Free The Succubus by Sarah Winn

left for Whitmere.

Chapter 7
    When Isabel overheard the old man who delivered firewood telling their manservant about the excitement at Whitmere Keep because the new lord was expected, she had to reach out and rest her hand against the doorsill until a rush of dizziness passed.
    Will Daniel come here? Is he still angry with me? During their last meeting, he’d said hateful things, but she knew he’d been expressing the pain her betrayal caused him. Surely by now, he’d calmed down and realized she’d had no choice in the matter, and that the passion she’d showered on him had been more than just an act. Perhaps it had also occurred to him that with Kendrick dead, they could have a future together.
    She had left Tewsbarrow to give him a chance to avoid her if he still blamed her, but if he didn’t, would he come and claim her as his own? But angry men want to hurt those who have angered them. If he’s still angry, what will he do?
    To keep herself from fretting, she went into the main room and started putting away toys and clothing her brothers and sisters had left lying about. When her mother asked why she was doing this, Isabel told her the new lord was visiting Sir Theobald and might come to their cottage to see his ward, Chloe. The news turned Lady Miranda into a whirlwind of activity. She recruited all her children, even seven-year-old Nelly, to set the household to rights. The two elderly servants were bustled into the kitchen to be sure suitable refreshments would be available.
    â€œMother,” Isabel said. “We don’t know for sure he’ll come here.”
    â€œNonsense, you are the dowager baroness. He’s as much responsible for you as he is for Chloe. You should have stayed in the castle and demanded what is rightfully yours.”
    Isabel looked at her mother sadly, knowing the woman had been sorely disappointed in her daughter’s inability to persuade Kendrick to provide a better living for her family. “I’ve had little success in demanding things from the Baron of Tewsbarrow.”
    Miranda paused long enough to give her daughter a sympathetic hug. “Kendrick was old and bitter. This new lord is a young man and will want to please a woman as pretty as you. Remember, dear, we are all dependent on the baron. Now go change your clothes. That gown has a stain where Chloe spit up.”
    Isabel had never told her mother of the terrible things she’d done while she was Kendrick’s wife and didn’t intend to do so now. Trying to keep a roof over the heads of her five children had been Miranda’s prime concern since her husband’s death. There was no reason to add to her worries by raising the possibility they might be thrown out of even this humble cottage.
    Following her mother’s advice, she went to change her clothing. She debated for long moments over what to wear. Should I use clothing and jewelry to show Daniel I deserve to be treated like a true baroness? If he were still angry at her, finery might make him even angrier, so she donned a plain brown gown and covered her hair and neck with a wimple and veil as a widow should.
    Then she attended to Chloe, changing her napkin and her gown while the baby tried to bat away her hands and laughed when Isabel pretended to scold her. What will Daniel think of his child? She was beautiful, healthy, and happy, but female. Kendrick had gone into the fit that eventually killed him when he’d heard of the child’s sex. Will Daniel also fail to value Chloe because she is a girl? More likely, he’ll resent her because of the way she was conceived.
    Isabel hugged Chloe and hummed a lullaby and understood more clearly why her mother had bartered Isabel off to an old man. It had been the only way to provide for her other children.
    In the middle of the afternoon, Isabel heard the clatter of hooves on the road leading to their cottage. Still in the upstairs room she shared with Chloe,