The Ruby in the Storm

Chapter 12: Peculiar Things

Chapter 12: Peculiar Things

The day finally arrived for Samuel's departure. Though Leila knew that she had anticipated this since he announced it, she felt oddly uneasy about him leaving her, almost as though he was abandoning her, or leaving the affairs of his estate in her incapable hands. All this time she knew what her marriage meant, but now it was being tested. She was the lady of Roseway Cove, and that title was finally being put to use. Was she ready?

"You'll have plenty of help," Samuel assured her as he directed the servants with his luggage. "Do not feel at all uneasy, my dear. Focus on your health."

Samuel had written to his uncle, Edward Worthington, to come to Belmoran to keep the estate in order while he was away. Edward was a man of considerable wealth who had taken his inheritance to England a few years before the death of his brother, Samuel's father. Leila had never met him herself, but she had heard that he was an amiable, soft-spoken man. She hoped that were true. Even though he would be doing most of the work, she didn't want a man coming into her home and lording over it.

"My uncle should be arriving well within the week," Samuel told Leila. "I'm sure you will be able to keep the home together until then?"

"Of course," Leila replied. "I will try my best."

"Will you know if you are with child?" He asked.

Leila shrugged. "As I have never felt it before, I have only the word of many mothers before me. But I am certain that if I am pregnant, I will know soon enough. These things... Are quite hard to disregard as anything else."

Samuel nodded. "Very well," he turned to look at the carriage. "I suppose it's time to go."

Leila felt herself stiffen. Was she ready for Samuel to leave? What if she was with his child, could she dare let him leave her alone in her condition? She thought about the wine, but that did not soothe her.

"Eliza may not want you to be there," Leila heard herself saying. "I am sure she is happy with John. Do you really need to go to her?"

"I have to," Samuel replied stiffly. "She's my sister, Leila. Do you not want our future children to know their aunt?"

"Of course!" Leila assured him. "I want our future children to know their aunt and their uncle."

Samuel clenched his jaw and ran a hand over his face. "I may be gone for some time. I've left instruction for my uncle to make sure you are well taken care of. In the event you are with my child, my uncle knows to send immediate word, and I will take the first ship hope, with or without Eliza."

That oddly relived Leila. She didn't understand why such news lifted a weight she didn't even know she had off her shoulders. She had been anticipating Samuel's leaving ever since he had said he would, and now that the time had come for him to go, she couldn't help but feel anxious. Without him, she would be alone with his uncle, whom she didn't know or trust. But, then again, she could partake in the wine as much as she wanted, without fear of being caught. Dr. Nemo's brew kept calling her back.

"Leila?"

"Hm?" She snapped out of her musings and smiled. "Yes?"

"I was asking if you heard what I said," Samuel was frowning at her. For the oddest moment, Leila felt herself attracted to the hard, unsmiling features in his face. She always thought him an oafish looking man, a brute. Never smiling and, when he did, it never reached his eyes. But now she saw someone else, a man genuinely concerned for her. She knew she had not married a bad man, just a man she knew she could never love.