Casanova: Marriage of convenience, or is it?
Giacomo was silently seething as he made his way towards his and Astra's bed chambers. Yes he and Astra now shared a bed like every other normal married couple.
He could not find her anywhere. He had checked the gardens the sitting rooms and the library. He scowled at thought of the confrontation he had just encountered with Henriette in the library.
He stopped outside his bed chambers and knocked on the door. He waited a few moments before Astra called out "who is it?" Giacomo replied "it me Giac. Can I come in?"
Astra called back "yes of course enter." Giacomo turned the door handled and pushed inwards before entering. He entered to find Astra sitting near the fire place as she read from another book of Shakespearian poetry.
Giacomo smiled gently at the picture she made dressed in pale pink with minimal white French lace. She was comfortable laid back in the high back chair, happily reading.
She had beautiful radiant glow to her. In fact he was rather quite reminded of the glow that Henriette had been at first displaying. He wondered what was causing such a stunning glow.
Giacomo asked "so what did the Doctor have to say? And why are you cooped up in our bed chambers on a day like today?" he walked over to stand nearby the window and turned to face his wife.
Astra replied "firstly I am trying to avoid crossing paths with Henriette. She has been acting rather coolly towards to me of late. I don't understand what I could have possibly done to her, to make her feel like she needs to act like she has been."
She added "of course I understand her pregnancy is most likely affecting her attitude. But I cannot help but feel her recent behaviour has to do with more then just her hormones causing havoc due to her pregnancy."
She smiled gently and flushed slightly "but on a more pleasant note, or at least I hope you consider this to be of a more pleasant nature."
She continued at his nod and small smile of encouragement. "The Doctor revealed the reason as to why of late I have been noticeably more sensitive and emotional, and of course why I am feeling ill on a regular basis."
She took a deep breath before saying "the reason why I have been ill of late is because I am with child, three months to be more precise. You are going to be father Giac."
Giacomo felt his jaw drop it took a few moments for what she had told him to sink in, but when it had, Giacomo beamed in delight.
Before Astra knew what was happening, she was pulled out of her chair and off of her feet as Giacomo spun her around, laughing in delight. Astra let out a startled squeal before laughing "Giac, put me down you silly adorable man."
Giacomo placed her back on her feet and gently kissed her on the mouth before moaning as if in pain. He commented at Astra's worried looked "we've got to tell the others. Your father will most likely be thrilled. Rocco will most likely tease me mercilessly."
He added with a scowl "then there is your prat of a brother conniving knob, and finally Henriette. You are not the only one who has been receiving a less then warm reception from her of late. And yes I agree I also feel it has more to do with then just her pregnancy."
Astra sighed "alright then. I'll call the family together for a meeting so we can inform them of our impending parent hood. And you can go and tell Rocco, so he can start with that merciless teasing."
She smirked at the mock and playfully glare he shot her. She chuckled when he pouted before sighing mock pained before kissing her playfully on the nose.
Their relationship had changed. It was better and far more comfortable and enjoyable. They were now best friends with extra pleasurable benefits, which suited them both just fine.
Giacomo sighed as he found Rocco hanging around the gardens talking to the gardener. Astra was right; Rocco would not waste a moment to tease him over his impending father hood.
Rocco looked up when Giacomo came into view. He nodded to the gardener and made his way over to Giacomo. He reached Giacomo and continued to walk beside Giacomo.
He asked "so how is Astra? What did the Doctor find the matter with her? And did you find out why Henriette is being a cold bitch of late, besides the obvious, her being five months pregnant with Grimani's kid?"
Giacomo grinned and replied "well, Rocco firstly. Astra found out she is with child, three months to be precise, meaning I'm going to be a father."
Rocco's eyes widened before he chuckled and patted Giacomo on the back and congratulated him. "Congratulations Giac, I'm happy for you. Finally the infamous Casanova line is being continued."
Suddenly Rocco began laughing. Giacomo frowned and asked "what on Earth is so amusing Rocco?" Rocco sniggered and wiped away a tear of mirth from his eye before replying.
"You do realise that yours and Astra's first born was conceived in the library, the family Grimani library at that. Today is like three months to the day that you and the Mrs's., decided to get down and wild in the library."
It was soon Giacomo's turn to start laughing. He and Rocco laughed out aloud as they walked along. Giacomo couldn't believe it, a Casanova conceived in a library of all places to be conceived.
Soon both men had calmed down to the occasional chuckle. Rocco asked "and what about Henriette? What changed the usually pleasant if not quite Henriette into the ice queen?"
Giacomo scowled and snarled "Rocco, she bloody compared Astra to a common whore. She is fucking jealous of Astra, jealous of the fact it was Astra who I was pounding into over that table in that library."
He spat "if anyone has the right to be jealous or angry then it is Astra. Astra has been nothing but polite to Henriette considering the whole situation."
Rocco frowned "what the hell? It's not like you and Astra went out of your way to rub your sex life and marriage in her face. How the hell were you supposed to know she would end up hearing you?"
Giacomo hissed "bloody hell, it's not like I enjoy or go out of my way to rub mine and Astra's marriage and sex life in her face. It is not my damn fault she married that knob Grimani. She insisted upon putting her own family before her own happiness. Now she must deal with her decisions."
He added "she is now permanently tied to him until either he or she dies. She is pregnant with his child. If she ever committed adultery or even attempted to leave him he would cause trouble for both her and her family. She and her family now belong to Grimani and there is nothing she can do about it."
Giacomo sighed "if Grimani wasn't such a bastard and had me put in prison I would have never had to have married Astra and Henriette would be my wife and carrying my child. But as it is, things don't tend to work out how we want or plan them. It is done weather any of us like it is neither here nor there."
Later that afternoon found him and Astra sitting side by side as the senior Grimani and Junior Grimani along with Henriette sat and waited for him and Astra to reveal their news.
The senior Grimani spoke up breaking awkward silence. "Astra dear, what is it you and that fine son in law of mine have to tell me and the rest of the family? What did the Doctor say was wrong with you I hope it is nothing serious. It was hard enough losing your mother?"
Astra sighed "no father I promise and assure you it is nothing that is deadly and it likely to kill me. The Doctor revealed to me that I am with child, three months gone to be precise."
She smiled slightly "you are going to be a grandfather." She then turned to her bother and Henriette "and you two are going to get your first niece or nephew."
Grimani smiled slightly, having to hide the wide smile over the fact Casanova and his wife were well and truly out of each others grasps. If the marriage wasn't enough, the fact both his Sister and Henriette were pregnant definitely sealed the deal.
"Congratulations both of you. I'm honoured and look forward to his or her birth. I look forward to meeting my new niece or nephew." That was partly true just because part of the Childs genes were to be Casanova. The other half would be Grimani.
Henriette forced a smile, even though she was screaming inside. It was now even more official and set practically in stone. She and Giacomo would never be ever again. As much as it pained her, she knew she had to let go. She would always love him. But he was no longer hers.
Henriette amazingly well kept her voice clear and even. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you both." And it was the truth she was hurting, but still she was in some strange way or other happy for them.
If she could not have complete and true happiness she was hardly about to begrudge anyone else, if they could hold even the smallest amount of happiness.
Giacomo and Henriette exchanged a brief glance. Brief but so much was conveyed in that one brief glance, love, anguish, resignation, defeat, and a form of goodbye.
They now both had a responsibility to fore fill, a responsibility to their husband and wife but above all to their unborn children, Children that would be related, but not as siblings, but as cousins.
Astra felt terrible, regardless of how Henriette had been towards her of late. She did not hold it against her. She gave Henriette a sincerely sympathetic and apologetic look.
Henriette saw the genuinely sympathetic and apologetic look Astra shot her. She was yet again blown away by this one woman's generosity and compassion. She was like none other Henriette had ever encountered until she met Astra Cherise Grimani, now Casanova.