

  “Thank you,” Patricia said, her face growing warm.

  “I’m happy to assist you in any way I can,” Marcy replied. “Your body has been through quite an ordeal. It’ll take some time before you can bounce right out of a chair again.”

  “I didn’t expect that to be the case, but it’s surely turning out to be.”

  “I’ll get a clean cloth for you, and then I’ll help you into a different gown.”

  Patricia wondered if she could wear one of her old gowns anymore. Her body didn’t exactly look like it used to before she’d gotten with child. She hadn’t thought over how that might impact her ability to wear the gowns Lewis had bought for her right after she married Ichabod.

  As it turned out, she was able to fit in them after all. At the time Lewis had bought them, they had been somewhat loose, but he had figured once she started eating well, she would no longer be unduly thin. Then
, when she conceived, he’d gotten other gowns, and the maid at that time had adjusted the seams as needed on those gowns. So now she was finally back to the ones Lewis had originally gotten her, and they fit just right.

  “You are such a pretty lady,” Marcy said as she pinned Patricia’s hair up into an attractive style.

  “You’re pretty, too, Marcy,” Patricia replied, noting the cute blonde curls that framed her lady’s maid’s face.

  Marcy’s cheeks turned pink as she smiled. “That’s very nice of you to say. I take after my mother, God rest her soul.”

  “What happened to your mother?”

  “She died while giving birth to me. My father said I reminded him of her.”

  “Your father said you reminded him of her? Does that mean your father is not alive anymore?”

  She nodded. “He went to join my mother three years ago. I started working here after that. I used to do the laundry before you came here. Then I became your lady’s maid.”

  “Really?” Patricia turned around so she could get a better look at her. “I did laundry, too. Except I didn’t do it for a household. I was part of a group of ladies and children who cleaned clothes and linen for the middle class.”

  “I didn’t know that. You hold yourself like a lady. I would have assumed you were born into wealth.”

  “No, I wasn’t. My mother and I grew up in the poor area. I continued on there after she died.”

  “How did you get out of it? Did Lord Pruett fall in love with you and marry you despite the difference in your stations?”

  Patricia shook her head. “No. It wasn’t anything romantic like that. Lord Pruett’s brother found me and arranged the marriage.”

  “That sounds romantic.”

  “It would have been if Lord Pruett and I fell in love, but that didn’t happen. The truth is, I didn’t really ever know him. He kept to himself all the time.”