A Perilous Match

Chapter 29

The Following Day

Ashburn Court, Dorset

E lizabeth awoke to the dim light of early morning filtering through the heavy drapes of their bedchamber. A dull throb pulsed through her head, and her body ached as if from some great exertion. For a moment, she felt disoriented, the events of the previous day swirling in a haze of pain and fear. Yet as her eyes fluttered open, she became aware of a warm presence beside her. Her husband sat at her side, his face etched with concern, his hand gently clasping hers.

“Fitzwilliam…” Her voice was hoarse, scarcely more than a whisper, but it was enough to rouse him from his deep contemplation. His head snapped up, and the relief that suffused his countenance brought tears to her eyes.

“Elizabeth,” he breathed, leaning closer, his free hand cupping her cheek with infinite tenderness. “Thank Heavens… I was so afraid…”

She managed a small, reassuring smile, though her heart ached at the sight of the worry that lined his face. “I am… I am all right,” she murmured, though she could see that he was far from convinced.

Fitzwilliam’s hand trembled slightly as he stroked her cheek, his eyes searching hers as if to reassure himself that she was truly awake, truly with him. “You were unconscious for so long… I feared…” He trailed off, his voice catching in his throat.

Elizabeth squeezed his hand, endeavouring to push past the fog that clouded her thoughts. She remembered the bandits, the gunshot, and the sickening impact as she was thrown against a tree. And then, in a sudden rush, she recalled something else—a realisation that had come to her just before she lost consciousness.

“Fitzwilliam…” she whispered, her heart beginning to race. “There is something I must tell you, something important.”

Fitzwilliam leaned closer, his worry deepening as he searched her face. “What is it, Elizabeth? What troubles you?”

She drew in a shaky breath, her eyes filling with unshed tears. “I… I believe I am with child. Or I was.”

For a moment, there was only silence as Fitzwilliam absorbed her words. His hand stilled against her cheek, his eyes widening in shock. “You are… with child?” he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Elizabeth nodded, her tears spilling over as she looked up at him. “I thought I was, but now I am not certain. What if- what if….”

“Let me fetch the physician, he is here,” Fitzwilliam said quickly, rising from his seat to call the doctor.

“My lady, I am glad to see you awake. You were conscious a few times, but I do not expect you remember, my name is Mr Hockley,” the physician said as he approached the bedside with a respectful bow.

“I do not. My… head… It was so foggy. But, sir, am I with child? I thought I was, but the incident—”

The man smiled kindly and patted her hand. “I did not notice anything on examination. Lady Dorset, I must ask a delicate question, if you permit it?”

She glanced at her husband, and then said, “You may, Mr Hockley.”

“Have your courses been regular?”

Elizabeth could feel her cheeks redden at the nature of his query, but she needed to know if she was correct in her thinking, “They were… until a month ago.”

The elderly physician nodded, “Well, it is too soon to say for certain. However when the housekeeper changed your clothing and bedding she did not report any signs of bleeding nor anything of concern.”

“So I may be with child?” Elizabeth asked.

Mr Hockley smiled gently, “Often it is the woman who knows first. Rest assured, if you are with child, then there is no cause for alarm. With proper care and rest, I expect you to make a full recovery.”

The weight of the physician’s words crashed over Elizabeth like a wave, leaving her momentarily speechless. Relief, joy, and fear mingled together, overwhelming her. She glanced over at Fitzwilliam, and in that moment, all the pain and fear of the past day seemed to dissolve, replaced by a profound sense of gratitude and love.

“Thank you,” she managed to say.

Fitzwilliam reached out to grasp her hand once more, his touch both gentle and firm as he addressed the physician. “Thank you for everything, Mr Hockley.”

The physician nodded, a small smile playing on his lips as he gathered his things. “I shall return later to check on her again. In the meantime, rest is the best medicine.”

As the physician departed, Fitzwilliam turned back to Elizabeth. He appeared to struggle to find the words. But Elizabeth saw it in his eyes, in the way his hand trembled slightly as he held hers.

“We are going to have a child,” he whispered, his voice filled with wonder and awe. “Elizabeth… I… I do not know what to say.”

Elizabeth smiled through her own tears, her heart swelling with love for the man who had risked everything to protect her. “You have said enough,” she replied softly. “Your actions speak louder than words ever could.”

Her husband’s voice trembled with emotion as he spoke. “I was so afraid, Elizabeth. Afraid I would lose you, and now… now we are to be parents.”

Elizabeth reached up to touch his face. “We shall be, and we shall love our child with all our hearts,” she said firmly, her voice filled with the strength she knew they both needed. The physician had said it was too early to know, but she felt it, as she had prior to their long journey home.

Fitzwilliam leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers, his breath warm against her skin. “I love you, my dearest, darling Elizabeth. More than words can express. I do not know what I should do without you.”

Elizabeth’s heart ached with the depth of her own love for him, a love that had only grown stronger through all they had endured. “You will never have to find out,” she whispered. “I will always be by your side, just as you have always been by mine.”

***

The following days passed slowly, but Elizabeth found the strength to rise from her bed by the third day, and by the morning of the fourth, she felt almost her old self. Still, when she noticed Fitzwilliam’s eyes upon her, she observed the shadows of worry that still lingered. It was odd—why would he look troubled? They had received good tidings. Then it came to her—Phillip. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, urging him to speak what was on his mind.

“Fitzwilliam,” she whispered, her voice soft but steady. “What is it? You seem troubled.”

He hesitated for a moment and appeared to be gathering his thoughts before he spoke. “There is something you need to know, Elizabeth,” he said, his voice low and serious. “Something that happened after the attack… something that concerns Phillip.”

The mention of Phillip’s name sent a chill through Elizabeth, and she looked at her husband with wide, questioning eyes. “What is it? What has happened?”

Fitzwilliam took a deep breath, his expression grave as he began to recount the events that had transpired. “After the attack, I sent Richard to fetch the bandits. He managed to track them down, and after some persuasion, they confessed to being in the employ of Phillip. Although we already knew that.”

Elizabeth’s hand went to her mouth in shock.

Fitzwilliam nodded, his jaw tightening with anger. “Yes. The bandits revealed that Phillip had given them explicit instructions—to kill us both. He wanted to ensure that neither of us would survive, and that there would be no chance for an heir to secure the Dorset line.”

Elizabeth’s breath caught in her throat, and she instinctively pressed a hand to her abdomen, where their child was growing. The thought of how close they had come to losing everything—each other, their future, their child—was almost too much to bear.

Her husband continued, his voice hardening as he recounted the rest of the story. “With the information from the bandits, Richard was able to locate Phillip. Wickham joined him, along with the local constables. They confronted him, and under pressure, Phillip finally confessed to everything.”

He paused, his expression darkening as he relived the horrors of Phillip’s betrayal. “Phillip admitted that he had tried to kill me on several occasions—through the accidents, the robbery, all of it.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened in shock, but Fitzwilliam pressed on, needing to tell her everything. “He first attempted to convince me not to marry you. He admitted to everything Wickham told us, including that he enlisted Wickham to seduce you, believing that if he could create a scandal, it would destroy our marriage. But when he saw that you and I were growing closer instead, he became desperate.”

His hand tightened around hers as he spoke, his voice filled with a deep, simmering anger. “That is when he decided to have us ambushed on the road. He thought that if he could kill us both, he would be rid of us, and he would inherit everything—Ashburn, Pemberley, the title… everything.”

Elizabeth felt a wave of nausea wash over her as the full extent of Phillip’s treachery sank in. “He would have killed us both…” she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief. “All for greed and envy…”

Fitzwilliam nodded, his face etched with sorrow. “Yes. But he has been caught, Elizabeth. Phillip will never be able to harm us—or anyone else—again.”

Elizabeth let out a shaky breath, the relief mingling with the fear and anger that still lingered. “Thank Heavens…”

Fitzwilliam reached out, cupping her face in his hands and looking deep into her eyes. “You must not dwell upon it,” he said firmly. “We are safe now, Elizabeth. And we have a future to look forward to—a future with our child.”

Elizabeth blinked back tears, overwhelmed by the love and determination she saw in his eyes. “I was so afraid, Fitzwilliam… afraid of losing you, afraid of what might happen…”

His voice softened, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “You will never lose me, Elizabeth. We have faced so much already, and we have come through it stronger than ever. We shall face whatever comes next together, as husband and wife—as a family.”

Elizabeth felt the weight of his words settle over her, bringing with it a sense of peace that she had not felt in days. She leaned into his embrace, her heart swelling with love for the man who had risked everything to protect her, who had never wavered in his devotion, even in the face of betrayal and danger.

“I love you, Fitzwilliam,” she whispered. “More than words can say.”

His arms tightened around her, and he rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed as he let the warmth of her presence wash over him. “And I love you, Elizabeth. More than I ever thought possible.”

For a long moment, they remained thus, holding each other close, their hearts beating as one. They had endured so much, faced so many trials, but they had emerged stronger, their love deepened by the challenges they had overcome.

As they lay together, the first light of dawn began to filter through the curtains, bathing the room in a soft, golden glow. It was a new day, a new beginning, and as they gazed into each other’s eyes, they knew that whatever the future held, they would face it together—with love, with courage, and with the unbreakable bond that had been forged in the fires of adversity.

They were not merely husband and wife—they were allies, soulmates, bound together by a love that would endure, no matter what trials they faced. And as they drifted off to sleep, their hearts full of hope and promise, they knew that they had been granted a precious gift—a second chance at happiness, at life, and at the love that would sustain them through all the days to come.