Alessandra

by Ann M Pratley

  "Yes, my love. This is our daughter, and she is beautiful," he said, making Alessandra cry with the joy she felt in seeing her husband and her baby together. "Will you hold her?"

  Alessandra smiled and sat right up against the bed head, and reached out, nodding as Edward placed the small bundle in her arms, and sat on the bed beside them.

  Alessandra looked down into the small face in wonder, and let the small fingers tighten around her little finger. Edward looked at them both and saw tears come to his wife's eyes.

  "She is so beautiful, Edward … and she is part of you and me. We made her," she said, with the usual wonder of her voice.

  "The midwife said that she has to feed, Alessandra. Can you?" he asked her and Alessandra felt embarrassed and shy all of a sudden. But finding her resolve to do the right thing, and to learn, she responded positively.

  "I must try," she said and shyly opened her night gown and encouraged her nipple to the lips of her daughter, who eventually latched on and all seemed it would be well.

  When Alessandra leaned back and adjusted to the new feeling, holding their baby in one arm, she reached out for Edward with her other hand, and saw the look on his face. He was looking at her in awe, she knew, as if she had done something no other person in the world had ever done before, and she smiled at him.

  "Kiss me," she whispered, and he moved closer, taking care not to put any pressure on the bundle between them, and obliged, deeply.

  He moved back and smiled while still holding her hand.

  "Mother has offered to find a wet nurse to feed her…" he started to say and Alessandra immediately cut him off.

  "No! If one is needed, then yes, we can find one, but Edward, look at her, she seems fine. Can we please just try this, this way, first?"

  Edward looked at her, pleased at her decision even though it may vex his parents.

  "Yes, of course, my love. I told Mother that you and I will be making all decisions regarding our child, and if need be, I will remind her and Father of that if and when I need to. You must not worry about anything, and do not be afraid to ask for any help you need."

  Alessandra felt a lessening in the suckling on her breast, and when she looked down she realised the baby had gone to sleep.

  "Will you take her, Edward, and put her down in her bed there?" she asked and watched as he carefully lifted the small life and placed her carefully within the bassinet set up near the bed.

  They smiled at each other as he moved back to his wife, who reached out with both arms and pulled him close to her, already thinking about the aspect of their marriage that they had both missed in recent months.

  She held him tight and pulled him in to a passionate kiss and embrace, from which he eventually pulled himself away, laughing quietly.

  "Oh, Alessandra," he said with amusement in his face.

  "I have missed being close to you," she said quietly, looking down with a slight blush on her face.

  "As have I. And it won't be long. But not yet, my beautiful wife. Now you have to concentrate on letting your body recover."

  They looked at each other intently, both aware of times to come, and inflamed by the thoughts, before they heard a knock on the bedroom door. Immediately Edward moved away and stood up, refocusing his mind quickly, before opening the door.

  Seeing four grandparents eager to see their granddaughter again, he stood aside and welcomed them all in and let them take turns at looking at the baby and chatting to Alessandra. During this time he moved to the other side of the bed and sat on it, his back to the bed head as Alessandra's was, and gladly took her hand in his, finding great contentment in simply being close to her.

  "What name shall you give her?" they both heard Edward's father ask, and Edward and Alessandra looked at each other in realisation they had not even decided upon any potential names yet.

  "I should like something from Mother's family line," Alessandra said, looking at her mother, who took her hand and held it, smiling. "And something from Edward's also."

  She reached out and took Edward's mother's hand and smiled at her also. "What is a good name that has held importance to you?" she asked and saw a tear come to his mother's eyes.

  "I always thought Elizabeth was a strong name in my family, and Edward's father's family…"

  Alessandra looked at Edward, who gave a nod and a smile, knowing this was a way to make his mother happy once again.

  "Elizabeth it is then. And Mother, what name from your family?"

  "Gabriella, Alessandra. That was the name of my mother, who you never met, but was a strong willed woman."

  "Elizabeth Gabriella … hmm … I do like that. What do you think, husband?" Alessandra asked Edward, seeing a thoughtful expression on his face.

  "Elizabeth Gabriella Chisholm. I like that very much - let it be so," he said and Alessandra reached across for him to kiss her happily.

  "Now then everyone," they all heard the midwife say from behind their happy gathering. "I shall be leaving soon but I would like some time alone with the young mistress, if you please, to make sure all is as well as it seems."

  Edward ushered both sets of grandparents out of the room and followed them himself, leaving his wife to the care of this brash but likeable woman who had helped deliver his daughter into the world.

  Once the door was closed, the midwife moved closer to Alessandra and sat down beside her quietly.

  "How are you feeling, lass? It is not an easy thing, birth, but you seem like you are not suffering from it."

  Alessandra shook her head. "I feel fine, only very tired."

  The midwife nodded at her. "That is only to be expected after being in labour for so many hours. But I would like to give you a small check up of an intimate nature, to make sure you have not torn anything. Are you comfortable with that?" she asked and received consent.

  Alessandra relaxed as she felt herself bared and touched lightly, and then covered up again.

  "No, there does not seem to be any damage, which is good. Do you have any questions for me, before I leave, Miss?"

  "I fed her from my breast," Alessandra said and the midwife nodded. "Can I keep doing that?"

  "Oh yes, of course you can! As long as there is milk, you can feed her. Sometimes it does dry up, so if that happens you must not put pride ahead of her need for food - you may not wish to have a wet nurse but if your child needs to be fed…" she said and Alessandra agreed with her, before starting to blush profusely.

  "And with my husband…?" she tentatively asked and the midwife smiled softly but knowingly.

  "I would recommend you wait at least a month, Miss, before resuming marital relations. Some women have to wait longer - six to eight weeks - but I do not think you will need to wait that long as you don't appear to have any tears at all. But certainly a month," she said and readied herself to leave.

  "Thank you so much for being here for me," Alessandra said to her and the midwife smiled at her graciously before nodding, curtseying and quietly leaving the room.

  Finally having quiet, Alessandra let her head rest down on the pillow just for a moment … and then was sound asleep once again.

  Chapter Fifty One

  Downstairs in the drawing room the midwife said her farewell to the rest of the family and left the five of them sitting silently, each in their own thoughts.

  "She will need someone to help her, at least, Edward. Who does she trust to help her with the baby?"

  Edward looked up, suddenly realising he was not certain who Alessandra even interacted with on the household staff. But remembering how trustworthy Margaret had been when he and his father had brought Mrs Howard to the manor, her name was the first one that entered his mind.

  "I think Margaret might be the person she would prefer, at least initially," he said, standing up. "I shall locate her and talk to her."

  * * * * *

  Walking around the rooms in an attempt to find the right staff member, Edward found himself cursing the size of the manor, especially at
this time of year when everything was being cleaned and set up for the upcoming hunt his father had arranged, when a great number of people would be staying with them.

  Finally he found her in one of the guest rooms, preparing it for the arrival of a guest.

  "Margaret," he said and she looked up, surprised to see the young master seeking her out.

  "Yes, Sir?"

  "You are aware that my wife has safely delivered our child," he started and saw her nod in acknowledgement. "I would like her to have someone with her to help as she requires it, and to give her support, particularly when I am not nearby. It will require some help with my daughter…" he said tentatively, not even sure if Margaret knew anything about children or babies.

  Margaret smiled at him. "Sir, I have nursed babies and raised children and I would be happy to provide help to the young mistress, if that is what you are asking."

  "Yes, thank you. Will you go to her now then, and pass this work to someone else for the moment?"

  Margaret nodded, curtseyed and walked off to find Alessandra, a smile on her face as she had come to consider the young mistress a very likeable and affable young lady who she would take pleasure in assisting.

  Before leaving the room, Edward took a moment to go to the window of the presently unused bedroom, and just looked out, enjoying the view. From there he could see the hill he and Alessandra had both come to love riding up to the summit of, and he felt himself grow excited at the thought of the things such as horse riding, that she had not been able to enjoy in recent months.

  He thought back to their conversation at the waterfall, where she had expressed her desire to not be pregnant in summer, and resolved that he would do whatever he had to, to make sure that did not happen. But even in thinking about how to not get her pregnant, he felt his arousal come on strong, due to his anticipation of their intimacy soon being able to resume again. Even just thinking about her like that was enough to create deep feelings of passion for her, and he realised then, standing at the window, how much his body had in fact missed hers after all.

  Chapter Fifty Two

  In the following weeks Alessandra's mother and father returned to their home and then Alessandra found herself feeling like she was in 'baby care school' with Margaret, learning about how to do things that she knew her mother-in-law did not approve of her doing herself - bathing Elizabeth and changing her clothing and nappies. Even Edward was eager to assist with aspects of his daughter's care, and at the end of every day made sure he had his turn to simply let the little life nestle into his arms and fall asleep there before being put into her bed by her father.

  Margaret was well set up to support Alessandra but at the young parents' request, did not work nights and left the care of the young one in their care completely, as they wished.

  After putting Elizabeth into her bed for the night - by now she was sleeping more and more of the night with each passing day - Edward climbed into bed with Alessandra to hold her close.

  "Can we move back into our own room soon, Edward? I do not think we need to stay in here any longer," Alessandra asked, letting her mind wander back to pre-birth times.

  "Of course. We can do that tomorrow," he replied, bringing up his hand to touch her cheek and run his fingers over her lips.

  So far they had not moved toward anything physical, both being aware of the advised four weeks before resuming intimacy. But his arousal when he was near her was overpowering sometimes, as it was right in this moment, and he yearned for her greatly.

  "Can everything return to normal tomorrow, Edward?" she asked and he laughed at her, knowing precisely what she was asking.

  "I have not forgotten your wish to not be with heavy with child in summer, my love."

  Alessandra thought about that, doing mathematics in her head.

  "But it is only the start of autumn now. If we do not start trying to make a baby until summer time, that will be many months before we are joined again!" she exclaimed unhappily. "No, Edward … no!"

  He smiled at her. "Well we can still be close, Alessandra," he said as he lowered his hand to that private part of her finally, and felt her legs part to grant his hand access. She kept as quiet as she could, mindful of the little person sleeping nearby, but at the same time relished the delicious feelings that she had missed in this.

  Edward felt his arousal reach another level as he became aware of the way her body was moving in her own arousal, and the quiet but noticeable sounds she was making. He kissed her neck in the spot he knew she loved, and kept moving his finger on her, and it was not long before he felt her climax and release.

  She took a few minutes before she opened her eyes and looked at him, and when she did, he saw her fire. She leaned in and kissed him passionately and started to pleasure him, also with her hand, and once more it was a short time before he also released.

  Their kissing took another turn, both fuelled greatly by their passion for one another, and much time passed before they eased off slowly.

  "I know you are right. We can pleasure each other without joining - that is all we did when we first married. It just seems so long to wait!"

  "We only have to align it right once, my lovely wife. We can work on the baby making mid-spring, allowing you to be out in the sunshine more over summer, and then you could be giving birth near the middle of winter," he explained softly to her, although silently thinking to himself that it did seem like a long while until he would be able to move as one with her once more. "What say you to that?"

  She cuddled closer into him, letting him take on the role of stronger partner, and agreed.

  "I would very much like for us to be able to ride at least up to the summit more together in the warm weather, Edward," she said and paused before continuing. "And walk to the waterfall."

  He laughed at her, purposely not letting his mind wander to other memories relating to that area. Moving himself so he could look into her eyes once more, he kissed her softly.

  "Then let us remember that in the middle of spring … hmmm … but until then I shall do what I can to keep you distracted from such thoughts."

  Alessandra suddenly realised he had not finished his pleasuring of her yet, and felt his lips move down her body until his lips and tongue found that point once more, and again she was taken away in wondering why she was thinking so much about their physical joining at all.

  Chapter Fifty Three

  Once Alessandra was fully recovered and felt completely back to her normal self she found herself appreciating Margaret more and more, letting her take on the role of Elizabeth's nanny. While Edward and Alessandra both indulged in spending time with their daughter, while the weather was still warm enough they started finally to get out for walks and for horse rides together, reclaiming their enjoyment simply of each other's company.

  Lying down together at the top of the summit, looking down over the estate, Edward heard Alessandra sigh, and looked down at her from his higher position as he leaned on one elbow beside her.

  "What is that sigh for, my beautiful wife?"

  She looked up at him and reached up her hand to the side of his face.

  "I am blessed in this life with you, Edward. And I am thankful to you for giving me Elizabeth, and for loving me…" she started to say, but cut short her words as she felt tears come to her eyes.

  He kissed her softly for a long time.

  "And I look forward to spring," she added, making him laugh one again at her suggestiveness.

  He pulled away from her and stood up, holding out his hand to her.

  "Come, Alessandra, we need to start moving back to the manor," he said and they stood together, relishing a standing hug for a long time. "We both need to start doing our share of the work around the estate again."

  "I know," Alessandra replied, nodding. "I do feel like I have been letting your mother down."

  "No, you haven't. But we do need to resume our duties. Mother and Father will hand the estate over to us in the future and we need to be skil
led in managing it completely by ourselves."

  Alessandra pushed her lips onto his then, and kissed him passionately while they enjoyed the last few alone moments, before he put his hands on her shoulders and gently eased away from her, shaking his head whilst smiling what she thought was the most beautiful smile ever.

  * * * * *

  As they approached the manor and dismounted from their horses, they both sensed that something was amiss inside. The first thought for both of them being that something had happened to their daughter, they ran inside and prepared to move upstairs to where she would be with Margaret. But as they approached the base of the main staircase, the drawing room door opened and Edward's father came out to them, closing the door quietly behind him.

  "Father, what is it?" Edward asked with desperation showing in his face and his voice.

  "Is it Elizabeth?" Alessandra asked at the same time.

  "No, little Elizabeth is well. There is nothing to worry about there, but we have been surprised by a visitor, and a most unwelcome one at that. However I did not want to ask her to leave until I had spoken to you both."

  Edward and Alessandra both waited patiently for further details and when they said nothing, Edward's father resumed his news.

  "In the drawing room with your mother, is Mrs Missinger."

  Alessandra felt the warmth and colour drain from her face as she processed the news that was presented to her.

  "Katherine is here?" she asked her father-in-law, who nodded at her. "I don’t understand. Why would she be here?"

  "She says she needs to see you, Alessandra."

  Edward moved closer to his wife, feeling a desperate need to protect her all of a sudden, even though he knew the great depth of her inner strength in every situation she was presented with.

  "You don't have to go in there, Alessandra. We can have her removed from the manor," he started to say but she shook her head whilst taking his hand.

  "No, Edward. She has come all this way. Please, come in with me if you wish, but I have to see her. No matter what Tom did to us, he was her husband and he is now dead."