A/N I am sorry this was a long time coming, a lack of motivation, midterms and basic laziness all contributed in bad Alex! Sorry! Anyway I hope you enjoyed this 19th Century Puckleberry and I'm sure I will be writing more stories soon! :D
Epilogue
"Good evening darling" Puck said entering the informal living room of Belvoir castle and moving straight over to the fire rubbing his hands briskly before holding them out to the fire "I think we shall have snow before morning"
"Hello" Rachel said absently finally looking up from her book "I like snow"
"I know darling I remember from our last winter in Wales where I barely saw my wife" Puck laughed coming to sit next to her and pressing a kiss to her lips, using the distraction to pull her book from her hands and drop it to the table beside them. Pulling his wife across his lap he pulled her into the most comfortable position of her across his laps, her knees on either side of him, her dress hiked up to make it comfortable for her.
Resting her hands on her husband's shoulders Rachel reacquainted herself with his mouth, only a few hours apart from him had pulled at her heart strings, despite two years of marriage they still reached for each other automatically and had never spent a night apart, even if it had meant him crawling into bed late at night after returning from a meeting or business dealings.
"How was your day?" she asked as she sat back on his thighs, his hands running up and down her arms under her shawl which she had thrown over her shoulders to ward of the chill that permeated the large castle.
"It was good; I stopped in on Mother at the Dower house..."
"She doesn't hate me?" Rachel interrupted
"Rachel" he huffed "for the last time darling it was her choice, you are now Duchess of Rutland not her and she chose the Dower house because then she will still be in command of her own house still"
"Ok" Rachel mumbled toying with his collar at his expression of exasperation, they argued sometimes but she still hated it when she thought he was annoyed with her.
"Mother is ok; she is preparing Rebekah for her debut and driving her mad"
"Well it is in a few months yet" Rachel sympathised their small tiff already forgotten "it does seem rather premature, and with that fact in mind I know that Rebekah will do fantastically in her season"
"Without the fussing of my mother" Puck said dryly resting his hands on her hips as they sat comfortably and alone, the sly smile his only reply from Rachel who refused to comment on his mother's more annoying characteristics after the disastrous wedding planning.
"And your business at the farm?" Rachel asked pleasantly
"Completed, all your very extensive plans for Christmas will be upheld and the meat will be delivered" relishing in the smile she graced him with and she squealed and threw her arms around him tight, that reaction why he had dealt with the incredibly grumpy and difficult famer all afternoon.
"Oh I love you!" Rachel squealed peppering his face with kisses and hugging him tightly
"For more than my ability to deal with famers I hope" Puck drawled as she sat back on his thighs again "I dealt with some estate business as well to improve our own abilities for next year"
"Good, I think it will be nice to have large family Christmas's every year" Rachel shrugged "at least it will make next year easier for you than dealing with the famers"
"And how was your day?" he asked changing the conversation
"Good, I managed to get the accounts up to date after you got them in a mess again" Rachel teased, giggling as her husband blushed and buried his head in her neck, nipping at the delicate skin "and arranged with the staff for the sleeping arrangements for the family who will be descending on us within in the next few weeks"
"No one near us I hope" he said with a smirk, knowing how loud his wife could be.
"Well I cannot exactly move family to the guest wing" Rachel protested lamely as she blushed at his implication "so they are mostly in the family wing, your mother, sister and my father at least"
"Santana and Jesse?"
"They as well as Lord Matt and Mike will be in the guest wing with the extended family which will of course be descending on us"
"Oh yes of course, time to leech of me for the year" Puck groused "all hoping that we won't have children and Rutland will fall to them finally"
"Rutland and Anglesey now" Rachel reminded him "I have no other family except for very distant cousins with their own seats to worry about"
"Distant or not they will want Anglesey"
"I don't care, my choice" Rachel insisted "and my home will not fall to someone who I barely know, if my own children cannot inherit it then I shall decided who does"
"I love you and your opinions" Puck said kissing her again, mentally preparing for the fight he was sure would happen if it came to pass.
"Not that it is something we need to worry about" Rachel shrugged as she watched the cogs turning in his mind and his sudden stopping as he wandered what she meant.
"Well no, I do think that it is premature to worry about children when we have only been married for two years and have not been actively trying for them" he said slowly, only for his wife to roll his eyes at him.
Still sitting where she was Rachel took her husband's left hand with the simple gold wedding band she had placed on his hand two years ago and toyed with it gently "I have not been feeling perfectly well these last few days and when I was arranging for the Children Winter party I was suddenly overcome with nausea"
"Are you ok?" he asked worriedly "I have noticed that you have been rather, shall we say sedate, than you usually are"
"Yes, well I believe so, I called in the doctor just in case however when I felt so faint and sick..."
"And?" Puck demanded sitting up straighter and with his wife playing with one hand pulled her tighter to him with the other "what did he say?"
"I'm pregnant" Rachel whispered placing the hand she had been toying with to her still flat stomach.
"Are you serious?" Puck whispered looking at his hand and then up at his wife "really?"
"I'm surprised it took us this long considering!" Rachel laughed "but yes the doctor was pretty convinced that I am pregnant"
"So this time next year?"
"Your son or daughter will be enjoying her first Christmas" Rachel smiled gently, his look of awe as he caressed her stomach stunning her, she knew her husband loved her and in many cases he could be a very gentle soul, but that look of love for their unborn child was heart warming.
"I love you" he said looking up at her in awe still
"I know" she caressed his cheek "but you don't have to look so shocked this was always part of my job"
"It's not your job it's a gift" Puck insisted "a gift of life, a life, a future for our family"