She nodded jovially, “I believe so, but as much as I try to stop it, for some reason I just can’t stop staring at you my love. Did you know that you have this curl that always find its way onto your forehead?” Marcella reached out and pushed his hair back.
“There, that’s much better. I think we should follow closely behind the officers. We wouldn’t want to be late returning home.” She said.
Alexander smiled, “Great idea my love, we can ride in the carriage that Officer Paul left behind for us. Before I forget, I wanted to tell you that George told me that he has decided to leave Lydia’s name out of the investigation documents. For her reputation, and for your family’s as well.”
Marcella thanked him with a hard hug, she then let go and took his hand as they ascended into the carriage. Marcella couldn’t help but think that this is what the rest of their lives could possibly look like.
Always open with each other, and walking side by side as equals. She could picture them going to events as Lord and Lady Westbrook of Cambridgeshire. They did look like a rather lovely couple.
Especially, when they entered a room side by side. They flattered one another.
With his blue eyes, and her green ones, they made up the wonderful colors of the resilient North Sea. Her red hair, and his dark brown locks, were distinct colors that shared the same wavy form. Not to mention their height.
Alexander and Marcella were rather tall individuals. They walked with particular elegance and stature that showed them as intimidating, but in the best of ways.
One could only imagine what all of their daring children would look like one day.
Would they be tall like their parents?
What color eyes would they have?
Surely they had some time alone before a baby arrived into their new life together, but they could blissfully daydream about all of the lovely what-ifs.
Their carriage took off up the hill, and back towards Stansfield Manor. Marcella let her head repose upon her future husband’s shoulder as the sun was finally fully out in the sky, and the day was just starting to commence all around them.
On the road to Hertfordshire, Marcella lazily asked, “Would you like to answer a ridiculous question for me?”
Alexander smirked, “That depends, how ridiculous is this question of yours?”
Marcella sighed, “Well, earlier when you were speaking to my father and I in the hackney, I had a curious idea of sorts.”
Alexander motioned with his right hand for her to go on, and she did.
“You just looked so fetching, and in that moment I was having some very unsavory thoughts. I…I suppose that I wanted to know if making love in a moving carriage would be a pleasure-filled experience, or if the constant rattling back and forth would cease such wonderful enjoyment.”
Marcella felt his body shaking, so she raised her head from his should to look directly up at him. The delicious cad was trying to suppress his laughter, but he just could not help himself from giving into his laughter.
Marcella straightened her posture and crossed her arms, “This is not funny Lord Alexander Maximus Westbrook! I have considered this in my mind to be a very serious question.”
He was laughing so hard that tears began to cascade from his crinkled eyes. Marcella got so annoyed with him that she moved to the bench across from him so that she could just stare at him in disbelief.
It must have been ten minutes later when she tediously asked him, “Are you done?”
He nodded, rubbing his eyes with a grand smile on his face as he said to her, “I don’t think anyone has ever asked me such a question before. To be quite honest love, I was taken aback. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this hard in my entire life.”
She rolled her eyes with hilarity and looked out the window, “I warned you that it was a ridiculous question. You should have prepared yourself for it.”
Alexander sat back lazily and retorted, “It’s not a ridiculous question at all my love. I just simply wasn’t expecting to hear such a thing from your lovely lips.”
Marcella huffed, “Oh! Forget that I even asked you about it in the first place.”
She then turned to stretch out her legs onto her seat. Still keeping her arms folded to exude a bothered defiant attitude towards her devilishly handsome fiancé, Marcella ultimately decided not to guffaw.
Even though she really wanted to.
Alexander knew what he had to do in order to make his fiancée happy again.
As the carriage curved around a sharp corner in the road, he surprisingly grabbed her up from her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She looked surprised with an open mouth expression, yet her eyes twinkled like the Queen’s royal emerald earrings.
“Straddle me.” He instructed her.
She did as he asked, looking deep into his eyes in the process of bestriding him. He just loved it when she did that to him.
Whenever they made direct eye contact, Alexander felt as if Marcella was bonding her soul to his. The preciousness that exuded from her when she looked at him like this did something magical to Alexander.
“What are you doing?” Marcella asked him both happily, and haughtily.
“Answering your question.” He quickly shushed her from asking any more of her questions by kissing her.
Marcella’s graceful fingers gently slid into his hair, pulling him closer to devour him. She wanted more of him, all of him.
They never rushed their kisses, in fact, they always wanted to feel as if time had stopped for them so that they could enjoy and savor each and every touch that they shared with each other.
Marcella could feel his hands pushing up her nightdress. When it came to Alexander, she had no hesitations with him. She let him go on exploring further, and further.
Alexander’s hands slowly slid up her thighs and found their way to her most intimate area. Marcella knew that when his strong hands were on her she was either safe from the world or ready to feel like she truly was living in it.
Right now, she felt alive.
He hummed against her lips, “You’re not wearing any undergarments?”
She laughed, “No, I didn’t have the chance to properly get dressed when I left London this morning.”
Just as she finished those words his fingers had found her salacious slit, “By god my lovely, you’re already wet for me.”
She hummed joyfully at his wicked words. He replied by worshipping her great mouth with his own. Her body talked, and his body listened. Together, their bodies made a beautiful conversation.
Last night, Alexander had taught her a few tricks with her tongue, and Marcella appreciatively mirrored them back to him.
He groaned with admiration, “You’re a quick learner.”
Marcella continued to drive Alexander passionately mad as she stroked her tongue expertly into his mouth. She then boldly reached down for his trouser pants and began to unfasten them with great speed. She could feel that he was ready to pleasure her thoroughly.
As she straddled his copious member she rose up on her knees slightly, and then let him position himself within her. He lowered her onto him. The sensation was beyond phenomenal, for the both of them. He was buried so deep within her that she felt this raw sensation that she’d never felt before.
Marcella could feel that Alexander was feeling the same way too. He then lovingly whispered to her, “Are you alright?”
She shook her head, “No, I’m better than alright. I’m great.”
He groaned into her neck, as she rode him, and he continued to thrust up into her at the same time. They smothered their loud screams within each other’s mouths.
Who would’ve ever thought that you could make love in this position, or even in this way?
Marcella now knew that it was possible.
As they both climaxed in a shocking, they gazed into each other’s eyes with much adoration and love. Her body then collapsed onto his chest and he rubbed her back with much devotion.
As their brea
thing eased, Alexander sighed into her hair, “Does that answer your question?”
She happily sighed, “Yes, in ways that I could’ve only imagined in my head.”
He chuckled back at her response and looked out the window, “We’re almost there.”
Marcella turned her head lazily to look towards the window, “We’re not even close to Stansfield Manor yet, we haven’t passed the old oak tree, or the thistle fields.”
“That is exactly why we’re stopping.”
As the carriage stopped, Marcella slowly rose from Alexander’s chest to peer out the window. They properly adjusted their clothing, and then disembarked the carriage. Alexander told the Metropolitan Police’s driver to go back to Stansfield Manor, and that they could walk back to the house.
Alexander took Marcella’s hand as they walked down the road to the old oak tree. As they made their way up to the tree, Marcella as she saw her parents’ initials engraved in it, “How did you know about the old oak tree, Alexander?”
He grinned, “Don’t you remember? My mother and I used to take long walks around here. She had also carved her initials into this very tree with my father when they were younger. See, right there.”
Marcella looked closely at the initials as Alexander pulled out his trusty dagger and said, “Here, I think it’s about time that we too continue the family tradition.”
Marcella took the dagger and looked for a clear spot to carve their initials, “Aha! I found the perfect spot. What do you think?”
He didn’t answer her, so Marcella turned around to ask him again, but as she turned around she saw that he was on bended knee.
With an engagement ring in his hand.
“Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed.
Marcella was thoroughly shocked, never in her wildest dreams had she expected a ring from Alexander. Especially not in this perfect place. Alexander’s word to Marcella had been enough for her, but a ring was truly a welcomed surprise.
Alexander smiled widely as he said, “Lady Marcella Stansfield of Hertfordshire, you are the woman of my dreams and the reason why my heart beats. You are my life, my world, and my everlasting happiness. Would you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife and accepting my hand in marriage?”
Marcella looked deep down into his brilliant blue eyes, and then joyfully jumped up in excitement as she screamed aloud, “Yes! Yes, I will marry you!”
He jolted right up, cementing his body to hers as he kissed his future bride ardently.
She pulled away slightly to say, “We have a lifetime for kisses, Alexander.”
He took a strand of her hair in between his fingers and whispered into her ear, “You’re right about that my love. I give you this token of my love, so that you may have me, forever and always. Body and soul.”
Alexander took Marcella’s hand and placed the ring on her left ring finger. As the ring slid onto Marcella’s ring finger perfectly. Alexander then kissed the inside of her palm and whispered, “I love every part of you, my fiery Amazon queen.”
Marcella laughed at the endearment.
She would cherish this token of his love for the rest of her life. She was absolutely gob-smacked to see such a rare piece of jewelry, and now it was hers.
Growing up in Hertfordshire, the Stansfield daughters rarely ever wore jewelry, nor were they never given jewelry as gifts. Jewelry in the Stansfield’s home had always been passed down from previous generations.
Marcella’s engagement ring was a sparkling red ruby set in a golden band designed to look like a tall thistle. She had so many questions to ask him, but the main question on her mind was when had he even had the time to acquire such a ring?
She asked him breathlessly, “Where did you get this ring? It looks almost identical to the one on my family’s crest?”
Alexander replied to her, “It happens to be my mother’s. She gave to me so that I could propose to you with it. She’s given us her blessing to wed.”
“She’s given us her blessing to wed, but I haven’t even been properly introduced to her yet? What if she doesn’t like me? When did you even have the time to speak with her?” Marcella overly questioned her fiancé.
Alexander dipped his head to the side, but not in a condescending manner, as he was bombarded by her adorable, yet endless, questions. Some might find Marcella’s curiosity annoying, but Alexander found it amusing and tempting.
“I had all of my closest friends vouch for you the other morning, including Emilia. You will meet my mother soon enough. She is having her annual afternoon tea gathering in a week’s time at her Mayfair home in London. I believe you were invited, along with the Pinkerton’s.”
Marcella was so overwhelmed with happiness that she couldn’t even speak, let alone think right now. Radiating with glee, Alexander picked up Marcella from her waist and swung her around in circles until they both fell laughing together onto the grassy ground below the Old Oak tree.
They lay there happily together, staring up at the clouds and enjoying some banter.
“Alexander, what do you think that cloud looks like?” Marcella pointed up at a large cloud above them that was slowly making its way in front of the sun.
Alexander answered back, “To be quite frank, it looks like Emilia beating Vincent upside the head with a candlestick.”
Marcella started laughing as she exclaimed, “It does! It really does!”
They laughed, and then sighed in unison. Which made them erupt into even more laughter. Marcella rolled onto Alexander’s torso and let her head relax upon his heart as she said, “Alexander, I think it’s time that we carve our own initials into the big old oak tree, and then head on home. I’m sure that they’re all waiting for us.” Marcella said with merriment.
Getting up from the ground, Alexander and Marcella carved their initials into the old oak tree. They chose a spot right in between where their parents had carved their own initials all those years ago.
They walked hand in hand along the dirt path that led them to Stansfield Manor. With wide smiles on their faces, and love in their hearts, Alexander and Marcella were glad that today had turned out well after all.
Chapter 19
As Alexander and Marcella reached Stansfield Manor, they were pleasantly surprised to see that everything was rather calm, and not in utter chaos. As they entered the home, they saw Officer Grahams talking to Lord Stansfield as another officer was stitching up the older man’s bullet wound.
Lady Rowena was sitting quietly by the back window, watching both Lucinda and Bernice closely as they fed the white rabbits on the back terrace.
Lydia was resting on a chaise in the parlor with little Flora by her side, and Officer Paul sitting on a stool right in front of them. The youngest Stansfield daughter looked just as enamored with the young officer as her second eldest sister was.
It was Lydia who saw them both first and said, “It’s about time the two of you showed up, Officer Grahams was prepared to send out a search party for you both.”
Marcella rolled her eyes playfully at her sister, “Please Lydia, we’re both fine. We actually happen to have some wonderful news to share with you all.”
Alexander gave her a reassuring smile, so Marcella loudly announced to the whole house, “We’re engaged!”
Congratulations were shouted at them from both family members and officers alike. Flora flew across the room to hug them both tightly around their knees. The little girl was crying, but Marcella knew that those were happy tears.
Alexander was perplexed as he asked the little girl, “What’s wrong Flora?”
Flora looked up at him and smiled grandly with her tiny little white teeth, “Absolutely nothing, my dreams have come true! I hoped that this day would happen!”
Marcella could have sworn that she saw Alexander’s eyes water as he bent down to give Flora a warm brotherly embrace. Her sister hugged him back with so much love, that Marcella almost cried then and there.
Lord Stansfield smiled lightly, but then winc
ed in pain as the officer tightened the stitches on his arm. He was the patriarch of this family, and that meant that he had to say something of great importance. He wanted to speak, but he was hesitant at what to say.
Marcella could sense that uncertainty in her father, so she walked over to him. She put out her left hand and showed him her engagement ring. He took her left hand in his right hand and looked at the ring with utter shock.
With much bewilderment Lord Stansfield then said, “I cannot believe it! I lost this exact ring in a bet to a man from Cambridgeshire when I was a young lad many years ago. This must be some sort of sign from the heavens above us. Do know what that means?”
“What does it mean father?” She asked.
He continued, “This means that I give you my blessing. This ring proves to me that you two meeting was written in the stars. I wish you both everlasting happiness.”
Alexander walked over to stand by Marcella’s side, he then asked his future father-in-law with seriousness, “This was yours Lord Stansfield? It belonged to you?”
Lord Stansfield nodded, “Yes, in fact, the man that I lost to actually looked quite a lot like you. I was going to give this to my Rowena as an engagement ring, but I was foolish enough to lose it. I proposed to her with my mother’s pearl ring with a halo of five red rubies instead. Who would’ve guessed that we would end up having five redheaded daughters? Some things are just meant to be I suppose.”
Lady Rowena sauntered over to them and smiled gracefully as she put out her hand to show them her ring. Marcella knew this ring well, her mother wore it always.
Alexander looked to Marcella’s parents and apologized, “My father should have never taken this ring from you Lord Stansfield, and for that reason I am very sorry Lady Stansfield.”
Lord Stansfield shook his head, “No worries my boy, I got something far more precious in return.”
The man then turned to his wife, and for a second there Marcella could almost see the young man that her father had been once upon a time. This house desperately needed a good dose of happiness right now, and Marcella had just concocted the perfect plan to achieve that.
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