Guilt remained a heavy burden to shift and the man rested his hands on his knees as he crouched beside the bed. He let out a slow sigh before nodding, sympathetic, “if she asks you directly, then you must do what you think is correct. My advice is that such a truth will only cause you pain; and those you love. It is a secret better kept.”
The fragile bird broken down in desperate sobs and his heart was pulled in different directions. He was relieved he she gave the fearful, reluctant permission to touch her. He moved carefully, as though approaching a frightened horse and from the side. Sliding onto the bed beside her, the man wrapped a single arm around the thin shoulders. He held her then, fingers gently squeezing and trying to offer comfort and support. Her nearer shoulder pressed against his chest, she could likely feel the rapid beating of his heart as he lifted his head, staring blank at the wall.
The Baron considered his words with care. How to comfort the girl who had been through so much? He did not want to fill her head with false promises but surely there had to be something he could say? Something to ease the sting of her pain and stop the tears. Immortals, he wondered if, in that moment, there was anything he wouldn’t do to stop the tears. Tears of his making. Fury rose up again in his throat, like a bile that wouldn’t quit. He swallowed the sensation, eager not to display it and frighten Lei’Lira. He was furious with himself, and the child’s grandmother for concocting such a poorly executed scheme.
“If there is a child…then we will deal with that trial by trial,” he kept his voice low. How likely was it though, that she had conceived. It was a possibility yes, but not a certainty. He gave a gentle squeeze of his arm once more, “do not cry for what you do not know and cannot predict. Daughter of my Brother, you have enough woes on your table without searching for more.” He lent forward keeping the motion slow as he pressed a kiss to her hair and withdraw again. “There is a woman I can bring to you. She can see if you are with child, but she would need to examine you.”
The fragile bird broken down in desperate sobs and his heart was pulled in different directions. He was relieved he she gave the fearful, reluctant permission to touch her. He moved carefully, as though approaching a frightened horse and from the side. Sliding onto the bed beside her, the man wrapped a single arm around the thin shoulders. He held her then, fingers gently squeezing and trying to offer comfort and support. Her nearer shoulder pressed against his chest, she could likely feel the rapid beating of his heart as he lifted his head, staring blank at the wall.
The Baron considered his words with care. How to comfort the girl who had been through so much? He did not want to fill her head with false promises but surely there had to be something he could say? Something to ease the sting of her pain and stop the tears. Immortals, he wondered if, in that moment, there was anything he wouldn’t do to stop the tears. Tears of his making. Fury rose up again in his throat, like a bile that wouldn’t quit. He swallowed the sensation, eager not to display it and frighten Lei’Lira. He was furious with himself, and the child’s grandmother for concocting such a poorly executed scheme.
“If there is a child…then we will deal with that trial by trial,” he kept his voice low. How likely was it though, that she had conceived. It was a possibility yes, but not a certainty. He gave a gentle squeeze of his arm once more, “do not cry for what you do not know and cannot predict. Daughter of my Brother, you have enough woes on your table without searching for more.” He lent forward keeping the motion slow as he pressed a kiss to her hair and withdraw again. “There is a woman I can bring to you. She can see if you are with child, but she would need to examine you.”
