"Expectations" (Book 2)--Ch. 34: Their first morning of wedded bliss,
September 12, 2019 by Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1260, & on Wattpad)

[an original Regency romance copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace, 2018 - 2019; all rights reserved); [(1) story cover art, above left]

[As is my custom, from time to time I will illustrate my story with my ideal cast consisting of (in order of importance/mention in this chapter): Lord Duncan of York, the Viscount Lindsay (portrayed by Rupert Penry-Jones); and his wife Lady Elizabeth the Viscountess Lindsay (portrayed by Jessica Brown Findlay)]

Author's story content and serializing scheduling notes: For the most part, my ratings for the chapters will be PG-13—for romantic interludes and dramatic moments. If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with these ratings, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer. And I always put the previous chapter's brief recap at the top of the next chapter. Also, I hope to post new chapters nearly weekly. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Ch. 34: Their first morning of wedded bliss

Awakening first the morning after they wed, Lord Duncan gazes upon the sleeping beauty who is his bride Lady Elizabeth. Her waist length hair is a riot of tousled brunette waves fanned out upon their pillows and upon her person. Owing to the chill in their bed chamber now that the fireplace embers have dwindled low, he suspects, he finds her hugging the bedding around her torso—enticingly hiding her womanly curvy treasures underneath. Her soft breaths puffing out her mouth and lips that seem to beg him to press his lips to hers.

But Lord Duncan must first rise to attend to his morning waking routine, and he reluctantly leaves their marriage bed. First he stokes the fireplace hearth and adds a log to the flames. Then ducking into the adjacent bathroom, Lord Duncan looks at himself in the mirror and smiles in remembrance of the night of love he and his young wife Elizabeth just shared, and he smiles at himself whilst rubbing his slightly stubbled chin.

After splashing his face with water, he shaves. Lord Duncan shaves as less of a morning grooming routine, than it is in consideration for his lovely young wife's delicate skin. It would not do for him to have his whiskers scratch her skin's creamy surface as he kisses her, causing an irritation and redness there for all to see. And he does plan to kiss her again this morn.

Returning to their marriage bed, Lord Duncan slides into bed behind his sleeping wife Lady Elizabeth. He remembers her mentioning the chill last night—and how he warmed her with the fever of his warm chest. So he repeats that warming embrace.

Lady Elizabeth: "Hmmm!" She sighs, grateful for the warmth now enveloping her body. As her husband's kisses trail from the tips of her fingers, up her hand, wrist, arm, shoulders, neck, and face, Lady Elizabeth unconsciously turns toward the kisses for a morning kiss with her husband. And now she is fully awake, and she pulls back a bit with her one hand over her mouth. "Oh Duncan! My apologies! I have not visited the bathing chamber yet this morning and chewed on a mint leaf." She does not think that her mouth tastes sour from sleep, but then she is accustomed to how her mouth tastes in the morning.

Lord Duncan: "Elizabeth, My Darling! Welcome to a new day!" He smiles tenderly and passionately toward her.

Lady Elizabeth: "Thank you! Happy morning to you as well. But I must arise and ... well tend to some things." She blushes. Her husband Lord Duncan nods and does not prevent her from getting out of bed. But she has a dilemma. "Duncan?"

Lord Duncan: "Yes, My Love?" He waits patiently for her query.

Lady Elizabeth: Lady Elizabeth rubs her bare upper arms with the still slight chill in the air. "I seem to have misplaced ... I mean, last night I wore ..."

Lord Duncan: "Yes?" His smile and voice smoulders desirously now.

Lady Elizabeth: "I do not recall removing my nightgown." She cutely pouts and hugs the bed sheet and blanket to her bare form as she sits up in bed—her unintentionally exposing her bare back to his appreciative gaze and to his caress.

Lord Duncan: "Oh you did not."

Lady Elizabeth: "But how am I without my nightgown now?" She asks quizzically, for she really thinks that she ought to know when she removed her night gown.

Lord Duncan: "It was I who helped you remove your nightgown, My Love—earlier this morning." He smoulders in loving and lustful remembrance of her beauteous womanly curvy form then finally revealed to him.

Lady Elizabeth: "Are you certain? I do not recall." Lady Elizabeth wears a most charming piquant expression upon her face—one part disbelieving, and one part wondering why her husband removed her nightgown, after she had expressly told him the night before that she always sleeps wearing a nightgown.

Lord Duncan: "Perhaps if I remind you of the circumstances, My Darling." He leans in and whispers loving descriptions to her of how he adored her again in the early hours of the morning. Her blush deepens as she recalls their entwined and entangled bodies [(2) above right].

Lady Elizabeth: "Oh! I thought that I only dreamt that we ...." And Lady Elizabeth was worried that she would have to do prayerful penance for having such brazenly pleasurable dreams. For now she must surely need to offer more prayers for actually having made love with her husband a third time. Yet somehow, she cannot find it within herself to mind about the extra prayers—nor her supposed need for them.

Lord Duncan: "Elizabeth Love, I admit that I also dreamed about our third romantic interlude as well after I finally fell into a deep slumber. So much so that now I wish for us to ..." He leaves the rest of his request unspoken, but for his wickedly raised eyebrow and him nibbling gently upon her fingers.

Lady Elizabeth: "Well! Let us delay discussing that for the moment. I must splash some water upon my face and such. If you will excuse me." She grabs her discarded silken robe lying on the end of the bed and pulls it around herself as she slips out of bed and toward the bathing chamber.

Lord Duncan: "Of course, My Love. Hurry back!" He calls out to her with his lustfully loving heart. Lord Duncan lies back upon the bed pillows a very happy man. And he is a man who hopes to be ecstatically happy within the next half hour, or less.

Lady Elizabeth washes up and such in the bathing chamber—with her especially chewing a mint leaf, to dispel the taste of last evening's wine upon her tongue. Then she spies herself in the mirror and realizes—to her mortification—that her silken robe does not hide her womanly curvy form from view. Her robe is almost transparent. What must her husband think of her, she wonders? Yet, he did not complain about it to her when she slipped out of bed. So she reasons that he might not have noticed.

Then Lord Duncan sees his wife Lady Elizabeth returning to him—after she had segued through their dressing chamber and put on a simple cotton chemise under her silken robe. He smiles for her modesty—and for his delight in helping her to overcome it, with time and patience.

Lady Elizabeth: "Ooh! Duncan Dearest, I am feeling slightly hungry! Might we request some eggs, toast, and marmalade be sent up to us with a steaming pot of tea?" She asks specifically and hopefully as she sits down upon the bed—her still wearing her silken robe over her cotton chemise.

Lord Duncan: "I am also working up an appetite. But, let us cuddle more in our marriage bed." He gently guides her to lie back down and he kisses her tenderly, adoringly, and passionately—whilst embracing her with tenderly passionate caresses—leaving her in no doubt of his wish to adore her again. But she breaks off their kiss.

Lady Elizabeth: "Again?" She asks incredulously, blushing again for her liking their being together intimately as husband and wife.

Lord Duncan: "I cannot think of a lovelier way to greet the morning, than with a tender romantic interlude between us." Lord Duncan gently kisses her lips—inviting her to join him in their marital bliss. "Oh and I have already shaved so that my morning bristle does not irritate your delicate skin, My Love."

Lady Elizabeth: "Thank you, Duncan. That is very kind."

Lord Duncan: He hesitates. "But?" There is always a but.

Lady Elizabeth: "Duncan Dearest, It is just that ..." She leans in to him to whisper her concern. Her face is blushing crimson now—for her many newly wedded loving experiences.

Lord Duncan: "Ah! Of course, My Love. My apologies. Of course you wish to ... rest a bit before we ... again." He smiles in loving understanding.

***
Lord Duncan the Viscount Lindsay of York is ever solicitous of his new bride of not quite a full day, his Lady Elizabeth the Viscountess Lindsay of York (nee Blount). For though he might have wished to continue their newly wedded bliss, unabated this first day after they married, his just eighteen year old young bride Lady Elizabeth regretfully requests a few hours respite after their third and last romantic tryst of their fifteen hours of married life as of the early hours of this morning.

Lady Elizabeth blushingly and sheepishly whispers to her husband this morning that although his loving attentions are exceedingly pleasant and such, it is just that muscles that she did not know that she has have some aches to them—as if she slightly strained them. And, though she is loathe to admit it to him, she is slightly sore, as might be expected for a newly bedded wife.

So Lord Duncan offers his bride Lady Elizabeth his skills of massage for her aching muscles after her soaking in a warm morning bath—the combination of which leaves her in such a relaxed attitude that she promptly falls back to sleep. Then Lord Duncan has his own warm bath and then joins her in their bed, cuddling her sleeping form to him, watching her sleep like an angel—her skin glistening dewily from her recent bath.

Lady Elizabeth does not snore in her sleep, a great blessing to her husband. And Lord Duncan hopes that he does not snore—not so that he has been told anyway. And as he brings his arms around her, she fits against him so perfectly--as if she was always meant to be his, and he to be hers. Then he falls asleep as well.

***

Yet happily by almost midday, Lady Elizabeth awakens refreshed. And she is famished by now, as is Lord Duncan—their both having missed breaking their fast earlier this morning. So they take luncheon alone together in their Sussex Hall Royal Apartments bridal suite, with her positioning two strategically placed softly padded ice pillows for maximum benefit to her back and such.

Lord Duncan: "Are you feeling more the thing after your nap, My Love?" Lord Duncan smiles at her caringly. Then he takes her hand in his and lifts it to his lips for his kiss.

Lady Elizabeth: "I am. Thank you." Lady Elizabeth blushes—partially for her remembering their pleasurably entangled bodies from their three previous romantic trysts, and partially for wanting to eat more than she feels a lady ought in front of a man, especially her husband.

Lord Duncan: Perusing her small luncheon plate with its meager contents—compared to his overflowing larger luncheon plate—Lord Duncan asks. "Elizabeth, are you not hungry? I am famished!" He smiles.

Lady Elizabeth: "Oh yes. I am feeling a bit peckish. But ..."

Lord Duncan: "But ...?

Lady Elizabeth: "But, I do not wish to ... seem to ..." Lord Duncan patiently waits for her to finish her thoughts. "Well, to eat as much as a man, as much as you. Twould not be ladylike of me to eat so heartily."

Lord Duncan: "Merciful heavens!" He clutches his hand to his chest in mock horror. Then he smiles tenderly. "My Dear, Twould be more unladylike for you to faint due to hunger through your lack of eating a sufficient amount of food. Let us strike a bargain. I will find no fault with your slightly larger meal portions, if you promise to find no fault with my obviously much larger meal portions. Deal?" He extends his hand to his wife.

Lady Elizabeth: Smiling shyly, Lady Elizabeth extends her hand to her husband and they shake hands. "Deal."

Lord Duncan: "And?" He guidingly raises a bemused eyebrow.

Lady Elizabeth: "And, I will have a few more morsels of this fine meal." And with that, she adds to her plate a small chicken thigh, a small potato, assorted fruit, and some still warm fresh bread with butter, for good measure.

And after their private luncheon, Lady Elizabeth and Lord Duncan return to their marriage bed to nap, and then some in the early afternoon—sharing their love with each other in joyous and tenderly passionate and gentle love making ways. It is their romantic tryst number four—in under 24 hours, far exceeding Lord Duncan's expectations of such loving joy with his virgin bride. Scandalous!

To be continued with Chapter 35

Expectations" (Book 2, sequel to "Encouragement): Chapter 34 images for  September 12, 2019 by Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1260)

1) "Expectations" (Book 2, sequel to "Encouragement") story cover art image represents Lady Elizabeth Blount, sister to the Earl of Sussex in black evening gown--is that of actress Jessica Brown Findlay as Lady Sybil in Downton Abby found at http://www.internet-d.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2012/02/JESSICA-BROWN-FINDLAY-as-Lady-Sybil-Crawley.jpg ; the text font is Vivaldi.

2) Lord Duncan's and Lady Elizabeth's entangled feet image representation was found at: feet-coversoct1012instforenergyresearchorg_May1614-crop-sized-stretched

"Expectations" (Book 2) Ch. 34 URL for Something About Love story post for September 12, 2019 (Post#1260):
https://gratianads90.wordpress.com/2019/09/12/expectations-book-2-ch-34-their-first-morning-of-wedded-bliss-september-12-2019-by-gratiana-lovelace-post-1260