Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

H annah loved how Frederick felt inside her. Loved it. His body pressed as close to hers as could be. The feeling of his member throbbing as he moved his hips back and forth. His teeth biting her neck. His lips sucking. His hands grabbing her hips and squeezing as if afraid to let go. There was nothing about it that she did not relish.

“Frederick,” Hannah groaned as her husband began to thrust harder and faster. “We… we have to…”

“Have to what?” he growled in her ear, before nipping her earlobe.

“Hurry,” she breathed. Her eyes were closed, and her head was tilted back, as lost in the moment as could be while still frustratingly aware of the time crunch that they were on. “We have to hurry.”

“Do not rush me.”

“But—”

“Or command me.” His hand covered her mouth, and he began to thrust even harder—a sharp, quick motion.

“Oh…” Each thrust sent a pulse from her loins to her toes. “Oh… yes… right… there… urgh!”

It was early in the morning, although not as early as Hannah would have liked. She had hoped to wake up even earlier, before the sun, so that she and Frederick might have time to explore one another’s bodies without having to worry about the time. But they had been up late the previous night—for obvious reasons—which caused the delay.

The way Frederick had woken her this morning was common now. While she was sound asleep, she felt his lips between her thighs, but then she continued to feign sleep because she knew that the longer she did so, the harder Frederick would lick and suck. Eventually, his ministrations had her gasping, which had Frederick pulling her down to him, which had him wrapping her legs around his waist as he entered her without delay. One peak out the window and Hannah knew they did not have time for this, but… well, she was only human, after all.

It had been a week since they first spent that glorious night together—and what a week it had been. Every morning they made passionate love, and every night they did the same. Frederick no longer bothered with pretending he did not want her, such that Hannah wondered if they would ever stop if Amelia wasn’t always around.

However, as perfect as it all seemed, there was one issue that Hannah could not quite look past, or fathom how she might do so.

Frederick’s body began to shake. His groaning and panting became louder and more aggressive. His thrusts were shorter and sharper and quicker, and the way he held her became purposeful, as if he was concentrating. Hannah knew by now what this meant, and again she wondered if today would be different.

Suddenly, Frederick pulled out of her. She gasped at the sensation and then frowned with disappointment as he spilled on her thigh. She might have said something or objected, but each time he did, he then fell down next to her, pulled her close, smothered her with kisses, and seemed to do everything he could to draw attention away from that act.

“Amelia is probably wondering what is taking us so long.” He chuckled. “No doubt she has been up since before sunrise.”

“Yes…” Hannah could feel his sticky mess on her thigh. “She has been talking about nothing else for two days now. I am surprised she hasn’t come in here to check on us.”

“She knows better than that,” Frederick said, even though he turned in the bed and eyed the door… just in case. “Or she should.”

Hannah laughed and pushed him off her. “We best hurry, anyhow. We did promise that we would leave first thing.”

Frederick groaned and reached for her. “Can we not just stay in bed all day?”

“Do you want to risk your daughter’s wrath?”

He grimaced. “Good point. But tomorrow, I am going to instruct Miss Temperton to take her out or distract her until at least noon. Because…” He shuffled forward, wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her back to him as he began to kiss down her shoulder. “Once a morning is simply not enough.”

“And in the evening,” Hannah pointed out as goosebumps erupted wherever he placed a kiss.

“Still not enough,” he growled.

The two fell back into bed together, and Hannah laughed. “I could not agree more.”

He was saying all the right things. Dammit, he was doing all the right things. This past week had been nothing short of amazing, and if their marriage continued this way, then Hannah was certain that a lifetime of happiness was what awaited her. And yet…

He refused to finish inside her. The only reason she could think of was that he did not wish to have children. And while Hannah had not really considered such a thing before now, the more she had thought about it lately, the more she came to realize that if she wanted a happy marriage, if she wished to spend the rest of her life with a man she was falling for, why should they not have children together? Was that not the entire point of marriage in the first place? And if Frederick did not want such a thing, did that mean he didn’t see this relationship as she saw it?

Troubling thoughts. Hannah knew that soon, she would need to mention them. Only how she would do so without ruining what they had… that was an answer she had yet to find.

“Amelia!” Frederick called after his daughter. “Don’t go too far! Amelia!”

“Oh, let her run.” Hannah laughed. “She will be fine.”

“It is not Amelia whom I worry for…” Frederick’s lips were pressed together, the concern evident on his visage. “It is everyone else who concerns me. People of common stock are...” He clicked his tongue. “Unpredictable.”

“What could possibly happen?” Hannah sighed.

“That is a question I would rather not find the answer to—Amelia!” Frederick grimaced as he watched his daughter disappear in the crowd. “I do not wish to point fingers, but ever since you came along, she has become more and more unruly.”

“Oh, you do not wish to point fingers?” Hannah snorted.

“I am just saying…”

“I know what you are saying.” Hannah pulled her hand back and crossed her arms as she looked away, as if upset. “I am a bad influence.”

“Are you not?” He chuckled.

She fixed him with a warning glare. “I would watch what you say next, husband.”

He grinned. “Until you came along, I will remind you that my daughter was nothing but obedient and proper and exactly the type of young lady that any father would be proud to call his own.”

“And now?”

“She is already starting to take after you… the bad influence that you are.”

“I am not a bad influence!”

He took her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his big arms around her as she feigned trying to pull away. “And I have not even gotten to the terrible influence you have had on me,” he growled in her ear, an act that had her shivering in only the best of ways. “That is a conversation for another time.”

She rolled her eyes, letting him squeeze her tighter. “And what about me? And the terrible influence you have had on me. Before we met, I was?—”

“Amelia!” Frederick called out suddenly, for his eyes had drifted over her shoulder, again landing on his daughter. “What did I—come back here!”

Hannah sighed. “Go after her, then.”

He grimaced. “You will be all right on your own for a moment?”

She laughed. “I am sure I will manage. Now, go…” She slipped from his arms and shooed him away. “I am already getting sick of you.”

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “I will be back in a moment.”

A loving look was shared between them, that sense that he had no desire whatsoever to part ways. But then he looked over her shoulder again, his face dropped, and he was quick to hurry after his daughter.

Hannah laughed as she watched him go, finding the whole thing terribly amusing. As strong and brave as Frederick was, when it came to his daughter, he was worse than an overbearing mother who thought the world might end if her daughter so much as scraped her knees.

She also had to admit that this was a big step for Frederick, one he likely wouldn’t have taken was it not for Hannah’s pestering and persistence for the sake of Amelia. Frederick was many things, but fun certainly wasn’t one of them, and today could only be described as just that: fun.

They had traveled an hour north to be here today, a smaller county that sat just outside of Thorne. One of his tenants was hosting a fair, and upon hearing of said fair, Amelia had begged and pleaded that they attend. Frederick had denied her, of course, for he did not think it was proper to mix this way with his tenants and common folk. But after three days of Hannah badgering him, he finally gave in.

The fair itself was similar to the few that Hannah had been lucky enough to attend in her childhood. Mostly, it was a hodgepodge of tents and awnings erected to form a small village of sorts, each stall selling a variety of trinkets and garments and foodstuffs and homemade wares. But there were also games, visual entertainment such as jugglers and fire breathers and musicians, plenty of options for drinking and eating, and, of course, people.

So many people. Hundreds of them, by Hannah’s count. Most of whom were certainly not members of the peerage. They laughed and ran and shouted and joked and gathered in groups, moving to and fro without a care in the world, enjoying the beautiful day, for they had little else to do but frolic and socialize with friends and family.

This was certainly not Hannah’s usual crowd. And dressed as she was, in a gown made of rich, colorful fabric paired with plenty of jewelry, she knew that she stood out like a sore thumb. Frederick, too.

Even now, having lost Frederick for a few minutes as he chased after Amelia, it was easy enough to spot him as she navigated the stalls. Bigger than most, he wore a clean suit that likely cost more than most made in a month. And his stiff back and general sense of awkwardness stood out like a beacon amid the crowd.

When Hannah did eventually see him, she thought to call out, only to notice him speaking with a villager. Amelia was there too, holding his hand, but she was distracted as she looked around eagerly, her eyes wide with wonder. The conversation Frederick was having with the villager, however, looked serious… and the scowl on his face, one that deepened by the second, told her it must be.

She came to a halt a few feet away and watched them converse, focusing on Frederick’s body language; he stood rigid, awkward, clearly angered by whatever it was he was hearing. But not at the man with whom he was speaking.

There was nothing noticeable about the villager, who was dressed as a farmer and looking very much not like the type of person Frederick would usually speak with. But Frederick steamed and scowled and sneered as the farmer continued to talk, and the way his foot began to tap on the ground was a sign that Hannah knew all too well.

Once the farmer finished speaking, Frederick shook his hand in thanks and then turned around to leave, only to spot Hannah watching him. She attempted to drop the angry fa?ade, acting as if nothing was the matter.

“There you are,” she said with a smile as she walked over to them.

“Hannah!” Amelia cried. “Did you see the man breathing fire? Fire! Like a dragon!”

“I didn’t.” Hannah chuckled as she eyed Frederick curiously. “You will have to show me.”

“He’s just over there!” Amelia pointed through the crowd.

“In fact, Amelia, how about you go there now, and I will find you in a moment. I wish to speak with your father quickly.”

Frederick opened his mouth to argue but caught sight of the look on Hannah’s face—one that told him he needed not bother. This past week had seen many changes happen between them, one of which was their power dynamic. Oh sure, Frederick was still in charge and dominant in the ways that mattered, but on the odd occasion, such as now, he seemed to understand that keeping his wife happy was a priority.

“Go on then.” He released Amelia’s hand. “But do not go too far,” he then warned her. “And I will be watching.”

“All right!” Amelia took off in the direction of the fire-breather.

Frederick grimaced as he watched her go, clearly wishing to go after her. But then he turned back and saw Hannah watching him with that raised questioning eyebrow.

“Do I need to ask?” she said simply, taking his hand and stroking it so that he knew this conversation wouldn’t turn into an argument. “Or are you going to tell me?”

“I was rather hoping I would not need to.”

“You should have been more careful, then.”

He curled his upper lip in derision. “That was Malcolm Hastings, one of my tenants—the man putting this thing on.”

“And I take it he wasn’t asking how your day was? Or thanking you for stopping by?”

Hannah noticed he kept looking around them in a way he hadn’t earlier, taking note of the people passing by. Worry flickered in his eyes as he looked at them. Even embarrassment, as strange as that was.

“Frederick…” She forced him to look back at her. “What is the matter?”

“It’s your aunt,” Frederick sneered. “Apparently, those rumors that she has been spreading have begun to take hold. Malcolm was kind enough to warn me of a particular one he heard about my ex-wife.”

“Oh…” Hannah hesitated, for she knew that his ex-wife had died giving birth to Amelia. And she also knew that it was a particularly sore point with him. “What… what did he say?”

“That I killed her,” he said, his teeth bared in anger. “At least that is what he heard. He knows it is false, of course, and he has promised to tell anyone repeating that filth as much. But still…” He cast his eyes about the crowd again, and this time, Hannah understood why.

She followed his eyes, noting now that he was looking at those who passed by who also happened to be staring at them for a little too long. Hannah had seen a few do so earlier, but she had assumed it was because of who they were and the oddity of their presence here. But with this freshly added context, she could not help but notice the way those people whispered behind their hands as they looked at them, the gasps and fear in their eyes.

She and Frederick were being spoken about. Spoken about in a most undignified manner.

“Oh…” Suddenly, she wasn’t enjoying herself nearly as much as she had been. “It is not… perhaps it is not as bad as it seems.”

“How can you say that?” he hissed. “It is bad enough that your aunt insists on spreading these rumors. But now that common folk believe they are true, I have half a mind to…” He clicked his tongue.

“You can still speak with her,” Hannah suggested. “I know you said that you do not wish to debase yourself like that, but if we were to approach her together?—”

“Absolutely not.” He pulled his hand free. “I will not beg your aunt. I should not have to.”

“Then all we can do is ignore it until it stops.”

Even as she said the words, Hannah knew them to not be an option. Rumors like this had a way of growing, and until someone put a stop to them, they would only get worse.

“And if they don’t? My name…” He clicked his tongue. “ Our name, and that of Amelia, will be worth little more than the mud in which we now stand.”

“We will think of something,” she said with little confidence.

“I sincerely hope that we do.” He was back to looking at the crowds, his confidence diminishing. “But until then, we cannot afford to be seen in public like this.”

“Frederick, that sounds like exactly what we should do. If we hide, that will lend credence to the rumors, and?—”

“I do not care,” he hissed at her. “I will not stand here and be judged. In fact—” He looked past her, toward where Amelia had vanished. “Let us fetch Amelia. It is time to go.”

“Oh, but she will be so upset.”

“We are leaving.” He shot her a warning glare, one that she knew better than to argue against. “Now.”

“All right,” she sighed and nodded in understanding. “I suppose it is for the best.”

And that was the end of their day. A rather sour end, at that.

Frederick was quick to track down Amelia and explain to her that they needed to leave, an announcement that was met with pouting and complaining and a small tantrum because she very much wanted to stay. This resulted in a very awkward journey home, which led to a very tense night in general.

Hannah could see where this was going and knew that something had to be done. Frederick was stubborn and proud and would happily shut himself inside until the rumors died down and were forgotten. But he was also a fool because if he did that, they would only grow and mutate and become ungodly things that might follow him and Hannah to the grave.

If that was allowed to happen, it would chip away at their marriage in ways that could only cause pain and suffering. And with everything going as well as it was, Hannah wasn’t about to sit back and allow such a thing to occur.

Her aunt must be dealt with. She must be told to stop. She must be reminded that what happened was nobody’s fault and that these rumors she was spreading were causing harm to those she supposedly loved. And if Frederick wasn’t going to do it, then it would fall on Hannah’s shoulders.

Oh, she had no doubt that Frederick would be angry when he found out, but that was a risk she needed to take. For the sake of her husband, her marriage, and her future.