“You’re scaring me, Danny.”
Shaking his head, he took my hands in his and prompted me to sit along with him. “No, my darling, no. I do not mean to scare you at all. It’s just …” Looking away, he closed his eyes. Opening them again, he slowly turned to me. “My father has asked me to do something, Sophia. Something I so desperately do not want to do, but I am obligated.”
“What is it?” My heart was beating so loudly in my chest I was sure the whole house could hear it. Trying hard to not jump to conclusions, I held my thoughts down and focused on Danny.
“My father still has part of his business in London. My uncle has been taking care of it, but he has fallen ill with Scarlet Fever. Father got word of it this morning. My father’s heart cannot take another trip back to London and he has asked me to travel in his place.”
I sat there and stared at Danny. Not knowing what to say, I closed my eyes. I knew I wouldn’t be able to travel with him. Being on the sea would not be a good thing for me when I wasn’t pregnant, I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like being pregnant. Opening my eyes, I felt the tear slowly slide down my face.
“Oh, Sophia,” Danny whispered as he leaned over and kissed the tear away. “I’ve already talked to your father. He told me how ill you get when traveling by boat. I wanted to have all your things packed and ready but—”
Slowly shaking my head, I asked, “How long will you need to stay once you arrive?”
Swallowing hard, he whispered, “One to two months.”
Sucking in a breath of air, I let out a sob. “What if you are delayed and miss the birth of our child? You’re already going to miss the whole pregnancy!” I stood and turned away as I let my tears fall and sobs shake my body. He’s leaving me. He’s leaving us.
“Sophia, I don’t want to do this anymore than you want me to.”
Spinning around, I looked at him. “Let’s run away. Let’s leave and go back to the island.”
Danny looked at me and I knew the moment the words were out of my mouth they were foolish. “Can Thomas, your older brother, not go?”
Looking to the ground, Danny shook his head. “Thomas left for New York two weeks ago and father has no way of getting word to him. He was hoping he would have received word from Thomas on his whereabouts but he has not.”
Placing my hand over my mouth, I sat back down. “But … we just started our life. We just got married and you have to leave.”
“Sophia, do you not see it in my eyes how torn apart I am over this? Do you think I want to leave you? I never want to leave your side. I feel as if my heart is being ripped from my chest.”
Nodding my head slowly, I whispered, “As do I.”
“I have arranged for us to stay at Thomas’ house this evening. I thought it was the least he could do since I’m doing his job for him.”
Smiling, I let out a giggle. “We’ll be alone this evening?”
Placing his hand on the side of my face, his thumb brushed lightly across my skin, leaving a warm tingle in its place.
“You will leave tomorrow?” I asked as I placed my hand over Danny’s hand.
“The sooner I leave, the faster I return.”
Leaning in closer, Danny captured my lips with his. Our kiss was soft and tender. Slow and not rushed in the least bit. “Pack a bag darling. I want to leave for Thomas’ house as soon as possible.”
Nodding my head, I stood. Turning to head upstairs to our room, Danny took hold of my arm. Stopping, I glanced to him. “Promise me you won’t be gone long, Danny.”
Giving me that smile that built the pressure between my legs, Danny nodded. “I promise you, Sophia. I swear to God I won’t break my promise to you.” Lifting my hand to his lips, he gently kissed it. “Go, darling. I want to bury myself inside you.”
My stomach dropped and I found myself lifting my dress and running up the stairs to pack.
Walking into Thomas’ house brought a chill to my bones. It was dark, cold and much too quiet. Danny smiled and said, “I should have known Thomas would not have kept staff on to keep up with the house.”
Giggling, I nudged Danny. “He is a man with no ties, leave him be.”
Heading to the staircase, Danny said, “Doesn’t mat
ter. All we need is the guest bedroom. Follow me, Darling.”
Lifting my dress, I did as Danny asked as we made our way up the winding staircase. The pressure between my legs built with each step as we drew closer to the bedroom. The first night back from our honeymoon, I wouldn’t be with Danny for fear his parents would hear us. It didn’t take long for my desire to build and I practically attacked him our second night home. Danny had a way of being creative in bed while being discreet.