Page 74 of Just a Little Daring

August, who felt for the poor blighter, tried manfully to keep his composure. “Laurie,” he said, struggling to stop his voice from quavering. “Did no one ever have a little talk with you, about the birds and the bees—”

Bainbridge looked at him in disgust. “She can’t be pregnant. Bella doesn’t keep secrets from me, she would have told me.”

“Would she?” August asked mildly. “Before she was certain? Knowing what a great overbearing, overprotective lout you are?”

“Perhaps she didn’t like the idea of being confined to her room for the next nine months and wrapped in cotton wool?” Dare suggested helpfully.

The big man paled dramatically.

“Bella!” he said faintly and then set off at a run back to the picnic.

“Oh, that’s torn it,” August muttered, and hared off after him with Dare at his heels. “Not in front of everyone!” he yelled after Bainbridge, but did not expect to be heeded.

August stopped on the edge of the gathering, causing Dare to run into the back of him and nearly knock him to the ground. At the same moment, Bainbridge fell to his knees beside his sleeping wife.

Everyone’s conversation stopped as they turned to look.

Bella stirred, blinking up at her husband. “What?” she said dazedly, sounding alarmed. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“Bella?” Bainbridge said, sounding choked. “Bella?”

Bella stared at her stricken husband for a long moment and then sighed. “Oh, Laurie. Who told you?” She shot a glare at Elspeth, who shook her head.

“Not me, I swear. I never told Dare, either,” Elspeth protested.

“We worked it out,” Dare said smugly as August elbowed him.

“Shut up. I don’t want the blame,” he hissed.

Vivien smothered her mouth with her hand.

“I thought you were sick,” Bainbridge said, sounding wretched. “I thought you’d had enough of me.”

Bella’s face fell. “Oh, Laurie,” she said, her expression full of tenderness. Bella got to her knees to embrace her husband. “You foolish man. How could you think such a thing? I’m only going to have a baby.”

“Only!” Bainbridge exclaimed, looking appalled. “Only?” He sounded a little hysterical.

“Oh, dear,” she said with a sigh. “This is why I didn’t tell you yet. It’s only been a few weeks. Come along, my love. Come for a little walk with me.”

Arabella got to her feet and took her husband’s arm, towing him back to the house where she could soothe him in private.

“Poor devil,” Dare said cheerfully. “He’s no idea what he’s got coming.”

“What has he got coming?” August asked, a little nervous at the idea. He wanted a family of his own very much, but not just yet. He still had fond if forlorn hopes of getting his blasted sisters safely married off before he had to fret over babies.

Dare walked over to his wife and plucked their daughter from her arms. “Come along, Minty, my dearest darling.”

“I thought I was your dearest darling,” his wife complained, settling herself back against the pillows arranged for her and stroking the burgeoning swell of her stomach. A brother or sister for Minty would be along soon enough.

“Of course you are my dearest darling, too. My dearest darlings,” he said tenderly and then blew a raspberry against his daughter's neck, which made her squeal with laughter. “This is what he has coming,” Dare replied, answering August’s question.

“Well, that doesn’t look so bad,” August replied.

“No, it’s perfectly wonderful, but alongside the joy is the terror.”

“Terror?” August replied uneasily.

“From the moment they’re conceived,” Dare replied, kissing his daughter’s soft cheek. “Terror of losing them or their mama, of illness, of anything that might hurt them now or in the distant future. I fainted when Araminta was born,” he admitted ruefully.