Stranger in My Arms(78)

“Not entirely. Do you?”

“Well…” She drew her knees up and crossed her arms over her br**sts.

“I suppose it’s easier to see what needs to be fixed in someone else’s life than to take a hard look at my own.”

His head lowered, and he kissed her cheek. “I think you thrive on the satisfaction of helping someone else,” he whispered. “And there’s nothing wrong with that.” Gently he pulled her arms away from her body. “Why do you always try to cover yourself?” he asked. “Still shy after all we’ve done?”

Lara blushed as Hunter stared intently at her nakedness. “I can’t help it. I’ll never feel comfortable without my clothes on.”

“Oh yes, you will.” His lightly oiled fingers drew over her stomach in a circling stroke that made the muscles tighten. “I happen to know of a cure for shyness.”

“What is it?” She listened as he murmured to her, her eyes widening.

Before he had even finished describing his “cure,” she was sputtering in a mixture of amusement and disbelief. “Have you ever done that?”

she asked.

“I’ve only heard of it.”

“I’m sure it’s not even possible.”

Hunter’s teeth flashed in a grin. “We’ll have to find out, won’t we?”

Before she could manage a reply, he covered her mouth with his, and gathered her against his aroused body.

In a town such as Market Hill, gossip spread like the ripples from a pebble thrown in a pond. Secrets, illnesses, troubles of every kind were discovered, discussed, and soon resolved or forgotten… The community processed an endless amount of such information. It did not take long for the latest news of Captain Tyler and his wife to reach the residents of Hawksworth Hall. Evidently Mrs. Tyler, who was expecting her first child, had recently experienced pains that had led Dr. Slade to prescribe bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Lara reacted to the news with sympathy and concern. The idea of being confined to a bed for four or five months was dreadful. Physical discomfort aside, the sheer boredom would be enough to drive any woman mad. Obviously she must do something for poor Mrs. Tyler, even if it was only to bring a few novels that might help the days to pass more swiftly.

However, there was a difficulty to the situation.

Lara still remembered her husband’s reaction to the unexpected presence of the Tylers at the dinner she had given after his homecoming. He had been uncomfortable, cold, unaccountably angry. And there had been that strange moment when Lara could have sworn that Hunter and Captain Tyler knew each other quite well but pretended to be strangers. Ever since then Lara had kept her distance from the Tylers, sensing that to approach them would cause problems between her and Hunter.

On the other hand, pleasing her husband took second place to the promptings of her own conscience.

The captain’s wife had been consigned to lie helpless in bed for months, and Lara could not ignore her plight. She resolved to visit Mrs. Tyler discreetly, and if Hunter discovered her activity, she would just have to deal with the consequences.

On the day that Hunter left to conduct business in London, Lara set out for Morland Manor. She had packed a basket with puddings and choice peaches from the Hawksworth orchard, as well as a stack of novels that might help Mrs. Tyler pass the time. During the hour-long journey across the countryside, Lara stared through the carriage window at fertile green land divided into neatly fenced pastures. Fat sheep and brown-coated cattle grazed peacefully, scarcely pausing to lift their heads at the passing of the carriage.

Although the vehicle was luxurious by any standards, Lara was uncomfortable. She shifted position several times, rearranged her skirts, and became aware of a pressing need to visit a privy. A rueful smile curved her lips as she considered her impending arrival at Morland Manor. It was hardly good manners to rush in unannounced and search for the nearest place to relieve one’s needs, but that was evidently going to be the case. Strange, that her bladder had become so undependable of late.

Lara’s smile faded as she continued to ponder her own physical condition, something she had neglected in her worry over Rachel. Her body had been temperamental of late, becoming a bit heavier in spite of her physical activity, prone to twinges and minor aches … and shouldn’t her menses have occurred by now? She had never been irregular in her life.

The realization astonished her. Yes, she was late … two weeks late.

For once in her life, the monthly flow that occurred with stubborn regularity had failed to appear. In any other woman, she would have acknowledged this as evidence of pregnancy.

But not me, she thought, her breath turning shallow with distress.

Never me.

Lara reached for the stack of books, intending to distract herself.

However, once the thought had presented itself, it was impossible to ignore. How many times during her early marriage to Hunter had she longed to conceive? The guilt, the inadequacy, the yearning… they had been unbearable. Finally she had accepted that she would always be a childless woman. It was ironic that Hunter, of all people had now helped her to come to terms with barrenness and recognize her value beyond the ability to produce children.

But what if…? She was afraid to hope. If only it could be true, if ….. . Lara closed her eyes and kept her hands over her stomach, and whispered a swift prayer. She wanted to carry Hunter’s child, to bear a part of him within her. It seemed an impossible miracle that she could be gifted with what seemed so ordinary to the rest of the world.