"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", by Gratiana Lovelace (2013-2014) (Done)

Ch. 53 (PG-13): Post Wedding Euphoria and Distress

"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", Ch. 53 (PG-13):  Post Wedding Euphoria and Distress, May 02, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace 

(An original fan fiction copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace;   All rights reserved; Based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel, North & South and its  2004 BBC adaptation; No copyright infringement intended)

[I will illustrate my story using my dream cast from the 2004 BBC production of "North & South" and other actors for additional characters:   Richard Armitage for John Thornton, Daniela Denby-Ashe for Margaret Hale, Lesley Manville for Mrs. Maria Hale,  Tim Pigott-Smith for Mr. Richard Hale, Sinead Cusack for Mrs. Hannah Thornton, Jo Joyner for Fanny Thornton, Brendan Coyle for Nicholas Higgins, Graham McTavish as Dr. Cameron Ogilvy, Holliday Grainger for Angharad Ogilvy MacIntosh, Simon Woods for Baird Ogilvy, and Emma Ashton as Mrs. Dillard, John Light as Henry Lennox, Tim Faraday as Watson, Gillian Anderson at Carlotta Quint Watson, and Jeremy Northam as Dr. Miles Houghton, etc]   [(1) story logo]

Author's Mature Content Note:  "N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons" is a story with mature themes of love and relationships set within a period drama of the 1850's and beyond.  As such there will be heartfelt moments of love and sensuality (S)--as well as other dramatic emotions, including some violence (V)--and I will rate those chapters accordingly.  If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read that chapter.  This is my disclaime

Author's Recap from the previous chapter:  Baird and Fiona Ogilvy shared a blissful first union as husband and wife on their wedding night.

"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", Ch. 53 (PG-13): Post Wedding Euphoria and Distress

Baird and Fiona's wedding on Saturday April 26, 1851 was the courtship culmination of four months of teasing pursuit, fitful misunderstandings, and heartfelt love.  Both Baird and Fiona know that they will each have to learn to compromise as they begin their lives together as husband and wife--especially taking each others' feelings and wishes into consideration.

Happily, one area that they are in complete agreement on is lovemaking.   Baird as the experienced gentleman of twenty nine is at first pleasantly surprised with his virgin bride Fiona's willing eagerness for their romantic interludes.  Then as the night and early morning hours pass during the first night of their marriage, he is thoroughly delighted that his bride's loving enthusiasm quite matches his own--with only brief respites of napping before their passions ignite again.  Baird thinks that if they have not begun their own Ogilvy dynasty this night, it is not for lack of trying.

Finally as dawn breaks and the morning sun rises--with a contentedly sleeping Fiona nestled into her also deeply sleeping husband Baird's arms--Sunday morning finds the fatigued pair missing a planned Sunday morning family wedding breakfast before church.  Fiona and Baird do awaken and take nourishment in their wedding suite at the Milton Mayfair Hotel--with Baird also directing the hotel to send some special gifts to family for him--but they also miss the 10 o'clock church service, because they opt to return to bed. 

And the gifts that Baird had sent by the hotel staff to family?  They were Baird's grateful thank you gifts of flowers to the ladies of their family for their encouraging and soothing guidance of his bride Fiona to not fear her wedding night.  He sends a dozen yellow roses to each of them--Lady Thistle  Ogilvy,  [Lady] Angharad Ogilvy MacIntosh, Margaret Hale Thornton, and Hannah Thornton [Ogilvy],  Lady Airlie.  With special accent flowers of pastel purple thistles--the emblem of Scotland--in his cousin Lady Thistle's  bouquet [(2) right].

***

 So with the new Ogilvy  bridal couple  failing to attend church the day after their marriage, Hannah and Cameron are left to blushingly explain Baird and Fanny's absence from Sunday worship services--the extended Thornton and Ogilvy families still do not know of Fanny reverting to her given name of Fiona.  No, Baird and Fanny have not left on a wedding trip.  And neither Baird nor Fanny is ill--that Hannah or Cameron know of.  Though Hannah thinks that Fanny might still be adjusting to being a wife--in the sense of being comfortable with her wifely duties, and Fanny greeting others for the first time after her wedding night.  Of course, Fanny/Fiona is way beyond comfortable with her new wifely status.