Honor Reclaimed (All About Honor) (12 page)
Read Honor Reclaimed (All About Honor) Online
Authors: Kathleen Reagan
“Excuse me, how do you think you got
in this condition?” he bragged as he placed his hand on her abdomen.
“You know as well as I do that we
have had sex repeatedly, but we truly made love tonight.
I truly feel like a wife for the first
time.
I do love you so.”
She said her eyes sparkling with tears.
“And I love you too,” John
admitted.
It was still a little
difficult for him to verbalize his emotions.
A part of his heart would always belong to Johane.
He would have to accept that and go on
with his life.
He could no longer
deny that he did love Eirian as well.
Chapter 5
The next few weeks were a bit
difficult for Eirian.
It was not entirely
proper to be seen in public in her advancing state of pregnancy but it was
permissible for her to entertain and be entertained by family.
The second week they were there
John’s Aunt Sarah and her youngest daughter Else came to call.
They found Eirian in the parlor on the
floor playing with little John.
John was sitting up quite nicely now and was making efforts to
crawl.
He was the happiest baby
laughing at everything and everyone.
Eirian was lying on her back holding John over her and blowing
raspberries on his fat little tummy.
The maid opened the door to announce them just as Aunt Sarah brushed
past her.
Aunt Sarah was clearly
shocked to see the lady of the house rolling around on the floor with the baby,
especially since Eirian was so large with child herself.
Eirian passed John off to his nurse and
got up off the floor as gracefully as she could under the circumstances.
She took a second to straighten her
gown and then patted her hair in place as best she could.
“How lovely of you to call, I have
been looking forward to meeting the London branch of John’s family.
I have heard so many nice things about
the time that he spent with you when he lived here while he studied law under
Uncle William.”
“The pleasure was ours.
We were looking forward to meeting you
too my dear.
Let me present your
new cousin Else.
She is our
youngest daughter.
We have four
daughters.
The older three are
married and will be around to call as their schedules permit,” Aunt Sarah
assured her.
Aunt Sarah was the most energetic
person Eirian had ever met.
She
was a virtual bundle of energy.
She immediately set about organizing
Eirian’s life.
Tomorrow she would
pick Eirian up at half past nine in the morning and take her to the seamstress
that she and her daughters used.
Even though Eirian was enceinte she could not go around London the rags
she was wearing.
She was a lovely
girl, yes, but she simply looked like a country bumpkin.
Sarah simply knew that Eirian did not
want to bring embarrassment on the family in her old fashioned gowns.
She would need at least a half of a
dozen gowns to tide her over until the baby came and then they could order a
whole wardrobe.
She would need
hats and bonnets of course to go with the gowns, but that could wait until the
dresses were completed, or at least until the selection of fabric were
made.
Of course she would simply
have to have matching slippers for each gown.
What did she bring with her in the way of jewelry?
That was a little trickier to come up
with and usually took time to build a decent collection.
Not to worry however, because John’s
mother had a decent collection that had been in safe-keeping with Uncle William
and that would get her started.
Some to the pieces were old fashioned, but it was possible to have them
reworked if John had no objection.
Now what had she done about a Nanny?
They could inquire here in town if she would like.
Oh how nice, your Nanny will come with
the children, and the nursemaid too, lovely.
Good help was so hard to find in the city.
They would simply have to throw a party
for her so that the family in London could all meet her.
They were so sorry to hear about
Johane’s death, and quite frankly they were surprised to hear that John had
remarried so soon.
How nice she
was already with child.
They
certainly did not waste anytime in conceiving did they?
When was the baby due?
So soon, well unfortunately people will
talk.
It was a bit of a shame she
was quite so fertile.
It would
have been nice if they had waited a month or two to conceive.
Lord knew with the hasty marriage and
immediate pregnancy it did not look good, not good at all.
What would people say?
They simply must avoid the topic of
Johane’s death and the hasty remarriage or she simply would not be accepted in
polite society.
Now remind me, who
were your parents?
Sir Morgan and
Lady Evelyn?
She believed she
remembered meeting them once when they visited the Vann.
Wasn’t Lady Evelyn a cousin or
something of Lady Margaret’s who was John’s late aunt and wife of Uncle
Edward?
Did she have family in
London?
How sad, well that was too
bad.
As soon as the baby came they
would need to plan a ball to introduce her to the Lewis family.
Oh, there was simply so much to
do.
Well it had been nice
visiting.
They would call for her
early tomorrow.
It would be a busy
day, be sure and get a good night’s sleep to be prepared.
Kiss, kiss and they were gone.
It was not until after they left
that Eirian realized that Elise had been given no more of an opportunity to
speak than to say hello and good-bye.
She was certainly a handsome girl, but she melted into the background
next to her out going mother.
It
seem as if Aunt Sarah consumed all the air in the room leaving very little for
any one else.
Eirian was exhausted after the visit
and went upstairs to rest for a few minutes.
The next thing she knew she was being awakened by soft
kisses as she was being drawn into John’s arms.
“Hi, sleepy head.
Joan says you have been asleep over two hours.
If you do not awaken soon you will not sleep tonight,” he
said.
“What did you do today that
tired you out so?” he asked.
“I had a visit from your Aunt
Sarah,” she replied.
“Say no more.
She tires me out too.
I do not know how Uncle William has put
up with it all these years.
That
may be why he works so hard, in order to stay away from home as much as
possible,” John laughed.
“She is calling for me tomorrow to
take me to buy several new gowns.
I simply must have bonnets and slippers to match them, and then there is
the jewelry,” Eirian recited the list in a voice mimicking Aunt Sarah’s.
“Oh Lord bless me.
I am headed for debtor’ prison.
Hurry, make love to me quickly before
they come to take me away.”
He
made a playful grab at her, which she skillfully deflected.
“Seriously John, I know nothing of
our finances.
Will it put us in a
financial bind if I go shopping for a new wardrobe?”
It was obvious that she was uncomfortable questioning him
about their finances.
“Eirian, do not worry your pretty
head about it.
We do not have
unlimited funds, but we are plenty comfortable to be able to buy what ever you
need or even what ever you want… within reason I should add.” He kissed her on
the nose and then asked, “So how about the sex thing?
Are you feeling up to it?” he asked rubbing her belly.
Her
answer was to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him to her for a long and
sultry kiss.
The
shopping trip was a success.
The
gowns were ordered along with matching bonnets, slippers, and gloves.
The jewelry would wait until after John
had had time to collect his mother’s jewelry from his Uncle’s safe.
She could look at what was there and
decide what she might need.
Eirian
returned home exhausted from all of the shopping and fittings.
Aunt Sarah had been in her element
ordering and directing the shopkeepers who were more than delighted to be of
service in anyway as they always looked forward to attaining a new
customer.
She really wanted to go
upstairs and rest for a while, but little John had just finished nursing and
was in a wonderful mood so she remained in the parlor to play with him for a
time.
She once again got down on
the floor to play with him.
John
walked in to the sound of both Eirian and little John laughing as they played
with each other.
At that moment
his heart was so full of love for them both that it scared him.
He knew that he had made the right
decision in marrying her.
She was
a loving wife and a natural mother.
“Oh
look.
There is your daddy little
man.”
Baby John looked up and saw
his father reaching for him and gave his biggest belly laugh, which sent Eirian
and John both into laughter.
John
took him in his arms and swung him around much to baby John’s delight.
Settling him on his hip, he reached out
to assist Eirian to her feet.
“Well
little mother, I do not think you will be crawling around in the floor much
longer or we will need a hoist to raise you up.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wanted to put
them back in.
He was terribly
afraid he had hurt her feelings.
He did not have to worry however as he was rewarded with a solid punch
to his arm and then a rib tickling that sent him squirming away.
As large as she was, Eirian was
surprisingly agile and managed to stay out of John’s reach as he tried to retaliate
in kind.
Chapter
6
John
had developed a routine of awaking up about six o’clock, dressing, breaking his
fast and then spending time with Eirian and baby John.
The baby, having just been fed, was at
his most sociable.
He would then
pay a visit to the older children, who had arrived in London a few weeks after
their parents, in the nursery.
It
was a great way to start his day before he had to go to the law firm run by
Uncle William.
He was well trained
in his field, but he found the routine just did not satisfy him.
His job consisted mainly of drawing up
contracts or examining ones presented to him.
It was dry and he far preferred the routine of running his
country estate.
He did however
realize that it was his turn to pay his dues and to contribute to the family
business.
This
morning had been different.
Usually Eirian left the bed at the same time that he did. They would
share a few minutes over breakfast, but this morning she was so tired that he
encouraged her to remain in bed.
Her time was near and she was so large that her stamina was
drained.
It was hard for her to
get in and out of chair let alone a bed.
She waddled when she walked, and her feet were starting to swell so that
it was hard to get her feet in her slippers.
He
was trying so hard not to be frightened, but the closer her time came the more
he worried.
He just did not think
he could survive losing her too.
If something happened to her, he just did not know what he would
do.
God had given him a second
chance at happiness and he had already wasted several months of it wishing for
what would never be again.
After
losing Johane the way he had, he was once again considering looking into ways
of avoiding future pregnancies.
Although Eirian never complained, he knew that this pregnancy had been
hard on her.
She was so
large and obviously uncomfortable.
He was not sure he wanted to risk her health again.
He was however getting to know his wife
well enough that he realized she might have other ideas about wanting more
children of her own.
He
went to work with her on his mind and found himself thinking about her most of
the morning.
About one o’clock his
uncle called him into his office.
“John, I need you to take this contract to an old friend of yours.
Andrew, Lord Moxley, has just arrived
back in London.
He is expanding
his interest in the colonies, and wishes to contract with Lewis Shipping to
transport his tobacco and other commodities. If you will review the contract
with him, and if it meets with his approval, please obtain his signature.
I though you might enjoy renewing your
acquaintance and catching up on old times too.
You are scheduled to meet him at his club.
Get the contracts signed and then take
the afternoon to catch up on old times. You’ve been working so hard since you
got here you deserve an afternoon off.
“It
will be good to see him again.
I
have not seen him since he visited Johane and I two or three years ago at the
Priory.”
John took the contract
and left for the club.
He really
would have rather gone home to check on Eirian, but he knew they would send for
him if he were
needed.“Andrew
, you old scoundrel,
what brings you to London.
I was
beginning to think you had put the motherland behind you forever.
How are you faring in the
colonies?”
John greeted his old
friend with a hardy handshake and then a huge bear hug.
“Quite
well, quite well indeed.
John, you and Johane really aught to consider making the move to
the colonies.
It is truly
the land of milk and honey.
Your fortune
is
there
waiting to be made.” Andrew saw a look of
pain cross John’s face and was wondering what he had said that caused it.
“Andrew,
I forgot you would not know.
I
lost Johane last year.
She died in
childbirth.”
As hard as he tried,
he could not keep his voice from cracking when he spoke of his loss. The pain
felt almost as fresh as when it first happened for a moment.
“Oh
my God.
John I am so sorry.
I had no idea.
I know how much you loved her. What a
great loss! How are you and the children getting by without her?” he asked.
“Well,
I remarried last July.
She is a
wonderful girl and she has helped us all to make the adjustment.
Do you remember Johane’s baby sister
Eirian?”
John asked.
“Good
lord man, you are not telling me you married that scrawny little red headed
scrapper.”
Andrew burst out
laughing as he remember how precocious she was and what a little hellion she
could be.
He also remembered that
John had always doted on her, why he really could not understand.
He had just thought of her as a little
pest.
“That
little scrapper is my dear wife, and I would thank you to speak of her with a
little respect.”
Andrew was not
sure if John was serious or not.
“As
you say, old man.” Changing the subject Andrew said, “Let me take a look at the
contracts and get that out of the way and then we can have a few drinks and
tell each other lies about old times.”
Two
hours later found the contract signed, and John and Andrew well on their way to
intoxication.
John could feel the
effects catching up on him and decided it was time to return home to
dinner.
“Andrew, could you join us
this evening for dinner?
I believe
you will find a delightful change in Eirian.
She would love to have you I am sure. She is a good little
hostess, but she has been rather lonely since we moved here in November.
I think you will be surprised at what a
beauty she has turn out to be.”
There was no mistaking the pride and devotion in John voice.
“God’s
teeth old man, you’ve got it bad.
What is it about the girls in that family?
Are there any more left at home for me?”
Andrew asked with a laugh.
“Sorry,
I am afraid not.
I got them
both.”
They hailed John’s carriage
and set out for the townhouse. “Drew, where are you staying while in town?”
“I
have a room at the club for at least the next few days.
I will play it by ear after that.
If I have concluded my business by then
I am thinking about heading north to visit my brother and his new wife.”
Drew as usual had not planned ahead.
“We’ll
send for your things once we get to the house.
You are going to stay with us.” John said.
“That
would be great.
I can become
reacquainted with Eirian.
If she
is all you say, I may just steal her away from you and take her back to the
colonies with me.”
They both
laughed.
Eirian
was waiting in the parlor for John to get home.
She had had a restless day.
Her back ached miserably, and she could not get comfortable
no matter if she was sitting, standing, lying down or walking.
It was not pain exactly, just a feeling
of pressure.
It was not
surprising considering how huge she had grown.
Like any expectant mother she was becoming scared of what
she would have to go through to push the baby from her body.
She considered herself to be brave, but
she was not so sure about this.
When
she heard John’s voice in the hallway she instantly felt better.
She knew she would be all right if he
was with her.
“Hello dear, I would
like to present my oldest friend, Andrew, Lord Moxely.
He is here in London on business.
He has moved to the colonies some six
or seven years ago.
You have met
him before at the Priory prior to his sailing, if you recall.
He certainly remembers you.”
John could see that she was not feeling
well and he wished he had sent her a message before he extended their
hospitality.
Andrew
was surprised when he saw Eirian again, on several levels
;
the most noticeable item being her advanced stage of pregnancy.
They had married as John told him in
July just barely seven months ago.
This was interesting indeed.
He could have some fun with this.
The other thing he was impressed with was her beauty.
John had not exaggerated.
Even in the condition she was in there
was no denying that she was everything John had said.
“This can not be the same little redheaded rascal that
tagged along behind us in everything we did.
Without the smudged face and dirty smock it is hard to
tell.
Oops there you go
,
you are still bare footed.”
Eirian
wished the world would open up and swallow her.
She had forgotten that she had given up on trying to force
her swollen feet in her slippers and, thinking that they would be by
themselves, had come down to dinner in her stocking feet.
She blushed furiously at the
embarrassment she was sure she had caused John.
John
just laughed and kissed her soundly on the lips in front of his friend.
She did not know why, but that gesture
pleased her to no end.
It felt
like a stamp of approval.
“That
is not fair.
Since I missed the
wedding do I not get a chance to kiss the bride?”
With that he took her in his arms and leaned her back over
his arm and kissed her even more soundly than John had.
Eirian was sure she felt his tongue
brush her lips.
“Andrew
that is enough.
Please unhand my
wife before I unman you.
There are
some things I will not share, even with you. Drew, let go of my wife. All right
that is it.
Get your hands off of
her.
This is not funny.”
John wanted to pull him off his wife
and beat the devil out of him.
If
it was not his best friend, and if he had not known that Drew was doing it just
for effect, he would have cleaned the floor with his face.
Drew
finally released a very flustered Eirian.
She had never been kissed by any man other than John
.
While it was a bit exciting, it also scared her.
She was not sure how to react.
If it had been anyone else, and if her husband had not been
standing right there, she would have slapped his face for taking such liberties
with her.
“Don’t
make me wish I had not invited you to stay.
I won’t be able to turn my back on you or you may run off
with my wife.”
John was half in
fun and all in earnest.
They
were interrupted when Mrs. Edwards entered the room to announce dinner.
Before John could offer his arm to
Eirian to escort her into the dinning room, Andrew had already claimed that
honor and John was left to follow them to the table.
John pushed past Drew to pull Eirian’s chair out for
her.
An extra setting had been
hurriedly placed on the table to the left of Eirian while John was exiled to
the head of the table at the other end.
“Madame,
why could you not have waited a few more months for me to come home to get
you?
Did you have to settle for
the first bloke that came along?
If you had only waited another year you could have had my title, my
money and my heart.”
Drew started
in on her as soon as they were seated.
“Sir,
I am afraid you would have had a hard time winning my heart away from
John.
I have been in love with him
since I was a little girl.” Eirian countered.
“Puppy
love.
You need a real man to show
you what love is.”
Drew responded.
John was trying not to over react, but
he was getting more and more angry
with
Drew’s
outrageous flirting.
“Sir,
I did not know you had trouble with your vision.
Surely you should be able to tell at a glance that I have
been well loved.”
Eirian shot
back.
Drew
choked on the sip of wine he had just taken and much to his embarrassment
sprayed it all over the tablecloth in front of him.
John roared with laughter at the other end of the table.
When
Drew could catch his breathe he had to admit defeat, “Touché’ my dear.
It is not often I get bested.
John was right about that too.
You are a gem, not only beautiful, but
very smart and very fertile as well.”
With
that comment, a very exasperated husband gathered up his place setting and
moved to the other end of the table to sit on Eirian’s right side.
Once
the pressure was off Eirian found that she really enjoyed Drew’s sense of humor
and company.
She was very
interested in what he had to say about the colonies.
Uncle Edward’s comments had intrigued her.
She loved adventure and she did not
want to be the cause of holding John back from making his fortune if that was
where his future lay.
The
dinner seemed to fly by and she had almost forgotten about her backache until
she went to stand.
Drew pulled her
chair out for her and John hurried around the table to assist her in
standing.
As she came to her feet,
she felt a catch in her side.
She
stopped to hold her side until it passed as it usually did in just a matter of
moments.
This time as she started
to straighten back up she felt a sudden gush of warm liquid rush down her
legs.
She looked up at John with a
red face, “Oh John, I am so terribly sorry. Please help me.”
John
looked down at the growing puddle on the floor.
Having been through this four times before, he knew
instantly what had happened.
“It
is nothing my dear.
Do not trouble
yourself.
The maids will take care
of it.
Drew, please excuse us. It
appears her time has come.
Please
make yourself at home.
If there is
anything you need or desire you only have to ring for a maid.
Once I get Eirian settled I will make
arrangements for a room for you.”
With that he swept Eirian up in his arms and carried her up the stairs.
“John,
I am mortified.
I cannot believe
that happened in front of your friend. I am so sorry you were
embarrassed.”
She wanted to cry,
but she was afraid that if she did she would not stop.
She was so scared.
“Think
nothing of it my dear.
You cannot
predict when such a thing will happen.
Besides, it will be an evening Sir Andrew is not likely to forget.” John
tried to calm her with humor.
John
stood her on her feet when they reached their chambers.
Joan came out of the anteroom and
immediately assessed the situation.
“Here Madame, let me help you out of that wet gown.
Do not fret we will take good care of
you.
Babies are born every day,”
Joan set about loosening the ties for her dress.
Just
as Joan was about to pull the dress over Eirian’s head Eirian was hit with the
first major labor pain.
Eirian’s
eyes were as big as saucers.
She
had not expected it to be so painful this quickly.
She did not know if she could do this.
“John, please hold me.
I am so scared.
I cannot do this.
Please help me.”