The lush countryside from the window looked bleak. The free will and spirited abandon she once possessed was slowly slipping from her. She sat by the large window in her grandfather's library ever so often looking for a book to read.

Turning away Sarah with the large tray of food after just keeping the apple, she picked off of it. She twirled it around before lifting it to her mouth and taking a bite. The nausea and queasiness did not make it any easier for her to eat.

She watched as the clouds darkened the morning sky. Slowly the sprinkle of rain could be heard. Her mind wandered with the day it rained when she and Dominic ran free and enjoyed the feel of the rain on them.

Lifting her knees to her chest and hugging them, her emotions got the best of her and she cried.

Dashing away a tear, she stood and walked over to put the book she had in her hands away.

******

Sarah immediately walked and answered the hard knock at the door.

Blue eyes looked angrily at Sarah. Stark shock was on her face with a mixture of sheer fright and relief.

She had pulled him into the kitchen away from the halls.

"I'm waiting Sarah, why did you not tell me she was pregnant?" He scowled.

Nervously she twirled the hem of skirts .

"I wanted to m'lord but I feared what would happen if such news got out" she whispered nervously.

"So you decided to follow her days away from her home putting your lives and my unborn childs' at risk?" He breathed.

She looked sadly into his angry gaze,and tried to explain.

Lifting his hand up not wanting to hear anymore his eyes softened.

"Where is she?" He begged.

"In the library" Sarah smiled with relief and tears in her eyes.

*****

She stood back eyeing the book she wanted on the third shelf. All of the bookcases were so high she blew a deep breath. Pulling a small stepladder close she climbed to the very last step. A bit miffed at her short stature she barely touched the third case standing on her toes she stretched. Her balance a little of the ladder began to shake and gave way beneath her. The soft scream escaped her lungs as she fell back grappling for the bookcase. Sheer fright caught in her throat and she dropped.

Strong arms caught her fast in mid air. Her breath lodged in her throat.

She was face to face with Dominic.

******

He stood quietly and watched as she stretched and hopped to get the book on the shelf. Her attempt was cut short when she lost her footing and the stair toppled beneath her.

Fright lodged in his chest as she fell back.

Quickly he walked closer just in time to catch her. His heart raced with her scream.

She fell into his arms.

Face to face, their heavy breathing mingled. He held her in his arms, content to hold her this close again.

"Hello, beautiful," he whispered to her.

He held her gaze for a while. She slowly looked down. His warmth and nearness kindled a desire in her. Her voice was sweet and soft.

"You can put me down, now m'lord."

"What if I do not want to put you down?" His voice was barely a whisper.

Her heart quickened. She swallowed hard watching him gaze at her.

"You cannot hold me like this forever. Eventually you will have to let me go," her voice whispered with sad resignation in her voice.

Dark seductive stormy blue eyes held hers in place.

"I will never let you go," he squeezed her close.

The pleading look in her eyes did not waver. His resolve softened and reluctantly he let her down. The pull of his stare and his closeness pinned her in place.

Her heart clamored in her chest and roared in her ears as he caressed her cheek. He tilted her chin up, gently placing his lips on hers.

His kiss deepened and she immediately pulled away.

She looked away from his hungry gaze.

"Why are you hear?" she lowered her eyes.

"I've come to take you back home." He looked at her.

She shook her head and looked up at him.

"I can't go back."

Her refusal fell on deaf ear.

"You must, Emilia." he breathed.

"I am not going anywhere," she said in a defiant tone. "I don't have any intentions of ever returning." Her eyes held his for a while bracing herself for his anger.

She put distance between them standing behind her grandfather's desk.

She could see the muscles twitch in his jaw.

His piercing gaze held hers as he braced his hands on the table and leaned forward.

"You are returning it is not up for discussion or debate," he warned.

He continued, "You either go willingly or I drag you gagged and bound, your choice."

"You wouldn't dare" she recoiled trembling.

"Do not tempt me." His icy cool glare stared deep into her eyes.

With an upturned chin, she defiantly replied.

"Fine," Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"I will just leave again, and the next time I can assure you, you will never see me again." she choked furiously between a sob.

Before she finished her words, he quickly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close.

"You will do no such thing," he hissed heavily.

His jaw clenched as he stared down into her triumphant glare knowing she hit a nerve.

He watched astonished at how her eyes darkened to a violent green with her feral gaze. Her furious struggle to break free of him surprised and amused him.

"Let me go!" she pushed at his chest with her other hand. He held her in a vice grip she could not get away from.

He yanked her close staring into daggers.

"Not until you get that absurd thought of leaving out of your head"

Emilia glared up at him as he towered over her.

"Fine then, tell me M'lord, how will the arrangement work? Will you be coming to my bed in the wee hours of the morning to have me at your will? Or set me up as your mistress."

Astonished, he watched and listened to her verbally lash out at him.

She continued watching his jaw clench at her goading words.

"Or should I writhe beneath you like some wanton whore while Lady Hannah has bloated like a cow after having a brew of your legitimate offspring?...."

"Enough!" He yelled letting her go before he turned his back on her. Closing his eyes he gathered himself. Breathing in deeply he tried to calm his anger.

"What is the matter M'lord is the truth too harsh for you." She goaded.

He swirled to look into gleaming emerald daggers that held so much anger and hurt. She backed away with a whimper as he walked her up to the bookcase with his dangerous glare.

His eyes never left hers.

"The truth is, you belong to me"

"The truth is, I will never let you go"

"The truth is, I will most definitely have you at my will beneath me, writhing with desire."

Her eyes widened with his words.

"The truth Emilia is I will not have the mother of my child putting herself at risk gallivanting across the country in such a state." he croaked.

He hit home.

Her skin turned dangerously pale.

A silence fell between them.

"You know" her lips quivered.

She frantically began to shake beneath his stare.

"You were never going to tell me, were you?." he croaked.

She looked away from him.

She let out a cry as he slammed his fists into the bookshelf at her side.

"Answer me!" his voice was dangerously low.

"No! I was never going to tell you," She cried out.

Anguished and hurt she pushed at him out of his grasp she turned to face him and his anger head on.

"I am not going to bring my baby into this world to be a bastard and the talk of the ton. He doesn't deserve it."

This delicate girl before him was surely going to put up a bold fight. a true spitfire and lioness protecting what was hers.

"You are not going to put us through that, even if I have to marry the first rake I see that can take me out of this hell I'm living in...I will," she fumed crying.

Fascinated with the glittering rage in her eyes, she was beautiful.

"Alas the petite rose strikes with her thorns," He shook his head with an icy smile at what she was screaming.

"You cannot crave a rose, if you cannot handle its thorns," she snapped.

Her heart stammered as his icy smile turned dangerous, with a blink of an eye he scooped her up in to his arms and walked over to the nearby leather couch and he lightly tossed her down. She watched his eyes dangerous and seductively burn into hers.

Breathless she scrambled back as he removed his coat, his cravat then his shirt brandishing male masculinity that was gorgeous and powerful.

Immediately and effortlessly, he snaked her ankle and like a feather, she was pulled beneath him.

He lay above her looking into her eyes.

"There are painful thorns on every rose, Emilia. But, there is only one rose worth the risk of getting pricked when touched...and that's you."

He claimed her lips and she gave no resistance.

She trembled beneath his body and he felt her shudder with the touch of his strong hands caressing her.

Her heart quickened as she felt him undo his breeches and his warmth cradled between her thighs. She tried to push at him as he violently pulled her underwear down. But she melted at the feel of his thickness entering her. He pushed forward filling her. Her eyes never left his. He marveled at how they slightly glazed over with lust and her body trembled beneath him.

"You are mine," he whispered holding her gaze.

Her eyes were red from tears threatening to fall again.

"But you will never be mine." she whispered.

Her tears fell freely as he looked down at her. His words tightened with her words. He buried his face in her neck wanting to quiet her cries but not knowing how.

After some time spent and sated she sat silently at the other end of the chair, his outstretched legs on the couch.

His eyes swept over her body, it felt different when he held her.

Her hair soft brown ringlets spiraled down her back. It formed as a curtain hiding her face.

He wanted to say so much but when he reached for her, she pulled away.

If she only knew the agony she put him through when she left and his anger towards her for not telling him or confiding in him about being pregnant. She was willing to leave him and say nothing about their child.

His heir!

But, that was behind them now. He needed to get her back home.

Home! He thought.

A place she detested but needed to be for the well-being of their unborn child.

******

She sat before the mirror watching Sarah diligently comb her hair. The girl that stared back at her was unknown to her. Her bosoms slightly fuller and her waist slightly widening with her pregnancy.

Although not obvious yet, but soon it will be. How was she to explain her affair with Dominic to her uncle? The ton would have a field day with her demise. She will not endure it. She will find a way eventually to sneak away. Maybe find passage to America or another country. Wherever she can go to get far from Dominic. She would not be able to bare it watching him marry Hannah.

Yes, he was marrying Hannah because she was to wed that blackguard of VanCamp after all. According to Dominic, Adam is under the impression she is away visiting a sick cousin.

She began to cry.

She couldn't do this.

Sarah quickly turned her around facing her she begged her not to cry.

After a while of consoling from her good friend, she sat up straight dashed away her tears and accepted what was to be her fate from now until she could escape again.