Helping Elizabeth (EDITING)

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open at dawn, she hadn't gotten enough sleep but it wasn't in her hands, she'd wager it's the fifth time that she'd woken up tonight. Grumbling under her breath she stirred in bed and rested on her side and then peered out of the window on the wall across from her. The sun was rising at the horizon, its speckles lighting the black sky, slowly turning the dark shade of black into a mixture of violet and a stark pink color. A smile across her face as she remembered the days where shed rise early, take her mare and gallop towards the hill and watch the sun rise as the breeze swept her hair away from her flushed face. She yearned to do just that but she merely had the time to do so, she was busy lately with the ball preparations and she had loads of stuff to worry about.

When she gets married she won't be able to go to the hill and watch the sun rise anymore, she realized. The mere thought of leaving the mansion she grew up in stung her tears with unshed tears, with each corner in this house she had a special memory. The halls still held the echoes of the laughter from the past years and she was pretty surer she could still them when she closed her eyes and focused on them. They were a distant memory, she knew that, but we all held to out happy memories, did we not? She questioned herself as she brushed the salty tears from her eyes.

Twelve full moons from now, shed be in Devonshire, mayhap with a child growing in her womb too. She blinked a couple of times to get rid of the tears and focused on the thought that slipped her mind, she unconsciously brought her hand and rested it against her flat belly, she were to carry a child someday. William's child. She giggled to herself when she felt the warmth spread across her cheeks, she didn't know what it was a man and a woman did to conceive a child but she still clearly remembered her mother taking Alice into one of the empty drawing rooms, shutting the door behind them and explaining to her eldest daughter what would take place on the first night of her wedding. She was sure her mother would do that, but she was slightly afraid to know, for when Alice left the drawing room after the talk, her face was pale and she wore an unreadable expression upon her face.

Elizabeth giggled once again and rolled on her back and stared at the crafted ceiling above her, she closed her eyes and stared at the empty pillow next to her. Her bed was big, that it was. Sometimes Elizabeth hated the size of it, for it sometimes reminded her of her loneliness, but now she knew that shed share a bed with William soon. The thought of it made her heart flutter in her chest. When did she change her mind? Only a month ago she detested the thought of a man being close to her. But William, she realized, came and changed her thoughts, decisions, and her. What was it that he did that her parents didn't do? She pursed her eyes and searched her thoughts for the answer, and when she found it, her heart went into another frenzy. She couldn't believe herself, couldn't believe the answer she chose. William had her heart. She trusted him with all her heart and he didn't let her go, instead he grasped her heart with a tight embrace and put its shattered pieces together. He shared her feelings, she willingly or not willingly, Elizabeth realized that shed fallen in love. When did she fall in love? She didn't know. But she was glad she finally realized her true feelings.

She closed her eyes and cherished the foreign feeling washing over her senses and released a contented sigh as a smile broke upon her face.

"Oh." The surprised gasp that broke the silence startled Elizabeth, but when her eyes settled on Kate she smiled again. "I didn't know you were awake, my lady." Kate explained returning her a warm smile herself.

"Oh I'm awake." Elizabeth announced grinning, she slipped away from the warm covers and stood before the bed and stretched her limbs with a sigh. "Can you tell Mr. Bentley to tell the servants to bring me the tub?"