“The indolent sot is my persona. It has been many years since I have been foxed. There are ways to dispose of the contents of a glass, so it seems to others that I am imbibing much more than I am. Then of course when I amin my cups, I need to find a place to fall asleep. You will not believe what people will freely say when they think that not only are you foxed, but asleep,” Harold explained.
Before she thought about it, Louisa pushed her hand against her husband’s belly. She felt the hard muscles below. “You are not portly at all, are you?” The realisation struck her. “It is part of your persona, and you wear clothing to give that impression, do you not?”
“You have the right of it. At times, Holcomb inserts a piece to give the impression that I am portly, as you would expect from one who is indolent and enjoys drinking as much as I am thought to do,” Harold responded.
“Louisa, you mentioned thesmallfootmen. Johns was with your husband, and it was Biggs who came with us.” Hurst looked at his son. “Now that you are married, they will be with you at all times.”
“But, Father, were they not to guard Mother?” Harold protested.
“Your mother is more than adequately guarded when it is needed. Do not forget she is where I am most of the time. You and Louisa are the future of this family, and God willing, you will be blessed with children to continue the line,” Hurst stated.
Knowing that there was little industry in trying to gainsay his father once the latter had reached a decision, Harold just thanked his sire.
At the next stop, Louisa and Harold boarded their new Bingley coach after refreshing themselves, and the horses had been swapped for teams sent from Winsdale. The interior still had the smell of newly installed leather seats and freshly padded squabs, which had not been used since being installed into the conveyance. They had to be circumspect because both Holcomb and Louisa’s maid, Cherry Kinford, rode on the rear-facing bench. Mr and Mrs Hurst’s valet and maid had joined them in the lead equipage. Hurst felt it was a waste of resources to have a separate carriage for the personal servants.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
A few hours later, Louisa got her first view of Winsdale. As they drove along the gravel-covered drive, she decided she would have been able to tell that the estate was larger and more profitable than her husband had let on, and that was without having any prior experience being on an estate.
About a half mile before they reached the manor house, the coachman turned onto the drive which led to the dower house. Louisa could briefly see the manor house out of the window closest to her, and there was no missing that it was far larger than she had expected based on what Harold had told hermother and Caroline. Thinking of those two made Louisa realise how free she felt not to be in their pernicious company any longer. The fifth commandment notwithstanding, Louisa saw the truth of her mother. It was not disrespectful to feel thankful to be with her husband and not back in her childhood home any longer. She would certainly miss Father and Charles. She would write to both. The former would write back consistently; the latter would from time to time, and it would be a battle to be able to read his horrendous script. The blots and crossed-out words did not make Charles’s epistles more legible.
Louisa was shaken from her cogitation as the coach came to a halt at the dower house. It was smaller than the manor house for certain, but it was almost the same size as her father’s home. She could see two storeys above the ground level, and the house seemed to be built in the shape of a rectangle.
“Mrs Adams, the housekeeper at the manor house, has made sure all is prepared for us. Kinford and Holcomb will be here at all times, and some maids will come from the main house to clean in the morning and the assistant cook will prepare our meals for us,” Harold told his wife while Biggs stood holding the open door after he had extracted the step from its recess. He gave a look of anticipation. “No one will enter our suite without being invited in by one of us.”
The previous night Louisa had been given ‘the talk’ by her mother. Had she paid attention to what she had been told, she would have been petrified of the marriage bed. Thankfully Aunt Hildebrand, Uncle John Bingley’s wife—her father’s younger brother—had entered Louisa’s bedchamber after her mother swept out of the room.
Thanks to Aunt Hildebrand’s information, Louisa was in anticipation of marital relations. It was sad that God had neverblessed her aunt and uncle with a child, but to Louisa, Aunt Hildebrand was a second and a preferred mother, although she would not admit it aloud.
After alighting, Harold turned back and handed his wife out of the coach. When they approached the entrance, he swept her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing and carried her over the threshold.
When a giggling and blushing bride was lowered back onto her own feet, she swatted playfully at her husband’s arm.
“If you are hungry, we may enjoy an early dinner, or if not, we may retire to our suite and call for food when we decide we need some.”
There was no missing the look of desire in her husband’s eyes, a feeling Louisa shared. “I think we should make for our chambers and eat later, as you suggested we may.”
Louisa Hurst learnt two main things, among many others, that first night. First, her mother had not been correct, and Aunt Hildebrand had been. Second, her husband had a very muscular body. He was, however, extremely gentle with her and did not demand more of her than she was able to give. She did not repine that they did not have much sleep that first night as a married couple.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The sennight they had set aside for just themselves flew by in the blink of an eye. In that time, their love had deepened, and they had become closer one to the other.
Rather than use the coach, they decided to walk to the manor house while Kinford and Holcomb supervised their packing. Biggs and Johns followed behind at a respectabledistance, which would allow the couple to speak without being heard.
Even though it was very early in September, the month when autumn officially began, there was a bite of cold in the air as leaves in the trees around them were already changing. Being this far north, the cold in the air was not unexpected. It was barely a half mile to the mansion, and the walk helped to warm them.
They were met by the housekeeper and butler. As had been planned, the Monday after the wedding, the older Hursts had departed for London.
Once they had been divested of their outerwear, rather than leave his wife with the housekeeper for the tour, Harold conducted it himself. About two hours later, they arrived at the suite which was to be theirs when they were at Winsdale. It was smaller than the master suite, but it was almost double the size of the one at the dower house.
“We will share a bedchamber at night like we did at the dower house, will we not?” Louisa asked shyly, blushing furiously at her wantonness.
“It would sadden me greatly if that was not what you desired. I do not think I will be able to sleep alone and be comfortable again. When I have your body next to mine, all is good with the world,” Harold replied emphatically. He pulled his wife into an embrace and kissed her senseless to make his point.
The kiss ignited their mutual passion. It was more than an hour later, after they each assisted the other to put their clothing to rights, that they emerged from their suite again.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
