The Hussar's Duty: Book 3 (The Winged Warrior Series) by Griffin Brady

Author:Griffin Brady [Brady, Griffin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Trefoil Publishing
Published: 2023-05-17T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Preparations Reap Separations

Jacek frowned at the exquisitely crafted pistol he seldom fired as he ran his fingers over the inlaid butt. It was one of a prized set given to him in Genoa, but what was he to do with it? Leave instructions to split the pair, gifting one to Adam and one to Piotr? Bequeath them both to Adam, who was the oldest but not of Jacek’s loins? And what if the babe growing inside Oliwia’s womb was another son?

Such were the questions churning in his mind since Żółkiewski’s order to muster two days ago. Readying men—and himself—for battle was a feat he could accomplish with minimum contemplation. Readying his wife, however …

As he carefully laid the pistol back in its velvet-lined case beside its twin, he considered how thoughts of safeguarding a wife and children should he never return daunted him more than preparations for any campaign had ever done.

The world around him glowed, wrapped in a false blanket of serenity, for even as he sat before a window overlooking a garden bursting with color, Oliwia beside him fussing with a piece of embroidery, his mind was restive and worried—just as he knew hers was preoccupied with affairs back at their estate, where he would not allow her to travel.

He slid her a glance, his eyes drifting to the swell of her belly hidden beneath her skirts.

She let out a little squeak and nearly stabbed her finger with the needle. Before he could ask what was wrong, she grabbed his hand and placed it on her abdomen. The day was warm, and she wore light silks. Consequently, the fluttering beneath the taut skin of her belly was unmistakable, and he was overcome by an awe that rendered him speechless. Worries melted away.

“Goodness,” she laughed, “but this one is like a fish on a hook, flipping and flopping and kicking my ribs with his tail.”

Jacek laid his ear beside his hand. Did the child make a noise he could hear? The lightest tickle against his jaw, like the brush of a butterfly’s wings, had him breaking out in a smile. “Is the movement uncomfortable?”

“Not yet. He has tiny elbows, but they will grow bigger and sharper.”

“If the babe is moving about that much, it’s a girl. And if it is a girl, she will be a beauty like her mother.” He lifted his head and kissed her, busying her mouth before she could accuse him of false flattery. Pulling back, he explored her face with his eyes, memorizing every line, every curve. His fingers traced the same path.

A delightful shade of pink dusted her cheeks. “Your tongue is becoming as honeyed as Henryk’s. I cannot help but deliberate what schemes are hatching in your head.”

He blinked. “Why do you not take my compliment for what it is, an expression of admiration for my wife?”

She looked away, her eyes riveting on some distant, unknown target. “Perhaps it is because when I look at you, I see what other women see.

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