"This one is for the child in my belly. After all, you did kick him earlier."
When I lifted my head, the passersby flinched. My hair had come loose from its pins, and the blood from my forehead was matted into the dark strands, making the sight all the worse.
"Good heavens, she's bleeding. This is going too far."
"She's the heir's wife, for pity's sake. If someone dies over this, there'll be hell to pay."
"Exactly. That concubine has some nerve."
Celeste only glanced at the guard. He pressed harder. I clenched my teeth and braced against the stone. "You wouldn't dare. I am the Marquess's..."
Hoofbeats cut through the air. A column of riders reined to a halt before us. "What is going on here?"
I looked up. Ferris Gilbert sat high in the saddle, surveying the scene, his traveling cloak still powdered with road dust. He had only just returned to the capital.
The instant Celeste saw him, she threw herself forward. Ferris swung down from his horse and caught her. "Celeste. What are you doing out here?"
Celeste crumpled against him, tears streaming down her face like rain on pear blossoms. "My lord, your wife tried to beat our child to death."