*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much*
As the moon lit the night sky Roman's and Della's carriage pulled up to his former residence in England. The days and nights of travel had been tough on Della as she dealt with the morning sickness of her pregnancy; she was so sick. She couldn't keep her meals down and the smell of the fresh world around her turned her stomach. They travelled by night to hide away from their enemies and took shelter during the days to rest and enjoy the other's company. "Della," Roman whispered in her ear making her smile through a moan as she rested her head on his lap as his hand protected their unborn placed on her swollen stomach. "We're here," he announced. "Wake up."
She groaned as her blue eyes blinked open into the darkness of the night the only light from the moon. It was quiet not a single sound around them. She sat up and looked at her husband. "Hello," she smiled.
"Hello," he said with a smile of his own taken aback by her beauty. She was even more beautiful when she awoke from a deep sleep and since she had been with child her beauty was even more exquisite in his eyes she had the glow about her.
"What if the dowager doesn't approve of our marriage?" she asked.
"Then that's her decision but I approve of our marriage," he said with a smile. "Nothing ever felt more real than my life with you, Della. If she can't approve of our marriage then she can't be a part of our lives."
"Will she hate me because I am the farmer's daughter?" she questioned as their carriage driver opened the carriage door for them to exit into the night.
"I don't think she will hate you. You make me the happiest I have ever been in my life. She's going to love you because I love you and you make me happy. She will never hate you."
"Lady Amelia will hate me," she pointed out. "I took you from her."
"Lady Amelia will be just fine," he said as he stepped out of the carriage. "Our marriage was based on politics and the crown. It was not based on love. I could never love anyone but you, Della. Amelia knows that."
"If you say so," said Della as she took her husband's gloved hand with hers and he helped her down the stairs of the carriage. They laced fingers as they found their way to the door of the home Lord Roman Reigns once resided.
"Relax, Della, I got you," he whispered to her as they entered the residence quietly not to awaken the dowager or his mother. He wanted to see his mother in the morning not in the middle of the night when her temperament would be low. "Follow me," he instructed as he lead her up the spiral staircase of his residence.
"This is where you lived?" she asked in awe as she took the sights in around her. "Your home is three of my homes put together. I've only see the outside of your residence never the inside."
"I'll give you a tour in the morning. We should rest before I introduce you to my mother."
"Are you sure she isn't going to turn me over to the crown to have me beheaded? Is it safe here, Roman?"
"My mother would never do that, Della. She may not be happy but she would never feed the love of my life, the moon of my life to the wolves. She hates the crown nearly as much as I do."
"Then why did she have you marry someone whose father is part of the crown?"
"Political gain," he responded as he opened the door to his bedchamber. "People like me are to marry other people like me."
"And never people like me," she said sadly. "I am not good enough for you," she said.
"You're right, you're not good enough for me. You're more than good enough for me you're the best thing for me. Come let's rest. I'm sure our child would love for his mother to go back to sleep," he said with a smile.
"HIS mother?" she asked with a smile as he shut the door to his bedchamber.
"Yes HIS," he said with a smile as he pulled the counterpane back on his bed and the cotton sheets back so she could crawl into bed. He climbed into bed next to his beautiful wife. "I'm predicting that we will have a son," he said with a smile.
"You wish for a son?" she asked.
"Predicting," he said as he cuddled close to her in their bed. "A beautiful baby boy that looks just like you with your beautiful blue eyes and your freckles and we would name him after me of course."
"And if we have a girl?" she asked looking at him with her beautiful blue eyes. They sparkled in the light of the moon like they often did.
"Then she would be as beautiful as her mother," he said with a smile. "And I would be a happy Papa. I'm happy to be a Papa regardless if the baby is a girl or boy because you and I created a little person from our love, from our passion. It is the greatest blessing and gift a man and his wife could ask for. I love you, Della."
"I love you too, Roman," she said with a smile before she kissed his soft lips. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight my love," he said making her smile as she rested her head on his chest as he held her close with one hand and held his other hand on her swollen stomach. He had been more protective of Della since he found out she was with child. He had been happier knowing he would soon be a Papa of one of the greatest blessings in his life. His entire life with Della was started to fall into place and soon they would venture to America to start a new life without a title and without being known they could marry for real in the eyes of the Lord and they could be the happy family he knew she always wanted.
The next morning as the sun rose into the sky Roman woke up holding a sleeping Della in his arms. He carefully got out of bed trying not to wake her up. He wanted her to sleep as much as she could to get the rest she and the baby needed. He needed time to talk to his mother alone before Della appeared. He dressed himself in the fine clothes he once wore before he gave up his life to be Della's husband. He wore tan doeskin breeches, white shirt sleeves and a white shirt layered over the top. He brushed his hair into a low bun before he made his way down the spiral staircase to visit his mother. He appeared into the dining room as his mother was sipping her morning tea. Her eyes met his as he entered the dining room "Mother," he said.
"Roman," she said putting her tea cup down. "You've returned! You nearly startled me."
"I'm sorry, Mother," he said with a smile as he met his mother halfway and hugged her tightly. "I'm not here to stay."
"You're not?" she asked. "I thought you may have finally come to your senses, Roman what were you thinking stealing Seth Rollins' wife from him and not to mention running away with the farmer's daughter?" she asked.
"Della was meant to be my wife, Mother. The moment I saw her I knew she was the one I wanted to marry, spend the rest of my life with and raise children with."
"You've put yourself and Della in danger are you aware of that? How did you return without being caught by the crown? You know they are searching for you and for Della if both of you are found you're going to be punished for adultery and that means Della will be beheaded."
"I know the risk, Mother. We travel by night so the crown cannot find us. Like I've said we're here to visit a short time before we venture back to our residence."
"She's here?" she asked with surprise. "You brought her here into my home?"
"Yes, Mother. She's a lovely girl. She's my wife," he stated.
"Roman," she said as they took a seat at the wooden table. She took his hand into hers. "She's not your wife. Amelia is your wife. How can you just walk away from Amelia for the farmer's daughter?"
"Because I don't love Amelia, I never have. You and her father wanted that marriage for your own selfish gains. I would rather be with the woman I love, wake up to her every day, fall asleep with her every night, have some offspring with her and grow old with the woman I love. I would have been unhappy married to Amelia. It was a life I didn't want. I don't want this life mother. I am giving it up."
"You're giving up this life?" she asked. "You're just going to walk away from being an Earl?"
"I already have, Mother. Della and I will be leaving Europe to reside in America. There's more freedom and more opportunity there. We can settle down and live a life without fear of us being caught and put to death," he said. "Would you like to come to America with us, Mother?"
"Roman, no, I'm going to stay in England. Are you sure this is what you wish to do with your life, how you wish to live your life? Are you sure you want to give up this life for a life of whatever it is you're living now?"
"Mother, I am more than sure this is what I want to do with my life. I've never been happier. I'd rather be a poor man and married to the woman that I love than to live a life with a woman I despise or a woman that will never make me happy. I have never felt this way about anyone like I do about Della," he said. "She's everything to me, Mother. She makes me the happiest man alive."
"I have always wished you would be happy and I'm happy that you finally found a woman that you love. I may not agree with your arrangement but I'm glad you found someone you love. I wish I had loved your father or your father had loved me. We were like you and Amelia. We married for political gain not for love. I was miserable. I was lucky to have you but I wish I could have had more children. I always wanted more children," she opened up to her son with regret. "There was one man that I did truly love," she began. "His name was Henry and he loved me like something fierce and I loved him but he was the stable boy and being from the wealthy family my father forbid any romance between us when he discovered that we had been seeing each other behind his back he fired him and sent him away. I was then forced to marry your father. I understand why you love Della so much and I understand why you wish to be married to her. I should have never allowed you to marry Amelia but we're different because you're fighting. You fought against the rules of society. You're going to be happy, Roman unlike me and your father is happy with his mistress. I will be here in England alone wishing I would have fought or had been brave enough to fight."
"You don't have to be alone, Mother," he said as Della appeared in the dining room. "Come to America with us, live with us and our child."
"Your child?" she asked as Roman stood up to greet his wife.
"Good morning, Beautiful," he said to Della before he kissed her lips softly.
"Good morning," she said with a smile. Roman pulled a chair out for her next to his and took a seat next to her between his mother and the love of his life.
"I'm sorry but did you say child?" asked his mother.
"Yes, Della is with child," Roman said proudly. "You're going to have a grandchild."
"Congratulations!" she said with a genuine smile. "I'm happy for you two. There was no wasting time when it came to creating a child."
"No there wasn't," said Della with a smile. "I'm Della," she introduced herself.
"I'm Leah or Lady Tennyson," she introduced herself to Della.
"It's nice to meet you," said Della with a smile.
"Roman," said Leah, "I can see why you're in love with her. She's beautiful."
"Thank-you," said Della with a shy smile.
"You're welcome, Dear. I'm glad that my son has found someone that he truly loves and will enjoy spending the rest of his life with. You seem to make him very happy. I can't disagree with this arrangement but I do wish you two to take caution. The crown is searching endlessly for both of you. If either of you are discovered it will not end well. You both could be sentenced to death. When are you leaving for America?"
"As soon as we are able to rescue Della's sister Adelle from Seth Rollins, he took her from her parents and is using her as his wife while he waits to find Della. He's not going to let Adelle go without a fight," said Roman. "She's 10 and 6."
"He's a terrible human being," said Leah. "I'm sorry you had to go through any type of life with him, Della. Does my son make you happy?"
"The happiest woman in the world," she smiled.
"Good," said Leah with a smile. "So how do you plan to rescue Adelle from Seth Rollins without putting yourselves in danger?"
"I'm devising a plan. I have a guard in with Adelle to make sure Seth isn't trying to kill her and to help get her out. It's just complicated because Seth has gone above and beyond to protect her and prevent her from running like Della has done. We have to be careful about the escape plan and once she's freed we will board a ship to America and never look back."
"I hope you make it to America safely," she said with a smile.
"Are you certain you don't want to come with us? We can all start a new life in America, you could get your second chance at love," said Roman.
"I'm sure," she said. "I'm going to stay in England. I'll miss you but I'm going to stay here and maybe one day I will come visit you and my grandchild."
"We would like that very much, Leah," said Della.
"I just want you to continue taking care of my son," said Leah. "He's a very intelligent and special young man. He's my whole heart and I love him more than life itself. I'm glad that you make him happy and feel complete but continue taking care of him. Give him a lot of children and hold onto his heart forever."
"I plan to," said Della with a smile as she took Roman's hand into hers. "You will come to America for the wedding won't you?"
"I wouldn't miss it," she promised with a smile. "I'm sure you're hungry. Would you like something to eat, you need to eat for your child's sake."
"It's hard for me to eat," responded Della. "I'll take some crackers and warm milk," she said.
"Very well," said Leah before she delivered the message to her butler. He hurried to the kitchen to tell the maid to get Della's order. "I want you to stay healthy," she said with a smile.
"Thank-you," said Della.
Della, Roman and Leah enjoyed breakfast together while Leah got to know Della. She would ask her questions about her family and her life. She just wanted to know where Della came from and who she is but most importantly she wanted to see why her son loved her so much beyond her beauty. Leah found Della to be a wonderful and intelligent young woman. She was happy her son found someone that he loved and someone that would make him happy. She wished them nothing but happiness but continued to warn them the sacrifices and the consequences of their relationship if they were caught by the crown. They understood the danger that surrounded them which is why they continued to take caution when traveling back to Italy and throughout England. Leah gave Roman plenty of coin to survive off of in Italy and when he got to America so they wouldn't be without. "May I have a word with Della?" asked Leah as they prepared to begin their trip back to Italy.
"Of course, Mother," said Roman.
Leah and Della walked off to the sitting room so they could talk privately. "You're one brave woman," Leah began. "To run away from your husband with another woman's husband is a brave thing to do."
"I love him, Leah," she said. "I love him more than anything and if I have to face death for my sins because I love him I will gladly do so. I will die knowing I was happy loving the man that loves me and treats me like a Queen even when I am nothing more than a farmer's daughter. He changed his life for me so that we can be together. That means more to me than anything. I love him with my entire heart."
"I know you do. I loved a stable boy once," she said. "He looked at me the way Roman looks at you and you look at him the way I used to look at him. I wasn't brave enough to run away with him or brave enough to fight for our love like you and Roman are. My father discovered that I was seeing the stable boy and sent him away so I could never see him again and forced me into a marriage with my husband," she said. "My husband and I despised each other. We were forced together to produce an heir not for true love. I never really cared for him. He was arrogant and cocky. He treated me as less than he was and ordered me around while the stable boy treated me like a Queen. He saw my worth and valued me something my husband had never done. He has a mistress that he's been with since we were married and he's happy with her. In our society it is frowned upon on a woman to be an adulteress and entertain different men other than her husband but a man can entertain a mistress with no consequence. Roman had his entire life planned out for him, he's an Earl and he holds a title but he gave it all up for you because he loves you. He doesn't want to treat you as a mistress. He doesn't want you for a mistress he wants you for an equal, his wife, his supporter and his lover. If there was one thing I have done right with Roman it is to raise him to be the man he is today to respect women as more than just property. He loves you, Della and I am happy he's taking you to America so you can live safely and have a new life together. You deserve that happiness. I'll never have my happiness because I was afraid to fight and I was afraid to follow my heart. You're a heroine in this story, Della. You should be happy that you hold such bravery to risk it all."
"There's a risk in love and it can be worth taking. That's all I did. I took the risk and continued to love your son. He's been wonderful to me. And we're starting a family together. It's everything I dreamed of. I'm sorry that you were forced to marry Roman's father and I'm sorry that you have been so unhappy with his father but how come you didn't refer to him as Roman's father?"
"Because my husband is not Roman's father," she said honestly surprising Della. "Roman is the son of my stable boy it was after my father sent him away and forced me to marry Roman's father that I found out I was with child. Roman can never know the truth, Della. My husband and I promised one another we would pass Roman off as his son, raise him like an Earl because if the world had found out that Roman was a bastard child they would have killed me and they would have killed him. I wish his father could have known about him but it was better this way for all of us. He's the only thing I have left from my true love and I am giving him to you please take care of him, Della. Make him happy. Love him endlessly and continue to be his best friend. Promise me you'll take care of the last remaining piece of my heart."
"I promise, Leah," she said with a smile before she embraced the dowager in a hug. Leah hugged her back tightly and kissed her cheek before giving her the necklace she wore around her neck. "What's this for?" she asked.
"That is the locket in which I have kept since the day Roman was born with a painted portrait of him. I want you to have it and when your child is born I want you to do the same with them."
"Thank-you, Leah," she said with a smile. "I promise I will take care of Roman."
"That's all I ask," she said with a smile.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," said Roman, "but we need to get going so we can get to our first stop before daylight."
"Right, you'd better get going," said Leah before she hugged Roman and told him she loved him before she did the same with Leah. "You two be safe."
"We will," said Roman before they walked out of the residence Roman once lived for the final time in their lives to continue on living their life together ready to start a new life in a new country in a new world.
*A/N: What did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading.