I finally managed to fall asleep that afternoon and didn’t wake until the room had grown dark. I sat up and looked around the bedroom, which was painfully quiet and still. I sighed as I reached for my phone. The only message was from my mom, saying that they had stayed in Cochrann for dinner with the Tremwells.
I also saw that I had been tagged on a photo on social media. My stomach gnawed with dread as I looked. Indeed, it was Cillian. He had posted the photo from the night before, mentioning how he had found the coveted Duchess coin.
Christopher liked it.
I tossed the phone across the bed.
“Bad news?” Auggie asked.
I gasped as I turned on the bedside light to find Auggie sitting across the room in a chair next to the window, nursing another tumbler of bourbon. I could smell the peach flavor from across the room.
“What are you doing, sitting there in the dark?”
He took a drink. “You’ve answered your own question.”
“Auggie.”
“I was watching my wife sleep. A favorite pastime of mine, really. I love to hold you in my arms and watch you dream. You’re so beautiful. Like a dream of my own coming true.” He took another drink. “But I think I might have still been dreaming.”
I slid from the bed. “Auggie, we have to talk about this.”
“We said all that needs to be said,” he decided. “Another man kissed you. My worst enemy, in fact. And you didn’t tell me.”
“You answered your own question,” I pointed out. “I knew it would needlessly upset you. Why bring it up?”
He stood and slung the glass across the room. “Because I’m your husband!” he shouted. “This isn’t about Cillian. I know that he’ll coil around my neck like a snake. What he does will never surprise me. But that you wouldn’t tell me something like this,” he started. “For that, you should apologize.”
I faced him. “I’m sorry.”
It was so softly spoken and sincere that tears sprang into his eyes, like he wasn’t expecting me to bend so easily or so fast. He turned to leave the room. I followed.
“You’re right, okay? I made a mistake. I should have told you.”
He spun on me. “Then why didn’t you?”
“I told you,” I started.
“Yes. You did. You also told me nothing happened at all. How do I know I can trust you, Pea?”
It broke my heart that he felt that trust was gone.
“She told me the same thing,” he said softly. I knew he meant Eloise. “And I wanted to believe her. So, I did.” I reached for him and he wrenched away, marching to the living room where we had an ornate bar. He grabbed a decanter and another tumbler. It scared me that he was drinking so much. I knew that was affecting his stormy mood.
“I am not Eloise,” I said simply. I walked over to the bar where he stood. “And you are not your dad.” I held out my hand for the glass. Defiantly, he drained the glass in one gulp and stormed out of the apartment. I wilted onto one of the sofas, which was where Dash found me minutes later.
“Are you okay, Pea?”
I was startled to see my sweet little brother whose face was full of concern. I opened my arms and he ran to where I sat to give me a big, healing hug. “Better now,” I said, and it was the truth.
“You and Auggie having a fight?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Just married people stuff, Dashie. Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Mom and Dad are married. They don’t fight.”
I smiled absently as I caressed his hair. “Everybody is different. You know that better than anyone.”
He offered a wise nod.
We heard hooves just outside the open terrace. I was clearly worried, so Dash tried to alleviate my fears. “Auggie goes riding when he’s upset,” he informed me. “He says it clears his head.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to bring up that Auggie was also inebriated and shouldn’t be anywhere near a horse, but I didn’t want to worry my brother. “Why didn’t you go to town with Mom and the fam for dinner?”
He shrugged. “I thought I could help out more here.” He cuddled close. “Am I helping?”
I had to laugh. “More than anybody, anywhere.” I kissed him on top of his head. “I love you, Dashie.”
“I love you, too, Pea,” he said as he squeezed me tight. He then gasped and held back. “How’s Jack?”
I caressed my tummy. “He’s not too happy with Mommy right now. I think yesterday took a lot out of us.”
He nodded. “No more parties till the baby comes,” he instructed.
“Yes, sir,” I saluted. “You hungry?” I asked.
“A little. Are you?”
“I could eat,” I lied. My stomach was all tied up in knots and the last thing I wanted to think about was food. But if he were hungry, I’d eat a bite or two with him. I started to scoot from the sofa, but he wagged his finger at me.
“I’ll go tell Hedwig,” he said. “Don’t move, okay?”
I nodded and obeyed his direct order. “You’re turning into quite a little man, Dashiell.”
He stood straight and tall. “In honor, we serve,” he said solemnly, reciting the Quinn creed.
My little six-year-old brother somehow arranged for a light meal that night, which was served in the McPhee residence of the castle. I couldn’t bear to be in my own apartment all alone. It just reminded me that my new husband and I were fighting.
So, I stayed with Dash until Mom and Dallas got home. Fern opted to stay in town with Gavin at his place, which was where she was spending a lot of her time these days.
I supposed I needed to get used to it. She was going to be marrying him come spring. Then she wouldn’t live with us at all.
The thought made me sad. How much had changed from the year before, when we were planning our costumes for the Halloween bash in West Hollywood. I missed the simplicity of my old life.
I had made the trade-off to be with the man I loved, but I found myself wondering if I had made the right decision to stay in Aldayne and play princess. We had had the option to run away, and we could have been happily married living anywhere else by now, whether it be Ademar or Fifty Oaks.
But I supposed that wasn’t necessarily true either. Although the scenery might have changed, certain problems would have remained the same. I would have simply traded Cillian in for Christopher.
At that moment it was hard to tell which of the two evils was worse.
I wished Sofie Agassi had still been around so that I could have asked her if the Byrnes were why she’d run so far away from the Quinn legacy.
I’d only been married just a few weeks and already they were trying to tug at the seams. And I was going to bring a baby into this? Was I insane?
“Are you all right, honey?” Mom had asked.
“Tired,” I admitted.
She leaned forward to kiss my forehead. “Get some rest now. Jack will be here soon. You’ll wish you had taken the opportunities while you had them.”
I nodded. She gave me a hug I desperately needed and then I returned to my private residence in the other wing.
Auggie hadn’t returned, so I lay on the sofa in the living room with the doors opened to the terrace overlooking King’s Keep, so that I could hear his approach on horseback when he returned.
I fell asleep long before that happened and stayed asleep long after he got back. It was nearly four in the morning by the time I pulled myself up in a sitting position. I padded softly through the apartment, only to find him splayed out across the bed, still dressed in his clothes.
I took off his shoes and put a cover over him before I got into bed beside him. That was where morning found us, when there was a sharp knock on the door, making us both bolt upright in bed.
Auggie sprang to his feet and ran to the door, where Mom stood wringing her hands. “Have you seen Dash?”
Chapter Fifteen
Instantly fear seized my heart. Dash was never far out of sight. Immediately I knew somethi
ng was wrong. Auggie obviously did as well because he ran back over to grab his shoes. The minute I got out of bed to dress, he said, “I got this, Pea. Stay with your mother.”
“It’s my brother,” I snapped, as if wild fucking horses could keep me from looking for him.
He was out the door before he could argue.
Mom didn’t know whether to chase after him or stay with me. “Pea,” she said, helplessly. I pulled on a robe and some slippers so that we could get right to it.
The entire staff was on alert as we raced down the stairs. I met Hedwig on the landing. “Have you seen him?”
She shook her head, nervously wringing out a washcloth. “Not since he came down at dawn, asking for breakfast. He wanted something hearty,” she said, in near tears.
Even when it came to the stoic staff, everybody loved Dash the most.
“What was he wearing?” I wanted to know. Maybe that would give us an indicator of his secret plans for the day.
“Just some trousers and a shirt. And his favorite boots.”
“Boots?” I echoed.
She meant his riding boots. Mom and I shared a panicked look before we raced towards the door.
The paddock itself was empty, so we headed to the stables just minutes behind Auggie, who had already mounted his horse.
“Auggie, you don’t think…?” I started, clutching my mother’s hand.
His jaw clenched as he considered the possibilities. “I’ll find him, Pea. I promise.”
“You need me to come with you, Sir?” Bert, the stable master, asked as he approached. He had just gotten to the stables to start his day.
“Another rider can cover more ground,” Auggie agreed with a nod.
“I can ride,” Mom decided.
“You’re in no condition,” Auggie said, shaking his head. “You stay here with Pea.” To me, he said, “Don’t let her get on a horse.”
I nodded.
Sean approached. “That little bugger used crates to climb the fence,” he said, gesturing to where wooden crates had been set on top of each other.
“Why would he do that?” Mom wailed. “Oh, my God.”
I held her close. A sharp pain hit right in my lower back, but I ignored it. Now wasn’t the time. We watched as Sean likewise mounted a horse and the three men took off over the vast grounds near Unity Lake.
By this time Hedwig joined us, as did Kelly, who searched my face with concern. “You need to rest, mum,” she said.
I shook my head. “I need to find my brother.”
She sighed. She must have known that it was a losing battle. “Let’s follow the tracks,” she suggested, but stayed close and helped me as I shouldered my frantic mother.
Ten minutes after we started walking, Sean raced back on his mount. He stopped only to tell us that they had found Dash.
“Is he okay?” Mom asked.
Sean said nothing, which scared me to death. “I have to get to the helicopter, ma’am,” he said, before heading at full speed back to the stables.
That was when all four of us, Hedwig, Kelly, Mom, and me, broke out into a run across the pasture, where we could see Auggie’s and Bert’s horses in the distance.
Though I was running, it felt like slow motion, mostly thanks to all the extra baby weight I now carried. I held Jack with one arm as I tried to keep up with my mother and Hedwig. Only Kelly stayed behind to ensure I was all right.
“You shouldn’t be running, mum!”
“Try and stop me!” I yelled back.
We reached the small ravine where three horses were nervously gathered. Auggie was on his knees, kneeling over a small figure I immediately knew was Dash. Mom and I both screamed as we charged, but Bert held us back.
“We can’t move him,” he said.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
Kindly old Bert, who was a manly sort of a man, brushed it off as easily as he could. “He took a tumble from the horse. His ankle is twisted up a bit. He’s awake at least. Wearing a helmet like a good boy.”
Mom crumbled against me. “Can I see him?”
“Don’t move him. Sean is coming with the chopper to transport him to the hospital.”
She nodded and we ran to where Dashie lay on the pasture.
“Mommy,” he said weakly, and she fell on the ground next to him. I was on my own knees a second after that.
“Dashiell!” she said, reaching for him helplessly because she couldn’t take him into her arms. “What possessed you to ride a horse all by yourself?”
His voice was way weaker than I expected. It did little to comfort me. “I wanted to clear my head.” He grimaced in pain as he reached for his helmet.
“Leave it on, buddy,” Auggie instructed.
“I’m sorry,” Dash said, which was the thing that did me in. I burst into tears immediately. Auggie’s sad eyes met mine. I knew he bore the brunt of the guilt.
“Next time you come for me,” Auggie said softly.
“Even if you’re mad?” Dash asked.
Auggie held back an anguished sob of his own. “Especially when I’m mad, buddy.”
The chopper grew louder as it approached. Sean set it down in the pasture a safe distance away. He grabbed the medical gurney and both Bert and Kelly assisted him as he moved Dash onto the gurney.
When I stood to help, I felt wetness on my nightgown. I looked down to see it was wet and streaked with blood. My whole body froze in terror.
“Auggie!” I cried.
Both he and Kelly ran to me, and Auggie was every bit as panicked as I was.
“Are you in pain, mum?” Kelly asked.
“Off and on,” I shrugged. I honestly hadn’t been focused on it since we found Dash.
She nodded and turned to Sean. “Make room for her in the helicopter.”
I looked up at Auggie, eyes wide. It was only the 29th.
But it looked like our early birth was about to be even earlier.
Jack was on his way.
Chapter Sixteen
Auggie was on the phone to Dr. Hamish as Kelly ensured that we were all loaded into the helicopter. She opted to stay behind, so that she could bring Dallas to the hospital by car. Mom stayed right next to Dash, while Auggie divided his attention between Dash and me for the short duration of the trip.
Unity Hospital was located between Castlewick and Cochrann. It was an old hospital that had seen its share of royal births, Auggie and Auggie’s father Roan included. Giz was born there as well.
Auggie helped me breathe as we were in transit, but just seeing the rows of photographers outside the gates of Castlewick was enough to make me hyperventilate. They had no idea what had happened with Dash. Why were they there so soon?
Oh, right. Christopher and PING had put the world on #RoyalBabyWatch.
“Everyone’s going to know,” I whispered frantically in between contractions.
“Nobody’s going to know,” he promised. “They’ll have a thousand guesses and none of them will ever know which one, if any, is right. We get to write this narrative, Pea.” He smiled as he added, “We’re Royals, for fuck’s sake.”
I nodded and tried to breathe through the contractions, which had gotten a lot stronger since my water broke, and impossible to ignore or brush aside.
Suddenly, I was very scared of the next phase in the process. With the tour, the Jubilee, the wedding, and honeymoon, then the ball, there hadn’t been much time to think about it.
Now it was all I could do.
I grabbed Auggie’s hand as another contraction hit. It felt like premenstrual cramps on steroids. And already the pressure in my pelvis made me want to push, though I knew it wasn’t time for that part yet. At that moment, though, it felt like my body was no longer my own to control.
“I’m scared,” I admitted as Auggie tried to coax me to breathe.
“I know,” he comforted. “But you’ve got this. You’re the strongest woman I know.” All anger had abated in the face of everything else. He was back to my lovin
g prince. It was everything I needed in that moment.
“That’s Old Mother,” I teased breathlessly.
“She was probably asleep through it all,” he shrugged.
“It’s good to be queen,” I said bitterly, before gripping his hand to power through yet another one.
We landed at the hospital within minutes, where we were met with gurneys on the helipad on the roof, one for Dash and one for me. Dr. Hamish was already there with the team, since Auggie had set her up with an apartment adjacent to the hospital for the last few weeks of my pregnancy.
“How’s our patient doing?”
“Scared shitless,” I said.
“Of course, you’re scared,” she said with a reassuring pat on my leg. “This is something you’ve never been through before. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t nervous.”
She turned to Dash. “And what happened here?”
He was still wincing in pain. We all figured his mangled ankle was the reason why. But he was trying his best to be strong. “Fell off a horse.”
Dr. Hamish turned to me. “Don’t tell me you were riding, too?” she teased.
Dash shook his head sadly. “It’s my fault.”
I reached for his hand and grabbed it tight. “It’s not your fault, Dashie. Jack just wanted to come early and join all the fun. That’s exciting, right?”
He nodded uncertainly, before glancing up at Dr. Hamish. “Will he be okay if he comes early?”
Dr. Hamish glanced between Auggie and me. “He’s not so early that it’s scary,” was all she finally said. It seemed enough to appease him before he was taken away.
Mom was torn whether to stay or go, choosing between her children. I gave her a nod. “I’ve got Auggie. Go.”
She took my hand and kissed it. “I love you, Sweet Pea.”
“Love you, too, Mom,” I said. She raced off after Dashie. I turned to Auggie, who took my hand.
“All right then,” Dr. Hamish said. “Let’s go become parents.”
Because of the proximity to Castlewick, there was a royal birthing suite already prepared at Unity Hospital. Had it not been for the necessary medical equipment, it would have looked like another bedroom from one of our castles. There was gold gilding on the walls, which were painted in a comforting lavender. There were vases of fresh flowers around the room, Aldayne roses, of course, likely filled the instant they found out we were in transit.
The Duke Takes a Bride (The Rocking Royal Trilogy Book 2) Page 16