Peter’s heart thudded irregularly in his chest.His shoulders had been wound so tightly, his chest tight, braced for pain...but instead, relief flooded him.He hardly knew whether to whoop with joy or to set back immediately to tell Ana.Instead, he slid off Warrior and planted his knees into the dewy morning earth.Tears trickled down his face, catching in his rough whiskers.
“Thank you, God, for saving many people from continued war.Thank you for this second chance at life, at forming some sort of home and family.Thank you for Ana and our child.Thank you for peace.”
Peter rubbed trembling hands over his face, breathing deeply.No longer would he have to prepare to face home with devastating, heartbreaking news of a recall.Instead, he would return to Ana, renewed and reinvigorated with a passion to make everything right before her lying-in time—before the babe would arrive.He would get to treasure the precious moment of holding his wifeandhis infant child.Inevitably, an official assignment would come again, but Peter would surely be spared at least a few months in the peaceful wake of the end of such a long and disastrous war.Finally, he longed for a respite from his duties.He longed to be home.And it seemed God would grant him an answer to that prayer.
He hopped to his feet and mounted Warrior in a smooth, learned motion.After snapping the reins and shifting forward in his saddle, they set off at a gallop toward Abbeygate.The ride was not a short one, but after what seemed to be only a few moments, he was arriving at the stables, handing the reins to the stablehand, and bounding through the back entrance of Abbeygate.
“Ana!”he yelled.“Ana, where are you?”
“Peter?”Ana’s voice trembled as she descended the stairs as quickly as her cumbersome form would allow.Her brow was wrinkled in concern as she hurried toward him.He had frightened her.
“All is well, my dear.Forgive me for startling you.”
“Qué?” Ana whispered after folding herself into his arms.
“Only the most wonderful of things.Napoleon’s army has been defeated, and he is to be exiled.The Allied forces are returning home.The war is over.”
“So you not leave me?”
“I will not leave you, Ana.I will be here for you and our babe.”
Ana let out a sob, a sound that was part relief and part joy, and pressed her lips against his.She tossed herself into his arms anew, and Peter’s knees buckled at her weight and his emotion.They knelt on the floor, there in the hallway, making a great heap of their embracing arms and mingling tears as they thanked God profusely for hearing their prayers.
Chapter 29
May 18, 1814, Abbeygate, Surrey Hills, England
“Peter, do be a dear and fetch Ana’s favorite chair from the drawing room and bring it up here.”
“To our bed...mybedroom?”Peter’s neck heated at the implication of his question.
“Yes, dear,” Mother said, unable to hide the laughter in her voice.“Ana will require a comfortable place to sit as she is tending to the babe throughout the night.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Oh, and Peter?”
Peter turned, cocking his head as if to ask whatever else Mother could require.“I am not surprised in the least that Ana is sharing your bedroom,” she said, “so you needn’t continue to pretend that it is yours alone.”
“Very well,” Peter choked, then nearly ran from the room.Apparently Mother had guessed at the true progression of his relationship with Ana.
Preparations for Ana’s confinement had officially begun.The birth of their child would be, at the physician’s best estimate, only a few weeks away, and it was Peter’s priority to ensure that she be given the greatest accommodations to ensure her health and safety.Mother had been a great help in arranging these things.She had even found a highly acclaimed accoucheur to assist in the lying-in time and a monthly nurse to help Ana with her recovery afterward.Ana’s bedroom had started to be transformed into the lying-in chamber.Her bed was moved to the far wall, and an innovative bed now stood in its place.A new table had been brought in to house the supplies needed for the lying-in and recovery, as well as a few additional chairs.It unnerved Peter somewhat after spending too much time in battlefield medical tents visiting his wounded men.
Peter reached the drawing room downstairs, squatting to brace his legs with strength as he hefted the armchair into his grasp.
Fortunately, Ana was staying in his room now and had been for a number of months now.Peter didn’t know if he would ever be able to sleep again without her warm form pressed up against his side.The velvet softness of her skin was intoxicating, and her slow, insistent kisses drove him nearly to madness.The thin boundary that remained between them, held there by the insistence of his honor, seemed to waver every time she pulled him to her lips.In such moments, he frantically reminded himself how incredibly uncomfortable she already was in her current condition, in addition to the shadows of her past.She did not need any sort of pressure from him.And he certainly found enough satisfaction in her kisses and companionship alone.
How would he ever survive without her when he was recalled to the army?
Even more than her presence in his arms, his bed, Peter found he could no longer live without her company and her character.Her quick wit brought him out of any dark memory, and her compassionate speaking had already made him more of a caring neighbor and friend.And the tender way she spoke of their child made him dream of the future—and future children—in a way he had never allowed himself to do.The fear of the reality of death on the battlefield had limited his vision and imagination to merely surviving the next day.He had never allowed himself the privilege of thinking of the next month, let alone years in the future.But now, with Ana, he envisioned them taking their nightly lemonade on the terrace, surrounded by a great gaggle of toddling children, blissfully, incandescently happy.Happiness.That was something he had certainly never guessed he would achieve in life, but it was a treasure he had already found in the presence of his darling wife.
That said, they would likely both be a great deal more comfortable once their child was no longer performing a jig in Ana’s stomach each night.Her moaning, tossing, and turning kept both of them up each night.Peter only wished there was something more he could do to ease her comfort.And so he was following Ana’s every bidding and Mother’s every command in rearranging their rooms for the imminent birth of their child.
Peter carefully squeezed the stuffed armchair through their bedroom door, finally bringing it to rest at their bedside with a great heave and a satisfied sigh.
“Peter,es perfecto!”Ana exclaimed from the doorway adjoining their rooms.“Thank you.”She crossed the room, rose on her tiptoes, and brushed a kiss against his cheek.Peter noted that Mother was conveniently occupying herself with the bedclothes, her lips curved knowingly with a smile.So Peter took advantage of the moment.He pressed his lips quickly but firmly to Ana’s, breathing in her contact as if it were just as necessary to his survival as air.
“I do wish the two of you could have visited us for the ball at Heathridge Hall,” Mother said.“I would have loved to present you to my friends.And our home looked more beautiful than I ever remember it being.”A peaceful, serene smile crossed her lips as she folded yet another incredibly small piece of clothing for the baby.
