Chapter 21

The next

morning , they woke to feel a

different chill in the air. After they dressed, they looked outside

and saw it had snowed in the night. They were going to be confined

to their home until the weather passed.

"Could we perhaps stay in bed

all day then?" Alessandra asked him, with a small suggestive smile

on her face.

"No!" Edward exclaimed as

he laughed at her seductive enthusiasm. "There is a great deal to

be done. At this time of year, it is harder to keep fires going and

the house warm, so we all must pitch in and work to make it

possible. Even you and I! After breakfast, I will show you where we

keep extra stocks of everything we may need to get through this

time if we are stuck here and unable to get outside at

all."

Before making their way to

breakfast, he walked up behind her and held her while they both

looked out the window. Both considered how much their lives had

changed in recent months from what each of them had individually

expected.

"Come," Edward said as he

pulled away from her and held out his hand for her to take as they

made their way to the breakfast room. "The sooner we begin our day,

the sooner it will be bedtime again."

~~~~~

Later that afternoon,

Alessandra felt the familiar sensation of her monthly bleeding

arriving. She excused herself and headed toward the room she now

shared with her husband, not sure how to handle the situation

without the comfort of her mother around. When almost there, she

ran into Margaret.

"Oh, Miss, are you unwell? Is

there anything I can do for you?" she asked.

Alessandra felt

perplexed. She did not know how to act with her 'monthly visitor'

having arrived. She looked at Margaret, judging her to not be as

old as Alessandra's mother, but possibly old enough to know a great

deal about etiquette, and what people did in their marriage.

Feeling brave, she tentatively spoke.

"Margaret, may I ask you about

something of a rather private nature?" she asked quietly.

The woman before her smiled

softly. "Of course, Miss. Let us step into your room for privacy,

and you can ask me whatever you like."

Once inside the bedroom,

Alessandra turned to Margaret.

"I do not wish to cause any

offence when I ask but are you married?"

"Yes, I have been married

for over ten years, Miss," Margaret replied, with a warm and

sincere smile on her face. "What is it that you wish to ask me? You

will not offend, and you have my confidence."

Alessandra only hesitated

a moment. She wouldn't see her mother again, and the thought of

talking to Edward's mother did not appeal at all. She needed to

find the courage to keep speaking.

"I … today my …" Alessandra

started, finding herself blushing.

Margaret was perceptive and

made everything easier. "Is today the start of your monthly cycle,

Miss?" she asked.

Alessandra nodded. "I do not

know what I am to do, as a married woman…" she tried to

continue.

Margaret looked at her,

suspecting what Alessandra was worried about.

"Are you concerned about what

to do during these days, with regard to your husband?"

She heard Alessandra let out a

sigh of relief, as she saw her nod her head.

"Do … things

… continue … during this time?" Alessandra asked, feeling her face transform to its dark

red tone once more.

Margaret looked kindly at

her. She remembered the first months of her own marriage, and how

timid she had also been.

"That is for you to

decide, Miss," she replied. "I believe some women do not wish to

engage in that way with their husband during the time of bleeding,

but for other women it does not bother them in the slightest. It is

something that will come to visit month after month unless you are

with child, so it is something you can decide with the young master

if your communication is open."

"Did you talk to your

husband about it?" Alessandra asked, hoping she was not

overstepping any boundaries. Instead of seeming offended, Margaret

only looked happy to talk about the subject, and started to laugh

quietly.

"Oh, Miss, the first

bleeding I had after I married, I was so embarrassed about that I

made up excuses for almost a whole week, saying I could not sleep

beside him," Margaret said. "After that week was over and we re-met

in our marriage bed, he was so concerned about it that I ended up

telling him it had been my week of bleeding. He told me there and

then that my monthly visitor would never again be an excuse for us

to not sleep beside one another. He did not mind if we did not

engage in our intimacy for the week, but he would not have me

sleeping in a different bed from him ever again."

Alessandra watched the

older woman facial expression as she seemed to be remembering the

time with fondness.

"After that conversation, I

never slept apart from him again, and I found it easiest to just

tell him when it was starting. He was very patient and accepting of

it, as I am sure the young master will be also."

Margaret stopped and looked

right at Alessandra.

"He is a good boy, the

young master," she said. "Everything is new for both of you, but I

have found that the more and the sooner you can talk about

everything, the quicker the relaxation about it comes."

Alessandra looked at her with

gratitude.

"Thank

you , Margaret," she said. "I

do hope I have not made you uncomfortable."

Margaret smiled broadly

at her. "Miss, it takes a great deal to make me feel uncomfortable.

You may ask me anything, anytime. I may not always be able to

answer, but I will always be happy to try."

~~~~~

That night, as Edward

climbed into bed with Alessandra, she felt surprisingly shy, and

not like her usual forward self at that time of day.

"You seem distant," he

said to her, watching her for some sign of what was going on in her

mind. He knew she sometimes thought about things very deeply before

doing or saying what she wanted to.

"I have my monthly bleeding

today," she said quietly, avoiding looking in his eyes.

Edward was momentarily

confused. He remembered his mother had talked about such things,

but he equally conceded that he might not have listened well enough

to know what he should say or do in such a moment.

"Alessandra, I am not too

aware of the workings of a woman's body, but am I correct in

thinking that you will bleed for some days every month, and that if

you do not bleed, that is a sign that you are with child?" he

ventured to blurt out, feeling certain that he probably had gotten

something wrong. His words encouraged her to look up again, into

his eyes.

"Yes! I thought you might

not know, and I was worried about what it might mean for us and …

this time of day," she said quietly and saw him smile at

her.

"Does it make you feel

different, like you do not want us to touch each other?" he asked,

very curious about how things were.

"No, I do not feel like I do

not want to touch you, but I am … a little bit …messy."

Edward

kissed her on the lips and caressed

her nipple before moving his hand down, making Alessandra feel

embarrassed but also trusting of him. She felt him touch her there,

with his finger, as he had done so many times before.

"Does it hurt, now that

you are bleeding?" he asked and heard her moan in

pleasure.

"No," she breathed out at

him, looking as she always did in those moments.

"Shall I keep touching you?" he

asked.

"Yes, please."

Alessandra relished the

feelings again, realising that the time of month did not need to

equate to no pleasure for them. She appreciated that he wouldn't

want to kiss her there at such a time, but the pleasurable caresses

were quite enough for them both.