Chapter 25

Two weeks

later , Edward approached

Alessandra as she was looking through store cupboards with his

mother, making what seemed to be endless lists of things they would

need to have delivered in the following weeks.

"Mother, I would like to take

my wife away now, if you do not mind," he said.

The words caused his mother to

experience equal amounts of love when she looked at her son, and

frustration at his timing when she felt she was teaching her

daughter-in-law something important.

"Edward, things need to be

learned…"

Edward

nodded and kissed her on the cheek,

playing on his ability to charm his mother, and making Alessandra

smile at him knowingly. She'd gotten very used to seeing how he

could turn both of his parents to his way of thinking so that he

could do what he wanted, when he wanted.

"I do appreciate that,

Mother, but today there is a smell of spring in the air, and this

sunshine might not last. I would like to take Alessandra out for

some fresh air while I can."

Edward's mother sounded

resigned as she gave her consent for Alessandra to finish what she

was doing. Soon Edward was walking Alessandra up to their room as

she laughed at him.

"What are we doing,

husband? You are not going to pull me into our bedchamber so

blatantly at this time of day…" she teased him and saw him grin

back at her.

"No! Although…" he

started to tease her back, before laughing and continuing. "Put on

your riding habit. I need to ride, and I shall enjoy it infinitely

more if you are with me."

They quietly changed in

each other's presence, both too focused on the sunshine they could

see outside to be tempted into anything else. Soon they were on

their horses again, after what seemed far too much time stuck

inside the house.

As she sat on her quiet

little pony, Alessandra could sense the power of Edward on Beauty,

and the desire of both of them to not only be out, but also to be

having a good run.

"Edward, you and Beauty

look like you are ready to run a race, but I cannot accompany you

on that," she said to him, worried about where she was going to fit

into the excursion.

"Worry not, my love. Once

we are beyond the gate, I would like you to make your journey to

the summit, as you feel confident to. I will let Beauty run, as he

needs to, but I will keep coming back to you so you will not be

alone," he said.

Alessandra could see the

excitement on his face as he spoke. Always, when he had been out on

his horse since she had arrived at the estate, he had forced

himself to remain slow and steady beside her. She found herself

looking forward to seeing him enjoy his horse riding to the full

degree she had not seen before.

"Very well," Alessandra

replied tentatively, not certain about the plan that had been

presented to her.

After they passed through the

main gate to the yard, Edward positioned himself beside her,

looking at her with almost the same look he had during passion. The

brilliant smile he delivered to her made her melt.

"Take your time, going

the same way as we normally go," he said and saw her nod and smile

at him.

Once Edward left her

side, Beauty carried him at a speed that took them far away, as

Alessandra and Misty began their slow journey toward the hill. For

the duration of Alessandra's journey, now and then she would see

Edward riding not too far off in the distance, running at what

seemed like a frightful speed to Alessandra. The sight made her

thankful that Misty did not seem in any way inclined to move with

such fervour.

She made her way up the

hill. When she reached the summit, she secured Misty and spread out

the blanket to sit down and watch her husband's horse skills from

the distance. Soon he was riding up toward her and then slowing,

finally, to dismount and secure Beauty next to the timid pony who

always looked like a dwarf next to him.

As

Alessandra looked at Edward, she

remembered how she had thought him not in any way handsome when

she'd first met him. With his face full of excitement and passion,

as he was at that moment, she regarded him in a new light as a most

handsome man indeed. When he sat down beside her, grinning as much

as he was, she laughed at him.

"If you gain this much

joy from riding, you must have been missing it greatly since I

arrived," she said.

"Yes, but it

has been a great pleasure seeing you learn and develop your horse

riding skills, Alessandra," Edward said, taking her hand and

kissing it. "On the other side of spring, when summer truly

arrives, Father organises a hunt that brings many people.

Then you shall truly see some horse-riding skills!"

Alessandra drank up the vision

in front of her. Her husband looked excited and full of life. It

made her wonder what kind of father he would be. As she let her

mind wander there, she realised she had not had her monthly

visitor, which by her calculation should have already arrived.

Edward saw a look of confusion

pass over his wife's face and immediately felt concerned.

"What is it, Alessandra?" he

asked, revealing his concern.

Alessandra looked at

him, still trying to count weeks in her head, but wasn't entirely

certain.

"I am not certain,

Edward, but I believe I should have bled…"

Edward briefly had a

thought in his head that she was saying she was bleeding, and so

would be a bit distant over the next week. Then he seemed to

register exactly what she had said.

"Alessandra, are you saying

that you … might be with child?"

Alessandra continued

to look uncertain.

"I am not entirely sure,

Edward, but I do think I am late," she responded, then watched his

face transform to a similar level of excitement as she'd seen on

his face minutes earlier, as he'd come to her from his ride. "Oh,

but Edward, I am not certain. Would you mind if we not say anything

yet? Just for another week or two, to make sure I am not simply

mistaken?"

Edward

pulled her to him and kissed her

hard.

"Yes, of

course, my darling ," he said.

"Oh, but if it is true, we are blessed, are we not?"

Alessandra sat quietly -

too quietly for her, Edward knew. He also knew that, for her, that

meant she was processing things in her mind. He sat quietly and

watched her, waiting until she would speak her thoughts.

"Edward, if I am with child,"

she said quietly. "I should very much like to see my mother."

Suddenly, he sensed a

seriousness and a slight sadness about her. He could only imagine

how difficult it might be for her to be far away from her mother if

she were to be with child. He also gave thought to how the news

could affect his mother, given her sadness at having been prevented

from having more children.

Alessandra saw his face

change in response to what she had said. For a moment, she

regretted having spoken at all.

"When would you like to see

your mother?" Edward asked. "Father will be happy to arrange for

your mother and father to come here, or we can go and visit them,"

he said, putting his wife's worries instantly at rest.

"Thank you. Let us wait

another week or two so I can be sure," she said and saw Edward nod

in reply. "If it does appear that I am with child, I shall like to

visit my mother and father soon, and go and see my brother also,

who lives close to them."

"Very well," Edward

reassured her. "We shall arrange our travel when you are ready to

do so."

With her

worries at rest, Alessandra

felt herself melting against him. Soon they were lying down with

him on top of her, enjoying being nestled between her legs even

with the level of clothing they each had on. As Alessandra pulled

away from him and looked into his eyes, as always she enjoyed the

feeling of his weight on her, and his arms around her.

"I would not like to

sleep away from you. I know it might be expected…" she began and he

kissed her again.

"I do not want that

either," Edward said. "We shall do things as we want to do them,

Alessandra, not by what other people expect us to do."

"Even your mother and

father?"

Edward

took a deep breath before he

spoke.

"I respect my mother and

father, but in this, I think you and I are the only people who

should make such decisions," he replied. "You will be able to

calculate your comfort levels, and you will let me know if you wish

to be alone."

"I will," Alessandra

agreed. "I promise."

"Well, my wife, if there

is any chance that you are with child, we should return to the

house before the weather changes again," Edward said, pulling off

her and helping her up.

Once settled on their horses,

she turned to him.

"Shall I see you back at

the house?" she asked, expecting him to want to run again, but saw

him shake his head instead.

"I will ride beside you now,"

Edward replied.

Alessandra suspected that

he was naturally moving into possible father mode, wanting to be

protective over her. She greatly enjoyed the feeling that thought

produced.

~~~~~

That evening, as the

family sat in the drawing room, enjoying the warmth from the

roaring fire, Edward held Alessandra's hand particularly close to

him. Edward's mother noticed but said nothing to them, waiting

until she could speak to her husband when she was alone with him

later.

"Do you sense that

Alessandra might be with child?" she asked Charles, and saw his

look of surprise.

"Do

you ?"

She looked apprehensive, as

though she didn't want to believe it could be true, given her

history of miscarriages and the resulting instruction to not have

any more children after Edward had been born. When she didn't

reply, her husband approached her and took her hands in his.

"If they have an

announcement to make, they will make it," Charles said. "Until

then, we must not assume anything."

She looked at him and

knew he was right. She was determined to not let her own condition

affect how she looked at or treated her daughter-in-law if she was,

in fact, on her way to starting her own family.

Since the afternoon weeks

earlier when she'd found herself re-engaging in the simple art of

pleasure with her husband, they had spent some more time together

in a similar way, but still lived in separate rooms. Thinking about

that, she turned to him.

"Stay with me tonight," she

said simply.

Charles happily put

his arms around her and held her tight. "Of course."