Sophie was really grateful and was tempted because she didn't know what she was going to do once she got back at Hauntingen. She could sell the jewels, but then she would have to work alone and try to make a living there all by herself.
Compared to staying here in the castle with other people, Sophie might be able to have friends and was actually close to a good doctor and midwife when she gave birth. However, Sophie was still a lycan and she didn't know if it would affect the birth.
Also… how would her pregnancy turn out? When Nicholas and she had sex, her husband was still a lycan because the wolfsbane didn't work... did she now carry a lycan pup?
How long would her pregnancy be? If it was a human baby, the pregnancy would last for nine months and she would give birth around seven months from now.
However... if it's a wolf pup… she might actually give birth to a litter of them and her pregnancy would not last as long.
Sophie suddenly panicked. She never thought of this before. She needed to know how long she could keep her pregnancy hidden before she quit her work and find a place to hide.
Sophie only needed a few seconds to make a decision. She realized, at the moment, she needed a roof over her head while she could think and make plans for her next steps.
It was true that if she tried to pawn the jewelry to the shop here in Hastings, it was likely that she would be arrested by the constables because her aunt must definitely have reported her 'crime'.
She would be trapped in Hasting and couldn't go back to Hauntingen to raise her child. And then.. what would happen to her and her child if it turned out she gave birth to a litter of wolf pups?
She would be hunted, killed and her children would suffer the consequences. No… she must not be rash.
She looked up and gave the man before her a thorough gaze. She couldn't see his face behind the mask but his eyes were looking at her in concern.
They looked sincere. Sophie bit her lip. She would bide her time by accepting this man's offer to work for him. Maybe she could do it for one month until she could make plans.
Even if she was going to work here in the castle, at least she wouldn't be mistreated by her cousins.
When Sophie compared the options that were available to her, she finally nodded weakly and bow again. "I will be forever grateful that you have offered this opportunity to me, Lord Romanov. May I ask what work do you have for me here… and how much are you going to pay me?"
Well.. money is money, she thought to herself. She must be upfront about the terms and conditions of the work so she could understand what was expected of her and how much extra money she could earn to add to her savings.
She threw away her pride because she needed money to raise her child.
"You will do some light work with other maids in this castle. I will have the butler assign your position. As for the salary, does 100 dirhams per month sound good to you?"
Sophie quickly nodded vigorously. She could do a maid job. She had been doing it for a long time at Aunt Helga's home, without pay. Now, it would be nice to make some money out of her work.
One hundred dirhams were quite generous for a maid job that Sophie actually felt suspicious that the duke only gave her the job as an excuse so he could keep her here in his castle.
Was he interested in Sophie and wanted her to be his mistress or something?
Sophie clenched her fists. She would find an excuse to quit work as soon as she found the situation become uncomfortable. She couldn't outright refuse him now. Men had their egos. Who knows what this man would do if he felt offended by her rejection?
Even though he sounded sincere, Sophie didn't want to let her guard down.
She nodded, "That is a generous wage, my lord. I am grateful."
"Does that mean you want to work here?" Leland hated her calling him 'my lord', but there was nothing he could do now. He had to keep his disguise, until… well, until Sophie became his mate and he could be open to her about everything,
"Yes, my lord. I am grateful for the job offer. I will do my best," Sophie confirmed.
Her answer made Leland feel pleased. It's best to keep Sophie close and within his sight. That way he could always make sure she was protected. He wouldn't need to secretly give her his temporary mark like the last time.
Leland looked at Sophia fixedly and said, "Then, welcome to my home, Miss Hansley. Breakfast will be in the grand hall of this castle, one of the maids will come here to escort you."
"Ah, thank you so much," Sophie said again.
"Hmm." Leland just nodded. Before the man left Sophie's room, he couldn't help but look at the clothes that he asked from one of the lycan women and knew that she had probably noticed it but didn't say a thing.
"One last thing, Miss Hansley."
"Yes, Lord Romanov?"
"You may have noticed that you are wearing new clothes, rest assured that I have asked one of the women here to change your outfit because I was afraid that you would get sick. I will see you later and discuss more your situation here."
After those words, Leland left the room and left Sophie to stand alone in her room for a moment. Only then she did realize that she indeed had changed into something else.
After all, the clothes that Sophie wore were the last thing that she could have noticed after waking up and seeing herself in a new room with a complete stranger. She didn't know what to feel about this situation at all.
However, like always, Sophie would try to make the best out of it despite everything. She was glad the mysterious duke made it a point to let her know that he didn't do anything despicable to her, and he even made a female servant come and help Sophie change.
She carefully looked down at the ring on her palm and smiled sadly. This was her husband's family heirloom. When he gave it to her, Sophie felt like she was being embraced and became part of them, part of Nicholas' family.
"Nic, even though you… you may have not been able to keep your promise to stay with me, I am not alone," Sophie closed her eyes and placed a hand on her stomach. "I will have a companion… I am no longer alone and lonely after our child is born…"
Tears started dripping to her cheeks and she was feeling so emotional. The sadness returned with a vengeance. However, Sophie tried to steel her heart. She wiped her tears roughly with the hem of her dress.
Sophie was determined that she was going to do her best to raise their child.
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