His reputation hardly meant more than her marriage, but still Melody nodded in agreement. Unless Ben pushed the subject — which he undoubtedly wouldn— Melody would keep his identity to herself. Besides, she hardly wanted Ben to challenge someone else to a duel. He was injured after the last one, who was to say what kind of duelist Mr. Beckett was?

She was reaching for her torn underthings as he walked out but froze. There was no denying what they'd done, however she hadn't considered the possible consequences until that moment. If she was pregnant (a likely scenario considering the two times her and Ben had been physically intimate had led to pregnancies) Ben would immediately know the baby wasn't his. They hadn't so much as kissed in months, a confession of adultery followed by a pregnancy would be the final straw for their marriage. "Mr. Longbottom," Melody called out, still clutching the blanket tight around herself. "If I'm pregnant, he'll know it's not his. What would you prefer I do?"

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