Ch 60
Ch 60
Ian had almost reached Fosse Warren when he heard the clatter of a horse's hooves behind him.
As a precaution, he reached for one of the pistols hanging from his saddle-tree, but relaxed as he recognized Peter, the castle's chief groom, mounted on Ace, his best hunting horse.
“What's going on?" he exclaimed when the man got to him. “Has something happened to my omega?”
“No, milord. Catching his breath, Peter pulled a fold from his vest. Milady is well. She sent for me, half an hour after you left, and gave me this letter. Milady said it was urgent, that I should catch up with you and give it to you as soon as possible.”
“Well, follow me to Fosse Warren," ordered Ian, burying the wax-sealed envelope in the inside pocket of his morning coat.
What did Eden have to tell him that was so urgent?
"Don't ever come back, I hate you” Probably. Or had she gone to a dictionary to pick out all the hurtful adjectives a husband like him deserved?
He cut short the enthusiastic welcome of his butler and housekeeper to retire to the study, happy to return to the simplicity of his mansion.
The wax seal quickly gave way under his impatient fingers and he unfolded the sheet of paper on the desk.
"I'm sorry”
it began without a polite greeting
“I was so afraid of exposing you to gossip for what I'd done, for the sins I'd committed. And now my fears have become reality. Not only will you be scorned by your friends, but also by this pretty, well-bred girl. She would always know what to say and do in society. Not like me. I looked at her and felt ashamed. Of course, you should have married her. I have no excuse for losing my temper. It had nothing to do with my pregnancy. It's my fault, my guilt, my shame. And I have no right to take my anger out on you. But, Ian, you should have told me. I'm trying my best to be a good Wife, and I can't do that if you're keeping secrets from me. I feel much better now that I've put these few lines down on paper. Don't worry about me. I'll look after the farming families until you can honor your invitations and check that everything is in order at Fosse Warren. I'll do my best to look after the estate in your absence."
And it was signed with a simple "E". Ian read and re-read the letter several times.
Eden felt ashamed, guilty and lonely. Ian took up his pen and wrote:
"I'll be back tomorrow. I'm sorry too; I should have told you the truth. I don't want to go to any invitations without you. I'll come home and we'll give dinners at the château, if you like. We'll go on picnics, too." IB
As he'd written, Ian returned to the castle the next day, apologized to Eden, and discovered that the social life of a married man could, after all, be just as interesting as that of a bachelor.
They gave dinners, and a whist party. Eden became acquainted with the nobility, and had to face the occasional frown at the sight of her growing belly.
She suspected that the servants, for their part, had guessed that their master was expecting a happy event long before it was announced, and they seemed delighted.
On the surface, at least, Lord and Lady Hadleigh's marriage was a success.
The friendship between Eden and Iris deepened daily.
Ian saw his wife was growing in confidence and beauty.
Eden complained of back pain and occasional contractions, but the omega was increasingly passionate and daring in bed, much to his delight.
The rest of the time, Eden was rather distant and reserved.
Of course, she hadn't forgotten what Ian had told her about the child and the story with Frédérica. Ian often wondered if Eden still trusted him.
The alpha knew he should have tried harder to make him feel more at ease, but he didn't know how to convince the omega, how to move her, without uttering all those words of love that Eden wouldn't have been fooled by.
Ian liked her, worried about her, longed for her body and marveled at her mind. Wasn't that enough?
What good would flowery speeches do? However, as the weeks passed and their relationship seemed to ease, Ian rarely managed to forget that Eden’s child was not his own.