Until Forever (Complete)

Chapter Thirty Two

Several times through the journey from the Wellington estate to the Williams' estate, Elizabeth doubted her decision to go home with her father. She was nervous and unsure of what she was doing but Ethan didn't seem to notice as he ushered her out of the building and into the carriage. Once settled in the carriage, Elizabeth had been fully convinced that Ethan would go back into the building to inform Lord Wellington or Frederick of her decision to leave, but Ethan had done the opposite; he had simply climbed into the carriage and they had begun their journey home.

Elizabeth was unsure of her decision for two reasons; Bailey and Gretchen. Trapped in the Wellington estate was Bailey. She hadn't bothered to tell him goodbye and she regretted it. She missed him dearly and was torn between wanting to be with him and wanting to be away from Frederick.

Then, there was Gretchen. The last conversation Elizabeth had with Gretchen had been terrible to say the least and she wasn't sure if she wanted to face Gretchen just yet. Everything in her wanted to fall into Gretchen's arms and weep against her shoulder, but there was a part of her that wanted to hold back from the woman who lied to her all her life.

When Ethan helped her down from the carriage, she was fully expecting Gretchen to appear but she didn't.

Elizabeth made her way through the castle, turning once in a while to return the warm smiles being directed her way by the servants. She easily found her bed chamber and settled quietly on her comfortable bed, realizing just then, how dearly she had missed being home.

She leaned back against the bed and was about to close her eyes when she heard the door opening. Heaving a breath, she rose to a sitting position, fully expecting to see Gretchen even if she doubted she was ready to face her.

“Elizabeth!” Sammy's silver eyes lighted up and his face broke into a bright smile as he practically ran to where she sat on the bed and threw his small frame into her arms.

Grinning, she wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on his head. “I missed you too, Sammy.” She smiled, fighting the desire to cry as she held the seven year old in her arms. It was the feeling of being at home with her family, in an environment where she wasn't being starved of love.

“Father said you were home!” Sammy settled into her lap. “Then I told him Mother wasn't feeling well and he left me all alone in the hall way.” He frowned, folding his arms across his chest.

Elizabeth felt her heart drop at the mention of Gretchen being ill. “Mother's sick?”

Samuel nodded solemnly. “I think it is the baby. Mother has been unhappy since her belly started growing. You wouldn't know because you have been away. At first, I thought Mother had simply had too much to eat but her belly wouldn't stop growing and it has made her sad. I think it's also due to the fact that her dresses look silly on her...” Samuel seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he rambled on.

Gretchen was pregnant? Elizabeth thought, feeling confused. It was only a few weeks since she last saw Gretchen, how did she get pregnant within such a short time? Unless she had been pregnant for much longer than Elizabeth and Samuel knew.

Samuel rambled for most part of the morning and when he got bored, he sprang to his feet and left Elizabeth all by herself in her room where she tried and failed to keep her mind from wandering to Gretchen.

A few hours later, there was a soft knock on Elizabeth's door. She opened her eyes, realizing for the first time that she must have dozed off. She pushed herself to her feet and strolled to the door where she pulled it open and was informed that lunch was served. With a nod of her head and a whispered 'thank you', she dismissed the maid.