by Kruger, Mary
“I hate crying,” she sobbed. “I hate it, but if I yell I’ll get upset, and I can’t have that, but I’m just so damned mad at you, Robert Evans!”
Unforgivably he chuckled. “That sounds more like my Eliza.”
“It’s not funny.” She nestled against him, loathe to move. She really was angry with him. She was. In a moment she would tell him so. For now, though, she just wanted to love him.
“I know it isn’t, dear, and I’ve given you enough to be mad at, haven’t I?” He drew back, looking down at her, his eyes serious. “I had a chance to do some thinking, Liza. I’ve been stupid, going off and leaving you.”
“Robert—”
“It’s high time I took a look at my life and made some changes. I won’t be going back to London, Eliza. I’m staying here with you and our children.”
Eliza pulled back. “No. That won’t do.”
“What? Of course it will.” He frowned. “Damn it, Eliza, you’re the most maddening person! I thought you’d be happy about this.”
“I am, but—ooh! If this isn’t just like you!” She pulled back, crossing her arms over her chest. “When I had just decided that I was wrong not to go to London so you wouldn’t have to give up your work, now you’re the one who makes the noble gesture! It’s not fair.”
“Does it matter, so long as we’re together?”
“Yes! I want to go to London.”
“You want what!”
“I said I want to go to London.” At the sight of his thunderstruck face, she began to giggle. “Oh, if you could see yourself.”
“This isn’t funny, Liza. What the devil are you talking about?”
“You’re not the only one who’s been thinking.” She gazed up at him. “You were right, you know. I did use the children as an excuse. There’s no reason I couldn’t have gone to town with you years ago. No, let me finish.” She laid her fingers on his lips. “I was scared, Robert. I remembered all the beautiful women and the political wives and—well, I was scared.”
“Of what?” he said, mystified.
“That you’d look at them and then wonder what you ever saw in me.”
“Are you daft? Why the devil do you think I keep coming back to Stowcroft?”
“I don’t know. Why the devil do you?”
“Because I love you, damn it! I’m sorry,” he said, lowering his voice. “You could make a saint swear, Eliza. But I do love you. I always have.”
“Truly?”
“Truly.”
Eliza closed her eyes, and though she smiled, content and secure from what he had just said, she sighed. “We’ve made a mull of it, haven’t we.”
“It’s not too late.” He gazed down at her. “Did you mean what you said, about London?”
She opened her eyes. “Yes. I was thinking next spring, when the baby’s old enough to travel. Well, Delia will be having her season in a few years, and she should grow accustomed to town before then.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“No. I love you, Robert. I—oh!”
Instantly his gaze sharpened. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“The baby.”
Robert jumped to his feet. “I’ll call the doctor back.”
“No, silly. Come here.” She reached out for his hand. “The baby moved. Oh! There it is again.” Grasping his hand, she pulled it to her abdomen. For a moment there was nothing, and then he felt it, a tiny ripple of motion. Just so had they shared the first movements of their other babies, and it was as special now as it was then.
His child. Robert looked down at his hand, absurdly large on Eliza’s slight body, and felt the wonder of it sizzle through him. A precious gift of the heart from one to the other, and he had nearly refused it. “I don’t want to be apart from you, Eliza,” he said, his voice low. “I don’t want to miss seeing this child grow, the way I did with the others.” He raised his head and looked at her, his eyes clear and defenseless. “I want you with me in London, but this is our home, too.” A home he had so nearly lost. “I want to be here.”
“We don’t have to stay here all the time, though. I wouldn’t ask that of you.”
“No, and I see no reason why we should live in London all the time, either.” He reached out to tuck back a strand of hair from her forehead. “It doesn’t matter, does it? As long as we’re together.”
“Yes. Oh, Robert.” Her eyes were luminous. “Can we do it, do you think? We made such a mull of things before.”
He looked down at her hand in his, idly stroking her slender fingers. “Yesterday you accused me of trying to buy your love, you and the girls. Maybe I did, but I didn’t know what else to do. But I’ve learned. I think we both have.”
“I think so, too. But, Robert, there are gifts you can give me.”
“What?” he asked, eyeing her as she rose to her elbow and looped her arm around his neck.
“Gifts of the heart,” she said, pressing her lips to his. “We’ll give each other gifts of the heart.”
And they did.
The End
Author’s Note
It’s been a long time since I visited with Robert and Eliza Evans. Their story was originally published in A Mother’s Love, a Regency Mother’s Day anthology, by Zebra Books, under my pen name of Mary Kingsley. It’s drawn from personal experience: I am the youngest in my family by nine years. This story gave me the chance to view that fact from a different point of view than my usual one. What effect would such a late, unexpected pregnancy have on a seemingly happy marriage? I enjoyed discovering the answer as I wrote the story, and have enjoyed rediscovering it now. I hope you have, too.
In the future I will be reissuing most of my backlist in ebook form. I’m excited about it. My characters are real people to me, and I’m thrilled that they’ll have another chance at life. Check my author page at http://www.Smashwords.com for updates.
Thanks to Frank Topolewski and Tammy Arruda, who clued me in to the ebook self-publishing revolution. Thanks also to the rest of the gang at Wilks: Karen Stefanik, Pauline Robillard, Daniel Wieghmink, Courtney Nunes, Amanda White, and, of course, Kristen Emmett.
I love to hear from my readers and will answer all letters. Please email me at:
[email protected]
Books by Mary Kingsley
Sabrina
An Unsuitable Wife
(originally published as A Gentleman’s Desire)
The Rake’s Reward
A Maddening Minx
A Summer Folly
An Intriguing Affair
Scandal’s Lady
In a Pirate’s Arms
Masquerade
Beyond the Sea
An Angel’s Wish
Marrying Miss Bumblebroth
The Reluctant Hero
Gifts of the Heart
The Crystal Heart
Books by Mary Kruger
The Gilded Age Mystery Series
Death on the Cliff Walk
No Honeymoon for Death
Masterpiece of Murder
The Knitting Mysteries
Died in the Wool
Knit Fast, Die Young