I cannot tell you how much of a joy it is getting reviews from you people. Hugs n' kisses all around!
This is dedicated to the wonderful lapsus calami and the darling Chelle...XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
You May Be Just Yet Chapter 5
Hannah lay on the bed of her and Tom's bed chamber, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
Was she really in such a tiny space mentally; so tiny she would not trust her husband to guide her through the trials of marriage? Was she holding their marriage back? Was she an extra burden to Tom?
The word "faith" kept rining in her head. She had once heard the preacher in church say that faith was the very base of a good relationship between man and wife. Was she, unwittingly causing their marriage to crumble?
She loved Tom, truly. She loved it when he held her silently as they rested on the couch together; when they would make up after an argument, kissing on the porch for so long they had to actually be called in for supper. She loved that familiar hand on the shoulder that toldhe wanted to do far more in bed than sleep. She loved running her fingers through his silky locks. She loved his loving nature.
It was then that it nearly slapped her across the face.
Tom deserved to be a father.
He should have been a long time ago.
He'd brought enough joy to her life, now it was his turn.
"God help me," she breathed, walking down the stairs, stomach knotted in fear of the decision she's just arbitrarily made. "You must do this for your husband, Hannah...Tom deserves this. And far more."
...
"RUBY BONDEN! YOU UNTIE YOUR BROTHERS THIS INSTANT!" Barrett yelled at his youngest daughter, putting one hand on his hip while the other kept the wheel steady.
She pursed her lips and looked annoyed, the expression only looking adorable on her.
Tom laughed and waved to her to tell her to untie the knot that held the squirming Joshua and Moses to the mast.
"Mr. Pullings..." Ruby walk up to him, hands behind her back, looking nothing near a first lieutenant, but the very definition of darling and innocent. "Will I ever be a REAL lieutenant on a REAL ship?"
He chuckled, patting her on the head, her wispy blonde hair fluttering. "No, unfortunately, little darling. But you'll always be my first lieutenant."
She smiled broadly at him.
...
When Tom went home, tired though happy from running all over the ship with five young uns on his tail, he smiled fondly at his wife and kissed her cheek in greeting.
Her smiled, charming but worried, urged him to guide her upstairs to speak, as she obviously wouldn't want to talk some private matter within the gossiping servants' hearing.
"Are you well, apple tart?" He asked gently, shutting the door with one hand and cupping her cheek comfortingly with the other.
She could only stare at him, frightened about what was ahead. Unable to really say anything, she took his chin in her palm, surprisingly gentle, then broke all laws of nature and kissed him square on the lips.
Tom jerked slightly in surprise, eyes widening, but he none the less threw his arms around her and pulled her in, meshing his lips firming into hers, and translating the message no doubt hidden within the kiss.
She was troubled, of that he was certain. Her lips were stiff and over-puckered, that told stress; stress or fear. Her refusal to push her body against his and deepen the smooch only strengthened his diagnosis. Muscles tensed...she definately needed to relax...
But...what was this?
She was stepping backward...and dragging him with her.
He complied with her nonverbal request, and obediently followed her, still holding her gently.
Hannah herself could barely believe was she was doing. Willingly kissing her husband? It seemed almost sick and wrong. He'd always been the aggressor, the one to initiate the marital pleasures. Yet she was the one who had started it, and he was enjoying himself, going along with it, dumping every ounce of love and delight toward his wife into it.
When she felt her heel hit the bed, she threw herself backward upon it, taking him with her.
"Whoa, now!" He pushed himself up on his elbows so he could look her in the face. "What's all this, apple tart?"
How to explain this? Surely this was as bizarre to him as it was to her. She could only look at him a moment, the confusion plain as day in his eyes.
"I...I have made up my mind, Thomas." Oh, brilliant, Hannah...confuse him more...
"What?"
She pulled him down enough so she could speak right into his ear. "You...you look handsome today, Tom." Hannah...just get to the point...lest he think you insane.
"What are you getting at, Hannah?" He cocked his head at her, laughing slightly as he smiled to let her know it was alright to share whatever troubled her with him.
She sighed and bit her lip, pulling herself out from under him enough to sit upright. "I-I...I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." Stop dancing like that, Hannah! Most undignified...
He raised an eyebrow. "Hannah, are you well?"
"Just...fine. Perfectly fine."
He pushed himself up and sat down next to her, placing one arm around her. "I can see your troubled. You should relax, Hannah. Here, sleep for a bit. You'll feel better when you wake." He kissed her on the cheek and left her to nap, closing the door gently behind him.
She fell back on the bed, angry at herself. "Why do you do that, Hannah Pullings? That was quite stupid...quite stupid indeed. Why didn't you just tell him? He would've been overjoyed."
...
Several months passed, and Hannah made many more attempts to conquer her fear and tell him. But the words simply wouldn't come. And she was becoming more and more annoyed and angry with herself.
Tom, on the other hand, was becoming more and more perturbed by her behavior. What was wrong with his wife? He could've sworn she was losing her mind. He became worried about her, as not only was she seeming mentally ill, but she was seeming physically ill as well. She's seemed quite nauseated and was sleeping a lot longer than she normally did. He didn't pressure her for any activity in the bed; she seemed to be feeling utterly awful.
"You should have Dr. Maturin look at you, apple tart," he commented one evening as she lay on her side, looking quite pale. "He'd probably have you fixed up in a jiff."
"Don't trouble him," she replied, weakly waving an arm at him.
He let her sleep, and decided not to bother her about a doctor. Though he was worried, he was sure it would probably pass. It didn't seem very serious. Plus he feared her anger over "overly worrying about her."
The next morning, she had kissed him on the cheek goodbye and gone out for a walk, assuring him that all she needed was some fresh air, and she'd been quite healthy quite soon. He'd returned the kiss and let her go, inwardly praying she wouldn't hurt herself or make herself worse.
As luck would have it, she wandered on over to the Bonden household, where Lilith was lying on the couch alone, reading a book. Or was, that is, until she'd conked off with the book landing open right across her face.
She jumped at the knock on the door, and reflexively called for Barrett to get it, though quickly realizing he was gone for the day, and stiffly rolled herself off the couch to answer it.
She rubbed her sore back a moment and opened the door, surprised at who was there. "Mizzus Pullings?"
"Pardon my bothering you on a Sunday, Lily..." The poor woman looked utterly shaken, and Lily immediately pitied her without having to know what was wrong.
"Here, come in, Mizzus Pullings..." She stepped to the side to allow her entrance.
"Thank you, dear." Hannah stepped inside, her stance looking weak.
"Shall I get you anything?"
"No, no, thank you. You're such a dear." Her quick speaking was suspicious sounding, and Lily struggled not to raise an eyebrow.
"Are you well, Mizzus Pullings? If you don't mind my asking..."
She apprehensively looked about the room once again, then back at her host. "Might I ask you something, Lily?"
"Of course. Here, come in and sit down, you look a tad under the weather."
Hannah did so, wiping a few drops of sweat off her forehead as she looked over at the soon-sitting Lily, who was watching her, troubled about her friend.
"Lily...when you were...expecting...how did you know?"
Lily blinked. "Well, there's plenty of ways...headaches, cold-like symptoms...vomiting...your missing cycle, of course. Was quite the devil when I was pregnant with Aubrey. She was born at sea, would you believe?"
"Lily..." Hannah looked at her in tears, but waving it off when offered a hankerchief. "I think I might be expecting."
This is dedicated to the wonderful lapsus calami and the darling Chelle...XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
You May Be Just Yet Chapter 5
Hannah lay on the bed of her and Tom's bed chamber, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
Was she really in such a tiny space mentally; so tiny she would not trust her husband to guide her through the trials of marriage? Was she holding their marriage back? Was she an extra burden to Tom?
The word "faith" kept rining in her head. She had once heard the preacher in church say that faith was the very base of a good relationship between man and wife. Was she, unwittingly causing their marriage to crumble?
She loved Tom, truly. She loved it when he held her silently as they rested on the couch together; when they would make up after an argument, kissing on the porch for so long they had to actually be called in for supper. She loved that familiar hand on the shoulder that toldhe wanted to do far more in bed than sleep. She loved running her fingers through his silky locks. She loved his loving nature.
It was then that it nearly slapped her across the face.
Tom deserved to be a father.
He should have been a long time ago.
He'd brought enough joy to her life, now it was his turn.
"God help me," she breathed, walking down the stairs, stomach knotted in fear of the decision she's just arbitrarily made. "You must do this for your husband, Hannah...Tom deserves this. And far more."
...
"RUBY BONDEN! YOU UNTIE YOUR BROTHERS THIS INSTANT!" Barrett yelled at his youngest daughter, putting one hand on his hip while the other kept the wheel steady.
She pursed her lips and looked annoyed, the expression only looking adorable on her.
Tom laughed and waved to her to tell her to untie the knot that held the squirming Joshua and Moses to the mast.
"Mr. Pullings..." Ruby walk up to him, hands behind her back, looking nothing near a first lieutenant, but the very definition of darling and innocent. "Will I ever be a REAL lieutenant on a REAL ship?"
He chuckled, patting her on the head, her wispy blonde hair fluttering. "No, unfortunately, little darling. But you'll always be my first lieutenant."
She smiled broadly at him.
...
When Tom went home, tired though happy from running all over the ship with five young uns on his tail, he smiled fondly at his wife and kissed her cheek in greeting.
Her smiled, charming but worried, urged him to guide her upstairs to speak, as she obviously wouldn't want to talk some private matter within the gossiping servants' hearing.
"Are you well, apple tart?" He asked gently, shutting the door with one hand and cupping her cheek comfortingly with the other.
She could only stare at him, frightened about what was ahead. Unable to really say anything, she took his chin in her palm, surprisingly gentle, then broke all laws of nature and kissed him square on the lips.
Tom jerked slightly in surprise, eyes widening, but he none the less threw his arms around her and pulled her in, meshing his lips firming into hers, and translating the message no doubt hidden within the kiss.
She was troubled, of that he was certain. Her lips were stiff and over-puckered, that told stress; stress or fear. Her refusal to push her body against his and deepen the smooch only strengthened his diagnosis. Muscles tensed...she definately needed to relax...
But...what was this?
She was stepping backward...and dragging him with her.
He complied with her nonverbal request, and obediently followed her, still holding her gently.
Hannah herself could barely believe was she was doing. Willingly kissing her husband? It seemed almost sick and wrong. He'd always been the aggressor, the one to initiate the marital pleasures. Yet she was the one who had started it, and he was enjoying himself, going along with it, dumping every ounce of love and delight toward his wife into it.
When she felt her heel hit the bed, she threw herself backward upon it, taking him with her.
"Whoa, now!" He pushed himself up on his elbows so he could look her in the face. "What's all this, apple tart?"
How to explain this? Surely this was as bizarre to him as it was to her. She could only look at him a moment, the confusion plain as day in his eyes.
"I...I have made up my mind, Thomas." Oh, brilliant, Hannah...confuse him more...
"What?"
She pulled him down enough so she could speak right into his ear. "You...you look handsome today, Tom." Hannah...just get to the point...lest he think you insane.
"What are you getting at, Hannah?" He cocked his head at her, laughing slightly as he smiled to let her know it was alright to share whatever troubled her with him.
She sighed and bit her lip, pulling herself out from under him enough to sit upright. "I-I...I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." Stop dancing like that, Hannah! Most undignified...
He raised an eyebrow. "Hannah, are you well?"
"Just...fine. Perfectly fine."
He pushed himself up and sat down next to her, placing one arm around her. "I can see your troubled. You should relax, Hannah. Here, sleep for a bit. You'll feel better when you wake." He kissed her on the cheek and left her to nap, closing the door gently behind him.
She fell back on the bed, angry at herself. "Why do you do that, Hannah Pullings? That was quite stupid...quite stupid indeed. Why didn't you just tell him? He would've been overjoyed."
...
Several months passed, and Hannah made many more attempts to conquer her fear and tell him. But the words simply wouldn't come. And she was becoming more and more annoyed and angry with herself.
Tom, on the other hand, was becoming more and more perturbed by her behavior. What was wrong with his wife? He could've sworn she was losing her mind. He became worried about her, as not only was she seeming mentally ill, but she was seeming physically ill as well. She's seemed quite nauseated and was sleeping a lot longer than she normally did. He didn't pressure her for any activity in the bed; she seemed to be feeling utterly awful.
"You should have Dr. Maturin look at you, apple tart," he commented one evening as she lay on her side, looking quite pale. "He'd probably have you fixed up in a jiff."
"Don't trouble him," she replied, weakly waving an arm at him.
He let her sleep, and decided not to bother her about a doctor. Though he was worried, he was sure it would probably pass. It didn't seem very serious. Plus he feared her anger over "overly worrying about her."
The next morning, she had kissed him on the cheek goodbye and gone out for a walk, assuring him that all she needed was some fresh air, and she'd been quite healthy quite soon. He'd returned the kiss and let her go, inwardly praying she wouldn't hurt herself or make herself worse.
As luck would have it, she wandered on over to the Bonden household, where Lilith was lying on the couch alone, reading a book. Or was, that is, until she'd conked off with the book landing open right across her face.
She jumped at the knock on the door, and reflexively called for Barrett to get it, though quickly realizing he was gone for the day, and stiffly rolled herself off the couch to answer it.
She rubbed her sore back a moment and opened the door, surprised at who was there. "Mizzus Pullings?"
"Pardon my bothering you on a Sunday, Lily..." The poor woman looked utterly shaken, and Lily immediately pitied her without having to know what was wrong.
"Here, come in, Mizzus Pullings..." She stepped to the side to allow her entrance.
"Thank you, dear." Hannah stepped inside, her stance looking weak.
"Shall I get you anything?"
"No, no, thank you. You're such a dear." Her quick speaking was suspicious sounding, and Lily struggled not to raise an eyebrow.
"Are you well, Mizzus Pullings? If you don't mind my asking..."
She apprehensively looked about the room once again, then back at her host. "Might I ask you something, Lily?"
"Of course. Here, come in and sit down, you look a tad under the weather."
Hannah did so, wiping a few drops of sweat off her forehead as she looked over at the soon-sitting Lily, who was watching her, troubled about her friend.
"Lily...when you were...expecting...how did you know?"
Lily blinked. "Well, there's plenty of ways...headaches, cold-like symptoms...vomiting...your missing cycle, of course. Was quite the devil when I was pregnant with Aubrey. She was born at sea, would you believe?"
"Lily..." Hannah looked at her in tears, but waving it off when offered a hankerchief. "I think I might be expecting."