Love's Legacy by Joan Avery

Author:Joan Avery [Avery, Joan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: historical romance;category;worth brothers
Publisher: Entangled: Scandalous
Published: 2013-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Elizabeth had insisted on a Christmas tree, and she guessed that her employer had agreed more to humor her at this late stage of her pregnancy than from any desire on his part to have one.

It was a fairly new tradition even in the States, and it was one that was not kept on the island, but to Elizabeth it was a reassuring symbol of all that was right in her past. The smell of the evergreen boughs and the bright green amid the winter’s drabness had symbolized hope and new birth. Both were symbols she needed right now.

From the moment it had been mentioned, Angelina had been beside herself with excitement. Now, news of her Uncle James’s imminent arrival, coupled with Elizabeth’s advanced state, brought her to the point where Elizabeth thought the child might burst at the seams. The girl’s quiet anticipation kept Elizabeth from thinking about her own discomfort.

The mornings when she had to force herself out of bed had become more common. Mary had said the baby would come soon. The child had “dropped,” she had said, and that meant it would soon be time.

Elizabeth didn’t know what to expect. She had been too embarrassed to ask anyone. These were questions she wished she could ask her mother, but that tie had been severed forever. On one thing she was determined. She had consistently refused Geoffrey’s offer to send for the doctor in St. George’s. She didn’t know why, but she believed that she would be in better hands with the midwife, Grammy. She did not hold the woman responsible for Noni’s death. She had heard of too many deaths, even back home. Death was an accepted risk of childbirth. Grammy’s instructions had saved a child everyone had given up on. If she died in childbirth, she wanted her child to have the same chance Noni’s baby had.

She and one of the housemaids were preparing a place for the tree in the parlor when she heard a child’s laughter. Angelina rarely laughed so loudly. Despite the recent improvements in her temperament, she would always be a quiet girl. Curious, Elizabeth walked from the parlor into the central hall. It took some effort. It was December 24th and it was stiflingly hot. She still found that difficult to accept.

Angelina’s laughter once more echoed close by. She walked out on the porch and along its length to the corner of the house.

They were approaching—Angelina, Noni’s husband Thomas, and her employer. Geoffrey was in an animated discussion with the girl. She was glad to see him talking and laughing with his daughter. She was fearful the new coldness toward her might extend to Angelina as well. She would never have forgiven herself if that were the case. She would be leaving soon. James was coming home. There was no longer a promise binding his friend to keep her on. Once the child was born, she would have to begin looking for new employment. The thought of trying to find a position that would accept a woman with a baby was daunting.

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