by Lorna Peel
“I asked your father to call you Thomas. Since the year of dot, all the eldest O’Hara boys were called Thomas. Apart from my father. He was called Andrew.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“I was curious, so Sophia and I looked into the O’Hara family tree.”
Danielle’s face brightened. “I’ve been meaning to do that myself. Grandad always said that they came from a place called Kilkenny in Ireland.”
“Well, we traced them back to there. They left during the Famine.”
“That’s right. They walked to the nearest town, got the Mail Coach to Dublin and sailed to Liverpool. Have you met Michelle?” she asked suddenly and looked at Sophia.
“No, he hasn’t,” Sophia replied. “And she knows nothing about this.”
“And that’s the way it’s going to stay,” Don added firmly. “What happened was…” He tailed off as their coffee arrived and Sophia passed the cups and saucers around. “It was illegal, Danni, I’ve told you a million times that it was.”
“What did you do with the money?” Thomas asked.
“Bought our house in London. Do you hate me?”
Thomas looked startled. “To be honest, I don’t know how I feel towards you yet.”
“They say you work very hard.”
“Yes. It takes a lot of effort to keep the place going.”
“And Sophia?”
“I love Sophia very much,” he said, giving her a little smile.
“Did you meet her mum?”
“No, sadly, I didn’t.”
“She knew, didn’t she?” Sophia asked.
Danielle nodded. “I had to tell someone, and she was my best friend.”
“You mean, you didn’t know?” Thomas turned to Don. “When did you find out?”
“On our honeymoon,” Danielle answered. “I got drunk and it all came pouring out. I told him to leave me but he wouldn’t. The number of times I’ve told him to leave me.”
“Michelle told Sophia that you’d tried A.A.? Will you try it again now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Please?”
She stared at him. “I told them what I’d done. Their faces…”
“Please?”
Slowly Danielle nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Will you do something for me?” she asked.
“If I can.”
“Send me the stuff you have on the O’Haras. I’ll see if I can add to it and I’ll write down some of the family stories I’ve heard.”
“Of course I will. Thank you.”
“Got to do something now I’m a recovering alcoholic.”
“I have something for you.” Thomas reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and extracted a photograph. “It’s Stephanie and me…I don’t know where you’re going to hide it but…”
Danielle took it and finally burst into tears. Don gently extracted the photograph from her fingers and put it in his jacket pocket.
“I’ll keep it safe,” he said and Thomas nodded. “We should go…I’ll just pay for the coffee.”
“No, I’ll pay, it’s fine.”
“Thank you, then.”
They stood up and Danielle took Thomas’ hands. “Will I see you again?”
He nodded again. “When you’re up from London again we’ll arrange something.”
“Thank you.” She stood on tip-toe and kissed his cheek before following her husband out onto the street.
Thomas exhaled a long breath. “I need some air.”
Chapter Twelve
Sophia and Thomas lay on their backs in the stone circle. White clouds were bouncing across the sky above them. Sophia reached into the pocket of her jacket, pulled out a piece of paper and passed it to him.
ASK ME TO MARRY YOU
Thomas sat bolt upright. “Are you sure?”
She smiled, sat up, and turned the paper over in his hands.
JUST ASK!
They got up and he immediately got down on one knee.
“Sophia Nelson, will you marry me?”
She smiled. “Yes, I will.” He opened his mouth and she quickly covered it with her fingers. “Don’t you dare ask, ‘Are you sure?’”
He laughed. “I won’t, then.” He bent and kissed her. “Thank you.”
“I love you,” she said simply. “Can we tell my father first?”
“How will he take it?”
“Well, I hope.”
Luckily, William Nelson smiled. “I’ve seen this coming for weeks. I’m happy for you, lass.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She hugged and kissed him. “I kept Thomas waiting a long time.”
“There were a lot of things to consider.”
“Yes, there were,” Thomas replied.
“Well, I know you love her, and I know you’ll take care of her.” Mr Nelson put out a hand. “Congratulations, son.”
Thomas smiled and shook his hand warmly. “Thank you, William.”
Stephanie admitted them to the farmyard apartment and stared at them in delight. “Engaged? At last. Mother?” she shrieked into the kitchen. “Thomas and Sophia are engaged.”
Lady Heaton came into the living area and smiled knowingly. “How wonderful. Congratulations.”
“So, when is the wedding? Where is the wedding?”
“We don’t know yet and St Margaret’s in the town.”
“Are you going to have an engagement party?”
Sophia and Thomas glanced at each other.
“No,” he replied. “The wedding reception will be party enough.”
“Have you told your father, Sophia?” Lady Heaton asked.
“Yes, and he’s very happy for us.”
“Good,” the older woman replied simply.
They left at the earliest opportunity and eyed each other wryly.
“I need to go and tell Michelle now before the news gets out,” Sophia told him as they returned to the stable yard. “And indirectly Danielle.” Thomas nodded. “I’ll find you when I get back.”
Michelle smiled when she opened the front door fifteen minutes later. “Oh, hi.”
“Is this a bad time?” Sophia could hear laughing from inside the house.
“No, the exact opposite, actually. You’ll never guess but Mum’s just announced that she’s off the booze and is going to start A.A. again.”
“That’s great.”
“Come in.”
“Thanks. I have an announcement to make myself.”
“You’re engaged, aren’t you?” Sophia nodded. “Oh, that’s fantastic.” Michelle gave her a hug. “Come into the lounge.”
“Sophia.” Cathy ran to her for a kiss. “I haven’t seen you for ages.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Hi, everyone.”
“Sophia’s got an announcement to make,” Michelle cried.
Sophia shot a glance at Danielle, who bit her bottom lip.
“Well, um, Thomas and I got engaged today.”
“Congratulations.” Danielle hugged and kissed her. “Your mum would have been so happy.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you bring him?” Tony demanded. “You’re engaged and I haven’t even met the bloke.”
“He’s hardly a bloke,” Michelle protested and Sophia began to squirm. “Baron Heaton of Heaton Abbey House. Tall, dark, handsome, and a complete sex god by all accounts.”
“I’ll bring him the next time, I promise.”
“But Mum and Dad won’t be here,” Michelle added.
“Oh, well, you’ll meet him soon enough.”
Danielle nodded while Don just looked at the floor.
“Where will you get married?” Danielle asked.
“St Margaret’s, but we don’t know when yet.”
“How’s your dad taken it?” Tony asked.
“Very well. He likes Thomas a lot.”
“Well, that’s all right, then. How about his mother?” Sophia froze. “I mean, I’ve seen her in town and she looks
terrifying and she’ll be your mother-in-law.”
“I don’t see her an awful lot now. She moved out of the house and into one of the new farmyard apartments.”
“Tea, everyone?” Michelle asked, and there were murmurings of approval.
Danielle followed her daughter out of the living room. Sophia heard her go upstairs and followed her, muttering something about the bathroom. She found Danielle in the spare bedroom pacing up and down.
“I couldn’t bring Thomas,” she said softly. “It would have been too awkward.”
“I know. He doesn’t regret meeting me?”
“No, not at all.”
“And Stephanie? How is she?”
“Getting stronger all the time. I’d say she’ll be moving back to Leeds soon. Michelle said you announced that you were stopping drinking and going to A.A.” Danielle nodded. “When are you going home?”
“Tomorrow. I’m going to start A.A as soon as I can. I announced it to everyone, so I’ll have to do it now.”
“Good.” Sophia gave her a hug. “You’re being really brave. Keep it up, won’t you?”
Driving back to the abbey, she saw Stephanie on the drive ahead of her, stopped and lowered the window.
“Want a lift?” she called.
“Thanks.” Stephanie opened the passenger door and got in. “Drop me in the stable yard and I’ll walk back to the farmyard.”
“No problem. Look, could you do me an enormous favour?” she asked as she parked outside the flat.
“Of course, what?”
“Come up to the flat.” Stephanie followed her upstairs and Sophia went to the bedroom, returning with the corset. “Help me on with this?”
Stephanie’s eyes bulged. “Where did you get that?”
“Long story, but I can’t put it on by myself.”
“It’s beautiful. I wish I had the figure for something like that. Come on, let’s get you into it.”
She returned to the bedroom with Stephanie following her, got undressed and Stephanie eased the corset over her head. “Not too tight,” she cried, watching in the wardrobe mirror as Stephanie pulled on the strings and then tied a bow. “Thanks.”
“Let’s see.” Stephanie turned her around. “That’s amazing. Good thing it’s summer or you’ll freeze to death in the house.”
“I’m wearing a blouse, anyway. What if I meet Helen?”
Stephanie laughed. “When I was in the flat, I heard all sorts of amazing things from their flat.”
Sophia pulled a disgusted face. “Thanks for that. Are you sure you don’t need a lift back?”
“No, I can make it. I doubt if you could drive in that, anyway. Now, go and wow Thomas.”
Sophia let herself into the house via the side door and pulled off the note stuck to it.
COME TO THE DINING ROOM
THOMAS
She climbed the stairs, wriggling a little in the corset, and walked along the corridor to the dining room.
“Thomas?”
“Come in.” She pushed open the door and found him lighting the candles on the long table. It was set for two. “I hope you haven’t eaten?”
She smiled. “No.”
“Good. Now, it’s nothing special – shepherd’s pie – I mean, Helen wasn’t to know. She still doesn’t know, actually. I thought we’d tell them in the morning. Anyway, it’s in the oven, all I need to do is bring it up here. Hungry?”
“Yes, I am, actually.”
“Good. If madam would like to be seated?” He held her chair and she eased herself down. “Won’t be long.”
She wriggled again. It wasn’t cold in the room but what it would be like in January, she had no idea. Come to think of it, she had no idea what the house as a whole would be like in January.
“Is it cold?” she asked, as he returned and set the dish down on a placemat. “The house, I mean, in winter?”
“Freezing. The heating is on in five rooms – my bedroom, what was Lady Heaton’s bedroom, my sitting room, what was her sitting room, and the kitchen. In the rest of the house, the heating is on for an hour a day, but it barely takes the chill off the air. Any more and we’d need our own oil well. I should be in The Guinness Book of Records for the quickest showers and baths ever. Are you cold now?”
“No, I’m fine.” She watched as he dished out the shepherd’s pie. “I managed to speak to Danielle alone. She had announced to everyone that she was giving up alcohol and going back to A.A. She’s happy for us.”
“Good.”
“Michelle and Tony want to meet you.”
“Oh. Is that wise?”
“Probably not but what can we do? Danielle and Don are leaving tomorrow, so we’ll go over maybe the next day?”
He nodded and put a plate down in front of her as she wriggled again. He frowned.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, just a bit…sorry…I wanted to save this for later but I need to get more comfortable…”
She pushed her chair back and got up and began to undo her blouse. Thomas’ eyes widening with every button. She slipped the blouse off and his eyes bulged as they took in the corset.
“How did you get it on?”
“Stephanie helped. She’s tied it a little bit tight, though. I just need to—” She wriggled again. “Oh, God, that’s better.”
“I won’t be able to eat a thing now.”
“Well, you’d better, you’re going to need all your strength for later on.”
He roared with laughter. “Oh, really?”
“Yes, really. I mean, when I sit down, my breasts end up right under my chin.”
“And very nice they are, too.”
“Just eat for now, Lord Heaton.”
He laughed again and sat down with his plate, watching as she seated herself and wriggled.
“Wine?”
“Yes, please.”
He poured. “Is it very uncomfortable?”
“A bit. It just forces everything up…”
“I know what you mean.”
“Ha, ha.”
“My great-great-grandparents had eleven children. I wonder what it was – corsets or the cold?”
“How many children do you want?”
“Two?”
“That’s a relief.”
“A boy and a girl. There’s no other sort.”
“That’s true.”
“There’s something I want to ask you. It’s always been that Lord and Lady Heaton have had separate bedrooms and separate sitting rooms – well, if you could call the library a sitting room – but that’s what my father and all before him used it as. I broke with tradition when I took over Grandmother’s sitting room for myself. The question is, do you want your own bedroom and sitting room or not?”
“No,” she replied immediately. “And I’m sure.”
“Good.” He smiled.
They finished their meals and she got up and stretched.
“That’s better.”
“I’ll just bring this lot down to the dishwasher.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Do you know where it is?”
“Ha, ha.”
“I’ll blow out the candles then I’ll be in your living room.”
She was closing the curtains when he closed the door behind him and she felt hands close around her waist and lips touch her shoulder.
“Turn around,” he whispered. She turned and he retrieved a box from his jacket pocket. “This was my great-grandmother’s,” he added, opening the box and revealing an emerald and diamond ring. “I hope you like it.”
“I do, it’s beautiful.”
“Really?”
She nodded and he slipped it on and kissed her hand. He ran his hands over the corset examining the lace and embroidery before bending and kissing the swell of her breasts.
“Want to go upstairs?” she asked and he nodded.
“No condoms down here.”
They left the room and kissed their way up the stairs, along the corridor, and i
nto his bedroom.
“Do you want to take this off?” she indicated the corset.
“No,” he replied, running his hands over it again before adding quickly, “but if you’re finding it uncomfortable…?”
“Not for now.” She smiled as they quickly got undressed in record time. “But I’d like to be on top.”
“I’d like you to be on top, too,” he murmured, ripping open a condom and rolling it on. He sat on the bed before moving back further as she climbed over him.
She sank down, taking him fully inside her. Relaxing her muscles, she began to rock on Thomas’ lap. Her hands were holding his shoulders while his were clasping her corseted waist as she moved slowly up and down over him, controlling their pace. Her head fell back once she found a rhythm, rolling her hips in slow circular movement, letting her feel all of him inside her. She could feel herself coming, the building tingling warmth low in her stomach, and could hear her inability to hold back her gasping moans of pleasure. Her body tightened, her fingers gripping his shoulders, pulling herself as close to him as she could get. The corset rubbed against his chest with each roll of her hips, chasing the increasing bouts of pleasure pulsing through her. Her body jerked around his before finally going limp. Thomas bucked his hips, still chasing his release, before groaning and dropping back onto the bed, bringing her down with him.
She couldn’t bring herself to roll off him, was still savouring the feel of him inside her and wasn’t ready to let go of it just yet. Sweeping her hair back off her face, he kissed her lips.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Two days later, Michelle opened her front door to them and stared at Sophia then at Thomas before smiling.
“At last, we’ve been dying to meet you. Come in.”
“Thanks,” Sophia replied as they went inside before making the introductions. “Michelle – Thomas. Thomas – Michelle.”
“Do I curtsey?” Michelle asked cheekily, closing the front door. “Or call you milord?”
“God, no.” Thomas forced a laugh. “Just Thomas. Good to meet you.”
“And you. Come and meet Tony and Cathy.”
“Sophia.” Cathy ran to her for a kiss then stopped and stared rudely up at Thomas. “Who’s that?”
“This is Thomas. We’re getting married.”