That morning Abigail Dallas in her large, charming room was still preparing herself for the day ahead.
The room was large, spacious, bright, as if Princess Isabelle had not wanted to leave out any comfort to the future wife of her beloved cousin.
In addition, her room smelled of various sweet perfumes, which her attendants took care to spray in the air every morning.
Abigail was immersed in the thousand scents of rose and lavender, in the middle of the room, critically observing her own body in the reflection of the large mirror.
She continued to be the same, to be enchanting.
Her long red hair ruffled by sleep, was perfumed and her big emerald eyes, her small upturned nose and her sweet and delicate pink lips were enchanting.
She was dressed in her long white nightgown, adorned with a thousand white lace. She was holding it to her belly.
The duchess wondered how much longer it would take for everyone to realise her pregnancy, and she knew in her heart that she would have to reveal everything to Juniper.
She didn't know how he would react.
All of this was still a mystery that was waiting to be solved.
She was waiting and just at that precise moment, when all these problems were starting to arise that her future husband entered her rooms.
Abigail slowly turned her head towards the other and immediately, without even thinking about it, she let go of her nightgown from her belly.
She saw Juniper, still recently awakened, she noticed his face, usually pale but now coloured with a strange blush on his cheeks, his blue eyes were deep and showed a vital and active light.
His curly golden hair was ruffled and some tufts fell down on his forehead.
Juniper seemed more alive than usual, more cheerful and happy, almost as if some good thing had just happened.
-Good morning Abigail- said the young man slowly approaching her and gently squeezing her hands - did you sleep well? -.
Abigail felt sad from all the innate happiness of the young baron, she felt guilty for what she had done to him.
But she wanted to keep her sweet temper and look like a perfect wife, so she just smiled and nodded slightly as her pink lips closed in a sweet smile.
-I slept perfectly, thank you my lord- the young duchess hinted briefly leaving a kiss on one of the cheeks of her future husband.
Juniper lightly bit his lower lip and looked away -Abigail, I came here to ask you something ... - he started to talk - our wedding will be shortly but I can no longer just stay away from you...-.
Abigail was struck by the young baron's words, so much so that she then asked the unexpected question.
-Say Juniper, is this your intention, to have sex before our marriage is complete? - asked the young woman, taking her little hands back into each other.
-I love you Abigail, and thanks to you I have forgotten all the pain of my past, all that life has brought me...I love you, and I suppose this is likewise a gesture of love ...- to those words the young man delicately began to untie the belt, which at the height of his belly tightened his trousers to him.
But by then the duchess knew she had to do something, she felt too guilty for what she had heard.
So it was that she gently took Juniper's hands and stopped him from further loosening the belt.
-Juniper- she began to speak -you are an angel and I love you too, I love you with all my heart, but I'm not ready for this- she finished speaking and so her future husband began patiently to fasten the belt of his fine trousers.
-You know I would never touch you against your will- Juniper admitted briefly observing the green eyes of the other -but tell me why-.
To those words Abigail added nothing else.
She grabbed her husband's hand and placed it together with hers on the white nightgown, towards the height of her belly.
She made the baron touch where the child should be and at that mysterious discovery the other was frightened.
He took a few steps back, away from the young woman's body, and his eyes full of love were now changed to bewilderment.
-You are pregnant! - Juniper exclaimed pointing slightly one of his fingers towards her belly -you are pregnant...but that baby is not mine!-.
Abigail at those words collapsed on the bed and began to cry all her tears.
-It was a mistake Juniper...please forgive me- but at those words the anger rose even more in the body of her future husband.
-A mistake?! So why did you commit it? Why did you betray me? Was my love not enough for you? - Juniper asked while even his own enchanting blue eyes filled with transparent tears - you thought maybe it's easy for me, all this?-.
But Abigail didn't want to hear the young man's words so she continued to cry she tried to persuade him.
-I beg you...forgive me, I had drunk too much wine, I was not conscious, it was not my choice ...-.
-Do you mean that this happened against your will? - asked Juniper for a moment trying to calm down.
-It was the environment, Gilbert and I were alone ...- Abigail admitted wiping the tears from her big and sad eyes.
At those words Juniper really began to rage, violently throwing a fist at the large and circular table of dark cherry wood.
-It was obvious! Stupid me who had fallen for these little things! It was logical that Gilbert was involved in all this!- the young man was able to slowly move some tufts of his curly hair from his forehead.
-As far as our marriage is concerned, I will be forced to talk about it with Isabelle and for this reason ask for it to be canceled- at those words the terror began to strike the girl's body, almost thus bringing her to throw herself at the feet of the promised husband, praying him.
-Please Juniper, I love you! I still want to marry you! I beg you do not say anything to your cousin!- continued to pray Abigail, who understood the danger she and her child would face if the princess had discovered all that.
-And what will it be of the baby? - Juniper asked, turning his gaze slightly to the small but rounded belly of his bride -without saying anything should I pretend to be happy and raise a child who is not mine? -.
Abigail froze, she was worried, terrified.
In that time, on the other hand, she had always and only thought about her emotions, worrying that everything was going well for her, but in all that worry she had never wondered how Juniper could really react.
-I know how precious the relationship between a mother and a child is ...- the baron looked into the void as his deep blue eyes plunged into numerous tears -and that is why I absolutely do not want you to give up on your child- he concluded going away and thus ultimately turning his back on his partner.
-I don't want you to think I'm happy, but this is not important to me for now ...- Juniper admitted at this point, turning his face again towards the duchess -I will do everything to protect you and your child, but I beg you, don't leave me...-.
Abigail watched in bewilderment the young man's face burst into tears desperately, she saw how tired he was of everything that was going on in his life.
She stood up again and took a few more steps gently towards the sobbing body of the young man now kneeling on the floor.
He covered his eyes with his hands, he didn't want to cry, he did it reluctantly.
Abigail was now sad, she no longer smiled, she thought of everything that Juniper had seen, experienced, how many people he had been forced to abandon in his life and now she understood that he was tired, to the point of accepting everything in order not to be abandoned again.
Abigail knelt next to him and hugged him: she hugged him so tightly and with so much affection that she soon calmed her desperate crying.
-I will never leave you Juniper, for every day of our life- she whispered sweetly in his ears, at the same time gently caressing the golden curls of her husband.
-We will always be together and have children, as much as you desire, we will finally be united, we will finally be a family ..- Abigail kept whispering, while the bodies of the two hugged in a sweet embrace illuminated by the warm and early morning sun.