Honor Reclaimed (All About Honor) (8 page)

Nanny came over to lift the sleeping
child out of Eirian arms.
 
“No
Nanny, I will carry her upstairs to the nursery if you will see to Lettus.
 
She feels so wonderful all snuggled up
against me.”

“I think you need to let me get a
foot man to carry her up.
 
It is
three floors you know.”
 
Nanny
scolded.

“I’m fine, truly Nanny.
 
She doesn’t weigh anything
really.”
 
Eirian replied.

“You do not need to strain yourself
in your condition.
 
Now you wait
here while I fetch the footman.”
 
Nanny ordered.

Eirian was shocked by Nanny’s
reply.
 
“Nanny did John tell you?”

“No dear.
 
I know my girls too well.
 
Are you forgetting that I raised you?
 
You have never been sick a day in your
life.
 
I also nursed your sainted
mother and your precious sister through several pregnancies.
 
My only concern is that you have become
sick so quickly.
 
You should just
now be beginning to suspect that you are with child and you are already suffering
the effects.
 
I am not sure if that
means anything or not.
 
We need to
consult the midwife.”
 
Eirian could
tell that Nanny was worried about her, but she did not have the nerve to
explain her situation to her.
 
She
was too embarrassed and she did not want Nanny to think any less of John.

“Ok, call the footman, but be quick
about it or Lettie will be asleep as well.”
 
Nanny rushed away to get assistance.

Lettie came to Eirian and curled up
against her resting her head on Eirian knee.
 
She was asleep almost instantly.
 
“Well, this is a pretty site, three lovely ladies enjoying a
beautiful morning in nature.
 
May I
be of assistance in getting the children to the nursery?”
 
John felt a tug at his heart when he
looked down at the contented scene in front of him.

“Nanny went in search of a footman
to assist with Gwenny and, while she was gone, Lettie fell asleep as well.
 
A little assistance may be in order as
Nanny does not think I should be carrying Gwenny up the stairs ‘in my
condition’, as she put it.”

“Eirian, I am surprised that you
told Nanny so soon.
 
I though we
were going to try to keep it a secret as long as possible.
 
Was she too upset by the
situation?”
 
Eirian could not tell
if John was angry or if he was just concerned.

“I did not tell her.
 
I did not need to.
 
She figured it out for herself and
informed me that I was expecting.
 
She does not know when the babe was conceived because she is worried
that I am sick so early in the pregnancy.
 
I felt guilty not telling her because I do not want to be the cause of
her concern.”
 
Eirian never liked
lying to anyone, especially Nanny because Nanny always knew when she was being
tricked.

“I know it is difficult, but I think
we need to keep it this way.
 
I did
tell Joan, but there was really no choice, as she already knew, after walking
in on us, that something had happened that night.
 
I needed to enlist her aid in hopes that she could be
persuaded to keep that information to herself.
 
I believe that she has your best interest at heart and will
stand by you.
 
There is no need to
test Nanny’s loyalties.
 
She loved
your sister and she loves you.
 
She
may feel like she would have to choose between you if she thinks you seduced
your sister’s husband before she even had a chance for a Christian burial.
 
She will blame me, but the woman always
gets the lion’s share of the blame, fair or not.
 
I do not want to put that on you!”
 
John was adamant.

Nanny and the footman returned and
the girls were quickly deposited in their beds for their nap.

John returned to the garden when he
was through tucking the girls in.
 
He found Eirian still sitting there in the shade.
 
“I asked Cook to put together a picnic
meal just in case you felt up to joining me for a little ride.
 
I have a favorite spot not too far from
here.
 
It is an easy ride and I
would like to show it to you.”

It was a beautiful setting, the
grass was lush and emerald green, and the trees provided a canopy to protect
them from the sun.
 
A brook
meandered lazily past adding its relaxing babbling sound to complete the scene.

When they first approached the
clearing, they surprised a deer that was drinking from the other side of the
brook.
 
Rather than being startled
away, it stopped drinking looked up at them and judged them to be no threat,
then returned to the business at hand.

John dismounted first and then
helped Eirian to dismount.
 
He
spread the blanket on the grass under the shade of the tree.
 
He placed the basket that Cook had
prepared on the blanket.

“Are you hungry yet?”
 
John asked as he debated whether or not
to empty the contents of the basket.

“Not really just yet.
 
Could we take a walk first?
 
I feel rather cramped.”
 
Eirian said with a slight smile.

“What do you mean?
 
What kind of cramps are you
having?
 
Is it in the abdomen or
your back?”
 
John had paled a
little at the thought.

“Neither, it is my legs.
 
They are cramped from sitting on the sidesaddle.
 
Otherwise I am fine.
 
I did not mean to scare you.
 
I am sorry.”
 
Eirian felt touched that John was concerned for her and the
baby.

“Here, sit down and let me massage
your legs.”
 
Eirian allowed John to
lead her over to the blanket and help her be seated.
 
She sat with her legs stretched out in front of her.
 
John knelt facing her and removed her
slippers and stockings.
 
He began
at her toes and worked his way up massaging her legs to the knees one leg at a
time.
 
When he got to the second
knee he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her knee.
 
When he felt her shutter at his touch he continued to
massage on up her thigh until her reached his true objective.
 
In no time they had managed to rid
themselves of their clothes and were rolling around on the blanket scaring off
the deer in their ardor.

Satiated and relaxed Johane lay on
her side with her head on John’s shoulder as he continued to gently run his
hands down her back and caressed her back side.
 
“Well Madame, I do not know about you, but I think I have
worked up an appetite now.
 
Did we
manage to work out your cramps?”

“Indeed good sir.
 
I feel just fine, albeit a little
hungry after all.”
 
She replied as
she reached for her shift.
 

John reached over and stayed her
hand saying with a wicked smile, “Let’s be daring and eat as we are.”

“What if someone happened upon
us?”
 
Eirian said, obviously a
little shocked at the idea.

“It is a little late to worry about
that.
 
I would have been more
concerned about someone happening on us a few minutes ago.
 
I think you would have found that a
little more embarrassing, especially with the noise we were making.
 
We scared off all the wild life in the
vicinity.”
 
John said with a laugh.

Eirian opened her mouth to reply,
but could find no reply.
 
She
simply closed her mouth and blushed profusely.

John leaned forward and kissed her
on the tip of her nose.
 
“Go ahead
and put your shift on if it makes you more comfortable.”
 
He got up and slipped on his breeches without
bothering about his shirt, hose, or shoes.
 
He passed Eirian her decidedly low cut shift.
 
In his opinion she looked even more
alluring in the shift with her nipples and areola clearly visible through the
virtually transparent fabric and her full breast just barely contained from
flowing over the top then she did in her naked glory.
 
It held more mystery.

They enjoyed their lunch and then
stretched out on the blanket and fell asleep, John’s hand slipped inside
Eirian’s shift gently caressing her breast and Eirian’s leg intertwined with
his.
 
They were awakened sometime
later by a somewhat amused cough.
 
John was the first to react, bolting upright and putting himself between
the noise and his wife.
 
He relaxed
somewhat when he saw who had awakened him.
 
John jumped up tossing his side of the blanket over Eirian’s
still sleeping form and grabbed his cousin in a bear hug.

“Thomas, what brings you here?
 
God, it’s good to see you again!
 
Where are Gwen and the kids, and how is
your father?”
 
John was rattling on
a bit in his embarrassment of being caught in such an obviously compromising
situation.

Thomas was getting perverse pleasure
out of seeing John squirm.
 
“My
father is doing quite well considering his age.
 
He is really enjoying his grandchildren.
 
I left Gwen and the kids back at your
manor when your butler told me you had gone on a picnic.
 
I assumed you would not be by
yourself.
 
I was not sure what I
would find, but I don’t think this was it.”
 
John had the good grace to blush.
 
He could feel his face burning which only added to his
discomfort and Thomas’ amusement.

Thomas became suddenly sober “John,
Gwen and I were so sorry to hear about Johane.
 
We wish we could have been here.
 
As I wrote you, we were in London on family business, and I
did not get the message until it was too late.
 
I know you loved her dearly.”

“Thank you.
 
It was a great shock and a tremendous
loss.”
 
John’s voice quivered.
 
He was still unable to speak of his loss
without emotion.
 
He wondered if he
ever would.

Hearing the strain in John’s voice
Thomas continued, “I do not mean to censure, but I am a bit surprised to see
you with a paramour this soon after your loss.
 
Who is the juicy little morsel under the blanket?
 
She is certainly a pretty little
wench.
 
Please tell me you are not
philandering with a servant girl, as Father always told us it is never wise to
dip your stick too close to home.”
 
Thomas was surprised to find that John had already found female
companionship.
 
It was obvious to
everyone that knew
them
that Johane and John had been
deeply in love with each other.
 
A
man had his needs, but this seemed a little early in his bereavement to be in
good form.

“Do you not recognize Eirian,
Johane’s baby sister?”
 
John asked
watching for the reality to sink in on his cousin’s face.

“By all that’s holy man what are you
thinking?
 
I cannot believe you
would compromise the child.
 
I will
admit she does not look much like a child anymore, but where are the morals
that I know my father taught you?
 
She is family no less.
 
I am
glad my father is not here to witness this.
 
I truly am shocked John!
 
You of course know that you must marry her right away.
 
It is the only way to salvage both of
your reputations.”
 
Thomas’
righteous indignation was amusing to John for some reason.
 

The sound of voices awakened Eirian,
“John, what is it?
 
Is someone
here?” she asked in a voice still thick with sleep.
 
She sat up belatedly thinking to pull the blanket up to
cover her state of undress, which left her breast, exposed to Thomas’ perusal.

“Put your eyes back in your head,
bastard.”
 
John growled at his
cousin “Eirian, this is my cousin Thomas.
 
You remember Thomas don’t you?”
 
John asked as though he were reintroducing them in the parlor of their
manor house.
 

Thomas bent over and swept up
Eirian’s gown tossing it over to her.
 
“Mistress, get your self clothed.
 
You are going to come with us back to the Vann until my father decides
what is to be done.
 
John is a
grown man and should have had more sense, but it is you, my dear, who will be
ruined if this little tryst becomes public knowledge.
 
What could the two of you have been thinking?”