A baby and the truth

Liberty was avoiding Paul and her absence at dinner confirmed it. Paul was both mad at and worried for Liberty. When the women came down for dinner all the men asked what was wrong with Liberty but none of the women would say what it was exactly what was wrong with her. Actually when they came down for dinner, Brooke avoided all of Andrew's question.

"How's Liberty?" Andrew asked bluntly

"Worse, she said that she isn't coming down for dinner again. I wonder when Alex is going to come over. I thought you invited him tonight?" She asked her husband. Paul's heart squeezed a little when he heard that Liberty was not coming for dinner. He hadn't seen her in over two weeks and wondered often what she was up to. He missed seeing her smile and teasing her but most of all he just missed seeing her.

"I did invite Alex but he turned the invitation down he wanted to spend some more time with hi increasing wife. I want to know what is up with Liberty she's become a watering pot in a matter of two weeks and she hasn't eaten or touched food in that time either I'm worried about her, as is Paul." That was completely true what could have upset Liberty so much that she didn't say what was wrong with her?

"I can't tell you it's something that she's just gong t have to tell Pal about on her own. If you want to know where she is, that I can tell you, she's upstairs in the nursery probably visiting Michael. Paul don't go yet." Paul had stood up the moment the sentence came out of Brooke's mouth. He ignored her request to stay and went to the kitchen to ask the cook to make a special dinner for her.

When he got to the nursery he fund her asleep on the settee. The way the sinking sun was hitting her made her look immaculate. Her light brown hair shined in the setting sun and the light pink day dress was absolutely beautiful n her delicate frame. Quietly Paul went up to her and crouched down and kissed Liberty on the cheek. Her hazel eyes fluttered opened to his touch.

"I'm sorry did I wake you?" He asked gently, Liberty just blinked several times before sitting up. She shook her head and blinked her head again. Paul's lips twisted in contemplation on what to say. A thought came to him and a slow smile came to his lips. "Paul wants to know if Liberty would care to join him for a dinner picnic in the Nursery." She looked at him utterly confused so Paul repeated himself. "Paul," He pointed to himself "wants to know if Liberty," he pointed to her. "Wants to join Paul in a picnic in the Nursery" He said slowly so she could catch every word. He took pleasure when a small smile tugged on her lips.

"Well two can play at that game." She said with a small giggle.
This was the first time in a while he saw a challenge in her hazel eyes. The last time Paul had referred to himself in the third person he was only trying to get her to smile and say his Christian name. That plan had totally back fired and ended up with him being forced to address his own wife as "Mrs. Grimes" and then dressing up as Mr. Dawltry the knight cloaked in black. Luckily none of the children in the nursery were being particularly noisy so they didn't ruin the mood. "Liberty would be delighted to join Paul on a picnic but Liberty would prefer to eat in a drawing room or somewhere more private. Liberty especially has gotten sick of the smell of waffles and chocolate so she begs Paul not to give her any." They both laughed.

"Paul thinks that's just fine with him and not to worry Liberty we are not having waffles for dinner. From what Paul hears this is the first you've cracked a smile in two weeks. Paul is wondering what made Liberty so upset." He readjusted his silver framed spectacles back to the ridge of his nose. Liberty's smile faded instantaneously. Liberty's eyes were sad looking and his heart squeezed again for her. He never meant to cause her pain but he really wanted to know why she was so sad.

She didn't look at him and forced smile "oh its nothing Liberty wants to discuss with her husband at the moment come on I'm starving." Paul got up and helped her to her feet. She felt so fragile like if he put any more pressure on her arm he would unintentionally break her arm. Had she not been eating as well? He looked her over and noticed that she was wearing a dress that was clearly not for use in the summer. It was made out of a thick material and had a high collar. All the buttons were buttoned in the front. Liberty was a scarecrow when they first met but she looked even more like a scarecrow now. Surely Andrew and Brooke would have taken more care of her in his stead.

He frowned at her this was obviously not nothing and he was not going to rest without knowing what was wrong with her. He put both his hands in hers and gently massaged her wrists.

A lot of things were running through Liberty's mind at the moment. If he finds out what I did he's going to literally kill me! But then again if he finds out he will probably go challenge Sam to a duel then he… he… Liberty didn't want to delve any further into that thought. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She enjoyed the way he massaged her wrists. With every pass of his fingers he sent excited sparks through her body.

She really wished she didn't feel so guilty about what she'd done or what someone did to her. She couldn't look him in the eye anymore he was going to never talk to her again when she finally found the courage to tell him. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when Brooke slipped in to check on her children. "Oh were you two just about to leave?" She asked making both of them jump. Both Paul and Liberty nodded. "Paul I need to ask a hypothetical question of you. I could've asked papa but you are also a man of God as well." She picked up her younger son and started to nurse him.

Paul looked at her quite interested, Liberty had a bad feeling about what Brooke was about to reveal to Paul. Paul nodded to let her ask her question. "Let's say I have a friend name Ellis." Liberty winced at the use of her middle name in a hypothetical question. "She is happily married to her husband and has a son. However, one day a stranger came to her home while her husband was away and this stranger forced himself on her. She felt really guilty and doesn't want to tell her husband so the question is what advice should I give her?" Paul rubbed his fingers against his smooth clean shaven chin and twisted his lips in contemplation.

Liberty glared at her sister for revealing so much to her husband without her permission. Liberty's heart hammered against her chest hoping by some miracle he would not put the pieces together. "I would tell her to tell her husband before he can think that this sort of thing would turn into an affair. It is not your friend's fault if she got raped." That's what everyone else was saying but they didn't have a husband with a temper that hell couldn't even calm at times. Luckily Liberty's stomach decided to make a noise to remind her she was beyond hungry.

Paul smirked at her and took a hold of the hamper with one hand and her right hand with the other. "We're going to find a place to eat don't to forget to tell your friend to tell her husband what happened to her." He threw over her shoulder as Liberty led him out the door not looking at her sister as she went. She led him to a drawing room at the end of the hall. Paul put the hamper on the table and put two chairs next to each other.

Silently he emptied the hamper onto the table. Then sat down in one of the chairs. Liberty sat next to him and he pulled out their dinner which were chicken sandwiches. They were just as good as Sweets' sandwiches. Sweets was the cook at Cornwell which Liberty had been twice. Once when she first married to Paul and he had to attend to his sister-in- Law's funeral, which was before her second incident with Sam. At the moment she couldn't' think of anything but food at the moment she hadn't eaten in two weeks. As many attempts as Brooke and Andrew had tried to get her to eat something she refused. He put two cheese wheels in front of them and for a drink he poured both of them a glass of wine.

This would be a great moment with her husband if she didn't feel overheated in the gown she was wearing. After Brooke, Mama, and Madison went down to dinner Liberty went in search of a gown that would cover her bruises. Her body was all sorts of bruises from Sam and she worried about Paul coming and finding her in such a state. Unfortunately for her the only gown she could find was a winter dress but at least it covered the most revealing of all bruises on her neck. They ate in silence, Liberty eating like she would never see food again and Paul watched her.

Liberty slowed down on her eating so she wouldn't make herself sick. "Liberty?" He asked her in a serious tone. She stopped eating and looked into his green eyes. His blond hair which was an inch or two longer than was fashionable shone in the setting rays of the sun. "Aren't you hot in that gown?" She swallowed truth be known she felt like she was on fire in this gown but she didn't want to unbutton it and reveal the giant bruise on her neck. "No I'm fine." She lied smiling. He took her hands in hers and began to stroke the back of them. As he did this he rolled up her sleeves. Her stomach knotted and her heart beat like a race horse as he got closer to the bruise on her elbow. She tried to pull away but she didn't want him to stop either. Damn this man why can't he and the others just leave me alone until those bruises heal? Oh but his touch is so enchanting I don't want him to stop. Just as he had rolled her cuff up to her elbow he stopped and brought her hands to his lips and kissed them gently. "You know you can tell me if something is wrong right?" He asked gently as she swallowed dryly and nodded her understanding.

His eyes landed on the beginning of the bruise on her right elbow. He rolled up the sleeve a little more to see that it was a mark from someone grabbing her. A shadow passed over his face. "Liberty who touched you?" He asked in a most serious voice. This was it this was the time she had to tell him about her and Sam. "Liberty, who touched you?" he said angrily looking at her. She couldn't look at him and when she tried to speak her words died on her tongue. The stare he was giving her was not helping her find her words any faster.

Suddenly the door opened to reveal an ashen grey Gateway. If any luck Madison was in labor and she could avoid having this conversation with him for now. "What do you want Benjamin?" Paul growled at him. Benjamin Collins looked up at him and saw the daggers in Paul's eyes aimed straight at him. "I-I-it's Madison, she wants Liberty present at her grand event." Liberty's heart banged along her ribcage. What timing for Madison, giving an apologetic glance at her husband she fled the room.

When she got to Madison's room she noticed that Brooke and Mama and the physician were already present. The men would have to wait in another room until the baby was born or so that's what tradition was. Mama and Brooke rushed around getting things that the physician told them to get while Madison chatted to Liberty. On one such occasion both Mama and Brook were out of the room and from the hall you could hear Gateway pacing around a room nearby. "Liberty have you told Paul about you and Sam yet?" She asked between contractions. Liberty shook her head.

"I came close to telling him but then you called me in. Don't worry Madison all this pain is worth it, when you get to hold that baby in your arms you'll see." Liberty pushed a hank of gold hair from her sister's eyes. Madison chuckled "Brooke was telling me that same thing just a minute ago. Hey Liberty how much you want to bet that by the time she's fifty Brook and Andrew will have a sloo of kids?" They both laughed at the comment. It wasn't a secret that both Andrew and Brooke loved bed sport they had two kids to prove it. "I bet by the time she's fifty she'll have twenty." Madison jested after a minute. "Hmm I think they'll have thirty-five." They burst out into laughter just as Mama and Brooke came back with the things needed.

"What on earth are you two laughing about?" Brooke asked as she set the towels on the chair nearby. "Just the mating habits of hedgehogs." Madison laughed wining at the pain. The other two didn't seem to find that sentence as humorous as Liberty and Madison. Three hours later a healthy baby girl made its way into the world. Once the girls cleaned up the mess Liberty had to put on a different gown before going out to tell the boys of the great news. Surprising to her, was that the men were waiting just outside the door. Paul and Andrew were playing a game of chess and Benjamin was leaning against the wall waiting to hear the first cries of the child.

"Benjamin would you like to meet your daughter?" His head snapped to where Liberty was beaming from the doorway. "m-my daughter?" he said dumbfounded as he followed Liberty into the room to see the baby. Benjamin kissed his wife and congratulated her the baby was so small in his hands. Liberty felt a longing to have a daughter but was just as satisfied with her son. She felt her husband in a warm hug and kissed her forehead. He leaned in close to her ear "you're not getting away from me this time you still have to answer my question." Liberty's heart stopped his tone had a sharp edge to it. It was the same words Sam used last time she tried to escape him.

Liberty's body felt like she was no longer on this earth. She couldn't breathe or see or feel she was nothing. She looked up into her husband's steely eyes. She swallowed dryly this was going to be a long night. "Fine I'll tell you but I want witnesses when you kill me." She shot at him. Paul barked with laughter "I haven't heard that one before. You know as well as I do I would never kill you but I have a feeling the rest of us would like to know what's wrong as well." She looked away from him and he brought her face toward his. "I'm just worried about you sweetie." He kissed Liberty on the forehead again. Liberty sighed she had to confess but everyone was gushing over the new baby.

After Madison gave the baby to the nursemaid everyone turned their attention to Liberty. She had already told the women but the men didn't hear at all. She felt very dizzy all of a sudden and wished that Paul hadn't let go of her. She tried to get her brain work on what she was supposed to say and not on the extreme dizziness she was feeling right now. Liberty looked into everyone's eyes and looked around the room. Madison had fallen asleep on Benjamin's lap and he was stroking her hair gently.

Liberty swallowed at a lump of raw emotion that had formed in her throat. "I-It was Sam" was all she could get out before her dizziness over took her and she fainted into her husband's arms.

I'm probably sure that Madison and Benjamin had a boy but this is my imagination so I felt like shaking things up. if you like it review pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eez :) I don't bite much :)