Usual disclaimers. blah!
***
They slipped quietly back into the house, their presence unnoticed by either Mary or Theodore. The place was in uproar - tradesmen everywhere.
Jack caught the arm of one of the maids as they dashed past. "What's going on?"
"Mistress Groves is planning her nursery," the maid smiled. "There is a lot to do before the baby arrives!"
Jack rolled his eyes, walking up the stairs to their room as the maid dashed off. "These things still take nine months... don't they? She could build a whole new house in less time than that!" He quietly shut the door to their bedroom behind them, muffling the noise.
"If she has seen a doctor then she must be at least two months gone... so a maximum of seven months to go..." She paused. "Do we have to talk about her?"
Jack kissed her, pinning her briefly against the wall. "We could always talk about something else..." he leered, his hands roaming her body. For a moment she protested, before returning his kisses as he backed her towards the bed, his hands unlacing her dress.
"Jack!" she gasped. "It's the middle of the day!"
"Who cares!" he smiled, continuing to kiss her as he slid her dress off. "Let's scandalise the household a bit more!"
***
"Jack, I've got to go..." Catherine tried to slip free of his grasp, but he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her close. "Jack, please! I have to take Papa his lunch! It's been more than an hour and it must be lunch time!" He sat on the bed, looking at her as he regretfully laced her back into her dress for he could have spent all the day there with her. She quickly brushed and replaited her hair, slipping her boots on before unlocking the door. "Try to get dressed before I return, eh?" she laughed, shutting the door behind her.
Walking quietly down the stairs Catherine was relieved to see that the majority of the tradesmen seemed to have left. She pushed open the door to the kitchen - only the cook was there. "Will Papa's lunch be ready soon?" she asked.
"If my help didn't keep disappearing it would be ready sooner - and now there's to be a special dinner again!" the cook complained, turning to face her. "Oh, I'm sorry Mistress Sparrow... I meant no disrespect. It will be ready soon!"
"Can I help?" Catherine offered.
"Mistress Sparrow - it isn't proper for you to help!" she gasped, scandalised at the offer.
Catherine smiled - the woman looked truly shocked. "Please, my name is Catherine - and I'm sure you know that I've rarely been called proper!" She laughed, reaching for a pile of vegetables. "Now, how many of these do you need?"
"But..." she protested. Although she desperately needed help she was afraid of what Mistress Groves would say if she found out.
"That's alright... I won't tell!" Catherine started peeling one of the carrots. "Makes a pleasant change from feeding sixty men every day..."
"You feed how many?" she gasped, eyes bulging at the figure.
"I think last count it was sixty-three including Jack and myself." She reached for another carrot. "How many do you need?"
"Err, all of them, if you really don't mind." She turned back to the ornate deserts that Mary had requested that day, relieved to have somebody to help her. Quickly the vegetables were done and Catherine wiped her hands in a nearby apron. The cook looked up, surprised at her speed. "Oh, that was quick... thank you!"
"Is there anything else I can do?" Catherine offered.
"No, thank you Mistress Sparrow!"
"I told you it is Catherine," she smiled.
"Thank you... perhaps I may address you as Mistress Catherine then?" The cook smiled back at her. "My name is Eve," she added uncertainly. Catherine realised that 'Mistress Catherine' was probably the best she would get for Mary Groves did not approve of staff speaking much, preferring them to be both unseen and unheard. "Your father's lunch should only be quarter of an hour..."
"Thanks, I'll come back later then - I'll be in the garden." She turned to leave, opening the kitchen door to find Mary on the other side. "Excuse me," she slipped past before Mary had a chance to speak, heading out into the garden to the peace of the arbour. She shut her eyes enjoying the cool shade after the heat of the kitchen. But all too soon it was over, a gentle tapping on the kitchen window waking her from her reverie. Eve held a tray up, indicating that her father's lunch was ready and Catherine slipped back indoors, quickly taking the tray up to her father.
Edmund Groves was not in a good mood when she entered. "I thought you'd forgotten me," he complained sourly.
"No Papa - your lunch was delayed as Mary has invited her parents to dinner tonight. The house has been in uproar with all the tradesmen and everything!" She started to cut up his food for him.
"Ah yes, celebrating the pregnancy I assume..." Edmund Groves looked at his daughter closely, wondering what her reaction would have been to the news. He knew she had been devastated when she had realised she would never bear children when she first married, and doubted that her feelings had lessened over time. "What do you think of it?"
"Theo is delighted..." she evaded, handing her father his lunch.
"I didn't ask what Theodore thought - I asked what you thought of it Catherine?"
"What do you want me to say?" Her mask slipped, revealing her true heartache. "Bitter? Jealous? I have been told many times I should be grateful to be alive... perhaps one day I'll start to believe it."
"I've regretted taking you to the dockyard that day, many, many times." Edmund Groves took a slow bite of his meal. "But I will never regret the decision to save your life Catherine." She looked at him sharply, his kindness unlooked for and unexpected. He smiled at her. "And however much you scandalise Port Royal, you will always be my daughter."
"Thank you Papa," she whispered.
Edmund reached across, touching her hand. "Be happy for Theodore - not jealous!"
"I will try Papa, I promise," she sighed, taking his finished tray from him. "Would you like a drink?"
"No, I am fine for now Catherine. I think I'll just take a nap." He shut his eyes, stretching out his legs before him. He had tried a little walking with Theodore earlier in the day and hoped to be able to manage the stairs in a day or so which would free Catherine from much of the burden of caring for him. He sighed - it could not be easy for her to be in the house at the moment and the sooner his arm healed the better.
***
***
They slipped quietly back into the house, their presence unnoticed by either Mary or Theodore. The place was in uproar - tradesmen everywhere.
Jack caught the arm of one of the maids as they dashed past. "What's going on?"
"Mistress Groves is planning her nursery," the maid smiled. "There is a lot to do before the baby arrives!"
Jack rolled his eyes, walking up the stairs to their room as the maid dashed off. "These things still take nine months... don't they? She could build a whole new house in less time than that!" He quietly shut the door to their bedroom behind them, muffling the noise.
"If she has seen a doctor then she must be at least two months gone... so a maximum of seven months to go..." She paused. "Do we have to talk about her?"
Jack kissed her, pinning her briefly against the wall. "We could always talk about something else..." he leered, his hands roaming her body. For a moment she protested, before returning his kisses as he backed her towards the bed, his hands unlacing her dress.
"Jack!" she gasped. "It's the middle of the day!"
"Who cares!" he smiled, continuing to kiss her as he slid her dress off. "Let's scandalise the household a bit more!"
***
"Jack, I've got to go..." Catherine tried to slip free of his grasp, but he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her close. "Jack, please! I have to take Papa his lunch! It's been more than an hour and it must be lunch time!" He sat on the bed, looking at her as he regretfully laced her back into her dress for he could have spent all the day there with her. She quickly brushed and replaited her hair, slipping her boots on before unlocking the door. "Try to get dressed before I return, eh?" she laughed, shutting the door behind her.
Walking quietly down the stairs Catherine was relieved to see that the majority of the tradesmen seemed to have left. She pushed open the door to the kitchen - only the cook was there. "Will Papa's lunch be ready soon?" she asked.
"If my help didn't keep disappearing it would be ready sooner - and now there's to be a special dinner again!" the cook complained, turning to face her. "Oh, I'm sorry Mistress Sparrow... I meant no disrespect. It will be ready soon!"
"Can I help?" Catherine offered.
"Mistress Sparrow - it isn't proper for you to help!" she gasped, scandalised at the offer.
Catherine smiled - the woman looked truly shocked. "Please, my name is Catherine - and I'm sure you know that I've rarely been called proper!" She laughed, reaching for a pile of vegetables. "Now, how many of these do you need?"
"But..." she protested. Although she desperately needed help she was afraid of what Mistress Groves would say if she found out.
"That's alright... I won't tell!" Catherine started peeling one of the carrots. "Makes a pleasant change from feeding sixty men every day..."
"You feed how many?" she gasped, eyes bulging at the figure.
"I think last count it was sixty-three including Jack and myself." She reached for another carrot. "How many do you need?"
"Err, all of them, if you really don't mind." She turned back to the ornate deserts that Mary had requested that day, relieved to have somebody to help her. Quickly the vegetables were done and Catherine wiped her hands in a nearby apron. The cook looked up, surprised at her speed. "Oh, that was quick... thank you!"
"Is there anything else I can do?" Catherine offered.
"No, thank you Mistress Sparrow!"
"I told you it is Catherine," she smiled.
"Thank you... perhaps I may address you as Mistress Catherine then?" The cook smiled back at her. "My name is Eve," she added uncertainly. Catherine realised that 'Mistress Catherine' was probably the best she would get for Mary Groves did not approve of staff speaking much, preferring them to be both unseen and unheard. "Your father's lunch should only be quarter of an hour..."
"Thanks, I'll come back later then - I'll be in the garden." She turned to leave, opening the kitchen door to find Mary on the other side. "Excuse me," she slipped past before Mary had a chance to speak, heading out into the garden to the peace of the arbour. She shut her eyes enjoying the cool shade after the heat of the kitchen. But all too soon it was over, a gentle tapping on the kitchen window waking her from her reverie. Eve held a tray up, indicating that her father's lunch was ready and Catherine slipped back indoors, quickly taking the tray up to her father.
Edmund Groves was not in a good mood when she entered. "I thought you'd forgotten me," he complained sourly.
"No Papa - your lunch was delayed as Mary has invited her parents to dinner tonight. The house has been in uproar with all the tradesmen and everything!" She started to cut up his food for him.
"Ah yes, celebrating the pregnancy I assume..." Edmund Groves looked at his daughter closely, wondering what her reaction would have been to the news. He knew she had been devastated when she had realised she would never bear children when she first married, and doubted that her feelings had lessened over time. "What do you think of it?"
"Theo is delighted..." she evaded, handing her father his lunch.
"I didn't ask what Theodore thought - I asked what you thought of it Catherine?"
"What do you want me to say?" Her mask slipped, revealing her true heartache. "Bitter? Jealous? I have been told many times I should be grateful to be alive... perhaps one day I'll start to believe it."
"I've regretted taking you to the dockyard that day, many, many times." Edmund Groves took a slow bite of his meal. "But I will never regret the decision to save your life Catherine." She looked at him sharply, his kindness unlooked for and unexpected. He smiled at her. "And however much you scandalise Port Royal, you will always be my daughter."
"Thank you Papa," she whispered.
Edmund reached across, touching her hand. "Be happy for Theodore - not jealous!"
"I will try Papa, I promise," she sighed, taking his finished tray from him. "Would you like a drink?"
"No, I am fine for now Catherine. I think I'll just take a nap." He shut his eyes, stretching out his legs before him. He had tried a little walking with Theodore earlier in the day and hoped to be able to manage the stairs in a day or so which would free Catherine from much of the burden of caring for him. He sighed - it could not be easy for her to be in the house at the moment and the sooner his arm healed the better.
***
