A/N Look whose being good with the whole updating at the moment! :P

Time 11

"What?" Puck said flabbergasted "did that question really just come out of your mouth?"

"Please Noah answer" Rachel said quietly looking at her feet in fear "I know that it is customary to keep a mistress but I'm not sure I could handle that, you know I have opinions and this is one of them..."

"Rachel darling" Puck stopped her stepping forward and taking her hands as they flew around "no darling I am not planning on keeping a mistress, the only person I will be intimate with is my wife and that is going to be you. I don't know where this came from but you are the only women I have been interested in since this tour started and even since I have seen you there has only been one other. I'm courting you because I want to, I want to make my life with you, and I want to have children running around here with you, I am not going to hide a mistress in London and hide you here, you will be my partner in everything not just in words"

"Really?" Rachel begged looking into his eyes for any hint of deceit

"Really darling" Puck said smoothing a hand down her cheek "I'm easily falling in love with you, and you are all I want" Rachel breathed out a sigh of relief and let herself fall into his chest and let him hold her tight as the tension that that been filling her drifted away.

Rubbing her back as he held her close he pressed a kiss to her head and calmed her as best he could before dinner was called "what brought all this on darling? You were fine earlier"

"Lord Finn mentioned the rumours about your behaviour and had me doubting that you would be faithful to me"

Puck gritted his teeth and restrained himself from going out to call out Finn to a duel for both the slur on his name and for making Rachel doubt him.

"And insisted that he would be faithful to me if I chose him as my husband and allowed him to court me"

Clenching his muscular arms around her even tighter he hauled her off her feet and carried her around the corner away from anyone's eyes to cradle the young girl close more for himself now then to reassure Rachel. The idea that his stupid reputation was affecting Rachel hurt him more than he thought, more so that it was Finn his rival in many instances of both business and society standings who was the one whispering in Rachel's ear.

"I'm sorry" he whispered in her ear still not letting her go as he begged with his actions to get her to forgive him "I wish I hadn't been stupid"

"It's the past, I can ignore it" Rachel said sliding back onto her feet but hugging him close as she did before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips quickly, almost hesitantly.

"I will be faithful" he promised her again before the dinner gong rang out shocking the two of them out of their private bubble, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm puck pulled her close as he escorted her to the dining room, his rage simmering just below the surface. Pulling out her chair for her Puck took the seat right next to Rachel arching his eyebrow at Finn challengingly as he picked up her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it quickly before the first course was brought in, Hiram's own eyebrows disappearing at the action before a smirk planted itself on his face.

"Have you enjoyed your first day here Rachel darling?" Eva asked "Santana has been so helpful helping me with the flower arranging when Bekah was learning"

"I had a lovely day, even with my impromptu wash" Rachel laughed at Puck who grinned at her, remembering the shocked expressions they had when they had returned soaking wet on horseback, the staff clustering around them with towels before whisking them both off to warm baths and fresh clothes.

"You looked like a drowned rat" Santana said with a grin

"I felt like one!" Rachel joked "and I was freezing by the time we got back, next time we are definitely keeping an eye on the weather Noah"

"I think that is a plan" Noah agreed as they finished their soups, holding onto his anger by his fingertips as Finn continued to make moon eyes at the women Puck knew he was going to marry. Dinner continued quickly before they retired for cards until bed time, Puck escorting Rachel to her room again.

"Let me just check your fire" Puck said as Rachel opened her bedroom door, ushering him in without a word as she walked into the dark blue decorated large room, her four poster bed leaning against one wall its feet pointing to the rest of the room where a sofa and chairs sat on either side of the fire where the bath was set up when required.

"Thank you" Rachel said tiredly as he poked at the fire and built it up more before getting back to his feet brushing off his trouser legs.

"I should let you sleep" Puck moved over to her to place his hands on her narrow hips and pull her close for a gentle good night kiss and a quick hug before he slipped away quickly before he couldn't leave.

Getting into his own bed opposite Rachel's bedroom he slipped into his own cold sheets wishing he wasn't alone, his reputation unfortunately had not been unearned, he had been a rake in the past and living in London rather than under his mothers watchful eyes had giving him a freedom he had enjoyed. But now he wasn't wishing for one of the faceless women who had warmed his bed in the past he wanted Rachel beside him, he wanted to be teaching her about intimacy between man and wife, he wanted to roll over and drag her body up beside his and hold her as he slept.

"Good morning Rachel" Puck said gently the next morning at breakfast as they joined the others "did you sleep well?"

"Perfectly" Rachel said with a smile up at him

"I have some business to attend to today do you and Santana have plans? You are more than welcome to use the carriage and go into Grantham if you want to go to market"

"That sounds nice, Santana?"

"Oh yes sounds good" the exotic looking women smiled "Bekah would you like to join us?"

"Well I have violin lessons this morning, but after I would very much like to come"

"We shall wait for you then" Rachel said with a smile "we both have some mending we can do to keep ourselves busy until then, your Grace would you like to join us?" Rachel directed at Eva who looked up from her papers in surprise.

"I think not, I have some meetings about the harvest and plantings I need to tend to, plus I am sure my daughter would prefer your company to mine"

After finishing breakfast the men went off to Puck's study and Eva to her own before the girls settled down to wait for Bekah and to go off to Market.

"Lord Finn" Puck said closing his door to his study as they all took seats "I am discussing this with Lord Hiram and his Grace presence because I find myself in the unfortunate situation where you are spreading rumours about me and I would like witnesses"

"I'm sorry?" Finn said disinterestedly lounging back in his seat as Puck took his behind his imposing desk

"Rachel told me what you said to her, I do not appreciate your underhanded methods at trying to halt my courting of her"

"Can I ask what he said?" Hiram said sternly glaring at Finn

"He decided that it was in Rachel's interest to inform her that I would not be faithful to her and that he would be"

"Well I shall be, you won't" Finn said bluntly jumping as Puck jumped to his feet and stalked over to him , Finn get shakily to his feet to stand face to face with his rival.

"You had no right to plant doubts like that in Rachel's head and all you have succeeded in doing is ensuring that I have unequivocally told her that I will not be maintaining a mistress when I marry her"

"When you marry her?" Finn sneered "she has me to choose from, why would she choose you? This is one thing you shall not be taking from me"

"I have never taken anything from you! And you cannot blame me for my grandfather's actions, I wasn't even alive. Rachel on the other hand shall be mine and she is unavailable for your courting"

"A word of warning, does Rachel know of this because she shall not be happy if you claim her without talking to her first" Hiram interjected as Jesse sat back with a smug look at Finn who was turning an ugly shade of red.

"She knows" Puck assured his future father-in-law "we have discussed this, and that is why you need to back off my lord" he turned back to Finn.

"We shall see" Finn said stiffly before storming from the room already making plans to return to London that day.

"He does not like losing" Jesse said knowingly and warningly "he will not stop the rumour spreading if you continue to challenge him"

"Then it is a good thing his only a mere Earl" Puck said wearily sitting down "I will not let him take Rachel from me"