Page 42 of A Sonata for the Fiery Lady
“Yes, I do believe you’re right, my dear,” Lord Stanton agreed. “But let us talk of other things besides the weather now that I’ve recovered much of my stamina.” Lord Stanton turned to the young couple as he folded his hands in his lap.
“There are a few things I want to discuss with the two of you,” Lord Stanton began with. “With me not having an heir, I will be bequeathing my title to you, Lord Quinn, when the time does come for me to leave this Earth.”
“But, sir, surely there is some relative that your estate would pass to?” Oliver said, clearly surprised by what Lord Stanton was offering.
“My brothers have all long passed away, and there have been no nephews who have ever graced my house. So no, it shall stay in the family and pass to you once I have died. But I’ll be honest with you, Lord Quinn, that there isn’t much in terms of wealth. I make a humble income compared to those of my status,” Lord Stanton admitted. Melisa watched at the guilty way her father looked as he twirled his thumbs around one another.
“I will return all that I stole, Father,” Melisa said at once, feeling the shame of doing such a thing wash over her.
“Let us not fuss over money, my dear. I’ve come to learn that it is an inconsistent thing. Money comes and goes all the time, but I am still here, after all,” Lord Stanton said with a wave of his hand. “And besides, I do not wish to speak of the past anymore.” Melisa exchanged a kind smile with her father as she simply nodded her head.
“Now, when we return to town,” Lord Stanton continued, “Lord Quinn will have to appear before the royal court to plead his case and claim the Prescott title. Magistrate O’Reilly has already prepared all the necessary documents.”
“It seems that I will forever be in that man’s debt,” Oliver said as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. “Magistrate O’Reilly has done many favours for me.”
“It is all for a good cause I assure you. There seems to be quite a great deal of wealth tied to the Prescott title. It will take some time to get all these things sorted out since it’s been three decades since your father left his home. With the title of Earl also comes great responsibility, my boy,” Lord Stanton reasoned.
“I know that I will have a good mentor to show me the way,” Oliver said, giving Lord Stanton a nod. Melisa couldn’t contain her smile as she looked between her father and husband. Never before could she have ever imagined that the three of them would be together and talking pleasantly. Now, she could only hope that things would be as civil when they returned to town, and she would be faced with her mother again.
“Father, would you like to go into the village before dinner? I would love to show you the sights,” Melisa spoke up, wanting to rid her mind of the upcoming trip. They’d spent all morning going over the details and now she simply wanted to enjoy as much of Italy as she could while she still had the chance.
“Indeed, my dear. I’d love to see more of this beautiful country. In just a fortnight, it seems I’ll be back on a ship,” Lord Stanton said, his voice growing grim as he spoke.
“Fear not, Father. You shall not be alone on this next voyage. I will ensure that this will be a pleasant adventure,” Melisa said, hoping to reassure her father. As he gave her a kind smile, Melisa had hope that their future would be brighter than their past.
~*~
Oliver and Melisa stood hand in hand at the doorway of their cottage. They stood together, gazing into the place they’d called home. Already in the coach, many trunks were packed, much more than they’d arrived with in this new country together. They would be returning to England with as much of Italy as they could travel with, wanting to always remember how their marriage began. And with their ship being reserved for only their travelling party, there was certainly plenty more room to bring more things.
“Promise me, Oliver, that one day we’ll return here and see our first home,” Melisa said in a pleading voice as she pulled her eyes from her beloved home and looked up to her husband.
“I promise, Melisa, that when we have finished having children, that we will all travel together to this spot and show our children where our family first began,” Oliver promised, placing a kiss on Melisa’s forehead. With one last look at their cottage, Oliver led Melisa away to the waiting coach that would follow the Davone family to the port.
~*~
They had been out to sea for about two weeks when terror struck. Melisa had been under deck with her father, playing a game of cards to pass the time. She’d been bedridden for most of the journey since the seasickness had plagued her till she couldn’t stand to be on her feet for very long. And though she allowed Oliver to walk with her daily to keep up her exercise, it had been a terrible experience each time.
Now, Melisa lay in the narrow cabin bed while her father sat in a chair, a small space on the bed made room for their card game. Melisa enjoyed playing with her father, giving her mind something to concentrate on besides the constant upset stomach that consumed her every waking moment.
But as the game continued, Melisa started to feel a new sensation in her stomach. At first, it was just a pinprick of pain in her sides, but after a while, it started to grow into a roaring pain that consumed her middle.
“Father, please fetch Oliver. I think there might be something terribly wrong,” Melisa said as she set aside her cards and started to rub the painful area in her stomach.
“What is it, my dear?” Lord Stanton asked as he stood to his feet, clearly frightened.
“I don’t know, Father, but I want my husband,” Melisa confessed.
With a quickness that Melisa didn’t know her father possessed, Lord Stanton flew from the small cabin room and ran down the hallway, his voice calling for Lord Quinn even though he was still below deck. Tears started to come to Melisa’s eyes as the pain continued; a constant agonizing pain that was starting to travel from her stomach down her legs.
Oliver burst into the room then, his face pale as he looked upon Melisa. “What is wrong? Is the baby alright?” Oliver asked as he came to Melisa’s side.
“I’m in so much pain, but it’s too soon for the baby to come,” Melisa said through the tears. Then she felt a sudden wetness between her legs, and fearing the worst, she slowly lifted the covers to reveal her worse nightmare. Sobs came to Melisa as realization dawned on her.
“I’m losing the baby,” Melisa sobbed as Oliver wrapped his arms around his wife. He held her tight, his own sobs joining hers.
“You’re going to be fine, my love, I promise,” Oliver said to her through his tears. After a while, he let go of her, needing to fetch fresh linens.
Melisa was beside herself as the pain continued, her womb cleansing itself. After a while, it was Signora Davone that came to her, her face stricken with sadness at the news.
