The Bastard (Darling #2) [complete]

Chapter Twenty-Two

A  W H I S T L I N G tune was flowing out of Dane's mouth as he chipperly walked to the sewing room. In his hand, he beheld the contract between the royals and Clemens. Earlier that morning, he'd caught word that the king would not be in his study. He had important meetings to attend that would take some time to resolve.

Dane found that to be the perfect opportunity to sneak into the study and search high and low for the contract. And by God... Did he find it... It took a lot of time, which he was afraid he was going to run out of. But he was proud of himself regardless, and he wanted Louelle to be the first to hear of it - from him directly.

She wasn't in the dining hall for breakfast which was where he originally planned to spill the good news. Throughout the meal, his eyes continuously shot to look at the entryway, expecting her to rush in while fixing her hair and apologizing for her tardiness. After everyone was dismissed for the morning, he decided he would go to her.

Assumably, she was in the sewing room and had the first meal of her day delivered there. He knew that the gown for Maryann was finished, aside from a few smaller details she still needed to implement, but he was aware that she had her own that she needed to design and build. When they spoke just the day prior, she admitted to him of her uncertainty with her gown. What style would it have been; would she look swell in a wedding gown; would Thatcher like it?

He wanted to tell her "to Hell what Thatcher thinks," but he knew better than to. Thatcher was to be her husband in just thirteen days. A marriage was meant to be a special moment between a couple that signified the remainder of their lives; a moment they would forever look back and reminisce on. And because she and Thatcher were to wed because they loved one another and not under circumstances of business; it made sense, somewhat, for wishing to look like a princess - which she would have been in thirteen days - on the day of their union.

Although Dane was happy to have found the contract that truly could have ended the arrangement, promising his brother and the woman he loved a life together, he was more elated to see the relief flow through her.

Poor Louelle had been undergoing an intense amount of stress, and he was aware that it wasn't healthy for a woman in such a state as she was. Even prior to her falling with child, she was stressed from the moment she woke until she fell asleep. Dane was even certain she was stressed even in her dreams.

He would have been more than happy to deliver her the news of finding the contract - the sole cause of her disarray - to see her relieved and grateful smile.

And even though he would have been happy to do so, there was a nagging feeling somewhere in the pit of his stomach that disagreed with his thoughts. He was just unable to decide what it meant at the time.

When he arrived to the entryway of the sewing room, he noticed the door was closed. He smiled and gripped the contract tighter in his hand, while raising his other to knock on the door.