So...alot happens in this chapter.
Meg lay staring at the ceiling long after Andrew had collapsed beside her and watched the soft glow of the fire on the wall die down. Nothing had been as she'd hoped. It had all been so sudden and fast that it seemed like it hadn't happened, except she knew it had because she was naked. Her mother had said that it should be one of the most beautiful moments in her life and it had been nothing more than a sharp pain, which then went away and just felt like an uncomfortable fullness in her. Ten minutes later it was over without so much as a goodnight kiss. She finally fell asleep just as the first light was beginning to creep over the horizon.
She awoke to the sound of drawers shutting as she opened her exhausted eyes to see Andrew getting dressed.
"Where are you going?" She whispered, her voice laced with fatigue. He looked over at her and leaned to peck her cheek quickly.
"I have some business to attend to. Please make yourself comfortable and Rose will take care of anything you need." He replied quickly as Meg sat up.
"Andrew…"
"Enough dear. I will see you later. Wait for me before you fall asleep. I shan't be too late." He said and before she could reply, he was gone. She fell back against the pillows frustrated and began to cry.
This routine continued for the next two months. Andrew would be gone until late into the night and every night, Meg was woken up if she wasn't already awake to please her husband. The uncomfortable pain went away and sometimes if she imagined she was somewhere else, it even felt good, but it was never what she'd expected. Very early, Andrew left the house and Meg did too soon after to visit her mother or Christine. One such morning, she awoke to the churning of her stomach and her heart dropped. This had been happening on and off for the past two weeks. Sighing, she pulled on her clothes and brushed her hair before setting off to Christine's to talk. Raoul answered the door and his eyes widened when he saw the state she was in.
"Come in Meg. Christine will be right down." He said, ushering her into the house. She could see in his blue green eyes that he knew exactly what was wrong.
He sat her on the chaise lounge in the sitting room and went to find Christine, returning with her less than a minute later.
"Oh my God." Christine said, rushing to kneel beside Meg who was now sobbing into her hands.
"What have I done Christine?" She asked her sister, "I am so stupid!" She said as Christine sat beside her.
"No…you aren't. What happened?" She asked and Meg looked up.
"I think I am pregnant." She replied defeated. Christine brought her hand to rest under her chin.
"Pregnant…" She said and Meg nodded.
"I haven't had a cycle. I am almost three weeks late now." She said, sniffling. "It's all he wants me for isn't it? To give him babies and be his little wife!"
Christine sighed.
"Why don't we just send for the doctor and see for sure?" She asked Meg, who nodded.
"That's probably better." She said, looking up at Raoul, who seemed angry.
"I'll take care of it Christine." He said, leaving the room. They waited for what seemed like an eternity until the driver Martin returned with the aging doctor. Meg stood as if she was walking to a death sentence. Christine went with her and held her hand throughout the exam.
"Well dear…" The doctor began, "You are indeed going to have a baby…about a month and a half along…you should expect him or her around early March. Congratulations Madame Westcliff." He said before packing up and leaving. Christine and Meg just stared at each other.
"March." Meg said. "Well, Andrew is getting what he wanted." She said and Christine nodded, trying to think of a way to make Meg feel better.
"Meg! Don't you realize? You're going to be someone's mother!" She cried and Meg nodded sadly.
"I know…it's wonderful isn't it?" She said, beginning to cry. Christine's lip began to tremble.
"Yes! It's great." She said, putting her arms around Meg and resting her cheek on Meg's head as Raoul knocked on the door.
"Come in dear!" Christine called as he hesitantly entered the room. His face fell when he saw them. He looked at Christine expectantly and she nodded, confirming all of their fears.
"Oh Meg…" He said softly touching her shoulder. "Congratulations." He tried to spit out, but the words fell from his mouth like venom. She nodded her thanks as he kissed Christine and left the room.
"He doesn't love me Christine." Meg said. "He hardly speaks to me. He works all day and comes home late at night. We make love and he falls asleep. The next day, he leaves before I wake and the cycle starts all over again." She sighed. "It isn't fair, because I still love him, but most of the time, I feel like a burden on him." Christine shook her head.
"You are not a burden…he obviously wanted you to have a baby…so this should make him happy!" She said, fuming inside at the wretched bastard. Meg got up and smoothed down her dress.
"I'm going to go to his office and tell him." She said, with a determined look in her eyes. "Damn it, I will save my marriage!" She said and hugged Christine quickly before hurrying out of the bedroom. "I will return later!" She said on her way out, waving quickly at Raoul as she shut the door behind her.
"Madame…I am sorry…Lord Westcliff does not take visitors during the day." The young clerk said feverishly.
"But I am his wife!" She said angrily, eyeing her husband's office door. Andrew had been running his father's company since he retired, which was a wine business.
"Please Madame…I am sorry, but Lord…" He couldn't finish because little Meg had pushed him aside and moved to open her husband's office door, which was locked. Growling, she knocked on the door furiously.
"Andrew Westcliff! You damn well had better open this door right now or I swear to God…" She said as she heard the lock click. Her mouth dropped open when she saw her husband escorting Jacqueline Marquet out.
"Thank you Mademoiselle. Your help has been most appreciated." He said shaking her hand as she gave a smug look at Meg.
"Marguerite, what is the meaning of this?" Andrew asked, pulling her into the room. She stood with her arms folded.
"What the hell was she doing here?" Meg asked, not wanting to discuss anything but what she had just seen. Andrew sighed irritated.
"Meg, I do not have the time for this nonsense. What do you want?" He asked, pouring himself a glass of brandy.
"Oh nothing! I was just coming here to tell you that I was pregnant, but since I am annoying you so, I shall leave." She said spinning on her heel to leave. He had practically bounded over the desk to get to her and whirled her into his arms.
"You're certain?" He asked and she nodded as he broke into a grin and pulled her tightly against him.
"Oh thank you! Oh Meg!" He cried, kissing her forehead. The tears she'd been holding back began to fall as he noticed. "Why are you crying my love? You are going to have my child!" He said and she shook her head.
"You don't love me." She said, sniffling. "You never want to be around me and when you are it is as if I am but a pest. You never kiss me or hold me anymore. Not since the wedding." She sobbed as he held her to his chest.
"Now Meg, how could you think that? I know things have been hectic, but my love for you has not changed!" He said and she relaxed a bit.
"Really?" She asked, fighting the notion he was lying out of her head. He nodded.
"Of course. Do you think I would have married just anybody? Of course not. I knew from the moment we met that we were destined to be together." He said and kissed her on the lips as he had not kissed her in months.
He moved to lock his office door and began to unbutton her dress.
"W-what are you doing Andrew?" She asked as he freed her of that along with her chemise.
"I'm going to make love to you, my sweet. Right here on the rug." He said laying her down on the soft rug and undressing. "To celebrate you carrying my son."
"Or daughter." She added, but he silenced her with his finger.
"Son." He said again and brushed his lips over her collarbone, sending a shiver down her body.
"Andrew…" She whispered as they moved together and she finally felt the exquisite pleasure she'd been waiting two months for.
"Oh Meg…I love you." He said as she repeated the words and they came together.
He lay beside her, breathing heavily after they'd finished. She couldn't stop smiling, especially when he ran his hand lightly over her abdomen and kissed her shoulder.
"I have to tell my mother!" She said suddenly, turning to rest her head on his shoulder. He grinned.
"Yes…you do! And I want you to take some money and treat yourself to a relaxing day…buy whatever you wish darling. After all, you are having my child. My heir." He added, kissing her on the lips.
"Oh Andrew I wish we could spend time like this more often." She said and he thought a moment before sitting up.
"I'll tell you what sweetheart. I am going to plan a trip for us to London…we'll have a honeymoon like we weren't able to before. We can celebrate and shop for you and for the baby." He said. "We'll stay for a month or two!" He said and she clapped her hands together.
"Oh, how lovely!" She said as he kissed her and helped her dress.
"You just go see your mother and relax and I will pick you up after work. Then we'll spend the whole night together." He said and she nodded as he dressed himself. He walked her out the door and kissed her goodbye, giving her a large sum of money to spend on herself. Since their wedding, money was not really an option anymore and once their son was born, it would never be an option. He smiled to himself as he watched her leave.
She really was precious…so naïve. It made this so easy. He'd suspected it would be easy to impregnate her, although he had not expected her to react the way she had today. Then again, it had been unfortunate timing since Jacqueline had come to negotiate a deal with him and was settled comfortably between his legs when Meg had knocked at his office door. It was what Jacqueline was good for. Sex and deals. He knew she wanted one thing…Raoul de Chagny, and in return, he would get Roxana. Meg would be easy enough to divorce. He could then send her off to London with the child and make sure that they were handsomely provided for as he was free to marry Roxana and create more heirs. The only thing standing in his way was Destler.
"Erik!" Roxana whispered loudly, throwing the door to his bedroom open. He looked up from his sheet of music.
"What?" He asked impatiently as she shut the door softly behind her and locked it.
"Jamie is asleep!" She said, unbuttoning the front of her pink dress and pushing him back onto the bed. He chuckled softly. James had been sick the past week and neither of them had slept much or gotten any time alone.
"What about you getting pregnant?" He asked and she sighed.
"I honestly couldn't care less right now…" she said, running her mouth along his slender neck, "But now that you're asking…I just finished my cycle, so there!" She said and began to unbutton his shirt. The next sound he made was a cross between a laugh and a moan as she unfastened the front of her corset and giggled.
The muffled giggles and moaning coming from inside the bedroom intrigued Jacqueline who had let herself in the back door with the key Andrew had given her.
"Well Roxana…we shall see if I can't make him moan like that…then we'll see who the winner is, and when it is all over I shall have my Raoul…soon…but not yet." She grinned to herself as she listened a bit more until it stopped and she silently let herself back out of the house. "Yes Raoul de Chagny…it won't be long now."