Page 106 of Inconvenient Honor
“Yes! I should have said. Hamidou and his men have gone. The landing craft and its crew wait for us in the cove.”
Lily struggled up onto her elbows. “Then we must go as quickly as we can.”
The grandmother pushed Lily down with alarm.
“Lady sleep now,” she insisted. She made shooing gestures with her hands.
“Do we have time for me to nap?” Lily asked over a yawn. Her eyes began to drift shut.
“A little,” he said. If he said more, Lily didn’t hear.
She awoke moments later, or perhaps much longer. She couldn’t tell. The grandmother had disappeared. Richard sat on a stool next to her with a basket at his feet. His ragged blue robe had disappeared. He wore clothing that may not have been the height of fashion, but which was decidedly English. His hair looked damp.
“The baby?” she said, pushing up on her elbows in panic.
He pointed to the basket. It had two handles for carrying. Inside, the baby slept peacefully. “You both needed rest after your hard work.”
Lily felt like she could sleep for weeks. “But we must leave.”
“The boat is ready, but Lily, we need to talk first.”
Of course. Real life has returned.Her heart sank.
“Please don’t take her from me, Richard. That’s all I ask.”
Chapter Forty
“What are you talking about?” Richard demanded.Lily looks pale and drawn, he thought,but otherwise normal.
Tears pooled in her eyes. He hated tears.
Does childbirth make women lunatics? Why can’t women be simply managed without all this emotion?
Richard sighed. He had learned a thing or two in the past several weeks. He sat on the bed and pulled her into his arms. She began to sob in earnest.
“Hush, Love, hush. I just wanted to talk to you about ‘legalizing this marriage you claim we have,’ as you said.”
“We can’t. I can’t,” Lily wailed.
“Why on earth not?” he demanded, wondering again if her mind had slipped.
“No priest. Baby already here. Your family will want a society wedding, your mother will be outraged, and the scandal will—” Lily had a full head of steam now.
“My mother has no say in it. No society wedding, you foolish woman. There is a Church of England on Gibraltar. We can probably convince the priest to backdate the lines.”
“You mean lie?” She sniffed.
“Not exactly. I told you we’re as good as married. He’ll merely formalize it.”
“You can’t want to marry me,” she said wiping her face.
Stubborn woman, now what maggot eats your brain?“I wenthalfway around the world, confronted eunuchs in the Seraglio, and fell in with Barbary pirates pursuing you. How can you say I don’t want you?”
“I’m a mess. My hair is matted. I must stink.”
For a moment he considered saying, “All true, but…” but thought better of it. Drawing on his diplomatic expertise and newly acquired knowledge of wives, he said, “You have never looked more beautiful to me than you do now having given birth to our daughter.” That should do the trick.
“Oh, Richard, I can’t.” This time she looked serious, and he began to fear she truly meant to reject him.
