Chapter 173: Retreat to Advance
Harriet felt a bitter ache in her heart.
Actually, she wasn't that angry anymore. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let Tristan come back to her hometown with her, let alone introduce him to others as her husband.
But she didn't want to forgive him so easily.
Lark had always been a thorn in her heart, and he kept pushing that thorn deeper and deeper, making her bleed.
"You should still go sleep downstairs." Harriet said softly. "My morning sickness is pretty bad. I toss and turn all night, and it'll disturb your rest."
"That's exactly why I need to stay and take care of you, because you're not feeling well." Tristan said, his chin resting on her shoulder, his deep, husky voice carrying a pitiful plea. "Honey, stop being mad, okay?"
He looked so pathetic that Harriet almost laughed.
She held back her amusement and said, "No."
Tristan sighed helplessly. "Then I'll sleep on the floor here."
"No, sleeping on the floor would be too hard on Mr. Lancaster."
Tristan let out a long sigh. "Then I'll sleep in the courtyard."
With that, he got up to leave.
Harriet grabbed his hand. "You'd rather sleep in the courtyard than downstairs?"
"I'm not used to sleeping on the same floor as Rhea and the others."
Harriet couldn't help rolling her eyes. "You're so picky."
"It's fine. If Mrs. Lancaster won't let me sleep here, sleeping in the courtyard is the same."
Harriet didn't believe he would actually sleep in the courtyard. He was just using reverse psychology on purpose!
"Fine then." Harriet let go of his hand. "Go ahead."
Tristan fell silent.
After he left, Harriet turned off the lights and lay down on the bed.
Faint sounds came from the courtyard. Harriet got up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and pulled back the curtain. She saw a black RV driving into the courtyard.
After the driver got out, Tristan got in.
Harriet was stunned.
So he really was going to sleep in the courtyard!
Tristan's RV was naturally top-of-the-line, probably even more comfortable than her bed.
Harriet closed the curtain and went back to bed.
She hadn't lied to Tristan. Back in Emberfall, her morning sickness had indeed been quite severe.
But today, maybe because she was in a good mood being back home, the discomfort wasn't as intense.
During the night, Harriet only woke up once to use the bathroom, then fell back asleep quickly after lying down.
She slept well through the night.
The next morning, Harriet received a call from Niamh.
"Harriet, guess where I am!"
Harriet laughed. "You're so excited and asking me to guess—don't tell me you're in Emberfall?"
"How are you so smart? I'm in Emberfall!"
"Welcome! But I'm at my hometown right now. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back."
"There'll be plenty of chances for you to treat me to dinner."
"Don't tell me you're staying in Emberfall?"
"How did you know?" Niamh said excitedly. "Your husband, Mr. Lancaster, asked me to come to Emberfall. He's even arranging a job for me at Apex Global Group!"
Harriet was curious. "When did this happen?"
"Just a couple days ago. He said you don't have many friends in Emberfall, and if I came here, I could spend more time with you. You have no idea—the salary he's offering is ten times what I made in Luminara City! Plus, he's arranging an apartment for me as staff housing. The benefits are amazing!"
Niamh had been a regular employee at an ordinary company in Luminara City, making about twenty-five hundred dollars a month.
"Higher salary is definitely better." Harriet said. "Niamh, work hard. These days, making money is what matters most."
"I think so too. I'm benefiting from knowing you!"
After chatting for a bit, Harriet hung up.
When she came downstairs, breakfast was already ready.
Tristan came in from outside and asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Not bad."
The two sat down for breakfast.
Harriet took a sip of milk and asked, "You asked Niamh to come work in Emberfall?"
"Yes. You rarely have a friend you get along with, so I wanted her to come to Emberfall to keep you company," Tristan said. "Plus, last time in Luminara City, my people offended her. I should compensate her. Rather than giving her something else, a good job would be more beneficial for her."
Harriet nodded in agreement. "I'll thank you on her behalf."
Tristan put a peeled egg in her bowl. "She's your friend. It's the right thing to do."
The original grape arbor in the courtyard hadn't been torn down, and in one corner grew the climbing roses that Harriet loved. After breakfast, Harriet went to tend to the flowers and plants.
The days at her hometown were leisurely and peaceful, and her mood improved considerably.
In the morning, relatives who had called her earlier came to visit Harriet with local specialties.
Since the pregnancy wasn't yet three months along and shouldn't be publicly announced, Harriet didn't mention it.
The relatives left after sitting for a while. With nothing else to do, Harriet went to check out the RV parked in the courtyard.
The RV was indeed as luxurious as she'd imagined. Not only did it have everything, but even the bed met seven-star hotel standards.
Harriet couldn't stand mess, so she tidied up the bed and took down Tristan's changed clothes.
The suit would go to the dry cleaners. Harriet always washed his underwear herself, while Rhea washed the rest.
Harriet went to the laundry room to wash them. Just as she finished hanging them out, someone hugged her from behind.
A clean, pleasant masculine scent washed over her, warming Harriet's heart.
Tristan's deep, pleasant voice came from behind. "Just let Rhea do these things."
"You're particular. You don't like other people touching your underwear."
"I'll try to change that from now on." Tristan chuckled. "So Mrs. Lancaster won't have to work so hard."
"It's just a small thing, not hard at all."
Tristan kissed her ear and said in a husky voice, "Honey, the RV isn't comfortable to sleep in. Can I come back to the room tonight?"
"Really?" Harriet raised an eyebrow. "I just went to look, and it seemed pretty comfortable. The space is big enough, and the bed is comfortable too."
"It's not comfortable at all!" Tristan denied.
Harriet held back her laughter. "Then let's switch. I'll sleep in the RV, and you sleep in the room."
Tristan said, "Mrs. Lancaster, do you think that just because you're pregnant, I can't deal with you?"
Harriet pursed her lips. "You..."
Just as she started to speak, Tristan suddenly swept her up in his arms.
Harriet quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling. "What are you doing?"
Tristan didn't answer. He carried her straight into the house and upstairs, carefully placing her on the bed.
Just as Harriet was about to get up, he leaned over and pinned her down on the soft bed.
Though Tristan restrained her, he wasn't pressing on her belly.
His hands started getting frisky.
Harriet quickly spoke up. "Don't!"
Tristan smirked. "You usually like it."
Harriet's face turned red as a beet. "Stop it! They'll hear us next door!"
"Don't worry. When we renovated the house, I specifically told them to soundproof it well." Tristan said, kissing the corner of her lips. "You can be as loud as you want, and they won't hear anything next door."
Harriet thought back carefully—she hadn't heard the old person next door coughing last night.
She clutched his shirt tightly. "Still no!"
Tristan chuckled softly. "Mrs. Lancaster, don't be afraid."