Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Thalia was sitting in the garden when she spied Damien hurrying from inside and straight toward her. She smiled toward him, not noticing at first the urgent look on his face.
The reason she did not notice it was because her mind was elsewhere. For once, and this brought her little real relief, it wasn’t thoughts of Caspian that plagued her.
Something is wrong, I know it is, I just don’t know what… nor am I brave enough to seek a doctor or ask for help because if I am right then I don’t know what will happen.
She had been feeling off all morning… and the evening before that too.
It was her stomach that did it, a squirming, churning feeling that swarmed from within and slowly crept up her body so that she was cold and shaking even as she sat directly in the sun.
Common sense told her that it was because of Caspian, that it was the dread that sat within that had her feeling this way.
But she knew that was a half-truth at best.
There was something wrong with her unborn child. She was sure of it.
“Thalia!” Damien hurried toward her, still waving for her attention. “There you are! We have been calling for you.”
“Oh?” She put on a brave face, pushing away the sickness that swarmed over her body. “Is something the matter?”
“No, nothing like that.” Damien reached her. “But someone is here to see you.”
She brightened, if only for a moment. For a week now, Thalia had wondered if Caspian would come for her.
She had prayed that leaving him on his own might unlock something inside of him, forcing her husband to finally reflect on his feelings for her and admit them once and for all.
She still loved Caspian, and if he was finally willing to admit it too, she saw no reason that they couldn’t forget what had happened.
Unfortunately, she saw on her brother’s face that it couldn’t possibly be Caspian who had come. If it had been, she doubted that he would have come for her on his own. Likely, Caspian would be by his side.
“Who is it?” She swallowed back her disappointment.
“It is Lady Seraphine,” he said. “What is more…” He bit into his lip and looked back toward the manor.
“What?” Thalia asked. “What happened?”
“You should come…” He held his hand out for her to take. “It is best if she tells you herself.”
Curiosity peaked inside of Thalia. She looked toward the manor as if expecting the answer to dawn. Her stomach still churned, her body was still running cold, and her legs were weak. Thankfully, she was able to take her brother’s hand and lift herself to standing.
And then, refusing to acknowledge how off she felt, she followed her brother inside, wondering all the while what on earth was going on.
She found Laurent and Rosaline waiting for her in the sitting room, but they weren’t alone. Sitting on the couch between the happy couple was Seraphine, and the moment she saw Thalia walk into the room she was on her feet and rushing toward her.
“Thalia!” she cried with relief.
“Seraphine, what are you – oh!” she gasped as Seraphine wrapped her in a tight hug.
“I did not know if I should come,” Seraphine said as she continued to hold her. “But I knew too that I must. You deserve to know what has happened. You all do.”
“It is good to see you,” Thalia said as she peeled herself free from the excitable woman’s embrace. “And in such good spirits.”
“It is no wonder,” Rosaline said with a smirk. “I am half inclined to do a little dance.”
“That I would love to see,” Laurent chuckled.
“Oh, quiet you.” Rosaline slid across the couch and planted a kiss on Laurent’s cheek.
“What is going on?” Thalia looked between the two sisters. “What am I missing?”
Seraphine took Thalia’s hand but looked at her sister as if for permission. Rosaline nodded once, giving it.
“It is Father,” Seraphine said, shaking now from excitement. “He has… His Grace has made sure… he is losing, Thalia. Everything! He has lost everything and there is nothing he can do.”
Thalia frowned. “What on earth are you saying?”
Seraphine frowned. “Have you not heard what your husband has done?”
“It is my fault.” Damien stepped further into the room. “Thalia, I debated whether I should tell you or not, but I thought it best to keep you in the dark. No sense upsetting you.”
“Caspian…” Her heart flipped. “What… what is going on?”
“It seems that His Grace took Lord Donmere’s attack on the two of you personally,” Damien explained. “He has spent the last week dedicating every waking breath to destroying the man’s reputation.”
Rosaline snorted. “That is a nice way of saying it.”
“He has ruined the man,” Damien picked up. “Apparently, Lord Donmere was rather broke when he arranged for Rosaline to marry His Grace, and their marriage contract was a last desperate effort to cover his debts and ensure that he did not go bankrupt.”
“It is no wonder he was so against the marriage taking place,” Laurent chuckled. “He saw Rosaline here as his golden goose.”
“The point is…” Damien cleared his throat. “Word has spread of Lord Donmere’s situation, thanks entirely to His Grace’s efforts. The entire ton now knows of his poverty, and he is losing investments like a bucket filled with holes loses water.”
“His name is ruined,” Seraphine said with more excitement than she should have shown. She did, after all, rely on her father for everything. “And the last I saw of him, he was in a rather discomfited state.”
“When did you see him last?” Rosaline asked.
“This morning,” Seraphine explained. “He was in his office, screaming at his solicitor. I thought to ask if I might come and visit you, but I realized that he would not care. What I do is the least of his concerns.”
“What any of us do,” Rosaline corrected, taking Laurent’s hand.
“That is why I am here,” Seraphine continued. “I thought you should know.” She looked between Thalia and Rosaline. “That both of you deserved to know.”
Damien chuckled. “It is ironic, isn’t it? In his bid to save face and ruin you name, he ended up ruining his own. Justice served cold, as they say.”
Thalia did not know what to say. Just as she did not know what to feel.
Was this last week, she likely would have felt great relief. When she and Caspian were still happy and together, such news would have been received with elation, as it meant that the vengeful lord would no longer be able to hurt them.
However, with all that had happened, she struggled to see the positive.
What did she care about Lord Donmere’s state of being?
What did it matter if he was broke, if he lost, or if anything happened to him at all?
In fact, that Caspian had been so determined to break the lord who threatened his name was somewhat disheartening.
It means that he has spent this last week focused on petty revenge, rather than contemplating how he feels about me. I wonder now if he has thought about me at all since I left…
“It is good news for us,” Rosaline said. “It means that he cannot stand in the way of me and Laurent.”
Laurent snorted. “Likely, he will try and use our marriage now to cling to some level of dignity. Watch as he comes begging…” Laurent and Rosaline laughed together.
“I know I should not be nearly so happy,” Seraphine said as she squeezed Thalia’s hands. “Only, I can’t help but feel that Father deserves this. He has been a monster since Rosaline ran away, and I feared that he might end up using me in his schemes.”
“He can’t touch you now,” Rosaline said with determination.
“Nor can he force me to marry,” Seraphine said, her cheeks glowing rosy pink. “I can marry for love now, not expectation.” She giggled. “And I have you to thank, Thalia.”
“It is certainly a relief,” Damien said. “And it will take the attention away from your marriage, Thalia…” He looked at her with a sense of caution. “Do you think now that His Grace will…”
Thalia winced. “When did Caspian start this campaign of revenge?”
“Five days ago,” Seraphine said.
Thalia winced again and looked away. “So, he has known about Lord Donmere’s fall for some time then…”
The implication was so clear that she felt no need to say it.
As Thalia had told Caspian shortly before walking out on him, there was no need to concern themselves with Lord Donmere’s accusations. Not if their feelings were true, because if they were, no amounts of slander could touch them.
Even with that in mind, Thalia had held onto a slither of hope that once Lord Donmere was dealt with, that Caspian might finally look inward because there was no need to focus on the external threats as he had forced himself to do.
Clearly, Caspian did not feel the same way.
Yes, Lord Donmere’s fall was good news, at least for Rosaline and Laurent.
But for Thalia it meant little, because it seemed to have no effect on Caspian whatsoever.
If anything, now that he was dealt with, he might see no need to worry himself with Thalia at all.
Now that there was no one left to question the state of their marriage, there was no need to pretend that they were happy, and thus no need to spend time together at all.
And that she was with child… Caspian had gotten what he needed from her. It really was that simple.
“He might be waiting until he is certain that Lord Donmere can no longer touch you,” Damien said. He stepped into her and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Likely, he is just being careful.”
“He will come to you.” Rosaline was on her feet and then by her side. “He will realize how much he misses you, Thalia. I know he will.”
“Don’t give up hope.” Laurent was by her side next. “This is not the end.”
She forced a smile and her hand went to her stomach. “Yes, it is. If Caspian cared for me, he would… he would have…” The words died on her tongue like water in rain.
No one seemed to know what to say, and that was because there was nothing to be said.
For days, Thalia had held onto hope, and for days she had known the futility of doing so.
As far as she was concerned, this news was the final nail in the coffin that was her marriage, and there was nothing she could do to change that.
Suddenly, the coldness that had plagued her all morning swept up her body. She shivered and then lurched, her hand clamping down on her stomach. Pain shot through her, a lightheadedness made her sway, and she thought she was going to be sick…
“Thalia!” Damien cried when he saw her face pale.
“I am fine…” She held out a hand to stop them from grabbing her. “I just need… air… some space to… I am…”
Her head swam. Her legs trembled. Her stomach turned. And before she could do or say anything else, the little energy that she still had left her body, and her knees gave out entirely.
“Thalia!”
She crumpled to the ground. Her \eyes closed, and darkness took her.