Page 43 of The Bachelor Spy
Her breath went shallow again.
She’d solved mysteries. Faced down murderers. Survived being held at gunpoint more than once. She’d traveled to Egypt, Italy, and Scotland, searched for treasure, helped catch thieves.
But motherhood? Actually bringing a child into the world?
She hadn’t read a single book on the subject. Not one.
Frederick should be here. He should be the first to know. He should be holding her hand and telling her everything would be all right, even though Grace had no idea if it would be.
What if she died before Frederick ever got back home to find out she was finally carrying his child?
What would that do to her dear hero?
The thought crystallized into sudden, fierce determination.
She needed Frederick.
And if Frederick couldn’t come home—which he probably couldn’t—then the next best thing was getting the person Frederick trusted most to bring him home.
Grace squared her shoulders and marched out of the room with the single-minded determination of a woman who had just made a decision that was probably ridiculous but felt absolutely necessary.
She was going to find Stephen Blake.
And she was going to make him man-nap her husband.
Immediately.
Grace found Blake in the hallway outside his room as she made another circuit of the upper floor. In truth, some of her irrationality had subsided.
Good men were needed at the Front. Men like Frederick.
And even if Grace was incredibly certain she needed himmore,her thoughtful side argued against it.
She still hadn’t decided whether she’d write Frederick about the pregnancy or leave it as a surprise, but at least she’d worked through possible name choices for each sex and daydreamed about a little boy with his father’s dark hair and her big blue eyes.
She sighed at the image in her mind.
He’d be utterly devastating.
And she felt marginally less terrified that she might die.
But only marginally.
The moment Blake caught sight of her hurried approach, he quickened his pace to meet her halfway down the corridor. “What is it?” His eyes swept over her. “Are you injured?”
“I’m with child,” she blurted, then instantly covered her mouth with her palm. She repeated in a whisper, “I … am with child.”
Blake’s expression barely changed, which was somehow more unnerving than if he’d looked shocked. One eyebrow rose slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
“Yes, I know.”
Scoundrel!Grace’s mouth fell open. “You …know?”
“I know.” Blake took her by the arm and gently guided her toward the upstairs sitting room. “Suspected for several days, actually. Since I arrived, if I’m being honest. The evidence was fairly compelling.”
How on earth …?
“The evidence was—” Grace sputtered as he settled her into a chair and took the seat nearby. “What evidence?”
