A Ring for the Pregnant Debutante

by Laura Martin

  ‘We have decided on a name,’ Rosa said softly. ‘But if you don’t like it then we would be quite happy to come up with something different.’

  ‘Your child’s name is your decision, my dear.’

  ‘We would like to call him Michael.’

  Rosa saw the tears fill the older woman’s eyes and run down over her cheeks.

  ‘If it is too painful...’

  ‘No,’ Sarah said firmly. ‘It is one of the loveliest things anyone has ever done.’

  They sat side by side for a few minutes, staring down at Michael’s angelic face and drooping eyelids.

  ‘A child unites people like nothing else.’

  ‘I was so scared when I first found out I was pregnant,’ Rosa said quietly. ‘This pregnancy threatened to tear my whole life apart, and in a way it did, but something much better was built from the wreckage. I feel very lucky.’

  ‘Do you think you will attempt a reconciliation with your mother?’ Sarah asked.

  Rosa shrugged. She had suffered through so many years of her mother’s harsh judgements and cold demeanours that she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

  ‘I think I will focus on my life here for a while. If she wishes to reconcile then I would welcome her, but I don’t think my heart could take another rejection from her.’

  Sarah stood, leaned over and kissed first baby Michael and then Rosa on the forehead. ‘This is your home now and you will always be welcome here.’

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Rosa opened the door a crack and heard the furious whispering outside. Straining to catch the words in between the giggles of the excited maids, Rosa grimaced as the door creaked and gave her away.

  ‘It’s not time yet, my lady,’ the older of the two maids said, her voice uncertain.

  ‘Lord Hunter said you must stay put until he comes to fetch you.’

  Rosa sighed and closed the door again. There was no point arguing, the poor maids were only following orders, but she wished Thomas would hurry up. Twenty minutes ago Sarah had come to take Michael downstairs, and it was the longest time Rosa had spent apart from her baby since giving birth.

  She wasn’t entirely sure what Thomas had planned, but her sharp ears had picked up the sounds of doors opening and closing multiple times and hushed voices whispering in the hall down below.

  Flopping back on the bed, Rosa was startled by a knock on the door and was still reclining when Thomas flung it open and strode in.

  ‘It’s time,’ he declared.

  ‘Time for what?’

  ‘Your surprise.’

  ‘What is my surprise?’

  He grinned. ‘Just a little something I’ve organised. Come downstairs and you will see.’

  Rosa smoothed her dress—a new gown Thomas had ordered for her especially for this occasion—and slipped her hand into the crook of her husband’s elbow.

  ‘Is that music I can hear?’

  Soft notes were beginning to float up the stairs as they left the bedroom and walked along the landing.

  ‘Yes. It’s your favourite piece.’

  He was right, it was her favourite piece, but she had never told him that.

  Thomas grinned again at her expression. ‘Your father told me.’

  ‘Father is here?’ Rosa asked, looking around as if expecting him to spring out from behind one of the paintings.

  ‘Enough questions. You’ll spoil the surprise.’

  Rosa found herself smiling. These past couple of weeks Thomas had seemed lighter in mood, more carefree. He thrived as a father, responding to Michael’s needs as if he had been trained for the role, and he and Rosa had been closer than ever before. Not physically, not yet, Rosa was still recuperating from the birth, but he’d hinted that he wanted to be when she was ready.

  Time and time again Rosa had to tell herself not to read too much into his words, not to get carried away with the dreams of a perfect life with her perfect family. Thomas still hadn’t confirmed whether he was planning on staying or going, although every morning when she woke in his arms she allowed herself to hope just a little bit more.

  They reached the closed doors into the drawing room and Thomas squeezed her hand before flinging them open. The music became louder all of a sudden and Rosa saw a dozen heads turn to look at them.

  ‘Thomas, what is happening?’ Rosa whispered.

  She could see her father, sitting in the front row next to Thomas’s mother, head bent over his grandchild. Behind them sat her dear friend Caroline and her son Rupert. On the other side of the room were a couple of elderly women that Rosa took to be Thomas’s relatives and two young men accompanied by their wives.

  He didn’t answer for a few seconds, first leading her to the front of the room down the aisle in between the chairs. A smartly dressed man smiled indulgently at them both before taking a step back.

  ‘Thank you for coming today,’ Thomas said, turning to face their intimate audience. ‘As you may know, Rosa and I wed in a hurried ceremony whilst we were still in Venice. None of our family or friends were present and I did not mark the occasion with the celebration it deserves.’ He paused, turning to Rosa. ‘Fortunately my beautiful wife has forgiven me for that, and many more omissions, and has given me the chance to improve upon that behaviour.’

  Rosa saw their gathered guests smile as Thomas spoke. For her part she felt as though she were in a dream. She could hear the words coming from Thomas’s mouth, but seemed unable to process them.

  ‘Rosa, my darling, my love. I know I have wronged you in so many ways both before and after our wedding. Can you forgive me?’

  ‘What is all this?’ Rosa whispered so only her husband could hear.

  ‘A fresh start.’

  ‘Do we need a fresh start?’

  ‘Most decidedly. Rosa, I know I badgered you into marrying me, but I honestly feel it was the best decision of my life. You’ve made me realise what is important.’

  Rosa felt her heart soar and struggled to listen to Thomas’s next words.

  ‘Before I met you I thought the most important thing was seeing and experiencing as much of the world as possible, just in case I became unwell and couldn’t do the things I wanted to. I was restless, but largely directionless. These last few months you’ve made me see what really makes me happy.’ He turned and smiled at Michael who was cooing and gurgling softly. ‘You and our son. That is what makes me happy.’

  ‘And the disease?’ Rosa whispered.

  She’d seen something change in Thomas around the time of the birth of their son, but she hadn’t been able to work out exactly what. He’d become more positive, as if he’d decided not to let the terrible disease that one day might affect him spoil the here and now.

  He shrugged. ‘Maybe one day I will develop symptoms, maybe I won’t, but I realise I cannot let the possibility of what might happen in the future ruin my life now. I’m a lucky man, I have a beautiful wife, a lovely home and a perfect son. I need to start appreciating my blessing rather than worrying about the future.’

  Rosa beamed. It was all she had ever wanted for him. She knew the shadow of his brother’s and father’s deaths would always hang over him, as would the disease that might one day claim his body and mind, too, but he really was trying to appreciate all the good in his life right now.

  ‘I love you, Rosa,’ Thomas said softly. ‘I’ve loved you for a long time, I was just too caught up in my worries to realise it.’

  ‘You love me?’

  ‘Do you doubt it?’

  Rosa realised she was shaking her head. She didn’t doubt it. Their married life might have been far from ideal initially, but once Thomas had allowed himself to enjoy her company she had seen the pleasure and happiness bloom.

  ‘I love you, too.’

&
nbsp; ‘I know,’ he said with a mischievous grin.

  Rolling her eyes at his confidence, she allowed him to pull her in closer to his side.

  ‘Marry me?’

  ‘We’re already married, Thomas.’

  ‘I know, but it was such a rushed affair, so impersonal, I thought we could have the marriage blessed.’

  ‘Is that possible?’

  ‘Father Young, here, assures me it is allowed.’ Thomas dropped his voice. ‘And he was particularly keen to bless the marriage seeing as the initial ceremony was not in his beloved Church of England.’

  Rosa glanced up at the vicar and saw him smiling benevolently at her.

  ‘Shall we begin?’ Father Young asked.

  After a short prayer Rosa and Thomas repeated their marriage vows and then Father Young uttered a blessing over their union.

  ‘Congratulations,’ he said quietly once he was finished with the blessing.

  The assembled guests stood and clapped as Thomas led Rosa down the short aisle, before turning back and retracing their steps so Rosa could take baby Michael from her mother-in-law’s arms.

  ‘Where would you like to go for our honeymoon?’ Thomas asked as they led their guests through to the dining room where a mouth-watering selection of food had been laid out.

  ‘I know of a beautiful villa on the edge of Lake Garda that might be available,’ Rosa said.

  ‘You little minx,’ Thomas whispered. ‘You just want to see me swimming naked again.’

  ‘The thought had crossed my mind. It would almost be worth braving the voyage again.’

  ‘Only almost?’

  ‘Well, it’s not as though you need much of an excuse to take your clothes off, is it?’

  Thomas threw his head back and laughed, before slipping a hand around Rosa’s waist and making her shudder with anticipation by trailing his fingers over her lower back.

  ‘Do you know, I never imagined I could be this happy?’ Thomas said as he pulled out her seat, watched her as she cradled Michael into a more upright position in her arms and then pushed her chair in towards the table. ‘I never dared to hope.’

  Quickly, before their guests entered the room, Thomas bent his neck and kissed Rosa softly on the lips, pulling away only to drop a kiss on Michael’s forehead.

  ‘My perfect little family,’ he murmured.

  Epilogue

  Rosa glanced impatiently to where Thomas was talking quietly with his solicitor, Mr Biggins. She knew the words of advice the elderly man was bestowing on her husband were important, but she wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement and anticipation much longer.

  ‘This institution holds over a hundred children at any one time,’ Mr Pitt, the governor of the orphanage droned in her direction. ‘Over a hundred children to house, feed and clothe.’ He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe the expense was justifiable.

  ‘The children provide an income too, though,’ Rosa said sweetly. ‘They work.’

  Mr Pitt scoffed and shook his head. ‘Barely enough to provide one meal a day. The rest of the money comes from charitable donations.’

  ‘Shall we go upstairs?’ Thomas said, stepping away from the solicitor and taking Rosa’s hand.

  Rosa watched with a smile as Thomas scooped their son on to his shoulders and dashed up the stairs, making Michael scream with delight. Mr Pitt grimaced at this outward display of merriment, but held his tongue.

  ‘Tell your mama to hurry up,’ Thomas said as Rosa approached the top of the sweeping staircase.

  ‘You’re too slow, Mama,’ Michael giggled, squirming as Rosa bent and placed a kiss on the top of his head.

  ‘The girls have a dormitory to your left, the boys on the right. The nursery is at the end of the corridor.’

  Rosa and Thomas had visited the orphanage before, but never had they ventured upstairs to the nursery.

  ‘Tell us more about the child,’ Thomas said, his face suddenly serious.

  ‘Elizabeth is two months old and came to us two weeks ago,’ Mr Pitt informed them. ‘Her father was a sailor, he perished at sea before Elizabeth was born. Her mother died of a bad chest. She has no other relatives to take her in and look after her, hence she came to us.’

  As he spoke Mr Pitt led them through the nursery, past row after row of cribs, some with tiny crying babies inside. The two young girls, neither much older than twelve themselves, ran backwards and forward, trying to comfort the squalling infants without much success.

  They stopped and Rosa looked down into the crib, squeezing Thomas’s hand as she did so.

  ‘She’s not got any hair,’ Michael observed from his position on his father’s shoulders.

  ‘Some babies don’t have any hair for the first few months.’

  ‘Why not?’

  Rosa blinked, then smiled at her son, ‘Because everyone is different. Some babies have hair, some don’t. Just like some have blue eyes and some brown.’

  ‘I’ve got your eyes,’ Michael said, then frowned in a way that made Rosa’s heart swell with love. ‘But you’ve got your eyes, too.’

  ‘That’s right, darling.’ Turning to Mr, Pitt Rosa asked, ‘Can I hold her?’

  The governor of the orphanage shrugged and stepped back, as if he didn’t want to get too close to an actual child.

  Rosa leaned over the small baby, taking a minute to stroke her head and feel the silky smooth skin.

  ‘Would you like a little sister?’ Thomas crouched down so he was level with Michael.

  ‘Will I have to share my toys?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Even Ted-Ted?’

  ‘Ted-Ted is just for you.’

  Rosa cradled the little girl gently, feeling a warm gush of happiness as her eyes flickered open and focused on Rosa’s.

  ‘I wouldn’t mind a little sister,’ Michael said. ‘As long as I’m the big brother.’

  ‘Always.’ Thomas stood, ruffling their son’s hair before moving closer to Rosa. ‘What do you think?’ he asked.

  ‘She’s perfect.’

  Six months ago Rosa had been watching Thomas and Michael chase each other across the lawn when she’d been struck by the desire to add to their family. She’d nurtured this wish in private for a few weeks before Thomas had wheedled it out of her. Rosa had always known their family would be limited to three and she knew she was blessed to have such a wonderful husband and son, but sometimes she yearned for a little baby to take care of, another child to raise through infancy and beyond.

  Despite her desire for another child, Rosa had tried to put the idea from her mind. Thomas had remained healthy in the five years since their marriage, but still they were both very aware the Hunter family curse could strike at any time. He would not risk fathering any children, and as such Rosa had attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to put aside her broodiness.

  When Thomas had suggested adopting an orphan Rosa had almost cried with happiness. She longed for a little brother or sister for Michael, someone for him to play with and protect, and now it looked as though they’d found just the child.

  ‘Biggins is satisfied the adoption will be legal,’ Thomas murmured quietly.

  The first time they had visited the orphanage she’d wanted to take Elizabeth home with them straight away. The thought of the little girl suffering in the cold, starved of affection, was distressing, but Thomas had insisted they make everything legal first. He didn’t want them to get hurt, to attach their affections to a child who one day might be claimed by an errant parent or relative. Once Elizabeth left the orphanage with them he wanted it all to be final.

  ‘If you are happy we can sign the papers today,’ Mr Pitt said. ‘Then, of course, there is the matter of the fee...’

  Biggins had waved his hand dismissively when Rosa
had questioned the legality of this fee Mr Pitts was asking for. ‘Think of it as a donation to the orphanage,’ he had said. ‘Or a bribe to the governor to let things run smoothly.’

  Rosa knew all too well that the money they paid would not be spent on the struggling orphans, but would instead line Mr Pitt’s own pocket, and reluctantly she had agreed not to make a fuss. Only her desire not to jeopardise the adoption made her keep quiet.

  ‘Let us complete the formalities,’ Thomas suggested. ‘My wife will dress the child for outside and follow in a few minutes.’

  With a wink Thomas led the governor back through the nursery, leaving Rosa alone with her son and his new baby sister.

  Carefully Rosa stripped Elizabeth down, removing the rough, abrasive smock she was dressed in and replacing it with three layers of soft cotton. All the time Michael stood watching his new sister intently.

  ‘Now you are a big brother you will need to look after your sister,’ Rosa said.

  Michael nodded, his expression serious. He looked as though he were standing guard over the crib, protecting the baby girl inside.

  ‘She will need you to show her how to do things as she grows up and to protect her from harm. Can you do that for me?’

  ‘Yes, Mama.’

  Rosa pulled Michael into a cuddle and kissed the top of his head. ‘You’re my special little man. I’m so proud of you.’

  Cradling Elizabeth in one arm and holding Michael’s hand with the other, Rosa made her way through the nursery and back downstairs. They’d just reached the bottom step when a bundle of pure angry energy came running at them.

  ‘You can’t take her! She’s not yours!’

  Rosa swept Michael behind her protectively as a small girl, red-faced with anger, shot out of a side room and started pummelling Rosa’s knees.

  ‘Stop hitting my mummy,’ Michael bellowed, refusing to stay behind Rosa and charging at the little girl.

  Conscious of the delicate little baby in her arms Rosa crouched down and did her best to separate the two small children.

  ‘What’s the commotion?’ Thomas asked, striding from Mr Pitt’s office, closely followed by the governor himself.