Chapter 88Two weeks was enough time for her to rest, Daniel thought as he strolled into his brother's estate. He had sent Lucille down to see to her medical needs, and so far, the results were good. All she needed was a good rest and good meals and proper care of course, in a warm house and trouble free environment while her sore body received the care it needed. Nancy was a stubborn woman, stubborn as her husband, who had locked himself inside to brood and drink himself to stupor rather than try to mend things out or see the reality.The new man who had returned with Derek, Roberts, was the one Daniel met in the parlor the minute he entered, he nodded to the man's greetings and asked to see his brother. But like every other person, Roberts was scared to go to Derek, who had made it clear that he was in no mood for company. So seeing the man's uneasiness, he dismissed him and went up towards the bedroom instead. Daniel noted that the man, Roberts, was not inexperienced in the matter
Chapter 89Nancy longed for the day it would all be over and she could hold her baby in her arms. She wanted a girl child, a little daughter like she had never been, with jet black hair like her own, stubborn as ever and sea green eyes like her father. No, she didn't want that. She wanted nothing in this child to remind her of Derek. Besides, his eye color often changed depending on his mood, which was even as well because he could pass as the devil himself with his undefined moods. Sometimes it was deep blue, other times it was a darker shade of green, but hell! Those were some of the things she loved about him. She sighed, tired of the direction her thoughts were going. Life had been cruel enough, and she needed no more of its disappointments. With her increasing inactivity, the days grew shorter, but they still did not pass quickly enough for Nancy, her stomach had grown increasingly large these days and it was becoming more difficult for her to move about. She was grateful though
Chapter 90Roberts did not stop sobbing, in fact, he was now sitting on the floor opposite the portrait and he was weeping bitterly now. Daniel and Derek watched on, surprised at the situation. This was a full man, wailing like a child in front of two grown men without a care in the world for his pride.Derek's patience was running thin by the minute, he glared at the man in front of him before returning his icy gaze to his brother, who was also frowning. Derek moved to where Roberts sat am shoved him up with his hands around the collar of his shirt,"Will you tell us what is making you sob like a baby or should I force the words out of your mouth?" He growled angrily. It took a while for his breathing to return to normal, but even then, he had to struggle to breath because Derek's grip on his collar was beginning to restrict his airflow. When Daniel noticed that, he walked up to them and tried to free Roberts from Derek's tight grip. "You will kill the man." He told his brother in
Chapter 91Long after they left, Nancy was still standing outside, staring at the empty space where the cart had stood just a few minutes ago. She felt like a heavyweight had been lifted off her shoulders, or a part of this at least. It was surprising just how much a little conversation could change things. And to think that Harvey was nothing like Derek, contrary to what they had thought. If she had not spoken up, Rosey would have gone on in silence, living in the assumption that Harvey didn't care for her or their children. She smiled again, recalling the proud smile that had registered on Harvey's face. Before they left, he had thanked her immensely and promised to do the right thing, which was to buy Rosey's freedom and properly wed her. What more could one ask for in life? She realized then that contrary to her own thoughts a little over a year ago, having Derek reciprocate her feelings and accepting their child was one of her biggest dreams now. But she also knew that that was
Chapter 92Across the haze of bright sunlight filtering through the trees, Derek rode Night Walker like a wild beast through the path leading to his house. He was holding Nancy with one hand to steady her. He was holding her no, he was carrying her with one hand because she was sitting on his lap instead, he had taken the liberty to keep her that way to reduce the pains from his wild ride. She wanted to believe that this was a dream, that she was not about to experience one of the worst pains in her life, and yet here she was, taking a horse back ride towards the house of the same man who would give anything to have his hand around her neck. But the blinding pain wouldn't even let her think, this was a different kind of pain, a dull, nagging ache. Why didn't he just take her back to The Plains? Why did Daniel go ahead of them? Derek wanted her to suffer. He would haunt her dreams forever just to make her suffer. Dear God, the pain was real! She screamed, a sound she did not recognize
Chapter 93Derek stood in the open doorway to his room, feeling more helpless than he ever felt in his life. He had heard all that Nancy had said, and her fears had cut into him like a steel blade. Still, he could not blame her for thinking him so cruel. When had he ever shown her differently?Nancy's anguished cry shook him to his very soul. To think he had wanted to get as far away from her as he possibly could, to go away and never see her again. He had only gotten as far as before he was ready to turn back. He assumed Brenna would already be with her own people, and he came home simply to tell his father he was going to bring her back, that he had finally concluded that he could not live without her, regardless of how she felt about him.“Again, try, you are almost there!” Lauren said this time and squeezed Nancy’s hand. She nodded and took quick deep breaths, he saw her shut her eyes and heard the gut wrenching cry of agony again. This one was long and hard, each cry tearing thro
Chapter 94Roberts had exhausted every ounce of his strength on this wild goose chase, but the man he was going after was having a field day running through the steep path. He considered swinging his knife into the horse's back like he had seen Derek do several times in the field, but he decided against it, the animal did not deserve such barbaric treatment, and he was certainly not a heartless man. Luck smiled on him when he saw the black horse on which his target was riding stop and let out a sudden deafening neigh, the animal went ballistic, raising to legs in the air and then he launched forward and flung the man on his back off. The hooded man came flying off the horse with a thud that surprised even Roberts. His first impulse was to circle the man, who was now totally at his mercy with his own horse, then he drew his sword and slashed, first at the area above the man's knees and then his hand, this was to stop him from drawing his own sword or making any attempt to run. "You a
Chapter 95For the first hours after the baby's birth, every time she opened her eyes, she was filled with fear, and she could not dispel her feelings of apprehension until she assured herself her baby was all right. Lauren had told her that her child was safe and being fed at the moment, because according to her, the baby was too weak to wait for her own milk. Nancy asked if Derek had been allowed near her child, and she was told of how he had been of great help during the birthing, but she could not bring herself to believe it. She recovered slowly from the birthing, and all the pains were forgotten the moment Lucille brought her baby, wrapped in warm sheets and now dressed in sweet little clothes for her to hold for the first time. It was a grievous disappointment to Nancy that most of the child's features had been gotten from Derek, and very little from her, but Lauren told her that all that might go away as the baby grew. She wanted so much to give her baby the nourishment she