"Love is a Choice" by Gratiana Lovelace, 3/15/13 (Completed)

Ch. 10 (R rated): Lord Rafe and His Bride Discuss the State of their Marriage

 “Love is a Choice”, Ch. 10 (R rated):  Lord Rafe and His Bride Discuss the State of their Marriage, 4/01/13 Gratiana Lovelace

(An original story by Gratiana Lovelace; All Rights Reserved)

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story with my dream cast of:  Richard Armitage as Lord Rafe Wingate, Carla Gugino as Lady Katharine Wingate, Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Plunkett, Emilie Francois as Anna, Mark Strong as Sir Collin MacGregor, Alan Bates as Lord Charles Wingate, and Christian Bale as Stuart MacGregor, and others, etc.]

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Author’s Mature Content Note:  “Love is a Choice” is a story of love and romance set in the early to mid 1800’s.  I like Regency sensibilities with regard to comedy of manners, but Romantic period modes of dress.   Ha!  As such there will be some passages in this story involving heartfelt love scenes (perhaps some R rated) and some passages involving highly dramatic moments.  I will label the maturity rating of those chapters accordingly.  Otherwise, the general rating for this story is PG or PG-13 due to some mature situations and topics.  If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read the chapters with those labels.  This is my disclaimer.

Author’s Recap from the previous installment:   Eleven year old Anna Miller Wingate met the rest of her Papa Lord Rafe Wingate’s family and close friends, then joined them at dinner and conversations afterward.  Fourteen year old Stuart MacGregor--the son of Lord Rafe’s oldest friend Sir Collin and Lord Rafe’s god son--was particularly kind and welcoming to Anna.  As they said their farewells for the night--with Anna staying with her grandparents while Lord Rafe and Lady Katharine returned to the hunting lodge--Lord Rafe pledged to nurture, protect, and love his daughter, Anna.  They parted with a heartfelt embrace and kisses on each others’ cheeks.  Anna even haltingly called Lord Rafe, Papa.

“Love is a Choice”, Ch. 10 (R rated):  Lord Rafe and His Bride Discuss the State of their Marriage

The ride back to the hunting lodge this evening around 11 o’clock is a quiet one for Lord Rafe [(2) right] and Lady Katharine. It is late and they are both emotionally drained.  It has been quite a night of revelations regarding his new found daughter Anna--with emotions running high.  When they enter the hunting lodge, Lord Rafe gives some directions to his butler.

Smithers/Butler:  “Welcome home, My Lord, My Lady.”  He bows deferentially to each of them--the young master being thought well of by the staff.

Lord Rafe:  “Thank you, Smithers.  We are tired. Hhhh!”  But Lord Rafe does not go into the reasons why, because the servants will learn soon enough that he has an illegitimate daughter.  And Lord Rafe is too emotionally weary to make more explanations about Anna this night.  “So please inform my Lady Katharine’s maid that we have returned so that she can attend to her before we retire for the night.  I will fend for myself.”

Smithers/Butler:  “Very good, sir.”

Though Lady Katharine knows [(3) right] that her husband, Lord Rafe, is only thinking of her comfort in summoning her maid for her, she realizes that she is little disappointed that he does not even suggest that he assist her himself--as he has at other times.  But they are both a tired due to the stress of the evening, so she thinks that his usual playfulness must be dampened by fatigue. 

They walk upstairs to their bed chamber in companionable silence, smiling shyly at each other at the top of the stairs as they head to their bed chamber. Then as they reach their bed chamber door, Lord Rafe begs off.

Lord Rafe:  He bows.  “I will leave you here for a few moments, Kate.  I find that I must attend to a matter of business whilst it is fresh in my mind.”   He gives her a small forced smile, but it does not lighten the somber tone in his voice--nor can he veil the sadness in his eyes.