She turned briefly to Ellie, a frown settling on her face at the sight of her tears. “Is there anything we can do to ease her discomfort? She's been like this all morning and she refuses to eat.”

“I would suggest something hard to chew on. Perhaps some biscuits? It will help scratch her gum and relieve the pain. With a few toys and rattlers that she can chew on, she should be fine. Isn't that right, Ellie? ” Edward cooed, playfully touching Ellie's cheeks.

Gretchen released a tired sigh and nodded to Edward's words. Picking Ellie up in her arms, she thanked the doctor for coming and waited for him to leave the room.

Fighting the urge to cry, she didn't think she could deal with so much bad news in so little space of time; first it was Ethan and his blatant rejection of her in a ballroom full of people, then it was his unkind words to her, breaking their relationship, and finally, it was Ellie. With a teething baby, she wasn't certain she knew what to look forward to. She was especially angered by Ethan's disappearance—perhaps he had gone on another journey just to avoid her?

Exhausted, she desired nothing but to curl up in bed and give in to the barely deniable urge to cry her eyes out. But unfortunately for her, nannies didn't get the luxury of a good cry.

**

ETHAN NEEDED TO GET away; from Gretchen and his overactive emotions. But as he tried to listen to the captain give a report on his vessel that had just arrived at London, he found his mind wandering back to her. She was the only thing he could think about throughout the day, the guilt of his cruel words the evening of the ball, coming back to haunt him. Perhaps he had been too hard on her? Perhaps he had overreacted? For a brief second, he thought it was the age difference; he was a twenty eight year old man trying to have a relationship with an eighteen year old woman. Surely, he couldn't blame her for being youthful and desiring of his attention. Perhaps the fact that he was a lot older and had spent his entire life being groomed on ethics and how to conduct one's self in the eyes of the general public, worsened his lack of understanding of her behavior?

He returned to the manor in time for dinner. Rising to his feet in acknowledgement of Gretchen's presence, he watched her settle on the seat next to his, her gaze fixed on the table as she murmured a greeting. Her coldness only helped to heighten his guilt as he settled on his chair, realizing then that Elizabeth was absent.

Slightly bothered by Elizabeth's absence, he decided to ask her the reason for it once the meal was over.

They ate in silence, his eyes drifting once in a while to Gretchen who with her eyes on her plate, barely eating her food.