"Let's wait another week or two so I can be sure," she said and he nodded quietly. "But if it does look like 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, we shall arrange our travel when you are ready to do so," he said before giving her another look of joy and kissing her so deeply.
Immediately Alessandra felt herself melting against him and 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.
She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, as always enjoying the feeling of his weight on her and his arms around her.
"I don't want to sleep away from you. I know it might be expected…" she began and he kissed her again.
"I don't want that either. 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?"
He 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. You will be able to calculate your comfort levels, and you will let me know if you wish to be alone," he said to her, with the tone that made it into a question so she nodded in reply.
"I will, I promise," she said and they were soon kissing again.
"Well my wife, if there is a 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 he shook his head.
"I will ride beside you now," he replied and she knew that he was moving himself into possible father mode, wanting to be protective over her, and she enjoyed the feeling that thought produced.
* * * * *
That evening as the family sat in the drawing room, enjoying the warmth from the fire that seemed to be roaring, Edward held Alessandra's hand particularly closely to him and 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 him and he looked surprised.
"Do you?"
She looked apprehensive, like she did not want to believe it could be true, given her own history of miscarriages and the resulting instruction to not get pregnant again after Edward had been born. She did not speak, and her husband approached her and took her hands in his.
"If they have an announcement to make, they will make it. Until then we must not assume anything."
She looked at him and knew he was right. Her own condition must not 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 ago when she had 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. But tonight she turned to him.
"Stay with me tonight," she said simply, and he happily put his arms around her and held her tight.
"Of course."
Chapter Twenty Six
Another week passed with Alessandra and Edward purposely putting the possibility of her being pregnant out of their minds while they continued with their individual and joint learning and responsibilities.
One morning after breakfast had finished and Edward had gone off with his father, Alessandra returned to their room to rest alone for a short time, and Margaret walked in.
"Oh my, Miss, I am so sorry. I did not expect you to be here," she said, starting to walk back out the door.
"No, actually Margaret, please come back in," Alessandra said to her, making the older woman turn and close the door behind her so that they had privacy. "You have been assisting me long enough now that I wonder if you would have noticed…" she started to ask and as always, the older woman successfully anticipated what she was thinking and feeling too shy to say.
"Miss, I have noticed that perhaps you have missed a bleeding," she said quietly and Alessandra nodded and put her head down.
"Yes, that is what I wanted to ask you about," Alessandra replied, sounding relieved. "I was trying to work out the days but every day seems to be like the last so I am not sure…"
Margaret came closer to the young woman before her, who she had come to respect and appreciate as her future mistress.
"Does it seem to you that I have missed one?" she asked quietly, finally looking at the older woman in front of her, who nodded in return.
"To me it does, Miss. In fact, you almost should have had two bleedings in the time since your last one."
She watched Alessandra, wondering if the thought would bring joy to her or not, but in a moment Alessandra's face transformed into a smile.
"Do you think it is too soon, though, to be sure? I would not like to give hope if I am wrong."
"Oh, Miss, whenever a woman is with child, there is a possibility that it will not come to full term, as sad as that is. So some women do choose to keep the realisation to themselves for as long as they can, so they do not let anyone down. Only you can know if you want to share the news or not, but if you are asking me if enough time has passed for it to seem like you are with child, then yes, I think you might be," Margaret replied and almost instantly felt Alessandra jump up and put her arms around her, before Alessandra pulled away again, looking like she might have offended.
"Thank you, Margaret. You don't know how much I appreciate your openness in talking to me about such personal things," she said and the older woman took that as an indicator that the conversation was now finished and the young woman before her now needed privacy. She curtseyed and silently removed herself from the room, leaving Alessandra alone.
Alessandra stood at the window and looked out over the land, wondering what to do. Part of her wanted to shout out to everyone, full of joy, about the possibility, but always she found herself thinking of Edward's mother and feeling like it might not be a cause for happiness for her, to have her daughter-in-law pregnant. It was expected, of course, but how to bring the news out without causing any vexation or hurt to her mother-in-law?
* * * * *
Late in the afternoon she was studiously focusing on not thinking about the issue, when Edward found her in her favourite spot in the sunshine of the enclosed glass room.
"What are you deep in thought about, my beautiful wife?" she heard Edward say, being startled at the realisation that she had not heard him enter the room.
He approached, sat beside her and took her hand before kissing her and waiting for her reply.
"I think I would like to go home to visit my mother, Edward," she said quietly, hoping she would not be offending him or his parents for asking, but he only nodded and kissed her hand.
"I will talk to Father and arrange everything," he said, realising what she might be saying. "Do you still think there is a chance that you might be with child, my love?"
She nodded at him and smiled shyly.
"I do. Would you be happy if it is true?"
He smiled brilliantly at her as his mind ventured far off into the future, imagining being a father to a child.
"Yes! But whatever happens, I shall be happy, Alessandra, as long as you are with me," he said and she melted against him, happy to just sit and hold hands and lean on him.
* * * * *
Later, Edward sat in the steward's room with his father, having purposely lured him there so he could speak privately with him and tell him what he and Alessandra suspected.
"I can arrange this for you and Alessandra, Edward, but why is there no announcement, if she thinks she is with child?" his father asked him and Edward found himself trying to be very careful in his words.
"Father, Alessandra knows the difficulties for Mother in not having been able to h
ave more children after I was born, and even for me it feels wrong…" he started to say but his father cut him off abruptly, startling him.
"Edward, your mother's time of having children passed long ago, and she expects, as I do, that you and Alessandra will produce children to continue our family line. I appreciate that you are sensitive to how your mother may feel, but please believe me when I tell you that when that news comes, she will be as joyous about it as I will be."
Edward nodded in response, not feeling like any words were required.
"How certain is she?" his father asked.
"Father, she wants to see her mother, and I am sure that will clarify anything she is uncertain about."
His father nodded to him.
"Very well, I will arrange for the two of you to travel tomorrow afternoon, and once you are there you can let me know when you are ready to return," he said and Edward nodded and left him to go and find Alessandra and give her confirmation of her ability to go home.
* * * * *
"We are going tomorrow?" Alessandra asked, finding it difficult to hide her excitement to the news. "To see my mother and father?"
Edward laughed at her.
"Yes! It is all arranged for tomorrow afternoon. We shall travel halfway and then stay overnight in an inn before continuing the next morning, so you shall see your mother day after tomorrow," he said, feeling great power from his parents' situation in life that made it so easy to make such arrangements at such short notice.
Alone in their room she threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately, instantly stirring him, and they quickly undressed and indulged in pleasuring each other.
"Should we still be doing this, Alessandra? I mean, if you are with child?"
Alessandra looked at him with such a suggestive look in her eyes that he laughed as she said to him, "But we don't know for certain that I am, so we have to keep trying, don't we?"
He held her tight and kissed her more, very happy to do just that.
Chapter Twenty Seven
The next day Edward and Alessandra stood on the steps of the manor house and hugged each of his parents as they said their goodbyes. Neither Edward's mother or father had spoken of the possible pregnancy, and would not until Alessandra felt sure that she could announce it, but they both felt sure that it was certain and that they would have a grandchild soon enough.
After what seemed like such a long journey, Alessandra was shown to the room that she would share with Edward in the same inn she had stayed in when she had headed in the reverse direction previously.
When they closed the door behind them after eating and readying themselves for the night, they immediately closed the gap between them, hungry for each other. It felt different, being in a different place and it being just the two of them with no parents at all anywhere in their vicinity.
For Edward, he felt like he couldn't get enough of his wife, and she continued to surprise him in her eagerness to be so close to him so often. After satisfying her with his mouth not once, and not twice, and he himself had been satisfied three times, they both lay back in the foreign bed and smiled indulgently at each other.
"I do think I shall need sleep at some point tonight, Alessandra, if we are to face your parents tomorrow," Edward said in his teasing manner, and she giggled at him with a sound that to Edward was simply delightful.
As he looked at her, he was again thankful inside for the choice his mother had made. It may have been made for an entirely different purpose - the money that came with her that had been able to be injected into the estate - but still, after their initial unease with each other, he could not have asked for a more giving and loving wife.
"I just want to make the most of our time together," she said, smiling, as her giggling toned down. "I am so happy to be with you, Edward."
Edward could feel the emotion coming off her, and pulled her close to kiss her over and over, before they finally let themselves fall asleep.
* * * * *
The following morning they were on their way to Alessandra's home, and on the way there she started to feel nerves about Edward seeing where she had grown up. Feeling her anxiety, he questioned her to find out what she was so nervous about.
"Edward, I did not grow up like you. My parents' home is very small, and we live on the edge of a small village - in fact I think your estate might be larger than the whole village!"
He looked at her closely and tried to understand her concern, having not really thought about their different upbringings.
"Alessandra, I enjoyed getting to know your parents and I love you, so what your house looks like really does not matter to me. I just want to be with you," he said, holding her hand tightly and kissing her lightly. "Stop worrying."
* * * * *
Later that day Edward was introduced to the small village that his wife had grown up in and he realised then that not only had he never visited this village before, but he had never even visited anything like it before. And they almost immediately were arriving at Alessandra's family home, with her mother running out to greet them and pull them both into a hug, with tears in her eyes.
"Oh you are here! Oh, Edward, thank you to you and your father for bringing my daughter home to me," she gushed, giving him an extra hug and making him laugh. "Come in, come in," she continued, ushering them both inside, where Alessandra's father joined them.
"Edward, it is good to see you," he said, shaking Edward's hand. "I trust you are taking good care of my little girl."
Edward and Alessandra smiled at each other and her parents could both see the happiness of their daughter.
"I certainly am trying, Sir."
As they entered a small room, Edward, although he didn't want to be, was surprised at how small the room and the house were. But he hid his feelings, in wonder of finally seeing where his wife had grown up.
"Sit down, Edward," Alessandra's mother insisted and he did as he was bid, before she continued. "I shall get some tea. Alessandra, please come and help me."
Alessandra looked at her mother, surprised, but did as she was instructed and followed her mother out of the room and into the kitchen.
Once away from everyone else, Alessandra saw her mother take her hands and smile broadly at her.
"You are with child," she said, without any hint of a question at all, and Alessandra felt herself express surprise. "I am your mother, Alessandra, and I can tell."
"I am not sure, Mother…" she started to say, relieved that the subject had come up.
"Have you bled in the past few weeks?"
"No," Alessandra replied and her mother looked pleased.
"Oh my daughter, you are going to have a baby," her mother said, clearly excited.
"But Mother, can I be certain enough to declare it? I don't know when is the right time."
Her mother looked at her and held her hands tighter.
"Alessandra, babies come when they are meant to, and some look like they are meant to but then they don't - we never know what is going to happen, but if you find out you are expecting a child, you don't have to hide it. It is a joyous thing - something to be celebrated. Do Edward's mother and father know?"
Alessandra shook her head.
"No, I wanted to see and talk to you first, to be sure."
She watched her mother as she started to make tea and prepare the tea tray.
"As long as there is no bleeding, I think you can be certain that a baby is growing inside of you. Oh my darling daughter, I am so happy for you. Does Edward know?"
"He knows that I think I might be with child," Alessandra replied, and her mother nodded.
"Good," she said and then really looked at Alessandra. "And is he really treating you well, my daughter? Is all well between you?"
"Oh yes, Mother, he is wonderful," Alessandra said, and the dreamy look on her face told her mother that all indeed was well in the marriage that had been arranged purely for money.
* * * * *
That evening Al
essandra and Edward lay alone not in Alessandra's room but in a guest room, due to the bigger bed being needed, but Alessandra was too aware of her parents being so close, to be able to summon desire. And while Edward could have been upset about this, instead all Alessandra saw on her husband's face was his look of amusement.
"I think we can probably be good while we are here, don't you think? Especially after last night…" Edward was saying, teasing her, and saw her face blush deeply while remembering how much they had made love well into the night during their stay at the inn.
They lay facing each other, just looking at one another, content to do just that.
"Did your mother talk to you?" he asked and she smiled at him.
"Yes, she told me I was with child, even before I said anything, so I think now I can let myself believe it. Edward, we are having a child!" she said and he smiled brilliantly at her.
"I am going to be a father, and you shall be a mother," he said with a shallow indication of excitement revealed in his voice.
Alessandra looked at him in wonder, thinking about how much her life had changed from just a few months ago, when she had questioned if she would ever even get married, or would end up being at home with her parents and then alone.
"Do you think this could be the first of many?" she asked him and he beamed, revealing his wishes.
"If that is what is intended for us, then we will welcome it, but you and I both come from small families, so we must not forget how things can go sometimes. If we only have the one - even if we have none - we shall be happy, Alessandra."
Alessandra cuddled into him and let herself drift off, thinking about the prospect of not only having to learn how to run an estate, but also now having to learn how to be a mother.
Chapter Twenty Eight
The next morning Alessandra had some more time alone with her mother while Edward was kept busy by her father.
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