It was the early hours of the morning when Ned was awoken by the sound of Katherine crying into his shirt. He gently tucked a strand of her long fiery hair behind her ear and kissed her tearstained face. He hadn't stopped holding her since they had gone to bed so she was still laying in his arms.
"What is it?" he whispered, rubbing her back.
Katherine sniffled and looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you—"
He shook his head. He hated to see her cry. "No, there's no need for apologies. Do you wish to talk about it?"
She nodded. "Every time I close my eyes I see him. I see Daniel with that sadistic grin on his face as he shoves me into that bed… as he touches me… I feel ruined and like I will never be rid of him." When she finished her sentence she burst into tears again and held him close as her body shook. "I can hardly look at Jim some days…" She wiped at her face and sniffled again.
He sighed and only held her close, unable to find any words right then that he thought could comfort her in any way. Instead, he gave her his presence, an everlasting one, and would never leave her. After some time he pulled the blankets higher around them and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"I'm sorry I went to the tavern that night. I should have been there with you," he said quietly. "This is all my fault."
But she shook her head. "It's okay," she replied. "It's over. Daniel could've killed you… or went to find my sister. I don't want to focus on the bad things that could have happened." She snuggled closer to him and inhaled his musky scent, smiling. "Just promise me that we will keep no secrets. We're husband and wife - we need to be honest with each other and trust each other."
Ned nodded. "You're right," he sighed against her forehead. She felt a bit hot, but hopefully, that would go away by morning. "You are always right. No secrets. There will be nothing between us that the other won't know. I love you too, so much, and I want us to have a happy family. I know that can only happen if we're honest with each other, so from now on, we'll talk to each other first."
Katherine smiled again and kissed the side of his face. "Thank you," she whispered. "I know it will take some time to move past this all… if I ever will, but I love you so much and I want to make a family with you too. I don't want to feel anything but love for you, so I'm not going to be angry with you for not being there if that's what you think. I really believe if we talk through everything together we will be okay."
"I know," he murmured. "Just seeing him today… I was so bloody angry I lost control. He had no right talking about you or Melinda like that after everything he has done… I just wish I'd never left you that night." He reached under the covers and took her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips to kiss it. "Never again," he repeated.
"Ned, please don't blame yourself," she reminded him.
He grinned. "I will always protect you now as I should have then," he told her anyway. "No matter what."
Ten thousand acres, gifted from his father, was not all it was promised to be. It felt like a dream or a trick, and well, if Jim was honest with himself it was everything he had ever wanted. He never wanted to be a Lord and this was his ticket to freedom.
As Jim looked at the map of the lands in North Carolina that his father had purchased, it felt like a new opportunity for everything he wanted to build in his life. Even so early in the morning, his mind was awake with possibilities. The sun was just climbing over the treetops and light was just flooding into the house.
Sure, there was plenty to do, but as Jim rolled the map up and returned to Melinda's chamber he reveled in the quiet moments with his wife and son. After all, they hadn't been given many quiet moments over the course of their time together.
The moment did not last long, however, as distant shouting and the clattering of people sounded in the hallway.
So much for a quiet moment, he thought wryly, smirking only to himself and getting up from where he sat beside Melinda to see what the matter was now.
Because something was always going wrong, was it not?
He strolled leisurely to the door at first, but then the shouts became clearer.
"Jim! Melinda!"
The terror in Ned's voice stopped him dead in his tracks for a moment before he glanced at his wife and sprinted to the doorway. "What is it, Ned?" He demanded once he opened the door and let the boy inside the room. "What's happened?"
"It's Katherine," Ned choked out, desperation more than evident in his eyes and in his voice and part of him was still trying to push past Jim to get towards Melinda. "She's…I-I don't know how this happened, but she has been struck with some sort of fever and I can't cool her down. It started last night, but it's only gotten worse and she's half-mad with it…"
"Christ," he whispered breathlessly.
Fevers of any sort were dangerous, but to know it was Katherine that terrified him more than he could say. She should have usually been resistant to most diseases from being a healer or that was what Melinda always said, but everyone had weaknesses.
There had been some trauma from the beating Daniel gave her during his attack and that caused a shiver to run down his spine.
His damned brother. If Daniel wasn't already sentenced to die, Jim would do it himself.
"I don't know what to do, Jim and she's been crying out for Melinda half of the night," Ned said wildly. "I have nothing to give her because I don't know what herbs work best... she's never shown me and... I feel useless because I cannot even care for my own wife."
The boy's panic felt infectious for a moment, clawing at Jim's chest. The thought of losing Katherine after everything she had done for him and now his own brother was the cause of her suffering. This wasn't supposed to happen. His mind nearly ventured to a scenario where they would have to bury Katherine and then he swore he could hear Melinda's voice in his head, urging him to take a deep breath and focus, but then saw her beside him.
"Jim," his wife said as he noticed she had come to stand beside him and held his face. "Look at me. This is not your fault. I will see to her condition. Katherine did teach me some ways of healing throughout the years and I am the older sister."
"Yes, I suppose," he said and watched as she brought their son toward him.
"Here, stay with him. Hold our son close and relax," Melinda whispered as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. As she slowly stood, she faced Ned. "You should stay as well."
The boy did not want to do that and he quickly snapped back, into reality, to hold him back. "But what if Katherine dies while—" Ned asked.
"My sister will not die, Ned. I promise you that," she said, flatly. "Now, I'll go to take care of her but you need to stay with Jim. You don't need to possibly get sick if this is something worse than I think it is."
Melinda turned around quickly and immediately moved out of the room. As she ran through the halls, she tried to steady her breathing because being panicked would do Katherine no good. She forced himself to breathe as she was let into the room by a servant.
"My lady," a young woman who she didn't recognize sighed with relief when she came in. "It's good to see you. Will Ned be coming back as well?"
"How is she?" She asked worriedly, not directly going to see where her sister laid in bed as she walked into the room. "He will, but not for some time. He needed a moment."
"I see. Your sister is weak, hot to the touch, and afflicted with chills, but she will not let us come near her with anythin' to cool her fever…" The young woman said worriedly. "She's been cryin' for you and her husband since the middle of the night. Ned thought her fever would break by morning, but it hasn't yet." Melinda kept fruitlessly looking around every corner as if her sister would suddenly just appear as if this was all just a cruel joke. "She is in there behind the french doors. Lord Aiden thought it best to make her comfortable… in case… anything was to happen."
"I will not let my sister die or be alone. Not when she's been calling for me. Go get as many blankets as you can and then leave us be," she replied desperately as she tried to catch her breath again. "Now, I'm going to see her."
"Just…be careful, my lady," the young woman said quietly.
Melinda nodded her thanks and pushed forward through the closed doors. "Katherine?" She said quietly.
Her sister flinched at the sound of the door opening and tried to draw herself into a small ball. Katherine, a girl of hardly sixteen, looked like a child again with how frail she looked in the large bed. Her forehead was slick with sweat and her hair was all but plastered to her face. Her normally bright eyes were glassy with fever and it all scared her.
She had seen far too many people just like her sister die from fevers like this. Was this going to be the end of her road?
Melinda immediately took a nearby vacant chair and drew it beside her so she could comfort her.
"No…" Katherine mumbled fearfully. "No, please…"
She gently reached out and tried to stroke her cheek. "My sweet, darling, sister," she whispered tenderly. "You look so pale."
"No, please… no." Katherine whimpered and tried to hide away from the hand coming toward her face.
She moved her chair forward slightly and leaned over so her sister could see her face. "Katherine, it's me. It's your sister…" She told her softly.
"Melinda?" Katherine gasped, her eyes softening when she realized it was her. Her lower lip trembled and the tears rushed forth and she tentatively pressed her head against her hand. "I thought…I thought you were him."
Her sister was burning to the touch and Melinda tenderly brushed her cheek, trying to soothe her. She felt her heart split in two at the crack in her voice. "No, just plain old me." She tried to say, smiling.
"He's going to break free… I just know it… and what if he does?" Katherine babbled feverishly, her eyes fluttering shut. "I kept calling for you, but you never came… and then Ned left… he cannot bear to look at me anymore." Her sister tossed her head weakly, trying to get comfortable, but even that small gesture seemed to take so much energy.
Melinda gingerly sat at the edge of her bed, unable to bear the distance between them any longer. "I'm here now," she whispered, leaning down to kiss her head, making sure to keep her movement soft and slow. "And Jim will never let him break free. I promise you that."
"Don't let him get me, Melinda. Please don't let him get me…" Her sister begged weakly. "Please…"
Katherine moved against her side, looking for her protection even in her weakened and feverish state.
Even as a child her little sister had proven to be a strong and independent person and hadn't clutched at her like this. It broke Melinda's heart even more.
"Never again, Katherine. I promise," she whispered, wrapping her arms gently around her.
Katherine's trembling and feverish body felt so frail in her arms and once again, despair threatened to swallow Melinda whole. This was all her fault.
If she hadn't crossed Daniel in whatever way she did or had never happened upon Jim then none of this would have happened, and as beautiful and happy she was with Jim and their son, she would give all up to heal her sister. Every bit of happiness to see Katherine whole again.
"You are going to be just fine," she said as she cradled her sister close and rocked her in her arms. "Let's try to get your fever down." Delicately, Melinda picked up the cloth and brought it to her hot skin, hoping it would cool her down. "How does that feel?"
Even so, Katherine was watching her warily as she began to blot her overheated skin with the cloth, shivering. "It's cold," her sister complained, resting her head back on her shoulder. "I don't like it."
"I know, I know…" She chuckled softly. "But it will help you feel better faster… you know that."
Katherine rolled her eyes and that brought forth some joy as she kept blotting her skin with the cloth. At least her personality was still shining through it all, but it all faded rather quickly.
"Melinda," her sister cried out weakly, tears streaking down her cheeks again. "I don't want to die…"
"Shhh, shhh…" Melinda soothed her, blotting her forehead and neck with the cold cloth. "The fever will break, Katherine. I promise you that I will not go anywhere until you are better like when we were children."
Melinda kept wiping her down, praying that her sister's fever would break and that this would do something to help Katherine rather than hurt her. Her hands were shaking so much that she could barely hold onto her, but she was honestly more terrified of what could mean if the girl's hands ever stopped shaking.
Many have survived a simple fever and Katherine will too… she thought, looking back down at her sister. But the same amount of people had died from it too.
When the young servant woman returned to the room, she quickly tucked another blanket around Katherine. Her sister curled into it, bringing the blanket up to her nose and hiding away in it then burrowed back against her. With a nod of thanks from Melinda, the woman left them alone rather quickly.
"Mel?" Katherine croaked out when it had been silent for far too long. "Are you ashamed of me too? I know Ned will never say it, but he can hardly look at me…"
Her heart all but plummeted to her stomach and she hoped it did not show on her face. They once had a variant of this conversation before, shortly after the attack, and it shook her more deeply than she would've liked to admit.
Melinda would forever hold on so tightly to these feelings of guilt and shame because it was supposed to be her Daniel attacked and not her sister, but instead, Katherine let him believe she was her to save her in some way.
"What…? Katherine, of course not. Why would I ever be ashamed of you?" She asked worriedly, pushing her sister's hair back. She leaned back to look at her, to try and get her attention, but Katherine didn't look up at her. "Katherine," she pleaded desperately, hating the way her own voice cracked. "Sweet sister, please look at me."
Her sister's gaze was so wretched and full of despair that Melinda's heart nearly broke. She did everything in her power to hold her even closer and protectively kept her sister against her side.
"I could never be ashamed of having a sister like you, Katherine, and Ned?" She said, smiling when she thought about her brother-in-law. "He is a good man and he loves you more than you realize. He isn't ashamed of you either."
"I was not strong enough to fight Daniel… I should have tried harder, but I let him do what he wanted… I just laid there," Katherine said, the tears trailing down her cheeks. "I do not deserve Ned…and I am so sorry for the shame I've brought our family." She let out a gasping, heaving sob. "It was my fault."
Her cries only intensified her trembling and Melinda wished that holding her tighter would solve it, but it wouldn't. Only time and patience would.
"You cannot blame yourself for the deeds of wicked men, sweet sister," she promised her softly, gently tilting Katherine's chin upward, silently praying that the seriousness of her words could give her comfort. "You stood before him and Jim's father saw that. If that doesn't make you stronger than him then I don't know what does." Melinda delicately stroked her cheek with her thumb, desperately trying to hold back her own tears. "I will never be ashamed of you and you have done nothing to our family name. There was nothing to protect anyhow. A new life awaits us in the Colonies, remember?"
"But what if I fall pregnant?" Katherine's head lolled weakly away from her. "He kept whispering that to me… over and over again… that I would carry his bastard and that was the only reason he left me alive."
Her sister's sobs began anew and Melinda did her best to comfort her to no avail. She didn't know what to say to her or how to soothe her worries. There was no way of telling that Daniel had gotten her with a child right now, but she prayed that would not happen the same Katherine did.
Gingerly, she tucked the covers back in around her and sweetly brushed her hair out of her face once more. "Try to get some rest," she told her. "Don't think about the what-ifs, all right? It is not going to do you any good."
"He comes whenever I close my eyes for too long," Katherine whispered with the shake of her head. "And how do I know you won't disappear once I fall asleep?"
"Hold onto my hand," she told her and though the tone was soft, the words were firm and strong. "Then you will know that I am here and you are safe." Melinda slowly lowered her hand so her sister could hold it. "Now, will you take some water?"
Katherine suspiciously eyed the cloth that was draped against the side of the bucket of water. "I am pretty sure I have had enough water for today," her sister muttered, and she chuckled, giving her hand a squeeze.
"I meant to drink, Katherine." She reminded her with a sigh. "You need to replace what you have lost, remember?"
Her sister weakly nodded and rolled her eyes. At least that meant she was still somewhat lucid.
When Melinda finally returned to her chamber, Jim and Ned were eating a small meal together. It looked as though Theodore was sleeping in his cradle as she passed by him. She stopped by a washing dish to rinse her hands and dry them with a cloth.
She had planned on checking on her son, but the moment Ned realized she had come in, he abruptly stood from his chair to meet her and Jim chuckled in his seat when he saw her try to brush past him. The boy was frantic the moment he'd started to think about Katherine again and she tried to calm him down by having him take a deep breath.
"How is she doing?" Ned asked.
"She is doing just fine, Ned. I need you to relax, okay?" she said as he hugged her. "Katherine's fever broke about an hour ago and she was just eating when I left."
"I see. That is wonderful news. Come eat with us as well, and then I will see to her health through the rest of tonight." Ned said with a smile as he pulled back and moved a chair for her to sit. "Thank you for checking on her, Melinda. You truly have my gratitude."
"Of course. She is my sister after all," she said, moving to sit beside Jim where he pulled a chair out for her. "Thank you. I hope you were able to steady your panic. Both of you, that is."
"Yes, I am relaxed," Jim spoke then, looking up from his plate. "Though I still have worries in my heart for your sister. I will pray for her tonight."
"That means you care about her and that is worth a lot to me, Jim. Truly," she said as he set a portion of food in front of her. "Thank you."
Her husband shared a smile with her and he could tell there had been a shift within. Jim could see it in Melinda's shoulders and the way she was quiet while eating dinner. She only answered when she was spoken to, but other than that, she was silent in a way that was not his wife's taste. In the middle of the meal, he watched as she tended to their son when Theodore began to cry and waved off the two nursemaids that his father had hired to care for him when Daniel had taken him from the.
Melinda sang to him, an easy smile resting on her face know and her body relaxing into the sitting couch in the middle of the room. Soon after, Ned left quickly to check on Katherine once he finished eating. Something was exchanged between the boy and his wife on Ned's way out of the room, and Jim was too far away to hear, but whatever the boy said eased something in his wife too.
He saw the tension leave her shoulders and the small smile return to her face. Ned then gave Jim a slight nod as he left as well and then they were alone again. Once he finished the last of his wine he stood up and made his way towards Melinda, who had begun to feed their son now that they were alone as she tried to get him back to sleep.
He startled her slightly as the floor creaked and he got down on one knee before her, tilting her face up towards his. "I didn't mean to scare you, love." He kissed her forehead and stood up, reaching for her hand.
She neither protested nor said anything, but obliged, taking his hand and rising to her feet with their son in her arms. "He won't settle," she said with a sigh. "Or take my breast."
"I see," he said, seeing the scrunched up and crying face of his son with a slight smile. "Son, your mother does not appreciate your off-pitch harmonies tonight."
She laughed at him and gently placed the boy into his arms and then began to fix her dress again. "You try then," she said and then leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I want to finish my dinner."
"I'll do my best," he said, enjoying the view of her waltzing away from him.
For a time, Theodore still cried despite Jim's efforts as well, but soon their son tired out and had fallen back asleep. Then he joined his wife at the table and once she finished her meal, they both shared another cup of wine. He wanted to ask her what was on her mind, but he was sure he knew what it was. Ned had told him Katherine was half-mad with the fever... that she couldn't sense reality from her nightmares. The ones about his brother.
"You shouldn't blame yourself," he told her, reaching his hand out to hold it.
"Neither should you," she said, squeezing his hand in reply.
He eyed her suspiciously and sighed, taking another sip of wine. "I know, but Melinda... I see the guilt you hold for all of this and I wish I could take it away." He replied sadly.
"It's not that simple, Jim," she said and finished her cup as she stood up from her chair.
He did the same but pulled her into his embrace, enveloping her as if he were shielding her from whatever was to come their way.
She took a breath and nuzzled her head into his chest. "Today was frightening seeing my sister like that," she whispered. "I love you." She whispered into his neck.
He could feel the warmth of her tears on his neck. "It seems you have something else on your mind besides Katherine." He took a step back and examined her from head to toe. "You look well, though. A little tired, I can see the line on your forehead."
That earned him a laugh and a shake of her head. "I am fine, Jim. Really." She reached for the buttons on her dress, undoing each one methodically. "It's been an exhausting day, for sure, but I just want to go to bed."
He crept across the room and sat on the bed, the truth was, he was bone-tired too. They had spent the last two days in an exhausting adrenaline rush along with today too, and it was starting to creep up on them.
Jim followed suit, undoing his belt and own jacket, admiring the view of Melinda's routine of getting herself ready for bed. One of his favorite parts of his day was always asking if she wanted her stays undone. It was always his way of regrounding himself to her, the simple touch and undoing of all the bad that happened during the day.
"Come here," he reached for her hand again and pulled her into his lap. "I'll undo your stays and help you out of your dress."
"Mmm, Jim," she hummed in slight disapproval, but she didn't stop him. "Fine."
Quickly she came over to him and efficiently had them undone within seconds and once she realized he was done, leaned into his sturdy frame. His hands found her shoulders and he massaged them in circles, pressing kisses there. Melinda let out soft moans of pleasure and it put a smile on his face.
"Your shoulders are tight, love." He whispered and then pressed another kiss against the crook of her neck. "You must relax… everything will be fine now. We have ten thousand acres of land to think of what to do with." His hands made their way from her shoulders and down to her waist. "Are you ready to come to bed?"
"I believe so," she said as he pushed down her dress and left her in only her shift that was underneath once he removed her corset too. "But I should put away the dress."
"You don't have to right away," he said as he moved from her shoulder and kissed her smiling mouth, watching her reaction.
It was these little moments, knowing what was coming in the next days, these moments he could surprise her with a laugh and make her forget for an instant of what's to come. Jim took it upon himself to do everything he could to ground her here, to himself, them, to the love they shared after a day like today.
Her amusement filled him with light and she moved off his lap to put her dress away as he laid back in bed. Then she quickly moved back onto the bed and straddled him, and he felt short of breath. His hands settled on her hips that tilted just so to brush his standing cock with her slick heat.
"I see you still didn't listen to me then," he teased and inhaled deeply as she dipped down to kiss him.
He watched her, afraid to close his eyes and miss even a moment of this precious rare woman the Lord had given him to love. Melinda filled his senses like she always had. Then she sat up and her fingers pulled at the string to loosen her shift.
"Mmm no," she teased him back as she slowly shimmied the fabric down her shoulders.
She was a vision from him to see every time she undressed for him. Her shift caught on the stiff peaks of her nipples as he groaned before lifting his hand to pull it down and then slipped into a puddle at her hips. God, her breasts. She leaned down to him again, and he ripped his gaze away from her ivory skin so he could drown in her eyes.
He brought his mouth to one of her breasts for he craved the taste of her on his tongue and she keened against him with a breathy sigh. The feel of her velvet skin under his hands was a dream come true. He chased her mouth after a time, pulling her back to him when she moved slightly away. Then her hips tilted again, catching the tip of his cock at her entrance, and she eased down over him.
His mind went blank and then exploded with sensation. For a moment, Jim laid paralyzed and let the emotions flood his body and soul. She was moving and softly singing her pleasure over him, but he couldn't comprehend her words anymore as he held onto her hips and moved in sync with her.
The pleasure crashing through him that was her. His wife, Melinda, rising above him like a goddess demanding due worship, riding him like a warrior determined to subdue a wild beast and bring it under her power. His cock throbbed with heat and lust and joy as she claimed him over and over. He reached up for her lips, filling his hands with the shapes of her body, filling his nose with her scent.
"Melinda, ah… I uh…" he gasped into her mouth.
Her hips rotated sensually, blinding him, and depriving him of speech. "Yes, my love?" She giggled breathlessly above him.
Jim had no idea what he had been about to say anymore. The only thought pulsing in his mind was that if he didn't slow her down he would be cutting short their time together. Wrapping his hands into her curls and around the back of her neck, he rolled her underneath him, unsheathing himself from her warmth. Melinda gave a mewling protest that he captured with his mouth.
He broke away from her kiss reluctantly but filled his mouth with her bountiful bosom while his hands quickly stripped the shift off completely. "I don't want this to end quite yet," he promised her as his hands trailed over her skin.
She was a living flame, a blazing ember in his arms combusting with every touch and stroke, and he would forever surrender to her blaze. Melinda urged his head down, silently urging him to taste her hot core. He obeyed gladly, letting his hands follow his mouth, cupping and sucking as he went.
When he reached his goal he didn't hesitate, but pushed her thighs flat to the bed and drew his flat tongue over her like a butterfly's wings, over and over until she was arching and gasping for him. She called out his name, begging and breathless, and that was when he rose above her and drank in the sight of his wife was flushed with passion. The rosy hue spread between her breasts and up her neck and across her face drove him wild.
Her head was thrown back in abandon and her fingers dug into his arms, his shoulders, pulling him to her as they kissed. He found his way inside her again, carefully and fully. Her eyes rolled close, the pleasure vibrating through their bodies. He felt her begin to tremble as he slammed home, driving her down, pinning her beneath him.
His hand slid up her neck to wrap around her jaw and he pulled her into his mouth, anchoring her as he drove into her body and then held, throbbing, shivering, burning together in a blind raging climax that left them limp and glowing in each other's arms. He was aware of nothing save for the woman beneath him, the way his heart stuttered in his chest to match the slamming of her own.
When the pleasure began to ebb, he laid beside her, folding Melinda into his arms as she shuddered. Opening his eyes, Jim looked down at her face, "What should we do with ten thousand acres?" He murmured quietly.
For a moment there was no response, but a slow smile spread on her lips before raising herself up to meet his gaze. Cradling his cheek in one hand, her smile widened to show teeth, eyes wrinkling in the corners. "First, to build a big house for the family I want with you," she said happily. "To build a community. To find friends and people who will want to settle there. Katherine and Ned will be the fist and we can help them build their home as well."
"I like that. A community," he whispered.
His smile matched hers and neither disappeared as Jim captured Melinda's lips for another kiss. Their night was hardly over.