His Pregnant Bride

Part Two

2 Weeks Later...

It was a time for celebration but Cedric couldn't have been further from a mood of elation. In truth he had not recovered from the blow incurred by his ego two weeks prior, and each moment that went by, where he thought on his shame, was a testament to how high his hopes had been set on the Young Miss Graham. And each moment Cedric thought himself the fool for it.

In all honesty he was quite done away with the notion of marriage and would have resigned himself to be a lifelong bachelor were it not for his mother and her desire to see him wed.

This ball, in fact, was not merely for his birthday but would also aid in him finally selecting a wife. Cedric was not at all looking forward to the celebration, especially since the Innigrams were not going to attend. Collin had been like a son to them, and the loss of him had been akin to them losing their own child had they been blessed with any. Cedric could only imagine how Collin's actual parents were feeling. They would never see their boy married, nor would they have any grandchildren to pass on their legacy to.

Cedric did not want the same for his parents, and though he'd forgone notions of finding happiness with a wife, he would at least not deprive his mother of the joy of seeing her only child live a full life.

And so he went downstairs with a smile on his face, and though he spoke with the gents about future business dealings, his priority was speaking with each of the eligible young women at length, getting a feel for as much of their personalities as each was inclined to show. He was not so naive now as to think he could know their true thoughts or motivations over the course of an evening- he had Miss Graham to thank for that- nevertheless he would be calling upon one of them tomorrow.

Miss Graham. He was not surprised in the least that she wasn't there even though her parents were. Though there was no official news, town gossip had it that she'd caught the eye of a wealthy count not soon after the Grahams' arrival, and terms for marriage were about to be negotiated.

When the Graham's spoke to him, finally, it was very briefly.

"My you have a familiar face," said Mr. Graham, "but I don't believe we're aquatinted."

No they were not, because a clerk wasn't worth being acquainted with Cedric supposed. He tried not to sound smug when he informed them, "Yes, you visited my shoppe, Calvert's Spice Emporium."

He saw the recognition dawn on Mr. Graham at least, and then mild embarrassment.

Across the room, his father got his attention. "If you'll excuse me," Cedric said, "I'm being called away. Please enjoy the rest of your time," he added with a smile that was genuinely warm.

It was there in that moment that Cedric realized he couldn't hold a grudge against those he so pitied.

***

The party ceased a few hours later. While some remained where they had fallen asleep, others took their carriages home, The Graham's being among them.

Cedric himself was not tired however, and after seeing his parents to bed, he went to walk the woods that bordered their estate. He needed to organize his thoughts and a moonlit promenade seemed the surest way.

Not fifteen minutes in Cedric stopped short. Was that crying he heard? Thinking that maybe it was one of his guests that had left wandering drunk in the woods Cedric hurried to inspect. What he found took him so far aback he had to wonder if he was the one who was drunk.

"Ireena?"

He could see her blonde hair was loose and reflected the moonlight, creating aethereal glow around her heart shaped face.