The second event they attend as a married couple is at the Prescott House. Elizabeth had expressed her surprise that they received an invite at all. The Prescott's have an unmarried daughter. As if James was not well aware of Catherine's marital status - her parents have been dangling her under his nose since the day he had given Elizabeth free from their first engagement. But she promised sincerely she will behave and had granted the first set of dances to from Lt. Groves within a few moments of their arrival. James told himself it would be ridiculous to be put out. They had talked about this. But she did not have to stand up with another man first. He found a quiet spot with a glass of brandy and watched Elizabeth twirling through the steps with Theo Groves - he avoided pointed looks from several mothers because he had passed by several young women. It was rude to leave them without a partner, he knew. But he was no longer single and did not have an obligation to entertain them when there was a chance an eligible man might ask them.
Elizabeth as always looked perfect. Her hair was pinned neatly in a cascade of golden curls and her gown tonight is pale green and gold with a set of forest green ribbons woven in her curls, adorning her slender neck and around her waist where her gown hides the small swell of the child entirely. She behaves impeccably too - not even looking in his direction once as she let the lieutenant guide her down the set and she had barely finished that dance before she had accepted Andrew Gillette for the next. James told himself he was being ridiculous to dislike this. They had talked about it. And Elizabeth didn't even like Andrew Gillette though he'd never been able to establish just how the lieutenant fell out of favour with Elizabeth.
He started slightly when he was joined by the host's daughter. She was no doubt going to hover until he asked her for a dance. "Goodness Commodore, Mrs Norrington does look lovely this evening." He glanced at Miss Prescott - that was a much kinder remark than he was expecting from the young lady who was known for being spiteful. "Still," she continued. "It must be easy to have something new for every event, when you receive so few invites." James bit back a scowl - that was ruder than expected
"Yes," he said. "Everyone has been very kind about allowing us some time alone given we didn't manage a honeymoon. It's very considerate." It was at least fun to see her look outraged at this interpretation of events. "Pray excuse me Miss. Prescott - I believe I see Lady Bellamy who I know wants a word."
Catherine looks further upset he didn't even ask her for a dance but honestly what does she expect. After insulting his wife. By the time he makes it over to Lady Bellamy Elizabeth is dancing with yet another officer - a midshipman this time and Lady Bellamy looked extremely smug. Ah he realised - of course it would be the officers that Lady Bellamy advocated with on Elizabeth's behalf.
Still having Lady Bellamy on their side is a good thing. "I do hope you have allowed some space on Elizabeth's dance card for me," he said standing by her side.
"If you have not managed to attract your wife's attention long enough to secure a dance, I don't see that that is my look out. Commodore," Lady Bellamy told him. "But I notice you have not stood up with a single lady when there are several girls without partners."
James had significant leeway compared to Elizabeth, no-one policed men the way they do women. In this as in so many other things. "I cannot bring myself to it," he said. "Not one of them can compare to my wife and you have my officers monopolising her."
"Go find a wall flower," the matron said severely. "And perhaps I will let you have your wife for the supper dance."
Lady Bellamy was as good as her word and James managed to speak to Elizabeth twice that night - once when she finally pauses for a cup of punch and the dance they share before the meal. The rest of the time he shares two dances with old maids and dances with a girl so shy she neither speaks not looks at him for the whole set. He drinks half a dozen rum punches and several decent measures of brandy – including several when to his annoyance Lt Groves asks Elizabeth to dance again. The supper dance cannot come quick enough. But while he got to lead her into supper they of course cannot sit together and while they were close. Elizabeth spent the meal properly talking to those sat beside her. He did not think she had behaved this well at a party the entire time he has known her. When the carriages were called she was looking a little exhausted - she had danced all night and done her best for her reputation and of course she had other demands on her energy. And he had resented it all because she had not been by his side.
He did not realise he was so obvious about it until they were in the carriage to head home and she looked a little defeated. "Come on then," she said. "Tell me what I did wrong this time." He blinked – she had done nothing wrong that he had seen. "You have been glowering at me all night." She told him and the hurt in her voice is like a slap. He drew her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"You have done nothing wrong," he said quietly. "And I was not glowering. Not at you. But I have been envying your dance partners all night." Elizabeth looked astonished at this. "I'm sorry if it seemed otherwise."He managed – he had not meant to scold her for being sensible.
"But I was doing what I was supposed to," she reminded him with a pout. "I've been good all night and bored out of my mind."
"I know you have sweetheart," he told her. 'I watched remember? But I missed your company - I am used to having you all to myself."
"Poor you," she said merrily. "Struggling because you have a well behaved wife." She paused a moment and then pressed a kiss to his neck. "Perhaps I could misbehave now - would that rescue your evening?" She shifted herself from being just close to right into his lap and he feels a thrill of arousal just from having her so close.
"Perhaps?" he said carefully, wondering if she could possibly mean what he thinks she does. They have a long carriage ride home before she can do anything but then she made it clear she did not mean to wait until they were home. He does not object when Elizabeth unfastened his breaches and began to stroke him firmly - it does not take anything to have him hard in her grasp - her skirts are a little more complicated and they struggled a little so it was a relief for both of them when he finally fought his way through her layers of petticoats and silk to tease her and then pull her down onto him, groaning at the feel of her around him. She whimpered his name and clenched around him as she rode him. James tugged at the neckline of her gown until it shifts enough to bare her breasts burying his face in her chest as she pants his name in his ear. When his mouth finds her nipple, she winds her hands in his hair and exhales sharply so he sucks hard and he felt and heard her find her peak as she tightened on him and moaned his name. The sound of that and the feel of her made it difficult to cling to the last of his control and when she caught her breath and picked up the pace he could no longer hold on, "Elizabeth," he gasped into her skin as he filled her with his seed and she sighed her approval. Then she settled into his lap with a small chortle and kissed his neck. When he helped her out of the carriage, the driver could barely look at him and James thought back to the sounds Elizabeth made and he was no more quiet either. Could they be heard over the horses and the rattle of the wheels? Surely not. Elizabeth does not seem at all embarrassed though and near dragged him into the house and they stumbled upstairs sharing kisses as they went.
She did not ring for her maid and insisted that he help undress her. "After all," she teased. "You made a good start in the carriage." It took him sometime to unravel all the laces and fastenings of her gown but he can understand that he will have left her in a state that has meant she does not want a maid to see her He wondered if he should feel ashamed. He did not - it was not the proper way a man should treat his wife and perhaps he would never again take a carriage ride without thinking of Elizabeth riding him. But as long as she was pleased by it - which it seemed she was, he cannot bring himself to care. When he has stripped her from her corset - he found himself shocked by the lines it has left on her delicate skin - surely such things are unnecessary and he pressed kisses to each red mark trying to sooth them.
"I don't think you should wear these," he said concerned. "It cannot be good for you or the child."
"Some women wear them all through," Elizabeth told him and pressed a kiss to his brow. "So it is not doing any harm for all it is bloody uncomfortable. But I do not intend to be a glutton for punishment, we have been wed three months now so I think I can start to suspect my condition soon and give myself some leeway." He is not convinced and she can tell. "And I only wear them out now - the maids no doubt think me slovenly." James wondered if he could convince her to not go anywhere until she had at least claimed to the maids she was with child so to spare her further difficulties. He was so caught up in this thought he barely noticed Elizabeth fussing with his own clothing and he let her lead him to bed surprised when she wanted his attention all over again.
This set the pattern of the next few days - he was on leave now and it was just as well. It did not matter how many times James lay with Elizabeth. How many times he used his hands and mouth and cock to make her convulse with pleasure - within a hour or two she was reaching for him again. He had briefly worried that she might be doing this to please him but her responses made it clear she wanted this. So he gave her way in this as in all things enjoying the closeness and the sensation of being with her and the sight of her as pleasure overtook her.
One night he was woken from a sound sleep - he slept like the dead on land generally, to find her making the small soft noises of want he knew so well with one hand between her legs . She started when she realised he was awake and he could tell in the moonlight she was blushing again. "Sorry," she said as she buried her face in the pillow. "I'm sorry. I think there is something wrong with me." This startled him.
"Are you in pain?" he asked completely ignoring what she had been doing that woke him "Is it the child?" He could not help the utter rush of panic and he got out of bed and lit a lamp fully prepared to go for a doctor. Or midwife.
"James!" Elizabeth scolded. "Stop it - come back here. I am not in pain. The child is fine." He sat on the side of the bed, dizzy with relief, then realised how ridiculous he had been and blushed nearly as much as she was. She reached for his hand. "I am just needy," she said. "All the time. Even we have just been together. I want you all the time." James exhaled if she had not sounded so shamed, his relief would have been complete and he pulled her into his arms. He has rarely felt so relieved and he kissed her.
"I've been given to understand that is normal," he told her which only caused her to pull away from him and flush further.
"You talked about this?" she said outraged. "With who?" James was torn between reassuring her - she looked so upset and telling her it was Lady Bellamy - which she would deserve. But he cannot bring himself to upset her further not even in jest.
"No-one," he said. "I have spent the entire tour refusing to share any detail. But every officer with a wife feels himself morally obliged to give advice to a newlywed - even one who outranks them."
"Oh," she said in small voice and he pulled her back into his arms.
"And much of it was clearly nonsense," he said. "But the two things I was consistently told was that wives are never more eager to be bedded than when they want to be with child." He kissed her cheek. "Or when they already are and are relieved the sickness is past." He kissed her mouth then and she arched under him. "And you Mrs Norrington," he added. "Have not been sick for weeks." His mouth slid down her neck and then onto her breasts and over her stomach and then he spread her legs and continued what she had started until she cried his name again and again and pulled him up to kiss her. "Still needy?" he asked - he was hard a rock now.
"Yes," she said rubbing herself against him and he slipped inside her easily - he would never - never get used to how good that felt. To how beautiful she looked beneath him. To how unreal it felt to be with her.
"You only have to say," he told her. "If you want me. Or my mouth. Or my hands." He rocked against her slowly until she whimpered. "There is no time I will not be willing to oblige you utterly Elizabeth. I apologise if I have not made that clear."
Elizabeth had closed her eyes, her breath quick. "You can not be suggesting that I wake you in the night to say I want seeing to." she said. "That would be - oh!"
James had quickened his thrusts at that sentence. "I assure you I have no objections to such an awakening," he told her smiling against her neck. "But if I need to be more convincing." he slipped a hand between her legs to touch her as he took her and she spent around him with a cry which triggered his own pleasure.
After that she does take him at his word. She woke him at least once a night and for once woke before him most mornings. She cornered him after lunch and before dinner . The two days he went to the fort to approve the work orders for the Dauntless' repairs, she sulked when he left and near jumped on him the instant he returned. They are both so exhausted that if she does drag him off to bed in the middle of the day they both end up sleeping after. James had spent four days awake once during a gale off the coast of Africa. He thinks he is more tired now than he was then but a good deal more happy.
There is even an occasion where Elizabeth fainted at a garden party and when he had carried her back to the carriage, full of concern it is all feigned so she can have her own way. In the carriage again.
Shortly after this Lady Bellamy called on Elizabeth for a tea he was not invited to. But he is given a very knowing look when Lady Bellamy left and he raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth. What has she told her now.
Elizabeth laughed at the look on his face. "Do not worry. I have not been asking for advice on dragging you off to bed like some sort of hoyden. She was very concerned I fainted and wanted to enquire as to my health."
"And," he said as he fussed with a strand of her hair. "What does she think of your health?"
"Oh she is more outraged over the poor education my governess gave me." Elizabeth said innocently. "Fancy never being told that missing my courses or sickness or fainting were signs I was enceinte." She kissed his cheek. "She only left so I could give you the good news. She is going to call tomorrow and advise me properly." Elizabeth shrugged. "It cannot hurt - she does have children and no daughters. I think she's rather fond of me."
James could hear a wistful note in Elizabeth's voice. He supposed it could not be easy for her to get all the womanly knowledge she might have expected to receive from her mother from servants or professionals – of one sort or another. "I will be sure to mention to the Admiral how much I am in his wife's debt," he said. Lady Bellamy would like that. "And I hope her advice will be of help."
Elizabeth nodded. "Of course - the whole town will know soon," she said. James nodded. Lady Bellamy was not discrete.
"I will have to go out," he said cautiously, "to celebrate with the other officers." He hoped she would not object - such celebrations traditionally did not go over well with wives but he hoped he had Elizabeth's trust.
"I should think so," she said and he relaxed at the note of laughter in her voice. "They might have some more useful advice." This made him smile
"I would never do anything untoward at such an event," he told her - though such things are common which they both know.
Elizabeth only looks smug. "As if you would have the energy," she said. "I trust you, James."She kissed him. "Besides I intend to have your attention before you leave and when you get back." She pulled him close and kissed his neck. "And now," she added and he laughed and scooped her off her feet to carry her upstairs to answer her every whim.