AN: Sorry for the weird schedule, got fired from a job I really liked which sent me into a depression, and between having to get myself sorted with all that, starting therapy and filing for unemployment, it's been a lot. But I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
In the end, we would up sleeping far past the usual time for breakfast. Not that I think anyone else was up either, it would only have been the staff that was awake. I had woken up with Will's arm around me, our legs intertwined. I had stopped bleeding, although I was a bit sore when I moved. Still though, when Will yawned and blearily looked over at me, that soreness was far from my mind. I smiled, "Good morning, husband."
"Morning, wife." He chuckled, pulling me closer to him.
I pressed myself to him, then sighed. "We should get up and head down, the others might be waiting for us to have breakfast."
With a chuckle, he pinned me by my shoulders and reared up over me. "Bugger the bloody breakfast, I'm not leaving this bed until I've had you again."
I laughed, the thought of it was rather exciting. "You know, the quicker we go down the quicker they'll leave and we can come back up."
"Quiet woman, I meant what I said." He was grinning though, and his grip was light.
I smiled up at him, winding my arms around his shoulders."If you do it right I won't be quiet in the slightest." I could see his eyes darken, and he dropped his lips down to mine and pushed me farther into the pillows as he plunged his tongue ahead. I responded in kind, shifting my legs so that he more easily rest between them. One hand skimmed its way down my side, drifting over my thigh and exploring my folds. I yelped into the kiss when he slid a finger inside, and Will pulled back quickly. I tried to keep my voice calm, "I'm sorry, it's just a little sore."
Will was panting, but he settled himself back onto his knees. "No, no, it's alright." Fortunately we hadn't gotten too far, and he got himself calmed quickly. "You are right though, we should go down for breakfast."
"It's not that I don't want to-"
"There will be time for that later." Will stood, finding a robe and pulling it on. He held out my dressing gown, helping slip it over my arms. He didn't tie it though, instead slipping his arms around my waist and kissing my cheek as he hugged my back to him. "We'll have a whole month."
I pressed a hand to his cheek, turning and kissing it. "I'm sure I won't be sore by tonight."
"Then I eagerly await tonight." He kissed me properly at that, although he looked rather disappointed when I tied the belt of my dressing gown and started for my dressing room. Louise was nothing but smirks as she helped me into a morning dress, and Will was waiting in the hallway. He was only wearing a vest over his suspenders, and he shook his head as he took my arm. "Do we really need to take Reggie with us? He wouldn't even look at me."
"Louise didn't say a thing, just kept smirking." I chuckled, "Although if you want we can take care of all of our trunks ourselves instead of enjoying our honeymoon."
"Well," He rocked his head from side to side, considering it. "I suppose they can come, so long as they stop acting so silly."
"They're hardly the ones we have to worry about." I stepped lightly down the stairs, "This breakfast is going to be intolerable, you know that." He merely grunted, for both of us knew what was coming. Mother, Morgan and Abe, Charles and Sylvie and the other officers, all having breakfast with us and poking fun at what had happened last night. Fortunately the spread on the table was quite tempting, fully scrambled eggs with bacon and buttered toast, so I would be glad to focus on my food instead of listening to the japes at our expense.
Will handed me into one of the chairs at the head of the table, sighing with relief that we were the first ones. "Thank God, I don't know if I could have faced Charles already sitting."
"I told you it was worth it to get up." I smiled over at him, nodding my thanks to a footman who was pouring my a glass of orange juice. He had just set it down when I looked up as the door opened to reveal a grinning Charles. "Oh no."
"Finally!" He smiled, turning back to call into the hallway and parlor. "They're here, we can eat!" He was grinning widely as he swaggered in, Rigel quickly slipping by him. I looked past him at the others following in, and the smile on Morgan's face made me get very interested in my eggs. I glanced down as something bumped into my leg, Rigel's tail as he wound his way around my chair.
Mother smiled a little at me, "How are you this morning, Mrs. Murdoch?"
"Very well, Mother." I smiled, nodding to her as she sat at my side. "Thank you for coming."
Charles suddenly coughed very loudly, Sylvie patting his back as if he had swallowed water wrong. Once he had recovered, he turned to me. "You kept her waiting you know, we drank almost all the coffee before I saw you two coming down the stairs."
"I'm surprised you made it down those stairs." Will said, a brow raised as he added even more butter to his toast. "You were in quite a state last night."
"Better than the state of you this morning." Charles grumbled, "And the first thing that happened once I got down was your dog knocking me over, you need to train that thing better." I couldn't help but agree at the moment, for Rigel was very interested in pressing his nose to my crotch and sniffing loudly. I used a foot to push him away, but he quickly came back. Thankfully, the tablecloth hid most of him, although Will was giving Rigel a puzzled look.
"Perhaps Rigel was just excited to see you again." I desperately hoped that no one could hear how loudly Rigel was sniffing me. "You did bring him to me, after all." Charles snorted at that, his mouth full of eggs and mercifully silent for the moment.
That lasted for a few moments longer, as soon as he swallowed he was back at it. "Or perhaps he can just smell my children on me and he wants some playmates. Hopefully you two got a start on that."
Mother actually smiled at that. "I cannot wait to be a grandmother."
"There's nothing wrong with it taking a bit of time, dear." Sylvie leaned towards me. "It just makes the attempts all the more fun." I buried my head in my hands at that, shoving Rigel away from me again. He kept coming back though, until Will grabbed a piece of bacon from his plate and slipped it to him. He was quite happy to leave me alone and snack on it for the moment.
Morgan decided to voice her thoughts. "Oh, it is such fun. I imagine you two had quite the fun time last night. Did they keep anyone here up?"
I thought Will was going to explode at that, but it was Harold who spoke up. "We were all so exhausted from the day that I think we were all well asleep when they came home. And they weren't that late for breakfast, you know."
"Thank you, Mr. Lowe." I nodded to him. "And their rooms are far from ours." I noticed James had pursed his lips, and I remembered the last time he had come up to our floor at night. Breakfast proceeded much more calmly after that, and eventually the others began to trickle out. Mother was still tired and wanted to return home, Abe had to get down to the offices and prepare for his next crossing, and several of the officers wanted to go sightseeing around town. I noticed that James went with them, but I had the strange feeling he'd wind up at the Vanderbilt house and taking Liz out to do something.
In the end, it was just Charles and Sylvie that were left sitting with us in the parlor, taking time to digest everything. Rigel was curled around my feet, his tail thumping happily after receiving yet more bacon during breakfast. Will was looking at a paper when Charles spoke up, "So, what do you think it will be, boy or girl?"
"I'd love for Sylvie to have a girl." I smiled towards her, "A lovely little daughter."
"I meant yours." Charles snorted. "I'm quite sure Will is going to have you in a delicate state soon enough. Within a month would be my guess."
Will blanched, "It will happen when it happens, I'm not going to rush that."
"Or you're hardly going to let her out of bed until it does."
"Oh I hardly think that will happen, Charles." I said, glancing over to him. "I'd give it two months. Or perhaps three, although if he gets as drunk as he was when you took him out, I'd only give it a day or two."
Will blushed at that, drawing Charles attention. "Christ, if you're after her that much she'll be pregnant by the end of the month." He yelped, rubbing a spot on his arm where Sylvie had pinched him. "I'd think they'd be happy about it."
"And they will, without your teasing." Sylvie snorted, shaking her head. "Is it such a shameful thing for a man to love his wife that much?"
"No, of course not, darling." Charles simpered, "You know I feel that way about you."
Will stood at that, "Why don't you two head out? Take the carriage, see the town. We're going to be rather a mess here at the moment, what with having to get all the last minute trunks packed and sent down."
Charles rose, helping Sylvie to her feet. "Which line are you taking?"
"The American, straight to Cherbourg and the train to Paris. We're there for a few days, then it's over to Southampton, then London and then Dalbeattie." Will grinned happily, "Peg and the others are excited to meet Ana, so we're going to spend a few days up there."
"Couldn't bribe me to do it." Charles snorted, "Cold and wet, and can't understand a word being said. Wouldn't you much rather have taken a sunny trip? Egypt, perhaps."
I wound my hand around Will's arm, smirking at Charles. "Oh, but cold and wet days just make you want to stay in bed all day. It is our honeymoon, after all. Shouldn't that be what we're focused on?" Will was blushing quite hard as Charles almost doubled over in laughter, although he still managed to catch his shoulder before we left.
He was grinning ear to ear, "So you just had to give her one more tumble and make breakfast late?"
"It wasn't late." Will grunted back, trying to dislodge Charles's hand.
He released him with a chuckle, "Oh I know, I just wish it had been so I could have said that at the table." His laughter followed us up the stairs, although it quieted down as he started asking Sylvie what she wanted to do for the day. Will's flush faded as we made our way back up the stairs, and he brought his hand up to cover mine. I couldn't help the little thrill that raced through me as his fingers began to stroke over mine, his eyes glancing over as we reached the door to our sitting room, the bedroom beyond it.
"Ah, Mrs. Murdoch." Louise was smiling as she opened the door and stepped out, her arms full of sheets. "Peggy asked me to bring these down, but I'd like you to come and make sure that I have everything packed correctly for the trip. Reggie has asked the same of you, sir."
Will's flush was back in full force as he glanced away from the sheets, the slight staining on them all the more obvious to us. "Of-of course, I'll head right over." He leaned down, kissing my cheek. "I'll come to you later, wife."
"Not too late, I hope, husband." I grinned, pecking him on the lips. He gave my hand a squeeze as he instead made for his dressing room, and I made for mine. Louise quickly came back up, pointing out the various gowns and suits she had packed. She'd even included some of my jewels, for the ballet in Paris and a night out in London. I picked out one dress from the wardrobe though, the revealing blue gown that I'd only worn once. "I'd like to bring this as well."
"Are you sure, ma'am?" She considered it like it was going to bite her. "I mean, I would hardly think it would be the thing to wear in Scotland."
I snorted, placing it in her arms. "Hardly, it's for the ballet. Remember, it's all the rage in Paris right now." She sniffed, but took it and began to fold it to place in the trunk. Truth be told, she had packed very well. Fashionable items for the voyage and the big cities, and sturdy clothes for the colder Scottish weather. I could even spot the cloak that Jeanie had given me one night in the trunk, its Murdoch tartan bright and noticeable. She'd called it an arasaid, but I couldn't quite manage that so a cloak it was. I would be glad to wear it to meet his family, since I was now a part of it. The only thing I added beside the dress was a very particular hatbox that I passed over. "Could you put this in the trunk as well? I picked up some gifts for Will's siblings and packed them in here."
"Of course, ma'am." Louise took it, not knowing that underneath the tissue paper was a dark blue silk nightgown, a necklace of lapis lazuli and a book filled with utter filth. Not to mention the pictures, all wrapped in tissue and hidden in the pages of my educational tome. She seemed to find a dozen things that needed my approval, from which stockings should be taken, the appropriateness of the gloves she had selected, and while she was packing a few books I had requested, she looked up. "Do you have the tickets, ma'am? Reggie and I have ours, you have both our thanks for the first class tickets, with windows even!"
I chuckled, "Well, it is our honeymoon. Will and I are no doubt going to drive you both to madness, it seemed the least we could do." I stood from where I had been sitting, brushing down my skirt. "The tickets are in my office, I'll be right back with them. I'll even let you put them in the purse you've got laid out for tomorrow morning." I made my way up the stairs, listening for any sign of Will. Unfortunately, I could still hear him in his dressing room, loudly telling Reggie that there was no way he would be wearing a top hat out during our honeymoon. I smiled at that, thinking how foolish he would look. I chuckled as I picked up the tickets from my desk, no matter how foolish he looked he'd always be handsome to me.
"Ah, thank you ma'am." Louise said as I handed the tickets over, tucking them into the purse she had laid out with my traveling suit for tomorrow. "I'll just see that this last trunk is taken down, along with Mr. Murdoch's."
"Very good." I moved back to the sitting room, watching as she called for a pair of footmen to help. I called after her, "Mr. Murdoch and I will be taking dinner in here tonight, since we have to get up so early."
Her smile was far too smug as she turned back. "Of course Mrs. Murdoch, shall Reggie and I stay around to assist the both of you with getting ready for bed?"
"I think we can manage." I tried to keep from blushing as I said it. "The two of you will need to get up just as early, you know."
"It sounds as if we all should be getting a sound night's sleep." Her skirt swished behind her as she followed the trunk out, leaving me a moment to finally relax. The curtains had been drawn back, letting light into the sitting room. It was a great deal bigger than my old one, with a large fireplace, bookshelves along one wall, nautical paintings on the walls and a plethora of plush furniture. Will and I had selected the pieces to keep from the old furniture, I had been reluctant to give up the carved chairs that were pulled up to an oak table. I remembered Father and I spending a day in those chairs, looking over atlases as he traced out the different routes of our ships. They had stayed, as had the atlases in the bookshelf. I still had a valise to pack, and I slipped a notebook and a pen with some ink into it. I also added in several volumes of poetry that had been moved over from Will's old rooms.
I had no doubt we'd find a use for them.
"Ah, good." Will, coming in from the bedroom, sighed as he saw me. "I've finally gotten Reggie off my damn back."
I squealed a bit as he caught me around the waist, lifting me up. "You're horrible!"
"No, you are." He grunted, turning us around and starting to walk back to the bedroom. "Planning this honeymoon, I'd have been quite content to ravish you in this bed for a month straight."
"No ravishing, not yet." I corrected seeing his face fall. "Dinner is going to be brought up, so eating first, then you can do as you like to me."
He settled me back onto my feet. "You don't have to say it like that, you know, as if what you want doesn't play a part."
"Oh I know it does," I wound my hand around his tie, gently pulling. "But part of me enjoys seeing what you like, and I've never not enjoyed anything you do." Will still grumbled behind me as we moved back to the sitting room, although he contented himself with winding up the Victrola in the corner and setting a record on. I hummed along to the song as I selected a book from the shelf and settled onto the settee.
Will joined me, and quickly draped a newspaper over my book. "Have you seen this?" I glanced over the page, noting that it was the society section and I caught a glimpse of our names. I shook my head, and he quickly grabbed it back and began to read "Miss Anastasia Dalian and her fiancé William Murdoch were joined in holy matrimony yesterday at the First Lutheran Church. The bride was glowing in a gown designed by Paul Hunt, encrusted with pearls and with a train ten feet in length and a veil over fifteen feet long. The groom wore his uniform from the Royal Navy, where he holds a commission as a Lieutenant in reserve. They made a smart pair later at their reception, which was notably not attended by Zachary Reichster and his fiancée Her Highness Duchess Sophie Metternich. That couple plans to be married at the end of July, plenty of time after the return of the Murdochs from their European honeymoon. Having heard the rumors regarding Her Highness's gown, we shall have to see before determining which bride had the wedding of the season." He tossed it down with a snort. "Must everything be a competition?"
I had to hold my reply as a footman came in with a tray, the smell of lamb chops enticing as he set it down at a table and busied himself with supplying the plates and cutlery. He left with a nod, and I set to serving. I was cutting into one of my chops when I replied. "If you didn't think that Sophie and I would be pitted against each other, well, I didn't think you'd be so foolish."
"It's not that I didn't." Will popped a piece of lamb into his mouth. "I just didn't figure that they'd make it so obvious."
"That's the part that they enjoy." I shrugged, and we set to finishing up the last of our meal. I rang for the footman to come get the tray, anxious to get into bed and not get up. He arrived with a paper wrapped package in his hands. I glanced at it, "What's this?"
"It was dropped off for Mr. Murdoch, ma'am." He held out the package, took the tray, and left.
Will picked at the paper, tearing it open. A red and white blanket was folded tightly within, and Will shook it out. I could see the white star before I could read the letters around it, White Star Line. A note fluttered out of it, and Will quickly picked it up. His voice was low as he read. "I thought you might like a souvenir of the last time you ever held a position through your own merit, for everything you have now and will have comes from your wife or those trying to curry favor with her."
I picked up the blanket, picking at the fringe on the sides. "Henry?"
"Zachary." He stood, moving to the small secretary desk in the sitting room. A pen was quickly in his hand, and he as writing so fast that it was more of a scrawl than a well written note that I read over his shoulder. Mr. Reichster, my thanks for the gift. Anastasia found it quite warm against her back as I ravaged her on it. Burn in Hell. William. He quickly had it in an envelope and handed it off to the maid who came when he rang. "See this delivered to the Reichster house tomorrow, and we're not to be disturbed for the rest of the night."
"Yes, sir." She bobbed, taking it and quickly fleeing the room.
Will stood tall as he locked the door, "Ana, go spread that on the bed." He turned, his eyes dark as he stepped towards me. "I mean to do it, you know. Ravage you." My heart was in my throat as I stepped backwards through the door, the blanket almost falling from my limp fingers as he considered me. "Put it on the bed, then come here." I whirled it across the bedspread, and moved to stand before him.
"Will," I breathed, anticipating what was to come.
"Shhh," He whispered, "Give me a moment." His fingers quickly moved to my hair, pulling every pin from it so that it hung around my shoulders. Then it was my dress, and then my corset and chemise, until I stood bare before him. His hand grazed across my breast, gently kneading it as he watched my eyes close and my mouth open. "God, what did I ever do to deserve you?" I couldn't answer, my mind only focused on the feeling of his fingers on my flesh. "Lay down Ana, and look at me."
I stumbled back to the bed, almost collapsing onto the blanket. Will was right, it was warm and soft against my back as I shifted back to the pillows. Will watched me greedily, his waistcoat already discarded and his suspenders off his shoulders. I spoke up as he was unbuttoning his shirt. "Will, please, I want you so badly." He left the shirt half buttoned at that, throwing himself onto the bed and me. Our teeth clacked together as he quickly thrust his tongue into my mouth, but then mine was in his and it felt like my body was hot and cold at the same time. The material of his trousers was a bit rough against my bare skin as he freed himself from his fly and rubbed against me. I panted as he did, he was brushing up against that spot that made me sigh with pleasure. "Please, oh God."
"Ana," He breathed, reaching down and guiding himself in. I didn't flinch this time, simply moaned as he stretched me so. I wrapped one leg around his waist as he started to move in me, and he groaned at that. "You have no idea how good you feel."
"Fuck, Will." I gasped as he changed the angle of his movement, striking something within me that made me quiver.
"That's what I'm doing, you know." He leaned down against me, thrusting faster. "Fucking you, and you like it, don't you?"
"Only you." I felt that pleasure cresting, "Only you fucking me." That seemed to inflame him, for he lost all words and began to move faster. I wrapped my other leg around his waist, my own words lost as I felt myself dissolve into pleasure with a cry that seemed to scratch my throat with its intensity. I lay limp as Will chased his own end, finishing with a groan as he collapsed onto me. He stayed there, only bringing a hand up to brush my cheek as I clutched his shoulders, trying to find something to anchor myself in the sensations that were washing over me. We fell asleep like that, on top of an insult that we had turned on its head.