Honor Reclaimed (All About Honor) (6 page)

Responding as she always had, she
gathered him in her arms and held him close.
 
She stroked back his hair and kissed his forehead, then rested
her cheek on his, mingling her tears with his.
 
“I miss her too.
 
I loved her so very much.
 
She was not only my sister, but she acted as my mother after ours
died.
 
I do not want to take her
place in your life.
 
I never could
even if I wanted to.
 
I just want
to make your life better and easier than it will be without her.
 
I am still your Aunt and as such I will
always love you.
 
Can we continue
to be friends like we always have?”

William was able to stifle his sobs,
but with a still trembling lip, he looked up at her, “I think that would be
fine.
 
I do love you Aunt Eirian.”

“I love you too.
 
Now give me a kiss and run to put on
your riding boots, I feel like a ride this morning.
 
It is too beautiful a day to be locked inside.”
 
Eirian playfully took William by the
shoulders and turned him towards the door sending him off with a playful pop on
his backside.

William hurried to the chamber door,
then turned around and said, “I will hurry and be back in just a few minutes.”

Eirian did not really feel much like
riding today, but maybe the fresh air would do her good.
 
She knew that seeing the happy smile on
William’s all too serious face already made her feel better.

They spent a happy couple of hours
riding across the hilly countryside.
 
At one point they rode up the side of a hill that overlooked the
estate.
 
It was a very steep
incline and the horses really had to work to keep their footing.
 
Her horse stumbled once and she was
afraid the he might fall and sustain an injury.
 
It never occurred to her to think that she, herself, might
be injured, thereby injuring her unborn child.
 
Once on top of the hill, the effort of the climb seemed
insignificant.
 
The view was breath
taking.
 
The manor lay in the
middle of the green valley, next to the rushing Usk River.
 
Its pale stone shone like gold in the
sunlight.
 
This perspective showed
the lay out of Johane’s precious gardens to its greatest advantage.
 
It was an altogether pleasing
sight.
 

“Your father did a great job with
the renovations he ordered.
 
Has he
ever told you about the condition it was in when he and your mother came to
claim back the estate?
 
It had been
empty for many years, since the death of your grandfather, and was in an awful
state of disrepair.
  
He and
your mother worked so hard to bring it back to the shape it is in today. You
will have to take good care of it for your children.”
 
Eirian explained to him.

“Will you and my father have
children?”
 
He asked.

“I would assume so, but do not
worry, you will always be my special boy.
 
I will never forget the first time your mother placed you in my arms
when you were just minutes old.
 
I
have loved you every since.
 
Besides, I am your godmother, so that make us extra special!”
 
She tried to reassure the boy that he
would always be loved regardless of what other children came along.

William seemed visibly
relieved.
 
He was beginning to feel
like his world was not going to crumble underneath him after all.

They headed back to the manor to be
there in time for the midday meal.
 
They were both feeling more relaxed and happier with their place in the
world when they entered to stable yard.
 
Eirian was surprised to see John there just about to mount his
horse.
 
They rode over to where he
was standing with the reins still in his hand.
 

“Father, we had such a wonderful
morning!
 
I wish you could have
come with us.
 
Aunt Eirian and I
rode up on the hill so we could look over the estate.
 
She told me about what the manor was like when you and
mother returned here.
 
She says I
have to take good care of it for my children.
 
I promised her I would.”

“That is great son, now run along to
the nursery for your meal.
 
I need
to speak to your Aunt Eirian for a moment.”

John turned to Eirian putting his
hands around her still small waist and lifted her from her horse.
 
“Madame, I would speak with you
alone.”
 
He handed the reins of
both horses back to the groom.
 
He
then grasped her arm firmly and walked her back to the manor and then to his
office where, after closing the door, he turned on her.
 
The fact that he was furious was more
than obvious.
 
John locked the door
behind them so that they would not be disturbed.
 
“What the hell were you thinking?
 
Why would you endanger yourself and my child by riding up
that hill?
 
The incline is
dangerous and there are loose rocks all the way up.
 
I am amazed your horse did not loss his footing and kill you
both!”

John took her by the shoulders and
gave her a good quick shake.

Eirian was stunned.
 
She did not know why she had to defend
herself.
 
“John, I have ridden up
that hill many times.
 
I lead
William’s pony.
 
Your son was never
in any danger.”

“I was not referring to my son.
 
I know he is a good horseman, even at
his age.
 
It is our unborn child
that I was concerned with.
 
Were
you trying to loose it, Madame, or are you just too stupid to see the danger
you placed yourself and thence my child in?”

He might just as well have slapped
her.
 
The pain would have been no
less.
 
She had not intended to
endanger their child; it was just that she had not fully accepted the fact that
she was with child as it was all so new to her.
 
Her focus had been more on finding a common ground and
reestablishing her relationship with her nephew.
 
She was truly sorry that she had caused John unnecessary
concern.

“John, I am sorry.
 
I just did not think about the danger
to the baby.
 
I really was
careful.
 
I do not think that I did
anything to endanger the babe.
 
I
feel fine, really.
 
I just did not
think.”
 
She turned away from him
because she did not want him to see that she was about to cry.

John thought she was just ignoring
him and not taking his concern seriously enough.
 
He grabbed her by her arm and whipped her back around to
face him, intending to continue to berate her for her stupidity.
 
The tears on her face and the pain in
her eyes brought him to a quick halt.
 
He felt completely contrite in his behavior towards her.

“Eirian, I am sorry.
 
Please do not cry.
 
I did not mean to make you cry.
 
It is just that you scared me by your
foolishness.
 
I do not want to see
anything happen to you.
 
Please
promise you will be more careful, I have had enough loss for right now.”
 
He gathered her in his arms and held
her as she cried and released some of the built up tension.
 

She cried for just a few minutes
allowing him to hold her while she calmed down.
 
It felt good to be held in his arms.
 
She looked up at him trying to decide
if he was still angry with her or not.
 
She was rewarded by his lips descending on hers claiming them for
himself.
 
This was not like any
kiss they had previously shared.
 
It felt as though John were trying to drink in her soul, so deep was his
kiss.
 
She melted against him as he
kneaded her breast through her gown.
 
She barely felt him loosen her laces and was surprised when he lowered
the front of her gown to enable him access to her bared breast.
 
He had always loved the full feeling of
Johane’s breast, but Eirian was even
more well
endowed.
 
He loved the heavy weight
of the soft globe in his hand.
 
He
marveled at its soft texture.
 
Her
nipples were a soft coral pink and perfect in shape.
 
He drew it into his mouth and began to run his tongue around
and around its hardened tip.
 
Eirian arched her back, pressing her breast more readily against the
assault.
 
Her knees felt weak as if
they could no longer support her weight.
 
John sensing her desire lifted her in his arms and carried her over in
front of the perpetual fire in the fireplace.
 
He laid her gently in the thick rug that lay before it, and
then stretched out beside her.
 
He
resumed lavishing attention on her breast, nuzzling, stroking, squeezing and
suckling her breasts.
 
He was mesmerized by them
.
 
He had her writhing beneath him before he began to remove
the remainder of her clothing.
 
His
lips followed the same path as his hands as he removed her clothing.
 
He kissed her shoulder, her breast and
then her belly.
 
He slid her skirts
down her hips kissing her still flat belly while his hands played with the
curls below.
 
He worked his hand
between her legs, which she instinctively tried to close.
 
He coaxed her to relax and then he slid
his finger down the center brushing across her clitoris sending a spasm up her
back then lowering his hand to run along the wet folds below.
 
His finger found her center and he
entered her working in ever widening circles.
 
He then returned to work that sensitive nub until she was
moaning so loud that he had to cover her mouth with his to keep her from
drawing the attention of the servants.
 
She was obviously ready as he released him self from the confinement of
his breeches.
 
His member sprang out
eagerly as he lowered himself between her legs.
 
Cupping her buttocks in his hands he drove himself deeply
into her.
 
She tensed, expecting to
feel at least something of the pain she had experienced in their first
encounter a little over four weeks previous.
 
Instead she experienced wave after wave of pleasure.
 
She wrapped her legs around John hips
pulling him as close to herself as she could manage.
 
John, forgetting his earlier concern for her delicate
condition, pounded himself forcefully into her, harder and harder until he
gained his release, emptying himself deep inside her.
 
He collapsed on top of her in complete sexual
exhaustion.
 
He lay on top of her
for a few minutes unable to move.
 
Eventually, he rolled off of her and gathered her close to him.
 
He kissed her deeply and told her that
she had been wonderful.
 
As much as
he loved Johane, he had never experienced what he had just experience with
Eirian.
 
Sex with her was
more raw
and had a sharper edge than the sweet and tender
love he had shared with Johane.
 
Perhaps it came from the inability to escape the feeling that he was
doing something illicit in having sex with this young woman.
 
Whatever the reason, it was
exhilarating and gave him the sexual release he needed; the result being that
he felt sexually fulfilled and relaxed.
 
One thing for sure, if nothing else, they were completely sexually
compatible.

He had not intended, nor had he
wanted, to experience the complete satisfaction with this portion of the
marriage, but now that he had, he was not sure that he could ever get enough of
her sexually.
 
Maybe love would
follow.

For Eirian, being a woman, and being
totally without experience in this regard, she equated sex with love.
 
Even as inexperienced as she was, she
knew what they had just experienced was special and unique.
 
She could tell that John had been
greatly moved by the experience; therefore, she thought, this naturally meant
that he loved her.
 
She lay there
in a glow of satisfaction.
 
She
felt beautiful and indeed John would have to agree.
 
She was physically near perfect in his opinion.
 
The fact that he had never noticed
before was in part due to his great love for his wife and the fact that he had
always thought of Eirian as a little sister, never as a sexual being.
 
Even so, he must have been blind not to
notice her perfection.