Chapter 240 - Two Hundred And Forty
Two weeks had passed since the harrowing night at Aldridge Port. Two weeks in which Carleton had become a cocoon of safety and quiet recuperation for Suzy. The physical bruises from her ordeal had faded away, but there was something else: the new reality of her pregnancy. Suzy, as she still often thought of herself in these bewildering times, was indeed feeling better, stronger, but life had undeniably changed.
Her appetite, for instance, had become a fickle. One morning, the mere aroma of Mrs. Madelyn’s usually beloved honey-glazed chicken would send her fleeing the dining room, only for her to crave pickled onions and sweet biscuits an hour later.
Ryan had poor Mrs. Madelyn in a perpetual state of kitchen distress, trying to anticipate his Duchess’s fleeting fancies. "Perhaps a little poached salmon, Mrs. Madelyn?" he’d suggest anxiously if Suzy pushed her plate away. "Or some stewed pears? Her Grace seemed to enjoy pears yesterday."
Then there were the moods. Oh, the moods. One minute she would be burning with rage at Ryan for some imagined slight
"You’re leaving my side to attend to paperwork when you know I feel stressed?"
Her voice rising with an anger that surprised even herself. The next, seeing the bewildered hurt in his eyes, she would dissolve into a puddle of tears, sobbing apologies into his waistcoat, wailing about her own terrible temper. And sometimes, a wave of pure, unadulterated happiness would wash over her for no discernible reason, leaving her humming contentedly as she arranged flowers, only to be followed an hour later by a profound sense of disgust at the very same blooms.
Clinginess was another new companion. She found herself needing Ryan near, his presence a tangible comfort against the lingering shadows of her fear. And boredom! The castle librarian, Elias, had taken ill some weeks prior, and the replacement had yet to arrive. None of the books Irene brought her from the shelves seemed to hold her interest; her former passions for history and poetry now felt bland and unappealing.
Ryan, through it all, was patient and attentive. He consulted Mrs. Madelyn about every nuance of Suzy’s diet, fretted over the temperature of their room, and ensured her days were as peaceful and stress-free as humanly possible, trying with every fibre of his being to see her well taken care of, his heart still aching with the memory of her suffering.
Today, Dr. Abernathy had just completed his bi-weekly check-up. He smiled, his kind eyes crinkling at the corners as he finished listening to her heartbeat. "Well, Your Grace," he announced, his voice reassuring, "everything is progressing splendidly. You are healing well from your... unfortunate experience, and the child is doing just fine. A strong little heartbeat."