Free Will She Be Mine by Jessica L. Jackson

cannot possibly be the father,” Inness objected.
“Amelia’s only been living here for five months.”
    “And?”
    “She’s clearly more than five months along!” He flinched as
the crowd muttered angrily.
    “Twins,” a woman cried from the back of the crowd.
    “Triplets,” stated Mrs. Teasel, the butcher’s wife. She
pushed through to the front of the group and restated her assertion. “Triplets.
Isn’t that reet, Dr. Bacup?”
    The doctor who had been attending Amelia straightened and
glared at the interloper. “It would definitely have to be a multiple birth.”
    Inness gaped at him. His desperation came through when he
turned to the vicar. “Surely you do not believe this nonsense?”
    “Ahem,” the vicar began, then caught a glower from his wife.
He started again, “My lord, there’s many a young couple who’ve allowed their
passion for each other to overcome their good Christian sense.” Here he paused
and looked hard at Lord Inness. “Marriage is the answer and we’ve had a wedding
here today. You should go away, my lord, and let us continue with our
celebration.”
    “We’ll escort you,” Lord Leakesly offered, accompanying
Raven to stand before the broken man. Other cousins joined them until a wall of
gentlemen separated him from his goal. “It’s too late to make it right,
Inness,” he said quietly. “Best if you went to live on the continent. Or the
Americas. Go there. That might be far enough away that there are no members of
our family to dog your every step. What say you, Raven? Would the Americas be
far enough away?”
    “Just barely, son. Just barely.”
     
    While Amelia recovered, the breakfast resumed.
    “What happened?” she asked.
    Thaddeus, who had his arm around her, smiled down at her.
    “Did I faint?” He nodded.
    “Lord Inness met more opposition than he counted on,” he
revealed, chuckling lightly. “He thought that since your family had abandoned
you, you would have no champions. However, now he knows that not only must he
contend with my amazingly numerous family, he must also fight off the
Hinderwell villagers.” She looked adorably confused. He kissed her on the
forehead and helped her to sit up. “I will explain everything you’ve missed. I
think my father is going to make a speech welcoming you to our family. Oh. No.
No tears, my dear.”
    “I’m just so happy.”
    “I hope to make you happier than you have ever been,” he
promised.
    * * * * *
    That night, after all the guests had departed, Amelia sat at
the dressing table in her new home. Thaddeus had had her things moved over
during the day and Beth had put them away. She wore a fine white lawn nightgown
and wrap. When a knock sounded at the door, she jumped and looked into the
mirror to see who would enter. Thaddeus slowly opened the door and smiled at
her. She tried to smile back. He came in and quietly closed the door.
    “May I brush your hair?” he asked.
    Numbly, she nodded. Only a dressing gown covered his
nakedness. She swallowed thickly and handed him her brush. Amelia shivered when
his fingers stroked her neck as he gathered her hair together and began to
brush it. She’d already worked the tangles free, so no painful tugs disturbed
the strangely sensual quality of this act of service.
    “One of my cousins is a doctor,” Thaddeus commented. She
watched him in the mirror as he leaned over and smelled a handful of her hair.
He closed his eyes and rubbed the strands across his cheek. The cold anxious
knot in her stomach unclenched. “He said we could consummate our marriage
tonight, if you wish it.”
    Amelia released a long shuddering sigh when her husband
pressed a butterfly-light kiss to the side of her neck.
    “How?” she whispered, pressing her hands to her abdomen.
    “He suggested that…”
    Amelia watched her reflection in the mirror as she flushed
fiery red when he whispered the doctor’s suggestions into her ear.
    “And then, we could try…” he continued, trailing