Her Secondhand Groom (29 page)

Drake shook his head in defeat and escorted her to the carriage.

More than one hour and no less than fifteen suggestive statements later, the Drakely carriage rolled up to Ridge Water.

Juliet cringed. Loud wailing and ear-piercing screams filled the air. “Is that?”

“
Olivia caterwauling?” Drake confirmed with a grimace.

“
Oh.”

Drake smiled. “Well, you wanted to be here. Let’s go.”

Juliet nodded and then swallowed. She did want to be here, and hearing that madwoman scream all the way from the carriage only confirmed it. Emma needed her.

Drake helped her from the carriage and walked her inside where Chapman, Ridge Water’s butler, took Juliet upstairs to the expectant mother while Drake went to wait with Marcus in his study.

“
I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Juliet said to Emma and Caroline.

“
Oh Juliet! It’s so good to see you,” Emma gushed, wrapping Juliet in a huge hug.

Juliet hugged Emma’s tension-filled body back. “Do you need anything?”

“
I do!
” screamed a lady on the bed.

Juliet looked over to the lady, and immediately fought to keep her mouth from dropping open. She’d once glimpsed a portrait in the family gallery of a young lady with beautiful russet curls, sparkling emerald green eyes, a trim figure and the sweetest smile she’d ever seen. Obviously the artist had either been bribed, or was terrible at his trade. There, on the bed, was a woman who must weigh no less than twenty-three stones wearing not a stitch of clothing being fanned by four red-faced servants. The lady’s orangey-red hair was unpinned and splayed all over the pillow, resembling a fire, in a way. Her bright red face was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. In fact, everything from her melon-like breasts down to her bent and spread legs was covered in sweat. She was gritting her teeth and fisting her hands at her sides. If Juliet didn’t know any better, she’d think the woman was straining to push. But there wasn’t
anything
to be pushing, was there? A quick glance at the spot between her legs, Olivia had been thoughtful enough to expose, confirmed Juliet’s suspicions. There was nothing to be pushing, at least not yet, anyway.

Juliet licked her lips and forced herself to ask, “What can I get for you?”

“
This pestilence out of my stomach!”

Juliet blinked. “I’m sorry. I’m not a physician or a midwife. There isn’t anything I can do about that.” Curious. Where
was
the physician? If this woman was about to have a baby, didn’t she need a physician present? Between Emma, Caroline and Juliet, Juliet was probably the most qualified to deliver the babe if the physician didn’t arrive. But she’d prefer not to. Delivering a few of her younger brothers and sisters had ensured she had the knowledge necessary, but it also gave her the knowledge to determine delivering Olivia’s child would be nothing short of torturous for everybody involved.

“
Yes, you can.” Olivia countered. She ground her teeth. “Just go get a knife and―”

“
That’ll be enough of that kind of talk,” Caroline said sharply. “Olivia, when that baby is ready to come out, he will. Not a moment sooner.”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed, then she dug her right shoulder into the bed and tried to push up to a sitting position. But she didn’t move. Well, actually, she did move. Her breasts moved, that is. Those heaving lumps of flesh swung off to her side as she tried again and again to push herself to a sitting position. Compassion coursed through Juliet and she walked to the woman’s side to help her find a sitting position.

“
Get your no-good, filthy, commoner hands off of me,” Olivia spat at Juliet. All the former fury still burning in Olivia’s green eyes was now directed at Juliet. “Did I ask for you to help me?”

Juliet stared at her.

“
Then don’t! You may have somehow bamboozled that fool of a husband of yours into marrying you, but that does not make you a lady.” She turned to where both Emma and Caroline stood. “Emma, ring me another sponge.”

“
No.” Emma’s voice was calm and clear, but the unusual shadow Juliet had noticed on her face upon entering the room was still there.

“
No?” Olivia echoed. “You may be married to Marcus, but he is
my
brother. He told you to do whatever I asked, and to keep me comfortable. Now, I demand you ring for me another sponge so Caroline can bathe me now that I’ve been defiled.”

Nobody made a move to do as she’d asked. Not Juliet. Not Caroline. And certainly not Emma.

“
Get off your bloody arse, Emma, and do as I asked,” Olivia screamed.

Emma didn’t budge. “No, Olivia. I will not.”

“
You’re useless,” Olivia sneered. She turned her attention to Caroline. “Caroline, go fetch me my sponge. I shall be lying in wait until you return.”

“
No.”

“
Pardon?”

Caroline’s lips twitched. “Perhaps you ought to consider investing in an ear horn, Olivia. I said no.”

Olivia’s lips puckered. “You may be a baroness now, married to Arid Alex, but that does not put you above me. I am still the daughter of an earl, and as such, I have had my title much longer than you. Don’t forget that, Caroline. We all know where you came from.” She swung her gaze to Juliet. “Or perhaps not all of us. Would you like me to tell her your shame?”

“
My father was an addict who forced himself upon my mother in order to force a match she didn’t want,” Caroline said with not a hint of emotion in her voice.

Juliet’s heart squeezed at her friend’s admission, but she also felt a point of pride on Caroline’s behalf for handling this wretched woman this way. Later, she’d have to assure Caroline that she cared not one whit about her past.

“
Olivia,” Emma started. “Caroline’s past matters naught to anyone but you. Why you insist on bringing it up makes no sense to me. Besides, what both Caroline and Juliet are too polite to point out to you, but that I am not, is that you’re of a lower station than either of them.”

“
How so?” Olivia’s voice had suddenly become much softer, sweet even.

“
Oh, stop blinking at me,” Emma said, crossing her arms. “When you do that it makes me think a fly has flown into your eye and you’re trying to flush it out. And your voice...” She trailed off and flicked her wrist. “You’re not fooling anyone.”

Olivia stopped blinking and pursed her lips. “What more have you to say, Miss Green?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Exactly. You seem to forget, Olivia. I am no longer, ‘Miss Green.’ I am Lady Sinclair, your brother’s countess. Therefore,
I
outrank you.” She gestured to Caroline. “As you’ve already said yourself, Caroline is no longer your poor relation, but a baroness. She outranks you, too. And as for Juliet, she’s a viscountess. Meaning, even the woman you referred to as a ‘no-good, filthy commoner’ outranks you.” A thin smile took Emma’s lips. “I daresay, Olivia, I don’t think there is anyone in this room you outrank.”

Olivia’s face grew a violent shade of red. “I am the daughter of the fifteenth Earl of Sinclair, sister to the―”

“
Stuff it, Olivia,” Caroline said with a flick of her wrist. “I’ve heard that excuse longer than I care to remember. That ceased to matter the day you decided to marry a commoner. But, even if you were born the daughter of an earl, thus granted an honorary title, the fact remains, you do not outrank anyone here. Nor should it matter. We all came here to help you at a time when a woman needs the most help, no matter what her rank.”

Olivia flopped back down on the bed, and sighed. “You’re no fun, Caroline.”

Juliet’s brows knit together. That was the strangest display she’d ever witnessed.

“
Care to join us?” Caroline asked Juliet, patting the space on the settee between her and Emma.

Juliet nodded, and took her first step in their direction when Olivia’s hand reached out and latched onto Juliet’s arm just above her elbow. “Get me some laudanum,” she barked.

“
Pardon?”

“
I said, get me some laudanum,” Olivia bellowed.

Juliet winced, and pulled her arm free. “I think not.”

A shrill, warlike cry rent the air, accompanied by an unsettling amount of kicking and flailing. “
Get this creature out! Now!”

Wide-eyed, Juliet stood paralyzed as before her very eyes this woman transformed from a minor nuisance with her naked body and cutting remarks to an absolute madwoman. She kicked. She screamed. She pouted. She cried. She blindly grabbed things from the nightstand next to her and threw them across the room, heedless to whom or what they hit. It was a sight to behold. Both Caroline and Emma had told her Olivia had a tendency to throw fits or exaggerate medical ailments for attention. But this?
This
was sheer lunacy!

Caroline placed her hand on Juliet’s arm and gave her a gentle tug. “Come.”

Juliet couldn’t move. The bottom of her feet must have suddenly grown roots that went through her slippers and attached themselves to the floor. She was planted; and there was nothing Caroline or Emma could do to get her to leave.

Just then, the contents of a glass of cool water hit Juliet right in the face as the words “send him to the foundling hospital” floated to her ears.

Juliet didn’t know which of the two events that occurred during the last three seconds stunned her more, but she was stunned right out of her trance. “You’re heartless,” she hissed at Olivia before allowing Caroline to pull her from the room.

Caroline and Emma led Juliet to an empty drawing room, and Emma handed her a handkerchief.

“
Is she always like that?” Juliet asked without ceremony. Tears pricked the back of her eyes and a knot formed in her stomach at the memory of that wretched woman’s intention to send her unborn child to the foundling hospital.

“
Not always,” Emma said. She bit her lip and sat down. “I think it might be exaggerated by her condition.”

“
What are you going to do?” Juliet asked, trying to hide her sniffle.

Emma sighed and righted her skirt. “Marcus has made arrangements for a trained physician who specializes in patients with her condition to come stay at Ridge Water until she’s well enough to travel. He should be arriving tonight. Then, he said she’ll have to either go to the convent in Ireland or some place in London.”

“
Bedlam?” Juliet blurted. Surely a woman like this was a fit candidate for such a place.

Emma nodded slowly. “Marcus is afraid of what she might do to her son or daughter if she were allowed to stay at Ridge Water.”

“
For the best,” Caroline commented. “For as long as I can remember Marcus tried to help her, but he can’t fix everything for her. She’s truly not well.”

“
I know,” Emma agreed. “But it doesn’t make the nearing events any easier.”

“
What do you mean?” Caroline asked. Then suddenly, a new spark entered her eyes. “Oh, Emma―” her arms twined around her friend’s neck― “I was so busy thinking about what this would mean for Olivia, I didn’t see what this would mean for you!”

“
Thank you,” Emma said, accepting her friend’s hug and congratulations. “Though, I wish the circumstances were a bit different, the end results are the same. I’ll get to be a mother!”

Chapter 22

Juliet’s heart swelled as excitement for her friend and that unborn child filled her. Emma would be a great mother. Whether the child was hers naturally or not, it didn’t matter. Emma was the kind who would love a child no matter what. So why then, did she not seem more excited?

“
Emma?”

Emma turned her green eyes to Juliet. “Yes?”