"Daddy," the second smallest child cried rushing forward and throwing herself at Walter. He scooped her up in his arms and squeezed her.
"Are you our new mother, then?" the tallest boy asked.
"I suppose I am," Tamsin said.
"Margaret, will you please show our guest to a room and put the children to bed. I would speak with my brother. Privately." He emphasized the last word as he gave his brother a pointed glare.
Tamsin looked down at her feet. His voice was chilly and far from the welcome she had hoped for though it was the one she knew that she and Walter deserved.
"Please, follow me," Margaret said in a tone much warmer than that of her husband.
***
Edward motioned for Walter to follow him to the quiet sanctuary of the garden where he took a seat on a stone bench. The bench overlooked the hill where the Crake dead were buried in a small cemetery near the back of the land. Walter noticed the newest grave there which must belong to his father.
Edward did not signal for Walter to sit so he stood beside his brother and alpha.
"She is not a werewolf," Edward said.
"She is not. But she is a Wolstenholme," Walter said.
"Good God, you mean to tell me she is the bastard of Wolstenholme's wife?"
"Tamsin swears her mother never committed adultery. She is the true daughter of Marquess Wolstenholme," Walter said. Edward put his face in his hands.
"If she is the daughter of the Marquess and his wife then why is she not a werewolf?" Edward asked.
"Only God knows," Walter said.
"I feel like saying so borders on blasphemy," Edward said.
"We do not know that it is impossible," Walter said.
"Let us assume for a moment that her mother tells the truth. Why did you marry her? There were plenty of other more suitable women I could have found for you," Edward said.
"I fell in love with her," Walter confessed. Edward rubbed his fingers across his forehead.
"Why did you not write me of any of this?" Edward asked.
"I should have. I know that. I came to care for her but we married only because Henry wanted to bed her and I could not let that happen," Walter said.
"King Henry wanted to bed her? You stole her from the King?" Edward asked. His voice neared a growl.
"King Henry wanted to bed her. Not wed her," Walter defended.
"Did you get Wolstenholme's approval for the marriage?"
"No," Walter confessed shifting his feet.
"Has a message been sent to Wolstenholme? Has he any idea that you have his daughter?"
"No," Walter confessed.
"Did you put a pup in her?" Edward asked.
"No. Nor do I intend to," Walter said.
"Intentions are not always reality," Edward said.
"I learned with Mary. I will not risk Tamsin's life in childbirth. Not when she is not even a werewolf," Walter said. He had indeed learned with Mary. The midwife had told them they should have no more children. Naomi had been a difficult birth and Mary had suffered frailty afterwards. He had not meant to put a child in her again but one night he had been too deep in passion to pull himself from her body in time. It was only the one time but it had been enough. Mary had conceived Bess that night and she had died bringing his daughter into the world. He would never repeat that mistake. He would never again allow his passion to get the better of him. Especially not with Tamsin.
"I am glad we agree on that at least. It is hard to say if a child born to her would be a werewolf or not. Can you imagine the disaster if a child inherited the Crake estate but could not take his place as pack leader?" Edward asked
"Jonathan will inherit. Then his sons," Walter said.
"That is what we hope but it is in the hands of God. It is always in the hands of God," Edward said.
"If you feel I have acted wrongly then I will take my children and go. It will not be the first time a pack has split," Walter said bowing his head in contrition.
"Do not be daft. Jonathan is my heir and you are my brother. Father might have sent you into exile but you know that is not in my heart," Edward said. Walter did know it. He had risked everything on that knowledge.
"Then give permission for this marriage. I need the company of a mate and my children need a mother. She knows of our ways and she has the smell of a werewolf," Walter said.
"I did not smell werewolf on her," Edward said.
"I did not either until I was in wolf form," Walter confessed.
"You stayed with her during the moon? How could you be such a fool? You could have killed her," Edward said.
Walter put up a hand to stop him.
"I left her in a cave and went into the woods. She was attacked by a marceffynol. I had to rescue her," Walter said.
"Where were you?" Edward demanded.
"One day away. Another pack came to our rescue. I was no match for the marceffynol," Walter admitted.
"Do you know which pack?" Edward asked.
"I cannot be sure," Walter said. The wolves were not ones he knew but perhaps his brother did. As the second son Walter did not meet frequently with the alphas of other packs.
"We must send word to Wolstenholme that his daughter is alive and in the care of our pack," Edward said.
"Then you will bless the marriage?" Walter asked.
"You are not leaving me many choices. You will have a proper ceremony in front of the pack. We will wait until we have word from her father. All of my permissions will do nothing if he does not give his," Edward said.
"He will not want her back after I have spoiled her," Walter said. Edward grimaced.
"I think I shall leave the spoiling of his daughter out of my letter. I would rather not start a pack war," Edward said. Walter nodded. Wolstenholme had not given Tamsin the care he expected a father to give his daughter but that did not mean he would not take her unexpected marriage as an affront.
"Understood," Walter said.
"Do you think you can avoid any further spoiling of her until after the wedding? If Wolstenholme wishes to attend I would like to be sure that his daughter is not heavy with a bastard child," Edward said.
"I told you I was careful," Walter growled. Edward gave a little shake of his head and Walter could tell his brother wasn't confident that he was being careful. He couldn't blame his brother. It hadn't been long ago that he had been so careful with Mary that Bess was born.
"Your news of a marceffynol troubles me," Edward said after a long pause.
"They are not unheard of in Wales," Walter said though he had the same thought. Marceffynols were rare in Wales but not unheard of. To his knowledge, there had never been a marceffynol on English soil.
"We need to find out if this marceffynol lost his way or if he was sent for some purpose," Edward said.
"What purpose could a single marceffynol have?" Walter asked.
"You assume there was only one. An alpha never assumes," he said. Their father had said that more than once but Walter had paid little heed to it. His brother was born to lead the pack. Walter was born to follow his alpha.
"I will send new guards to Hampton Court. I will tell King Henry that you found a threat to the kingdom and felt compelled to bring me the news in person less I believe it a lie. I will send scouts out to gather whatever information they can. Perhaps that will be enough for us to avoid the king's wrath. I shall not mention your new bride to him," Edward said.
"She meant nothing to him. She would only have been a plaything for his bed until his wife sent her away or he grew tired of her. King Henry is like an indulgent child," Walter said. He felt a sudden fury raging through his veins. Henry's indulgence had led to the death of Joan. Walter might know that was the way of things at court but that didn't stop him from hating it. He thought of his daughters and how heart broken he would be if any of them were used cruelly and tossed aside.
"It seems we all have tendencies towards indulgence," Edward said looking him in the eye. Walter turned his head at the
chastisement.
They sat in silence for several moments before Edward stood and started towards the house. Walter followed behind him.
Tamsin was waiting in the room he had once shared with Mary. She looked tired and nervous. One of the servants had helped her change into a fresh chemise. He supposed it was borrowed from Margaret. All of Mary's things that been removed from the house after her death.
"Will your brother allow me to remain?" Tamsin asked.
"He had no other choice," Walter said.
"Then he will bless the marriage?" Tamsin asked.
"He will. Though he has asked us to refrain from engaging in any activities that might put a child in your belly until a proper wedding before the pack can be arranged," Walter said.
"Did you assure him that you were being cautious," Tamsin asked.
"I did but I am not sure he believed me," Walter said. He stripped off his clothes and donned a clean shirt before climbing into bed beside her.
"Well, I know one thing that will not result in any child," Tamsin said and he knew exactly where her mind had gone.
"As do I," he whispered leaning forward and kissing her.
Whoo-Whoo
Tamsin turned her head in alarm at the sound.
***
"It is an owl. When you open the shutters in the morning you will see there is a tree outside the window. For reasons I will never know the owls around here like to congregate there," Walter said.
The tree was a nuisance and he had thought more than once of cutting it down but Mary and Margaret had both said it offered shade and cooled that side of the house so he never had pressed the issue.
"It seems I will need to adjust to many things," Tamsin whispered.
"Not so many," Walter said kissing her again. The owls hooted again but she did not indicate that they disturbed her which was good.
She reached under his shirt and took his cock in her hand. Their kiss had ignited the passion in him and his body was eager for his wife.
She began to stroke him gently which made him groan. His first instinct was to lay back and allow her to give him pleasure with her mouth again. Still, he had decided that he wanted to try pleasuring her with his mouth. He had never tried such a thing before though of course he had heard stories of it being done.
He pulled his mouth away from her and gently leaned her back on the bed. He reached a hand under her chemise to cup her breast. Her nipple hardened when his finger brushed against it and her back arched. He could smell the desire radiating from between her legs.
He lifted the chemise up enough to take a nipple in his mouth. He suckled her as he gathered his courage. Finally, he let her nipple slip from between his lips and he trailed kisses down her belly. He caressed her thighs and she opened them to him. He knew she expected him to fill her with his cock but he had promised his brother not to take any risks and he intended to keep that promise. At least for the night.
Beneath her delicate feminine curls was a pink slit that glistened invitingly. He lowered his head and gave her a tentative lick.
She let out a gasp and he felt her hips buck.
He put a hand on either thigh and pushed them back further exposing her core to him. She tasted like honey and he pushed his tongue inside of her again and was rewarded with a moan. She was growing wetter by the minute and the smell of her desire was driving the animal part of him to near madness.
He used his tongue to lap at her pleasure nub and she fisted his hair holding him to her. Begging him for more.
He thrust his tongue as deep into her depths as it would go and then pulled it out again making her moan. As he continued to pleasure her with his tongue her hips began to buck in response.
He felt her body tense up and he knew she was on the verge of reaching her pleasure peak. He gave her pleasure nub one more hard lick and her whole body shook with pleasure. Her wetness shot from her all over his lip and by the time her body had calmed his cock was aching desperately. He sat back on his haunches trying to maintain control. He knew if he sheathed himself in her now he would risk not being able to pull his cock from her before filling her with his seed which was exactly what he wanted to avoid.
She opened her eyes to look at him and she must have seen the mad desire in him for she leaned forward and took his length deep into her mouth. It took only a moment of her attentions to his cock for him to throw back his head and groan. His cock pulsed and he could feel it filling her mouth.
She looked up at him with a smile and he bent down and kissed her trying not to let the smell of him on her lips drive him back to desire. He was not a young man anymore though she was making him feel as if he was.
"Your brother will be pleased that you kept your word to him," Tamsin whispered leaning back against her pillow. Her chemise again covered her and Walter quickly laid beside her and pulled the covers over them both. He pulled her against him and enjoyed the warmth radiating from her body. Tonight would be the first time they would sleep in a proper bed together.
"I love you so very much," he whispered gently into her ear.
"I love you so very much as well," she whispered back.
Walter was surprised how he could go from full of passion to tired exhaustion in just moments but as Tamsin's breath slowed to that of sleep his body seemed to realize how much he had been through and it didn't take long for him to join her in slumber.
Chapter 19
It took a moment for Tamsin to remember where she was but once she did she smiled. Walter was curled against her back snoring gently and she reveled in his warmth. She was about to close her eyes when she heard a noise.
"Papa," a small voice said. Tamsin looked to the foot of the bed were two children were standing hand in hand. Both were girls. One was older than the other by several years though they were both very young.
"What do you need Naomi?" Walter asked. His eyes were still closed and he was only on the verge of awake.
Tamsin looked at the children. The smaller of the two had a cherub face but she also had a sparkle in her eye. The older had pretty dimples and freckles decorated her cheeks.
Neither child spoke but just looked up at Tamsin. She heard Walter snore. Apparently, he had fallen back asleep. The last few days had been quite the ordeal and if anyone deserved sleep it was Walter.
Tamsin climbed out of the bed. The floor was cold beneath her feet and she loathed leaving the warmth of Walter's body.
She took the children by the hands and led them out to the hallway. She closed the door behind her so Walter could sleep. She had not tended to children since Tobias was small but she supposed that now was as good a time as any to dive into her role of new mother to Walter's children.
She turned to face them and knelt down so she was on their level.
"Are you ill, my love?" she whispered gently to the older child.
"No."
"Are you hungry?"
"No."
"Are you thirsty?"
"No," the older child said.
"Well, why are you out of bed?" Tamsin asked sure to keep her voice gentle lest the children think it a reprimand.
"Are you really our new mother?" the older girl asked.
"I suppose I am," Tamsin said.
"I do not remember having a mother and neither does Bess," the older girl said. Both must have been very small when their mother died.
"Well, I have never had children before so I suppose we will need to help each other learn," Tamsin said gently.
"What does a mother do?" Naomi asked.
"All the things your nurse and aunt do I would think," Tamsin said.
"Do you have other children?" Naomi asked.
"Just your brothers and sisters," Tamsin said. The children both shared Walter's nose and the smaller one had his lips as well. Both children had light blond hair and blue eyes. They were pretty children.
"Do you know anything about being a mother?" Naomi asked.
"I suppose I do not. I have a very good mother. I
think I will try my best to be like her," Tamsin said unsure of what else to say. Naomi bit her lip and Tamsin could only assume she was trying to understand things far beyond her years.
"Mama?" Bess asked.
"Yes, this is our new mama," Naomi said. Bess looked at Naomi and then at Tamsin. Bess reached out her arms and Tamsin scooped her up. The child snuggled against her wrapping her arms around her neck.
"We should go back to the nursery. Nurse will be worried if she sees we are missing," Naomi said.
"I will take you," Tamsin said. She didn't know the nurse and she hoped the children would not be in trouble for wandering out of their room at night.
She wished there had been time to meet the children the night before but there had not been. Today, she would start her new life as Mrs. Walter Crake and the mother of his seven children. It would be an adjustment for all of them but she hoped they would all learn how to be a family with time.
She reached a hand out to Naomi and asked her to lead the way to the nursery.
***
Walter rolled over to put his arm around Tamsin but the place she had lain in his bed was empty. He groaned. He should get up. He had been an early riser before going to Hampton Court but his time there had made him more comfortable with remaining abed into the late morning or early afternoon. He called a servant to assist him in dressing and then made his way downstairs to the kitchen. The Crake house had only six servants currently employed. There were two nurses who took turns caring for the children. Both were spinster women. One was werewolf and the other was not. There were two man servants and two maid servants. They were in charge of assisting with the household work but even with their service there was plenty to keep Margaret busy.
As he entered the kitchen Margaret was placing a bowl of berries on the table between a pitcher of milk and a bowl of boiled eggs.
Tamsin was holding Bess on her lap and Naomi was leaning against her side. It seemed that at least his youngest were pleased with their new mother. His other children and Edward sat around the table. He took the vacant seat beside Jonathan.
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