"Argh."
Nicholas placed the scroll aside and massaged his forehead. Nicholas wondered if all of the dust was starting to affect him badly that he would get hay fever or some sort of sickness even though it was winter.
Nicholas would finally notice that there was something that seemed to be gone. He stared at a shelf that didn't have any dust on a small box-shaped area while its surroundings were filled with enough dust.
"Huh, this looks like there's supposed to be some kind of small book here?" Nicholas muttered.
Something was truly missing.
***
"You are pregnant."
What the doctor told Sophie rendered her speechless. She didn't know what to say and for a few moments, she sat on her chair, frozen.
She… was pregnant?
The wind outside was howling, the temperature dropped to really low and she coud see snow started falling again outside the window.
Her mind went into a mess. How could she care for a baby? She was so young and poor. She couldn't even think about how she could find work and feed herself once the money she had in her purse ran out.
She had been spending so much on the carriage and the accommodation because she was hoping to meet Nic in Hastings or at least Lord Ferdinand and found ways to find her husband.
Now… what should she do?
The doctor noticed her change of expression but assumed she was just feeling surprised by the news. He had seen women reacting that way when they were told they were pregnant for the first time.
So, he continued his words, giving advice for Sophie to stay in one place and also get a lot of rest. There was a multitude of advice given on how to take care of the future baby that all that Sophie could do was promise to do them.
However, they were difficult.
"Don't travel to faraway places again, at least until you pass the first trimester. What you did by going here from Hauntingen was dangerous for your fetus. You are lucky it is quite healthy." The doctor looked at Sophie seriously. "Don't over-exert yourself and do hard manual labor. You can lose the baby. It's quite dangerous in your condition."
Sophie nodded absent-mindedly. She was still in shock.
"I want you to eat well and healthy, but do not overexert yourself, young woman." The old man warned her and wagged his finger. "Your husband should do his best to pamper you and make sure that your child will grow up well."
Sophie's eyes glittered with tears at those words and she nodded slowly. "Yes, Sir…."
The old man could tell that he said something wrong so he quickly retracted his words. Perhaps... this woman didn't have a husband. That was not uncommon too, especially for young women who were really beautiful but poor.
The doctor cleared his throat and quickly added, "Or... do you have a family to stay with? I am sure that they will take care of you. After all, you are carrying a baby within you."
Sophie was dumbfounded when the doctor mentioned family. She didn't have any. After she got together with Nicholas, she thought the man could be her family... but now he was gone. Dead.
Sophie had stopped thinking of Aunt Helga and her family as her relative. Now that she knew her aunt only took her in so they could get her grandfather's wealth that was supposed to be Sophie's inheritance, she felt resentful.
No... she would not go home to her aunt's home. They would definitely kick her out and call her a liar.
"You have to look up and stay strong, okay, child?" The doctor patted Sophie's back and gave her a sympathetic look.
"I will do my best, Sir," Sophie nodded slowly. "I will take care of this baby of mine."
"Good. Then you can return here if you need to buy some tonics or something else, okay? I can give you a discounted price so you can keep your child strong."
"I will do that."
When Sophie left the small clinic, the initial wave of joy at knowing that Nicholas was not truly gone and had left her a child vanished a little when she realized what it actually meant to have a baby.
Sophie was too poor and could not afford to take care of her baby or even stay at the inn for so long even with the coin purse she had received from the stranger who sent her the note. There was no choice... she must get a job so she could provide for herself and her baby.
But...
"But who will hire a pregnant woman like me?" Sophie sadly said herself. She was feeling dejected and helpless.
Sophie was young, never had any work experience, and was also pregnant. There was little chance she could get a job. And if there was anyone who would hire her, it was definitely for hard manual work.
However, the old doctor just now already told her to avoid doing manual labor since it could endanger her baby. Even though Sophie was still shocked, it didn't mean she didn't love her baby.
She loved it very much. Sophie immediately decided she would not dwell in her sorrow. She must find ways to get a job to support herself and her baby.
So, she wrapped her cloak tightly around her body and started walking from one shop to another, asking if they needed a waiter or staff.
Unfortunately, nobody could give her a job. Only a wealthy-looking woman who was shopping for bread in the bakery offered her to work as a maid in her house and Sophie had to turn it down because she knew how much manual labor was needed in doing that job.
After her legs were tired from walking so much, finally, Sophie decided to return to her inn. Once she entered her room and closed the door behind her, Sophie sobbed uncontrollably.
There was no one else in this world that Sophie could turn to. So, after she cried until her tears were dry, she was forced to head back to her aunt's house to beg for aid. The steps all the way to Aunt Helga's house were long and arduous but she did it.
"So the dog has finally decided to come back home?" Aunt Helga stared down at Sophie in disbelief and snorted. "I thought that you wanted to leave the house and ran away, but now you have returned here."
"I… yes, yes I have." Sophie swallowed hard. She needed to stay here and just be able to give birth to her child. That way she didn't have to spend money on accommodation. Once all of this was over, then maybe she could return to Hauntingen.
In reality, Aunt Helga recently came into some trouble when the lawyers were looking for Sophie because of inheritance issues that involved Sophie being the daughter of the true heir.
Compared to her two daughters, Sophie Hanlsely had more of a right to the following wealth of their grandfather because of Helga's stupid father. So it was actually good timing that Sophie returned but the older woman refused to admit it.
.
.
__________________
From Missrealitybites:
Sophie really has no choice but to return to her aunt's family. :(
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l