Calming

As he woke in the morning, he didn't remember what had transpired the night before at first. But opening his eyes to his wife's beautiful, baby filled body, he couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face. Laying his hand onto her stomach, he pressed a kiss to her temple.

He wasn't aware of the door opening and their eldest daughter entering. And Elisabeth wasn't aware of her father's presence at all. When she rounded the corner to her Mother's bed chambers, she was shocked to see her father kissing and rubbing her Mother's round belly. Gasping in shock, she rushed forward and hit her father over the head.

"Get out! Get out! What do you think you are doing in here? Leave my Mother alone! I will not let you do this to her. Get Out!"

"Elisabeth, please be quiet. You are going to wake your Mother. She knows I am here."

"I do not care. I want you out of here. Now!"

The soft groan of the waking Bella stopped Elisabeth from her shouting.

"Go back to sleep Bella. It's okay."

"What's going on?"

Elisabeth sat on the edge of the bed beside her Mother, running her fingers through her hair.

"I'm here Mother. You have to tell him to go away. Tell him you don't want to see him again."

"No. Your Father hasn't done anything wrong. I was mistaken. Please, Elisabeth, let him explain."

"But Mother, he…"

"No buts, Elisabeth. It would make me very happy."

"Okay Mother. I will listen."

"Thank you my dear. Will you go see to your brothers and sisters now? I'm still rather tired. And your Father is going to remain with me."

"Yes Mother."

She pecked her Mother's forehead before hastily running from the room. She could not believe her Mother could forgive him so easily.

Back in the bed chambers, Bella lay her head back and closed her eyes. Edward lay one arm just above her head and his other hand cupping her small belly.

"Are you certain you are okay?"

"My back hurts a little bit, but I am fine."

"Let me help you become more comfortable then."

He sat her forwards, raising the pillows behind her back before moving her backwards so that she was sitting up more. With less stress on her back, she released a long breath and ran her hands over her stomach.

"Thank you."

Placing his hands over hers, Edward pecked her lips before sliding down her body, under the duvet. He moved their hands around the sides of her bump and lay his lips just above her, nightgown covered, belly button. Slowly, he slipped his hands under her nightgown and moved it up her body. Lifting her hips, she helped him move her nightgown so that it rested at the top of her stomach.

"Our child is only small, but I love him already."

"You believe it to be another Son?"

"Yes. But a daughter would be just as wonderful."

"See, I believe we are to have another daughter."

"We shall have to wait and see."

Kissing above her belly button, he massaged her hips gently. Humming softly, she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Thank you, Edward, for not giving up on me. My behaviour to you has been appalling. Thank you for doing what you must to stay by myside."

"You are my wife, Bella. Of course, I will stay with you. And I will not let another soul get between us."

"No. Neither will I."

Sitting in silence, Edward loved her slight bump with his hands and lips.

"What are we to do now?"

"I shall have the court sent for. You are comfortable here, as are our children. We will remain here until our child is born. Which means we must conduct our duties from here. It will be a change, but this is where I want you to stay. This is where I want us to stay."

"I would like that. We are always happy here."

"We certainly are. Perhaps I should arrange a picnic down on the beach for lunch. We can explain to our children what happened between us."

"I do not know. The storm last night may not have cleared in time but, I think that would be best. We need to talk to our family. Elisabeth, Isabella, Esme, Mary and Alice may find it hard to accept you back so quickly. They understand what I told them, you had done to me. I will get them to see the truth. They will not blame you for what I did."

"I do not want them to hate me. I love them all."

"I know you do. It may take Elisabeth a few days to believe you, but she will."

"I should have had the maid executed on the spot."

"No. Yes she committed treason, but it was mostly harmless. You made the decision when crowned King, that you would not be as cruel as your father. You wanted to hang Victoria, but you knew that was too harsh a punishment. She did not threaten my life, she did not kill anyone. You have a pure heart Edward. You hope for the best in people. And for that, the people of the land, love you and believe in you as their King. Whatever that maid did, she does not deserve death. I am proud of how you dealt with the situation even when you were devastated by my solitude."

"You are a stunning Queen, my wife. I do not know what I would do without you. Thank you, for attending my ball and allowing me the chance at love all those years ago."

"I had every intention of attending your ball. It was my father's apparition that got me to wear the green ribbon. And that was because of you. You are the reason I am here with you today. You are the reason I am happy, that I am in love, that I have so many beautiful children, that I am the Queen. You, Edward, have made all of my wildest dreams come true."

"Oh, my love, you are my dream. You are my one true love and I could not be happier with my life. I could give up my royalty and kingdom if I had to choose between you and them. It will be you every time."

"But you do not need to choose. You have everything any man could want, and you are humble, gracious and loyal."

He cuddled into her side, his head laying on her shoulder.

"Edward, I do not want to move from this position, but I need the bathroom and I am anxious for our children to see you."

"You should not be anxious, my love, it is not good for our child. I shall have Angela sent for to tend to your side. And I shall prepare myself for the day. May I meet you in the library in an hour?"

"Of course. I should be ready by then."

"Make sure you eat enough breakfast. We cannot have you hungry."

"I will."

He climbed out of the bed and ensured the duvet was around his wife's body keeping her warm from the cold air after the storm from the night before. Pulling the bell for service, he knew that Angela would be along soon enough and did not want to experience another awkward situation this morning.

"I shall leave you now, my love. Stay rested and I will be counting each minute I am not with you."

"Goodbye."

Pecking her lips, he didn't want to leave her side, but did so anyway. After both washed, prepared for the day, at breakfast and the King had written a formal letter for the court to travel down to the coast for the next few months, they both met in their personal library. Tucking a book into the crook of her elbow, Bella looped her other arm with her husbands as he escorted her down to the glass social lounge, where all of their children awaited.

When the 9 youngest, except Evelyn saw their father holding their Mother in such a way, smiles spread across their small faces and they ran to their side. Tears in his eyes, Edward fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around as many of them as he could. He went round each, making sure to kiss each individually on the forehead. When he looked up to his other children, they were scared for what he may do next. Bella had tears on her cheeks as she realised quite how fragmented her children were.

"Beatrice, Catherine, Anne, Emily, Mae, Gisella, Alice, Mary, Esme, Isabella, Elisabeth, your father has not done what I have told you all he has done. It is my fault what has happened to us all. Please, you cannot blame your father."

A little scared, ten and eleven year olds, Beatrice and Catherine made their way over to their father. As soon as they entered his arms, they relaxed and began sobbing. They had missed him more than they had let Elisabeth and Esme see. Whispering words of love to his daughters, Edward held them tightly to his chest. Seeing his kind nature having returned, Emily and Anne were not far behind them. However, Mae left the room and disappeared into the castle. Devastated by what she had done, the Queen thought about running after her, but knew she had to stay and keep things calm between her eldest and their father.

Sitting beside Mary and Alice on the couch, they both noticed her rounded stomach. This only seemed to make it worse as they believed their Mother had only forgiven their Father for the sake of the new child. Turning their heads away, they moved to the corner of the room and sat together.

The Queen had the many Nannies gather her young children up and take them from the room, leaving only their children that had not embraced their father left in the room. She called her daughters to gather around her, their father sat alone in an armchair.

"Please, let your father explain what has happened. Listen to what he has to say."

"Okay Mother. We shall listen. But we will not be happy about it."

Leaning forward, Edward wiped his tears from his cheeks and smiled at his wife.

"Your Mother told you that I was with another woman. That is not true. There was an incident with a maid that your Mother witnessed. She committed treason and I had her arrested for it. I did not know that your Mother had witnessed such a thing and I could not witness all of you turning on me so easily. I drank my sorrows away and took out my anger out on all of you. I love you, my daughters. I could not ever dream of betraying your Mother. She is the reason all of you are here, she is the reason I am the man I am. Please, forgive my behaviour. I cannot stand the anger you have towards me."

"I am sorry Father. I did not know."

Esme threw herself into her Father's chest and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"You have nothing to apologise for, my sweet girl."

"I love you Father."

"And I love you Esme. You are such beautiful young woman. I am so proud of you."

Holding her tightly, he turned her round on his lap and she lay her head onto his shoulder.

"Your Father is telling the truth. Your Father loves me very much and I do not blame him for anything that has happened."

"I could never do something like this. I love our family and could never even entertain the thoughts of another woman."

"Mother, may I talk to you in private, please?"

Turning to their eldest, Edward bowed his head in defeat. He knew that Elisabeth would be the hardest to convince. She is a married woman herself now. Reluctantly, Bella stood and walked from the room with her daughter. Angela was worried as she Bella leave the room with tear stains on her cheeks. When doors closed behind the three women, she rushed to the Queen's side.

"Are you alright Bella? He did not hurt you, did he?"

"No, Angela. I am quite alright. It is just an emotional day. Edward is the same man you have known all your life. He is not aggressive, he is not abusive and he is not the man I have recently believed him to be. He has always been the man that I fell in love with."

"Mother, you are not just saying this for the sake of the child, are you? You must be honest with me. You do not need him. I will help care for the child."

"No. I am not saying this for the child's sake. Your Father is a good husband and a noble King. It is my fault that you think this way of him. Please Elisabeth, he is your father and the father of your brothers and sisters. Let him in, if not for me, but for yourself. You love him. You have always loved him so much and looked to him for guidance. You will later regret not letting him in."

"Okay Mother. I will forgive him. But if he does anything that upsets you, I will personally see to it that he never comes anywhere near you."

"Elisabeth, no. I do not want you doing that."

"But Mother."

"No Elisabeth. If anyone is to blame for any of this, it is me. Not your Father. I understand you are scared of his behaviour, but that was my fault because I pushed him out. He only acted that way because he loves me and I did not return that love or trust. I do not want you worrying or stressing about this any longer. It is not good for my grandchild."

"I love you, Mother."

"I love you too Elisabeth. Now, go back in and apologise to your father."

"Yes Mother."

She stood up and made her way out of the room, heading back to her father. She desperately wanted her father back in her life. This was supposed to be the happiest time of her life as she's with her first child, but having witnessed the birth of her brothers, Arthur and Robert a few years ago, she was very worried as to what she would experience. Also, she didn't want her child being born into the tense atmosphere that was surrounding her family.

Entering the social room her sisters where in, she was surprised to see all of her sisters surrounding their Father, tears and smiles on all their faces. She felt betrayed. How could they forgive him so easily? Seeing Elisabeth, each of the girls moved away from their father, anxious as to what she was going to say or do. Edward stood up and turned to her. Looking deep into his eyes, she instantly saw the pain and sorrow he felt. Throwing herself at him, he caught her into his arms. They both cried into the other's shoulder.

When all had calmed, the sun shining outside but the ground wet and muddy, the royal family gathered on the stone terrace for lunch. Mae had not appeared from her rooms, but her Lady was with her. But Edward told his wife that he would go and speak to her alone.

Having knocked on her bedroom door, there was the quiet invitation into the room. Edward entered the room, walking through the small sitting area and to the bedroom of his daughter. He immediately noticed her red eyes and the tear stains on her cheeks.

"Mae, please don't cry. I do not want you to be upset with my presence here."

The tears started streaming down her face again. Her Lady's maid was sat on the bed beside her, dabbing at her face. She wasn't a friend of Mae's not like some of her other Ladies.

Edward knelt to the floor beside her bed, and took her hand in his. Rubbing soft circles with his thumb on the back of her hand, he watched the hurt in his daughter flood out. And that brought tears to his own his.

"Mae, I am sorry. If me being here upsets you, would you like me to leave?"

"NO! NO! Please don't go."

Throwing herself at her father, she gripped the back of his shirt as she curled into his chest.

"Please don't leave me again. I love you, Father. Don't go."

"I'll stay right here. I'm not going to leave you ever again. I promise you Mae. You are my beautiful Princess and I love you very much."

Both cried into the other, her smaller body held to his larger one. When he'd calmed down, he dismissed her Lady. Climbing into his daughter's bed, he lay her on his chest. Combing through her hair, he hummed softly.

"I'm sorry for being rude, Father."

"You have no reason to be sorry. I am so sorry for my behaviour towards you, your brothers, your sisters and your Mother. What she believed me to have done was not true. She has apologised to me for how she reacted and I will apologise forever to each one of you for how I behaved. I understand if you have resentment towards me."

"I do not hate you, Father. I love you. I am just scared you will leave again."

"I will never leave, you. You are my family, Mae. Perhaps you could help me bring our family back together?"

"How?"

"We haven't played a game as a family for a long time. Perhaps you could help me arrange boules in the great hall tomorrow afternoon?"

"Can I make invitations and hand them out? We can have a fancy dinner as well. And a big cake."

Chuckling at his daughter's enthusiasm, he held her closer to him.

"Of course we can, Mae. Why don't you sort out the invitations and I'll have the kitchen maids prepare everything for us?"

"I can do that."

"Good. I'll send for your Lady and she can help you clean up."

"Tell Mother that I am sorry. I know my behaviour hurt her."

"She was not hurt, just upset. She loves us all and wants happiness."

"I want us to be happy too."

"Then we will make everyone happy together."

Hugging her Father, Mae climbed out of bed and ran over to her trunk. She lifted out a small piece of cloth that she'd spent a long time sewing. Giving it to her Father, she smiled up at him.

"What's this, Princess?"

It was a white piece of cloth with delicately stitched ivy around the border and the word 'Family' beautiful embroidered in the middle.

"I made it for you. Whatever happens between you and Mother, you'll always be my Father. I don't want you to leave again."

Fresh tears in his eyes, Edward pecked the top of his daughter's head. Kneeling down in front of her, he cupped her face.

"I won't leave you, Princess. Every moment you or your brothers or sisters were born, I vowed to myself to be there for you all no matter what happened. And I broke that vow. But it will never happen again. I promise. I love you, Mae."

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you too, Father."

When she pulled away, he pecked her forehead and stood up.

"We'd better get going and start preparing for tomorrow. There is much to do."

Nodding her head, Mae sat down at her small work table. Edward left the room and immediately sent for her Lady maid. After sending Benjamin to the kitchens with instructions for tomorrow, he returned to his wife and Queen. She was worried when she saw the dried tears on his face. Kneeling in front of her, he ran his hands over her small bump.

"Is everything okay, Edward?"

"Everything is going to be just fine, my love."

"How is Mae?"

"She is sorry for how she behaved. But she is very scared. She is scared I am going to leave."

"She loves you."

"I know. And she knows that I love her too. It will take time for her to trust me fully again."

"But she will."

"Yes. There is still hope."

"There is always hope."

Kissing his wife lovingly, he rubbed his fingers gently into her stomach. She hummed softly and ran her fingers over his cheek.

"I have missed you, Edward."

"And I have missed you with all my heart, Bella. We are together now. And I am going to show you my love forever."

Leaning forward, she whispered quietly so that Angela, who was sat to the side, could not hear.

"Take me to our bed. I need you to make love to me."

The King grinned widely and swooped his wife into his arms. Angela looked up shocked by the sudden movement. When she saw the grins on their faces as Edward carried Bella away, she knew her services would not be required for a while. She was still worried by Edward's presence but knew it was a good thing. The Royal couple loved each other very much and she knew it was preposterous that either would be with another person.

In the Royal Chambers, Edward had placed his wife down. Untangling her from her dress and undergarments, he watched her lay in the middle of the large bed whilst he undressed himself. With his hands loving her stomach, his lips loved hers and his body loved hers.