Honor Reclaimed (All About Honor) (16 page)

“Oh please Eirian, by all means
bring her down here.
 
The men
should be a bit longer yet and I would love to play with her.”
 
Gwen was definitely feeling maternal
again.
 
Thomas did not know that
his prophecy was already an actuality.
 
Gwen had just begun to suspect that she was once again with child about
the time they left home.

Eirian had just finished nursing
Johane and repairing her gown when the men entered the room.
 
Gwen was holding the little Andrew and
was kissing his perfect little fingers.

“Well there we go.
 
I guess there will be a new baby in our
household in nine or ten months.
 
Thanks a lot.”
 
Thomas said with
a grin.

“Husband you are wrong, it will only
be seven and a half months.” Gwen was smiling with perverse pleasure.

John and Eirian both laughed at the
nonplussed look on Thomas’ face and then they offered their congratulations to
Gwen.

They had shared an enjoyable evening
but retired soon after the men returned to the parlor as it had been a long
trip for Thomas and Gwen and Eirian would have to be awake in just a couple of
hours to nurse the twins again.

Once they were in their rooms,
Eirian got up her courage to question John.
 
“John, lately I have had the impression that there is more
to your relationship with Gwen than I am aware of.
 
Is there a history between the two of you?”

“Yes there was.”
 
He was not going to lie to her, but he
sure was not going to offer any more information than he absolutely had to.

“When did you first meet her?” she
asked.

“Soon after I arrived in London to
study under Uncle William.
 
Aunt
Sarah and Gwen’s mother are related.” He was still on safe ground.

“Were you in love with her?” she
persisted.

“I thought for a time that I was.”
He was becoming more uncomfortable with her line of questioning.

“Were the two of you lovers?” She
finally got to the point.

“Baby, I would really rather not
say.” He was honest with her.

“I am sure you wouldn’t, but I would
like to know.”
 
Eirian persisted.

“Sweetheart, Gwen specifically asked
me not to discuss it with you so I really do not feel at liberty to talk about
it.
 
If you want to know, you will
need to ask her. A gentleman does not kiss and tell.”
 
He tried to make light of it in hopes that it would throw
her off the track.
 
It did not.

“If you will not tell me then I will
have to go to Gwendolyn, but would you not rather give me your side of it.” She
had a point but he was not at liberty to say more.

“I am sure you are right, but I gave
my word.”
 
He could not be
persuaded to go back on his word to Gwen.

Eirian tried not to be angry with
John because he was living up to his promise to Gwen, but she could not help
but think that his first loyalty should be to her. She quickly changed into her
nightgown and slid into bed.
 
When
John joined her, instead of cuddling up against him as she usually did she
rolled to the far side of the bed to put distance between them.

‘Baby, please do not act this way.
Even though I would rather not, I would tell you if I had not given my
word.
 
Some things are better left
alone though.
 
You know I love you,
do you not? You like Gwen, do you not?
 
I think you trust me, at least I hope you do.
 
Just leave it alone Baby, please.” He knew she would not.

The next afternoon Gwen was sitting
in Eirian’s chambers with her as she nursed the babies.
 
“Gwen, I asked John last night what the
story was between you and him.
 
He
refused to answer me because he had given his word to you that he would
not.
 
Will you tell me what I need
to know?”

“My dear, you do not need to know
anything but that John loves you.
 
We did have a history, but now he is married to you and I am married to
Thomas.
 
What ever was between John
and I
is
past history.
 
I

would
rather not go into details, because
I have spent many years trying to live down my past.
 
I feel much the same about my past that you did last night
when Thomas embarrassed you.
 
That
is why I was able to understand how you felt.
 
Can you accept that?”

“Can you at least assure me that
John behaved honorably?” Eirian asked.

“Absolutely.
 
Any dishonorable behavior was strictly
on my part. You know John; it is all about honor with him.
 
You have no cause to worry.
 
Thomas and I got off to a difficult
start, but we are very happy now, as I know you are.
 
Can we remain friends?”
 
Gwen was truly sad that she might loose Eirian as a
friend.
 
She was the one true
friend she had ever had.

“Yes, of course.
 
I am sorry if I made you
uncomfortable.”
 
Eirian would just
have to accept what Gwen said at face value.
 
She felt sure that Gwen was no threat to her marriage to
John.
 
No sooner had that thought
cleared her mind then the chamber door flew open as William and Elizabeth came
running in.
 
“Momma, William says
he will not marry me because I am his cousin.”
 
Elizabeth’s feelings were obviously hurt.

Gwen suppressed a laugh and replied,
“Sweetheart you are too young to even be thinking about marriage.
 
When the time comes William may feel
very different than he does now, but then so might you.
 
Do not worry cousins marry all the
time.
 
It only
serves to make families stronger.
 
You are second cousins anyhow which almost does not count. Right now,
just be glad that you are friends.
 
Now give Momma a kiss and go play nicely with your cousins.”

Gwen turned to Eirian and laughingly
said, “It is cute now, but I think we will have to keep a close eye on those
two in about five or six years.
  
They have always been drawn to each other.
 
It would be a good match, but I do not want to see them have
to be rushed into anything too young. We will have to be vigilant or keep them
separated until they are a marriageable age.”
 
Gwen understood the strength of burgeoning sexual desire,
having been a victim of it herself.
 
She wanted better for her daughter.

The month passed quickly and in what
seemed no time Eirian’s family began to arrive from Severn Manor for the
babies’ christenings.
 
Aislinn was
enamored with the babies.
 
Much to
her heartbreak, she had remained barren and had given up any hope of ever being
able to bare her own children.
 
This made her nieces and nephews that much more precious to her.

Eirian’s father and Agnes were not
able to make the journey as Agnes was once again with child herself.
 
This would be number four in ten years
and absolutely the last according to Agnes.
  
She would be turning fifty this year and surely there
would be no more.
 
She truly felt
blessed to have had the babies she did as she had long since given up any hope
of ever marrying when she met Sir Morgan.

Eirian was slightly relieved that
her father had not come to the christening, as she was afraid that he might ask
too many questions.
 
She did not
want to have to explain the circumstances of her children’s conception.
 
It was nobody’s business but hers and
John’s, yet everyone seemed to feel like they needed to comment on it, or make
a joke about the timing.
 
She felt
terribly embarrassed and she would be glad when something else came along that
would draw the attention away from them.

The evening before the christening
Andrew finally made his appearance.
 
John and Eirian were beginning to become worried that he would not make
it in time for the ceremony after all.
 

Drew had delayed his return as long
as possible in hopes that he had regained control of his emotions in respect to
his desires for Eirian.
 
While he
could do nothing to counteract his feelings for Eirian, he felt like his
self-control was restored.
 
He had
spent most of the previous month in the arms of various women trying to get
some relief in that manor.
 
It
satisfied his lust, but it did nothing to diminish his admiration of his best
friend’s wife.

Admiration or not, much to John’s
relief, Drew acted as the perfect gentleman with regards to Eirian.
 
Eirian was so busy seeing to the needs
of her babies as well as her guests that she did not have a clue that Drew’s
eyes followed her whenever she was in the room, and that he appeared melancholy
when she was not.
 
This did not
escape Gwen notice however.
 
She
hoped that he finished his business here in London and returned to the colonies
before he lost his self-control.
 

Drew was thinking along the same
lines.
 
He had his agent looking
for a townhouse for him to purchase.
 
He thought it was best not to put
himself
too
much in temptation’s way when he was visiting London.
 
He could stay with his father, but while he loved his father
very much, they almost never were together, for any appreciable period of time,
that they did not end up in an argument.
 
It was a rare thing if they did not part ready to strangle each
other.
  

John was very much aware that Drew
had not completely overcome his infatuation with Eirian, but he appreciated the
fact that Drew was using his utmost restraint, but if he did not return to
Virginia soon John just might consider packing up his family immigrating
himself.
 
He might feel better if
he put an ocean between them. It was not that he did not trust Eirian, but he
had for almost twenty years watched the effect Drew had on woman.
 
They just did not seem to be able to
resist his charm, even as a boy.
 
God, he missed the easy relaxed friendship that they had enjoyed for so
many years.

The baptismal ceremony was completed
and the evening festivities were well underway when Eirian was called upstairs
to feed the babies.
 
That special
time she spent with her babies never ceased to make her grateful for her many
blessings.
 
She found it difficult
not to feel blessed when she held such perfection in her arms.
 
After kissing each baby and smoothing
their blankets over them she left them in Nanny’s care and briefly returned to
her chambers to refresh herself.
 
As she was exiting her rooms she almost ran into Drew as he was
returning from his room having been on the same mission.
 
“Honey, is everything alright?
 
Are you not feeling well?”

“Oh no, I am fine.
 
I just finished feeding the
babies.
 
How about you, is
everything going well for you?
 
Did
you find your brother and his wife doing well?
 
I have hardly had a chance to speak to you since you
returned.”
 
Eirian placed her hand
on his arm.
 

“Quite well, thank you.”
 
He placed his hand on hers and gave it
a tender squeeze.
 

“We thank you so much for agreeing
to be a godfather to Andrew, and for taking time out of your busy schedule to
return for the ceremony.
 
I know
you have much to accomplish before you return to the colonies and you have
already given us more than our share of time.”

“Nonsense, it is my honor.
 
I was touched to be asked to serve as
Andrew’s godfather, and incredibly honored that you chose to name him after
me.”
 
Drew in fact felt truly
humbled by the honor.

“There is no way that we could ever
repay you for what you did for us.
 
I do not know if Andrew and I would have survived if you had not been
here to deliver him.
 
Even if the
midwife had made it in time, she may not have been able to accomplish turning
the baby as you did.
 
I thank you
for my son’s life and I will forever be in your debt.”
 
Throwing convention out the window, she
reached out and wrapped her arms around Drew’s waist nestling her face against
his chest giving him what she intended to be platonic hug.