No one has to know

Chapter 41

Bash woke with Catherine facing away from him, his arm draped around her waist. He almost forgot where he was for a moment. He breathed in the scent of her hair and then swept it away from her neck. He kissed the newly exposed skin and rested his face there. Catherine's eyes slowly fluttered open. She smiled sleepily and turned to face him.

"Morning." He said. She kissed him lightly.

"Morning." she replied tracing his jaw with her fingertips.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Very well." she said smiling. "So well in fact, I'm not sure I'm not still dreaming."

"I can promise you, you're not." he said kissing her fingers.

"Perhaps we should make sure." she said grabbing his ass and pulling him toward her. He raised an eyebrow.

"We 'made sure' three times last night. Are you really that uncertain?" he asked.

"If that's how you prove it to me, I'm sure I will never be certain." she replied.

"Well, we've never done it in the morning before." he said grinning. She smiled back at him and he kissed her, gliding his hand down her side to her leg and lifting it over his hip. He started kissing her neck and then spent the next hour 'proving' it to her again.

Afterwards, they lie there in each others arms, Bash tracing lazy circles on shoulder, and all of the sudden he started to laugh quietly.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"Just imagining our guards faces a few moments ago. How uncomfortable do you think we made them?" he said and she started laughing too.

"I don't know. We'll see if they can look us in the eye later." She said. "If they are embarrassed, they are just going to have to get used to it." she added. He smiled and kissed her and then there was a knock at the door. A servant entered sheepishly. They quickly pulled the sheets up over themselves.

"Beg your pardon your Grace, but the kitchen was unsure if you were ready for them to send up your breakfast." she said looking at the ground. Catherine and Bash tried to suppress chuckles.

"Yes, of course, that will be fine Greta. Thank you." Catherine said still trying to keep from snickering. She left and the moment the door closed behind her they burst into laughter.

"I guess that answers that question." Catherine said in between giggles.

When the servant awkwardly brought their breakfast, Bash waited until she left and then got out of bed to get the food. Catherine rolled over and propped her head up on her hand, grinning at him.

"What?" he asked noticing her expression as he turned back around.

"Just admiring the view." she said.

"It is yours to view." he said making his way back to bed with the tray. He placed the tray on the bed and got back under the covers. "Well, I certainly do hope you're hungry." he said looking at the large amount of food that was brought.

"Hungry or not, this little one demands I eat something." she said putting her hand to her stomach. She sat up and picked up Bash's shirt that laid just next to the bed and put it on. Bash eyed her. "What? I was cold."

"Be my guest. Actually, seeing you in my shirt is rather appealing." he said.

"Is that so?" she said.

"Mmm. It is." he said leaning over to kiss her. He pulled away just a little and lifted a grape from the tray and fed it to Catherine. She smiled at him and grabbed another handful of them. "You know, It's going to be quite difficult to leave this room."

"Unfortunately, we have to go back to reality at some point." she said popping a grape into her mouth. She paused for a moment and swallowed looking a bit white. "Perhaps sooner rather than later." she said as she got up out of the bed making it to the chamber pot just in time to get sick into it. Bash got up, pulling his underthings on as he went, and made his way over to her, holding her hair and rubbing her back.

"Are you alright?" he asked a bit worried. She leaned back into him for support.

"I'll be fine. It's nothing. This happens from time to time. No need to worry." she said. "Apparently the baby just doesn't like grapes." He smoothed her hair back a little, kissing her forehead. Then he helped her get up to sit back on the bed.

"Let me get you some water." he said reaching for the glass and pitcher that set on her bedside table. She took it from him and drank it slowly. "How often does this happen?"

"I don't know, every few days." she said.

"Perhaps you did over do it last night after all?" he said, sitting next to her.

"Bash. We talked about this." she reminded him.

"I know, I know. It's just...It's hard to see you like this and not be able to do anything about it." he said, taking her hand and kissing it. 

"My brave defender." She said "You can't protect me from everything." He made her lay down and he kissed her stomach, his lips still pressed there as he spoke.

"Alright, you in there. This is your father speaking.  I love you very much, but could you please stop making your mother so sick?" He said. She laughed a little and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm fairly sure that's not going to work." She mused.

"How do you know? Have you ever tried it?" He said jokingly. He directed his speech back to the baby. "What do you say we prove your mother wrong, hmm?" She laughed, a bit harder this time.

"I do hope you're not going to make a habit of this." She said.

"I make no promises." He said, then thought a moment. "What do you say we finish our breakfast and then get dressed and go for a walk?"

"I thought you didn't want to leave the room." She said curious.

"I changed my mind. I think now that we're allowed, I want to kiss you in every room in this castle." He said.

"You do realize we have over nine hundred rooms." She said.

"Only nine hundred? Perhaps we should add the hallways as well." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

When they finally emerged from their room some time later, they walked the hall with their fingers laced.

"So where should we begin?" Bash asked.

"I think this hallway is as good as any." She said.

"I agree." He said then kissed her. She started laughing. 

"Did you happen to notice our guards are missing?" She said. He laughed and pulled her closer so that they were walking with their arms around each other.

Later, at dinner, they joined Mary and Francis at the table.

"Well, I see you two were able to tear yourselves away from your room after all." Mary teased. Francis looked uncomfortable and tried to change the subject.

"Have you decided were to go on your wedding tour yet?" He asked.

"Wedding tour?" Catherine was confused.

"Francis,  she can't travel in her condition." Mary said.

"If they don't go, then what was the whole point of rushing the wedding? She'll surely be showing by the time they get back, but no one will know for how long. It will be easier to believe." He said.

"But Francis..." Mary started.

"No buts...they are going. I'll make sure they are transported as safely as possible." He said.

"That's insane. You can't..." Mary started again. Catherine put her hand on her arm to quiet her.

"Perhaps if we just pretended we were on tour. We could stay at one of my chateaus." She offered. "Would that suffice?"

Francis thought a moment.

"I suppose...very well. You can leave as soon as you're packed." He said. Bash, Catherine and Mary all exchanged a look. 'So much for it being over.' Catherine thought. As they are their dinners in silence.