Lifting her eyebrows, she asked, “And how do you plan to do that?”
Growling his response, he said, “Just wait and see.”
A few hours later, the two lay naked in each others arms. Ginny had stopped counting after her fourth orgasm. Although she couldn't sleep, her body lay motionless, boneless. Oliver seemed to suffer from the same ailment... a well sated body. If one had to die, it was a good way to go.
Ginny's mind wandered to when she would move on. This seemed like the perfect time, with her life all wrapped up in a pretty little bow. After all the sex they'd been having, it was only a matter of time before she produced an heir to the baroncy. So what was left?
Before she could give it any more thought, her husband reached over and stroked her breast. Laughing, Ginny asked, “Again? You're an insatiable wench, aren't you?”
“I beg your pardon, madam, but I cannot be a wench. You, on the other hand, can handily take on that role.”
Turning over and straddling her husband, staring down in his surprised face, she said, “Fine, I believe I will accept that role.”
Ginny lowered herself onto her husband's prominent erection, sitting up to allow him to sink deeper inside her. His hands automatically came up to rub her nipples and Ginny rocked back and forth, hitting just the right spot. In a matter of minutes, she was screaming her orgasm out again.
When they were both replete, Ginny fell across his chest, begging, “I must get some sleep, Oliver. You may just kill me before the night is over.”
Laughing huskily, he responded, “I believe it may be the other way around, my dear.” Pulling her off his chest, he fit his new wife along his body and spooned her. Pulling the covers over them both, he wished her sweet dreams.
Ginny lay awake for a couple of minutes until she heard her husband's rhythmic breathing next to her. When the dizziness still didn't come, she fell fast asleep, cradled in Oliver's arms.
********
When Ginny awoke the next morning, still in England, still in 1830, she began to wonder what more she had to do. As the couple ate a simple breakfast, delivered to their room, it suddenly occurred to her why she was still there.
“Charlotte,” she whispered to herself, but her husband clearly heard her.
“What was that, my dear?” he asked, putting down his coffee cup after taking a sip.
Ginny looked at him over her plate of eggs. “I was thinking of my sister. I should like to see her settled.”
“She is a grown woman, Sarah. She can take care of herself.” His voice was somewhat stern, which Ginny didn't like one bit.
“I know she is a grown-up, Oliver, but that doesn't mean she couldn't use some help.”
“As I told you yesterday, I had planned to leave this summer for our honeymoon. Speaking of which, where would you like to go?” Ginny didn't think Oliver was too clever in his change of subjects.
“Why must we wait? Can't we go now?” Ginny really wanted to travel around the continent if she could. Seeing Europe at this time would be a gift.
“I have things I have to arrange before we go, Sarah. A month is all it will take. Surely you can wait that long.”
“It's not about my waiting, Oliver. I had just hoped that we could spend the summer here with Charlotte and your mother. The way we're having sex I will be pregnant before too long.”
A glimmer entered her husband's eyes at the mention of her carrying his child. It was quickly squashed by reason. “Be that as it may, Sarah, I have many things to arrange before we leave. I had thought you would want to finish out the season.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. She could care less about finishing out the season. She had been reminded a number of times before the wedding by her mother that the season would be very different for her as Lady Conway. Being the first to capture one of the Fearsome Foursome would be a boon to her socially.
Forced to admit that Oliver probably did need some time to arrange their travel, Ginny acquiesced. “If we're in London, I will be able to see my sister often. And we can escort her to different affairs. Do you have a box at the opera, Oliver? My sister loves opera.”
Ginny saw him bite his cheek. After being so accommodating, she wondered what his problem was. Never one to shy away from a fight, she asked him just that.
“I suppose I should have realized that when I married you, I was going to be stuck with all your poor relations.” The words had only left his mouth when he fervently wished he could pull them back. He didn't even need to hear his wife's gasp to know he'd messed up.
Ginny was seething. Hadn't they been over this? Hadn't she explained to him that he was not the only person on the face of this planet? Before she could let fly a retort, Oliver jumped in.
“I did not mean that, Sarah. I am sorry. I truly do not believe that, anymore.” His eyes were begging her to forgive him and Ginny let her anger melt away.
“She means the world to me, Oliver. If she's that important to me and you love me so much, she should be important to you too.”
Kneeling in front of her chair, Oliver took his wife's hands in his. “She does, Sarah. I am being selfish, because now that I have you, I cannot bring myself to share you. I will do anything to see to your sister's happiness, if only because it will make you happy as well.”
Ginny took one hand and placed it on her husband's cheek. “I forgive you. It's not as though I'm not willing to put up with your mother, you know. She's a lot worse than Charlotte.”
Smiling up at his wife, he responded, “Too true.”
Oliver returned to his seat and said, “I know a lot of single men. Perhaps, I can find someone for your sister.”
“She's already found someone, but the ass went back to Germany.”
Raising an eyebrow over her language, Oliver decided to let it pass. He had finally come to accept that his wife was who she was and he was not one to change her. “Why did he return so abruptly?”
“His father was ill.”
“Oh, well, then he may return again.”
“I got the impression from Charlotte that he had no intention of coming back. Something about opening a school.”
“ Fine. When we return to London, I shall invite some nice men to join us at the opera and see if we can sway her to someone more appropriate.”
“Yes, perhaps,” Ginny said, almost certain that she was still in this story to help her sister find true love.
Chapter 30
During the month before their honeymoon, Oliver and Ginny escorted Charlotte to every possible venue imaginable. There were balls, soirées, Venetian breakfasts, the theater, the opera, and any number of smaller affairs. Charlotte was always polite, but rarely engaged with anyone other than her sister. Ginny was now at a loss at what to do.
One afternoon, while having tea at the Conway townhouse, Charlotte looked lost. Not being able to stand it, Ginny asked, “What is it, Lottie? What has you so preoccupied these days?”
Turning a desperate look on her sister, Charlotte asked, “I must tell you something, Sarah, but you must promise not to tell anyone. Even your husband.”
The vehemence in her voice scared her. Charlotte was solid and logical, but at that moment, she sounded scared and despondent. “Of course. You know you can tell me anything.”
Looking down to her hands, she finally uttered, “I believe I am increasing.”
“Increasing in what?” Ginny asked before gasping. Duh , she thought.
Instead, Ginny asked, “Are you sure?”
“I have yet to see a doctor, but I am fairly certain. I have not had my monthly yet and I am usually so regular. There are other symptoms as well.”
“Such as?” Ginny asked, admitting to herself that she never saw this one coming.
“I have been very sick to my stomach. And my... my...” Charlotte waved a hand over her chest in explanation.
“Your breasts are getting larger?” Ginny asked, knowing it would embarrass her sister, but needing to know.
“Yes,” was
all she responded.
Letting out a big breath, Ginny confirmed, “Yes, it does sound like you're pregnant, Lottie.”
“This comes as a big surprise to me. Mr. Richter and I were only together the one night.”
“It only takes once, Charlotte.”
“But in all my marriage to Mr. Stevens I never once conceived. I simply did not think it was possible.”
“It may have been that Mr. Stevens was unable to give you a child, Lottie. Or, the timing was never right. It doesn't really matter now. We have to figure out what we're going to do about this.”
Her grounded sister, the one who always had a plan to get Sarah and her brother out of trouble, now looked like a desperate criminal. Tears fell from her eyes as she said, “I am being punished, you know. I should have never spent that night with Wilhelm. God is punishing me.”
“No, Lottie, he's not. If anything, he's giving you the one thing you always wanted, but were never able to have.”
“I won't be allowed in polite society again. I would not be surprised if your father banished me from his household the moment he discovers my secret.”
“Don't worry about my father. Oliver and I would always take care of you. But that's not what you need. You need to contact Wilhelm and let him know.”
“I do not know if I can do that. What if... what if I mean nothing to him.”
Turning her head to the side, Ginny regarded her sister. “You know he does, Charlotte. He would still be here if not for his father.”
“But would he marry me?” Charlotte asked, handkerchief dabbing the tears on her face.
“I don't know, but there's only one way to find out.”
“I will have to think on it, Sarah. I will have lots to think on in the next few months.”
After her sister left, Oliver found Sarah in the parlor, cleaning up after her tea with Charlotte.
“Good news, my dear. I have arranged passage on a vessel next week. You have only to tell me where you wish to visit.”
Ginny heaved a great sigh and sat down on the settee. Seeing his wife's distress, Oliver came and sat next to her. His look of concern made Ginny's heart feel lighter, but it did nothing to help Charlotte.
“Whatever is the matter, my dear? You seemed very excited about going to the Continent. Have you changed your mind?”
“No, I'm really looking forward to it, but...” Ginny stopped. Her sister had specifically requested that she tell no one of the pregnancy. But still, she and Oliver were going to Europe. Would it be so hard to take Charlotte with them, and drop her off in Germany. It was a romance novel, after all, so Wilhelm would want to marry her, right?
Taking her husband's hand, Ginny set out to try to make everyone happy. Unfortunately, she would have to royally piss off her husband to do it.
“I have a request, Oliver. I won't sugarcoat it. You're not going to like it. But, all I ask is that you trust me enough to understand why I can't explain everything to you.”
Oliver's eyes opened wide at her statement. “What is it you need to tell me?”
“I want Charlotte to come with us on the honeymoon.”
Automatically, Oliver's head began shaking back and forth. Ginny interrupted his fit and said, “Please hear me out before you say anything, Oliver. Please.”
Focusing his attention back on his wife, he asked, “Is it too much to ask that we have this time alone? I will have to share you too much not to want to covet this time together.”
“We can travel straight through to Munich. Once we drop Charlotte off with Mr. Richter, we can have the rest of the trip to ourselves.”
A flash of confusion came over her husband's face. “So, Charlotte still prefers Mr. Richter to any of the men I have introduced her to?”
“Yes, but it's more than that.” Before he could ask the obvious question, Ginny said, “Don't ask me to explain, I have given my sister my promise not to say anything.”
“She is with child, correct?”
Ginny's face gave it away immediately. His matter-of-fact tone and correct guess threw her off guard. Damn intuitive men.
“How did you know?” she asked, when she hadn't even been able to guess.
“It was a logical assumption. Your sister has not been acting herself lately and her sudden desire to take a trip to Germany to see a man who left nearly two months ago. Most women would have washed their hands of such a gentleman.”
“She doesn't exactly know that I'm asking this of you, Oliver. She will probably fight me on it as well, but you can see that she needs to tell him. I think Mr. Richter will do the right thing when he knows the circumstances.”
Gently rubbing his thumb across his wife's cheek, Oliver said, “You are one of the sweetest people I have ever met, Sarah. If you can get your sister to agree, I will go and book passage for her as well.”
For some silly reason, tears came into Ginny's eyes. She may not be in love with him, but she knew he was a good man. Above all, he was a good friend.
“Thank you, Oliver.”
He kissed her gently and rose from the seat. Before leaving the room, he turned back and said, “I will expect recompense for this, my dear wife. Tonight. Expect to be awake quite late.”
It was part of their little game to see if they could discomfit each other, so Ginny replied, “Shall I take you in my mouth again, Oliver?”
Before he could leave the room, she saw him adjust the front of his pants. Smiling, Ginny called for the carriage. She would go to her parents' house and convince Charlotte that the only answer to her problem was to face it head on. And that meant a trip to Germany.
********
It took nearly two weeks to reach Munich. After a few bouts of bad weather and a broken wheel on their carriage, arriving in the German city was both a relief and nerve racking. To Oliver and Ginny, it was a relief but for different reasons. Ginny wanted to see her sister settled and Oliver wanted his wife to himself.
To Charlotte, it was nerve racking. During the whole of the trip, she could only think about what could go wrong. Not to mention, she hated being a third wheel on her sister's honeymoon. Though neither ever expressed it, Charlotte knew that Oliver wanted time alone with his wife. It was just one more thing to feel guilty over.
After spending the night in a charming inn, the three set out to find the address that Wilhelm had given her. Charlotte was like a stone statue, not speaking or moving the entire time. Her sister's attempts to coax her into conversation went unheeded. Along with her usual morning sickness, her guts were twisted in worry over what Wilhelm would say.
When the carriage stopped, Charlotte thought she would be sick. Seeing the green pallor on her sister's face, Ginny set out to reassure her.
“Charlotte, relax. Don't borrow trouble. If it was meant to be, it will be.” Ginny wondered how many cliches she could state and if it would make a damn bit of difference. Her sister looked about to pop.
Charlotte whispered, “I cannot do this, Sarah. What if...” Leaving her sentence unfinished, Ginny looked at her husband for help. He merely shrugged his shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny said, “Fine. I'll go in. If you would excuse me.”
Before her sister could stop her, Ginny had alighted from the carriage and knocked on the big brass knocker. The house was a charming townhome, three stories high. It had a solid brick front and flower boxes under each window, brimming with colorful annuals.
When the door opened, she saw a little girl peek out. She was probably only five or six years old, with long braids on either side of her head. Ginny hoped she spoke English.
“Guten tag. May I speak to Mr. Richter, bitte.” There, she'd used her limited German.
The little girl promptly closed the door in her face. Turning to look back at the carriage, Ginny saw that both her husband and Charlotte were watching intently. When the door closed, Oliver once again shrugged.
Before she could knock again, the door opened. This time, there was an older woman standing bef
ore her. She wore her brown, graying hair in a bun and a white apron over her dress. She stared at Ginny for a moment before saying, “Kann ich Ihnen helfen?”
Ginny stared for a moment, then asked, “Do you speak English?”
Smiling, the woman said, “Of course. How may I help you?”
Relieved, Ginny asked, “May I speak to Wilhelm Richter?”
The woman looked surprised, but somehow resigned. “My son has many admirers, young lady. He is not available for private performances. I would be happy to tell you about his next public performance, though.”
A Lesson in Friendship Page 26