Page 42 of Alessandra (Chisholm Manor #1)

Two weeks later, with the weather starting to warm up, Edward suggested once again that he take Alessandra for a slow walk to the waterfall.

"Only if you feel up to it," he said as they sat with his parents at breakfast.

"Yes?" she asked, hiding no part of her excitement.

Edward's mother and father both looked at the interaction between the two young people.

It inspired them to remember how it had been for them in their first year of marriage.

Edward smiled indulgently at his wife.

"Yes! We shall set out immediately after breakfast so that we do not need to rush.

We can walk as slowly as you need to."

Alessandra laughed loudly.

"Oh, Edward, I can still walk!"

A short time later, they were slowly making their way through the gardens and the forest.

Once again they reached the quiet and sunny grassed area where they lay down the blanket and sat down, listening to the waterfall.

"Thank you for this, Edward."

"Time with you means everything to me," Edward said before lifting her hand to his lips.

The two of them sat and lay down together.

Talking, laughing and eating, they each felt true joy at just being able to spend so much time together for the whole day, without either of them having to rush off to do something else.

"Edward, do you think we would be too presumptive to start assuming that our child will be born healthy?" Alessandra asked, surprising Edward with the question.

"Oh, my love, why do you ask that?"

"I find myself wondering about names," she said.

Edward breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, I see.

And what are your thoughts?"

"Do you have any preferences?" Alessandra asked.

"No.

I only wish for you to remain healthy and happy," Edward said and kissed her softly.

Suddenly, both of them heard crackling from the forest behind them.

They looked up, frozen and silent as if to check if there was anyone there.

Hearing nothing more, they relaxed once again.

"The weather is warmer now," Alessandra said, out of context with the conversation they were having.

"Warmer than when, my love?" Edward teased her as he laughed, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Than when we were last here," Alessandra responded, openly smiling and teasing him back in knowing that he knew what she was thinking.

Edward laughed loudly at her and tried to control the level of arousal she was inducing in him so easily.

"My beautiful wife, there is nothing more that I would like right now than to make love to you, but..."

Alessandra put her lips on his, stopping him from continuing his sentence.

She kissed him passionately, pushing him to forget his argument while she coaxed him until they were both naked.

When she lay on top of him, both were aware of a small person lying between them.

Edward looked up at his wife, taken away in the vision of her moving on him.

She sat upright due to her belly being larger.

He felt like he could not live a moment without her.

He would never want to live a moment without her.

Alessandra revelled in the feelings, taking her time to concentrate on her own body and ensure all was well.

Once again, it did not occur to either of them that they could be being watched from a distance.

Tom Missinger remained still as he watched the scene before him.

He had seen them walking, sitting, talking, and laughing.

When he had seen them moving toward marital relations, he had wanted to run in and stop it to keep Edward's hands off his Alessandra.

What they did together - the way they moved together - was something he craved. He couldn't stop thinking about her, and the joy she could bring to him if he could just get her to consent to be his wife. He'd completely forgotten about his own wife, Katherine. He'd had no qualms whatsoever about walking out the door of his home on either that first occasion, or the present one. He didn't believe Katherine cared at all about where he was going or what he was doing.

He felt a mix of excitement, greed and hatred as he watched Alessandra on top of her husband.

Seeing her naked body, as much as it fuelled his desire, also reminded him that she was noticeably with child.

What he considered to be love for her, prevented him from the possibility of startling her in that condition.

As much as he wanted to run in, break the two of them apart, and beg her to come away with him, he wasn't so heartless that he would risk causing her pain by losing her child.

With the realisation that he could not approach or seduce her while she was with child, Tom decided he couldn't watch any more of their lovemaking.

He slowly turned and started to walk through the forest, to head toward his home.

Edward watched his wife moving on top of him.

Seeing her body and facial expressions during lovemaking was intoxicating.

He listened to her moaning in her pleasure as he caressed her in the spot she loved to be touched.

Immediately after she climaxed on him, he couldn't hold back any longer. The two of them were silent for minutes, together engulfed in the feeling of release.

Alessandra pulled off him and lay down beside him as he repositioned and turned to face her, loving the smile she had on her face.

He kissed her softly.

"What were we saying about baby names?" she asked, making him heavily laugh out loud.

"Oh, how I do love you, Alessandra!"