"For trusting me."
She squeezed his fingers. "I haven't completely."
He smiled. "Fair."
Pregnancy changed the household. Mrs. Mercer became fiercely protective. The cook began preparing meals Evelyn liked. Nathaniel became unbearable: he insisted she use the stairs slowly; he objected to horseback riding; he questioned every physician; he even tried to forbid Evelyn from climbing a small stepladder.
She found him in the library one afternoon. "You told Mrs. Mercer I am not allowed to climb ladders."
"Yes."
"It is six inches high."
"It is still a ladder."
"I am pregnant, not made of glass."
"You do not behave as though you know." Nathaniel closed his book. "You could fall."
"I could fall walking."
"Exactly."
She stared. "That argument supports my point."
"No, it supports mine."
"You are impossible."
"You did marry me."
"I am beginning to regret it."
"You say that whenever I am right."
"I say it whenever you are irritating."
"Then I must be right frequently."
She laughed. He smiled. Their marriage was becoming warmer.
But Evelyn also began to notice something troubling: Nathaniel had stopped mentioning the settlement. He had stopped speaking about the future as though it ended after the birth. He had begun saying, "Our house, our nursery, our family." She loved hearing it, but she did not know whether he realized what he was promising.
One evening, she finally asked, "Do you still expect me to leave?"
Nathaniel looked up from the papers on his desk. "No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want you to."
"That isn't the same as being allowed to stay."
He stood. "You are allowed to stay."
"Even if there were no child?"
He stopped. The question caught him. Evelyn watched his face. Nathaniel crossed the room.
"Yes."
Her eyes filled. "Then say it. You would stay even without the child. Why?"
"Because I love you."
The words were quiet. Evelyn had imagined hearing them a hundred different ways; none sounded like this. No grand speech, no audience—just Nathaniel standing in his study, looking at her as though the truth had finally become impossible to hide.
She smiled through tears. "I love you, too."
He closed his eyes briefly. Then he pulled her into his arms. For the first time, the marriage felt complete.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world had not caught up. Sebastian began working harder: he approached members of Parliament; he spoke to Nathaniel's creditors, although there were very few; he searched for anyone willing to question Evelyn's legitimacy. Then he found someone: Lady Rosamond. She had once hoped Nathaniel would marry her; now she was angry that he had chosen Evelyn.
At a private dinner, Sebastian told her, "You know she will never belong here."
Lady Rosamond looked at him. "What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing dramatic."
"What then?"
"Repeat what you hear."
She did. Within weeks, whispers returned to London: Evelyn had trapped the Duke; the child was the only reason Nathaniel kept her; she had married above her station; she would eventually be sent away.
Evelyn heard one of the rumors from a servant. She did not cry; she became angry. Nathaniel found her in the library.
"What's wrong? Your friends?"
"I have very few."
"Then your enemies." He sat opposite her. "What happened?"
She told him. Nathaniel's jaw tightened. "I will deal with it."
"No." He looked at her. "You said I could fight my own battles."
"Yes."