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

Ch. 74 (PG-13): Loving from the Heart, Part 1

John:  “Kkkhhh!” Audrey Grace’s father John stifles a cough with his hand over his mouth.  Then he wonders if his daughter’s request is merely a  coincidence with Margaret wanting to adopt the Douglas children--the baby boy and the little girl Catriona. “Is this your own idea, Audrey Grace?” John asks his daughter curiously, wondering if she has been coached.

Audrey Grace: “Oh Yes, Papa!  And I have been a very good girl.  So I should like to have many brothers and sisters.” 

Margaret’s head is bowed and her eyes looking at her clasped hands  [(2) right]   to avoid looking at her husband John.   But then, she smiles to herself with her daughter speaking in the plural about siblings--hyperbole being rampant amongst youngsters.  But Margaret manages to steal a sideways glance at her husband John--who seems to be soberly considering the matter, but not looking at his wife at the moment.

Gavin: After thinking hard about it, little Gavin takes Audrey Grace’s hand and replies.  “Alrrright.  Ye may have some of the childrrren.” Gavin sighs resignedly. “But please leave me a few childrrren to play with.”  He pleads as he leads her into the family dining room, with the adults trailing behind.  His three and a half year old mind has still not quite grasped that the children waiting to be adopted are not his children.

Margaret leans over to her mother-in-law Hannah. 

Margaret: “It seems that Gavin quite likes the children in your Airlie Castle Orphanage.  That is a blessing.”  Margaret nods caringly.

Hannah: “Yes.  But is difficult for Gavin to part with the children whom he has become closest to when they are adopted and go to their new homes.”

Cameron: Then Cameron inserts himself into the ladies’ conversation.  “Aye!   If Gavin gave the orrrderrrs, we would fill the castle halls from the dungeons to the tower vault with bairrrns for him to play with.  Ha ha ha!  But I think that he is beginning to underrrstand that the childrrren want to find theirrr own families.”  Cameron gazes pointedly at John. 

John: John nods his head and gives a small wan smile.  “Of course.”  And John wonders distractedly about the history of the castle’s dungeons that Cameron mentioned.

Then little Audrey Grace walks up to her Papa, John Thornton, and clasps his large hand in her small hand and she looks up at him with a gleaming smile.  John gazes down upon his little daughter.  Audrey Grace is such a joy in his and Margaret’s lives--and they in hers.  And John thinks that adopting one child, or maybe two children, will very probably be in their future.

***

With Lord Jamie and Lady Thistle Ogilvy and their three children arriving late to the extended family luncheon due to a sheep shearing debacle--Jamie was teaching his twelve year old son Viscount Hamish how best to go about it, but the poor wee animal looked positively wild when Hamish was finished shearing due to his haphazard cutting of the poor sheep’s hair--they rush into Hannah’s Family Drawing Room Salon and Dining Room.  Jamie and his sons are dressed in traditional kilts--which makes their rushing around rather daring in terms of their kilts flapping around them.  It is only the littlest two year old Ogilvy boy for whom providence has provided a diaper who might be deemed sufficiently dressed with his kilt, by Hannah Lady Airlie’s English standards--compared to his father Lord Jamie and his brother Viscount Hamish.  However, accustomed as she has become to her husband Cameron’s Ogilvy cousins and their kilt issues, Hannah Lady Airlie merely averts her gaze with a small smile. 

Lady Thistle and her eight year old daughter Lady Blythe are dressed comfortably in traditional daytime dressy Scottish Peasant dresses with sturdy tapestry fabric vest like bodices tying in the front and skirting with a single petticoat underneath their dress length cotton blouses  [(3) right], rather than them wearing restrictive corsets and large hoops.  They warmly greet Hannah and Cameron with Gavin and John and Margaret with Audrey Grace with cheek kisses and embraces.  Margaret is especially glad to see Lady Blythe getting on better with her latest shoe adjustments for her unevenly lengthed legs--barely a limp is detectable because Blythe also exercises her weaker limb regularly to give it more strength balance and for walking.  Lady Blythe’s good friend Lissa Dillard is very helpful in that regard.