In Rapture (Destined) (23 page)

 With
every memory that flashed she saw Maria groveling at his feet, declaring her
love for Grant and trying her best to manipulate the strings that held him tied
closely to her. Malinda finally tore her hands away, for she was not sure she
could take on any more of the grief that Grant was feeling. She yearned to lift
it away from him, toss it into the winds and let it drift away from here, but
it was not her place. It was something he would have to be able to do himself,
and as long as he held all of those feeling bottled up inside him he would
never be able to love her.

“Grant?”

“Hmm?”
He had not bothered to look in her direction.

“Come
to bed. You can’t go on punishing yourself like this. We need you.” Malinda
reached out a hand to beckon him closer and was relieved to see him rise to
meet her. She led him upstairs to their room and helped him get ready for bed. She
knew he had more ale than he should have and was not surprised when he climbed
into bed and fell asleep. She curled up next to him, put her head on his
shoulder, and curled an arm up to stroke his hair. Her heart ached for him, for
all the dreams he must have held for his future with Maria, for all the moments
that had been tarnished with the corrupted clutches of an embittered woman. She
wished that Grant had never been cursed with these memories of Maria. Maria had
ripped his innocent heart from his chest, thrown it on the ground, and stomped
on it repeatedly. Malinda was actually surprised that he had even considered
marrying another woman, but it was probably more of a necessity to have a
mother for Sophia than it was to have a woman to fulfill the duties of the
marriage bed. Not that Malinda was complaining. She was actually quite happy
things were working out the way that they had. One day, sometime in the distant
future, she hoped to repair the heart that had been mutilated by the malicious
nature of Maria Timberlin.

The
next morning Grant seemed to be a completely different man. He rose with a
smile on his face that had literally brightened the room. Malinda melted before
him when his playful hands had roamed over her body, and her heart was lighter
than it had been in days. They made love, their bodies moving in a hurried
frenzy beneath the sheets. She luxuriated in the feel of the sheets on her
naked body, satiated from their lovemaking as she curled her toes in the
aftermath, long after Grant had risen for the day.

Gretchen
assisted her with her dressing, much as she had every morning. Malinda could
have hired another maid to assist her, but she had grown fond of the tiny
redhead. Gretchen helped her into the stays that were tied almost too tightly
and Malinda found her breathing almost too difficult. A vivid green gown
trimmed with tiny white lace with intricately sewn black beading was pulled
over her head and quickly covered her body. The dress molded firmly against her
body. Malinda had not remembered the dress fitting her so provocatively before,
but she pushed the thought farther from her mind. Perhaps she needed a little
more exercise or to make her walks farther each day. She used to do a lot more
of the work around the house when she lived in Tinley Faire, so to her it made
sense that she had gained a little weight from her lack of activity.

Malinda
went down to breakfast with a smile still plastered on her face. After the
shadows that had passed between them last night, the darkness had seemed to
lift for at least a small reprieve. Malinda would seize any moment of happiness
she could, for she had spent far too many years anchoring any hope for a happy
future to the ground. She knew what it felt like to be calm and collected. She
wanted to be open and free, to run down the hills and let herself roll in the
flowers that grew at the bottom. She wanted to proclaim her love to the rest of
the world and, while it was so close to the surface, she held it down as
tightly as she could. One day soon she would expunge all her feelings to her
husband and hope that he had some inkling of regard for her in return, but the
one thing she would not do was deny herself the love that had grown so deep
inside her. She would not repeat her mother’s mistakes. Malinda would not fear
how she felt, but would take each day a step at a time.

When
she reached the table Grant was opening a message that had been delivered just
moments before and she suddenly worried that he was being called back to
Marshal’s side. She glanced nervously at him, trying to figure out what the
letter said by the look on his face. “Is something wrong?”

“Actually,
not at all. It looks like we’re going to have company in a few days. I hope you
don’t mind, but I’ve invited Aiden Quinn and his wife to come for a visit. It
looks like they’re bringing the whole herd.” A large grin lit up his face.

“Herd?”
Were they farmers? Malinda remembered meeting Aiden Quinn, but that day had
been a blur to her, for that was the day she had met Marshal Madigan. She was
still not prepared to talk to the man who was her father even though she knew
it was her mother who had pushed him away.

“They
have five children. A set of triplets and a set of twins.”

“Oh
my! That’s quite a large family.” Malinda was so relieved to hear that Grant
had not received a summons that a loud breath left her mouth before she could
contain it. “Well, I suppose we need to get ready for our visitors. Did you
hear that, Sophia? It sounds like you’ll have some friends to play with.”

Sophia
beamed up at her and started to sing a merry tune at the table, all about
making new friends and playing new games. When Desiree came to collect her for
her morning’s activities the four year old was still going on about all the
things she planned to do with her new friends. Malinda was glad that she had
asked Desiree to remain as her nursemaid. Desiree was well-suited to caring for
her and finding another maid for the manor had been easy to do. Plenty of young
girls in Wickford had clamored for the position.

Malinda
spent the next few days making sure the manor was prepared for the arrival of
their visitors. She met with Gertie to make detailed menus of food that would
appease both adult and child alike. She tried to assist Sara and Gretchen with
preparing the rooms for their guests, but they had shooed her away mentioning
something about a woman in her condition should not be doing so much work.
Malinda had absolutely no idea what condition they were talking about, but she
let them do their work and went to attend to her garden. No one ever fussed
over her in the garden. She did her daily rituals to thank the gods above, her
animal sisters and brothers, and fate for planning her path in life. Sometimes
small animals would come keep her company when Mule was not around to scare
them off. She loved the extra company and enjoyed the easy silence of the world
around her.

Chapter 29

The
Quinns arrived early the next morning and the manor was soon overflowing with
the sounds of children playing. Malinda had extended her hand in warm greeting
to Aiden’s wife, Lysandra, only to be pulled into a warm embrace. A slight
flush marked her cheeks, for she was not used to such open acceptance. Five
children and two maids stood behind Lysandra. The first three, the six-year-old
triplets, were evenly matched in size and stature, and while they all had dark
brown hair and light brown eyes each one looked different. Keegan, Keiran, and
Kayla were not afraid of strangers and had instantly started asking all kinds
of questions about the large dogs that lay asleep at the hearth. Behind those
three were the tiny four-year-old twins with blond hair that reminded Malinda
of her husband. Ethan and Eva looked almost identical, from their downy hair to
their blue eyes, except for the fact that one was a boy and the other obviously
a girl. They were equally attracted to the animals in front of the fire.
Malinda was not surprised. Mule had always been adored by children and Laurel
was a beautiful dog as well.

They
had all gone outside to watch the children play when Lysandra turned to
Malinda. “So, when are you expecting?”

“I’m
sorry, expecting what?” Malinda’s eyebrows rose in confusion and the men
coughed discreetly into their hands.

“Well,
I’d say you’re at least three months by the way your aura is glowing.” Lysandra
smiled pleasantly at her.

“Excuse
me?” Malinda felt utterly lost in the conversation. What was Lysandra trying to
say to her? She let the comment ferment in her mind, and then other comments
started to make sense. The women’s careful eyes and their comments about her ‘condition’
now started to make sense. Malinda felt her face go white and the ground
suddenly seemed so far away when she looked down. She quickly tallied the time
since her last menses and looked up at Grant’s face, which was suddenly
shadowed with concern. Malinda felt the world sway around her, closed her eyes,
and felt weightless as she started to fall fast toward the ground.

Grant
caught her swiftly in his arms and cradled her against him. He smiled down at
his wife and shook his head. He had suspected his wife’s condition, but had
thought that perhaps she was waiting to tell him. He had never considered that
she had not known she was carrying his child. His chest rumbled with a slight
chuckle as he carried her body effortlessly back to the manor, for once
thankful that Sophia was too distracted to notice that Malinda was not feeling
well. His child had such a strong connection with Malinda. He knew Sophia would
be thrilled to be a big sister, and while the prospect of this pregnancy did
frighten him he kept reminding himself that Malinda was not Maria.

“I’m
sorry, Grant. I thought she knew.” Lysandra was following him inside to make
sure Malinda was all right.

“She
would have figured it out sooner or later. I had thought perhaps she was, but I
had just noticed myself. I’ve experienced the symptoms of pregnancy with my
former wife.”

When
Grant placed her on the bed in their room Lysandra put a hand on his arm. “Allow
me to stay with her. I know Aiden has some things to discuss with you.”

“Thank
you.” Grant smiled at Lysandra and bowed his head.

When
Malinda awoke she found Lysandra wringing out a small piece of cloth before
placing it back on her forehead. She tried to sit up, but Lysandra put a hand
on her shoulder to keep her still. “You must think me utterly naive.”

“I
find you quite refreshing, actually. You’re not the first woman to misread her
body.” Lysandra smiled down at her sympathetically.

“Thank
you.” Malinda looked away from Lysandra, suddenly uncomfortable with the topic.

“All
will be well, Malinda. You just have to give it time.”

Tears
formed in Malinda’s eyes and she desperately batted them away with her hands. “No
one can guarantee that.” She thought about the darkness brooding around Grant,
the evil spirit that lurked in the shadows, and the past that she could never
erase. No one could promise that everything would be fine. Desperation clawed
its way to the surface, causing Malinda’s tears to become shallow sobs that
haunted the air with sadness.

“There,
there. It can’t be that bad. Motherhood is a lovely thing, albeit stressful at
times, but mostly pretty remarkable. You’ll be a great mother. Sophia is
already head over heels for you—your child would be no different.”

“My
child? Oh, you just don’t get it. It’s not the child I’m worried about…it’s the
father that brings me great worry. He’ll certainly pull away from me now. It’s
all that dreadful woman’s fault!” She shook her head in despair and even more
tears fell aimlessly down her face.

“I’m
sorry. I think you lost me there.”

Before
Malinda could explain a loud crash sounded outside the door. She lifted her
weary head from the pillow and looked directly at Lysandra. “If you want to
know what I am talking about, go open the door.”

Lysandra
backed away from the bed and cautiously stepped toward the door. When she
opened it to find the ghost of Maria floating in the hallway Malinda expected
her to shriek, but instead she stepped back into the room and closed the door
gently behind her. “I see.”

“You’re
not afraid?”

“Bah!
Not really.”

Malinda
looked at Lysandra as if she had lost her mind and chose her next words
carefully. “Who are you? Who are you really?” Her eyes narrowed as she examined
the aura that glowed around her new friend. She should have picked up the clues
that Lysandra was not like other women from the moment the woman had hugged her
in the doorway. She had done her best to ignore the images that had flashed
into her mind, as she did for most people.

“Well,
I think you know the answer to that question.”

“They
sent you here.”

“I’m
sorry, who sent me here?” A puzzled look filled Lysandra’s face.

“The
Seven Sisters of Lena.” Malinda smiled up at Lysandra and reached out to pat
her hand. Now it was Malinda who comforted Lysandra as confusion played across
her face.

“Seven
Sisters?”

“You
are familiar with Lena, right?” Malinda’s eyebrows rose questioningly.

“Why
yes. I am familiar with Lena, as are most of my companions at Blackwolf Keep.
We gather together quite regularly to practice the gifts that we have inherited
from Lena.”