Chapter 22

"I did say I loved you, Nathaniel, but forever was never promised."

"Evelyn Carter! Are you even listening to yourself?"

Nathaniel's fingers tightened around Evelyn's chin as he searched her eyes desperately. For the first time in three years, he realized how little he truly knew the woman he'd married.

She had always been there - anticipating his needs before he voiced them, reading his moods like an open book. Her adoring gaze had been his constant companion.

Now that gaze was gone.

The thought of Evelyn directing that same devotion toward another man made Nathaniel's blood boil. He wanted to find whoever she'd been with at that hotel and break every bone in his body.

Evelyn didn't flinch. Their faces remained inches apart, breaths mingling in the charged space between them.

"Good heavens! What's going on here? Evelyn's expecting, you foolish boy. Keep your hands to yourself!"

Eleanor's voice shattered the moment. She'd grown impatient waiting and come to investigate, only to find them in this compromising position.

Evelyn's cheeks burned crimson.

Nathaniel turned slightly. "She's not pregnant, Grandmother."

"And how would you know, you imbecile?"

"Her cycle just ended."

Evelyn's eyes widened. Had Nathaniel been tracking her periods all this time?

True, she'd been late this month - the irregularity prompting her hospital visit. The doctor had confirmed her pregnancy, though it was still early days.

Eleanor's face fell. "No baby?"

Beatrice seized the opportunity with a venomous smile. "Three years of marriage and still no child? Clearly something's wrong with her."

"You might be right," Eleanor mused.

Beatrice pressed on eagerly. "They need full medical examinations. Probably infertility issues."

She relished the thought - if Evelyn proved defective, Nathaniel could discard her like yesterday's trash.

"Absolutely. Hospital tomorrow, boy. Let's see what's wrong with you." Eleanor's next words shocked everyone. "Three years and no pregnancy? Are you even performing your husbandly duties?"

Evelyn gaped. Beatrice looked apoplectic.

"Mother! How dare you suggest such a thing about my son? He's the picture of health! The problem clearly lies elsewhere."

Nathaniel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough, Mother."

This conversation was spiraling into mortifying territory.

Beatrice wouldn't relent. "Well, Evelyn? Who's failing here? Is my son incapable of doing what a man should?"

Evelyn's mouth went dry. How could she possibly answer?

Confess that they'd slept in separate bedrooms for three years? That their marriage had been one of convenience until that drunken night a month ago?

That single encounter had been shrouded in darkness - Evelyn too nervous and inexperienced to process what was happening. She'd never even seen her husband fully unclothed.

How could she possibly judge his... capabilities?