“N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons”, Ch. 66 (PG-13):  Babies Yet to Come,  June 21, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace

(An original fan fiction copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace;   All rights reserved; Based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel, North & South and its  2004 BBC adaptation; No copyright infringement intended)

[I will illustrate my story using my dream cast from the 2004 BBC production of “North & South” and other actors for additional characters:   Richard Armitage for John Thornton, Daniela Denby-Ashe for Margaret Hale, Lesley Manville for Mrs. Maria Hale,  Tim Pigott-Smith for Mr. Richard Hale, Sinead Cusack for Mrs. Hannah Thornton Ogilvy, Jo Joyner for Fiona/Fanny Thornton Ogilvy, Brendan Coyle for Nicholas Higgins, Graham McTavish as Dr. Cameron Ogilvy, Holliday Grainger for Angharad Ogilvy MacIntosh, Simon Woods for Baird Ogilvy, and Emma Ashton as Mrs. Dillard, John Light as Henry Lennox, Tim Faraday as Watson, Gillian Anderson at Carlotta Quint Watson, Jeremy Northam as Dr. Miles Houghton, Gerard Butler as Lord Jamie Ogilvy, and Juliette Lewis as Lady Thistle Ogilvy, etc.] [(1) story logo, top right]  

Author’s Mature Content Note:  “N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons” is a story with mature themes of love and relationships set within a period drama of the 1850’s.  As such there will be heartfelt moments of love and sensuality (S)--as well as other dramatic emotions (D), including some violence (V)--and I will rate those chapters accordingly.  If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read that chapter.  This is my disclaimer.

Author’s Recap from the previous chapter:  Ater Margaret and Johnn amed their newborn baby daughter Audrey Grace after receiving amusing suggestions from the children of the family.

“N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons”, Ch. 66 (PG-13):  Babies Yet to Come

This June 21st Saturday evening’s dinner is a very quiet affair at Airlie Castle.  With John and Margaret Thornton secluded in their guest bed chamber with their newborn  baby daughter and the younger Ogilvy and MacIntosh children fed earlier and already abed in the Airlie Castle nursery for a cousin’s sleepover that also includes Lissa Dillard, it is just the remaining extended Ogilvy-MacIntosh family adults in attendance. There are Cameron and Hannah , Baird and Fiona,  Angharad and Alistair, Thistle and Jamie, and Davina and Angus. 

In fact, there are so many pregnant women at the table--in the persons of Hannah, Fiona, and Davina--that coupled with the birth of John’s and Margaret’s baby daughter this day, babies as a topic of after dinner conversation quite eclipses the Angus Scotland Highland Games team rankings thus far.  Almost.    

After dinner, the ladies are cloistered in the drawing room before the men join them.

Hannah: “In all the distress with Margaret’s and John’s baby being born today, I didn’t hear who won the husband calling contest at the Highland Games today?”  She asks, trying to tease the winner’s name out of her daughters and other family women--Fiona, Angharad, Davina and Thistle.

Fiona: “I’m sure it wasn’t me. I am not much of a husband caller, I’m afraid.”  She sheepishly shrugs her shoulders. For Fiona has spent the afternoon helping Margaret birth her baby.

Angharad: “It was Thistle! Herrr  combination of shrrrieking herrr husband’s name and purrrring seductively seemed to win overrr the judges.”  Angharad smiles impishly at her cousin.  Hannah swivels her head to gaze at Thistle.

Thistle:  “Way-el.”  Thistle smiles blushingly.  For all her bravado, she is still a lady, born and bred.

Davina: Waving her hand in a dismissive gesture and rolling her eyes bemusedly, Davina offers an explanation about her sister Thistle’s unladylike behavior. “Thistle has always had all the boys clamorrring for her hand--even when we were in our teens.

Thistle: “Oh Davina.”She Thistle rolls her eyes bemusedly at her sister.  “The only man forrr me is me husband, Jamie.” 

The ladies nod for feeling similar sentiments about their own husbands.

Davina: “Lady Airrrlie, might ye grrrace us with yourrr husband call at next yearrr’s Airrrlie Castle Estates Highland Games openerrr?”’

Hannah:  Looking aghast at her cousin by marriage, Hannah  replies hurriedly.  “Certainy not!”

Angharad: Fiona and Angharad exchange gleeful glances as if they were still little children.  “Of course, Mama.”

And then the ladies’ husbands join them in the drawing room.

***

Fiona is a bit subdued and her husband Baird notices as they sit upon a love seat to one side of the great hearth so big that a full grown man could walk into it with without ducking his head.  Such is the scale and grandeur of Airlie Castle.  Baird has not had a chance to chat with his wife at length about the  details of their new niece’s birth.  So Baird is ignorant of Fiona’s role in helping the baby to be born--and how that is affecting her [(2) right]. For Margaret’s is the first childbirth that Fiona has witnessed--let alone, her having taken part in acting under the direction of the midwife and doctor, her father-in-law and stepfather, Dr. Cameron Ogilvy.

Baird: “Fiona, My Love?”  He smiles tenderly at her and brings her hand to his lips and softly kisses her fingers.  “What is wrrrong?”  He gently squeezes her hand  and slowly rubs his thumb over the back of her hand in a caressing gesture.

Fiona: “I am a bit overwhelmed, Baird.”  She admits truthfully.  Fiona’s forthright nature has been channeled into more productive--and less destructive--utterances since she met and married Baird nearly two months ago.  “Margaret had such a difficult time giving birth--she was in so much pain.  I … I do not think I can endure that once, let alone, twice.”   Fiona shakes her head as she shivers in imagined fear.

Baird: “Twice?”  He smiles still cluelessly [(3) right].   “Arrre ye thinking upon ourrr bairrrn that will come next?  Even beforrre this one is borrrn?” Baird smiles while gently   placing his palm over his wife’s tummy that is not yet showing their baby within.

Fiona:  Pushing his hand away, Fiona says tersely. “Please don’t do that, Baird. People will see you.” 

Fiona breathes nervously in and out, in and out, in and out.  Baird nods his head in acknowledgement of her request.  But he is uncertain about her concern.

Baird: “We arrre among family.  No one will mind if I show me prrride that we arrre to have a bairrrn soon--like John and Marrgaret.”

That was not the right thing for Baird to say.

Fiona:  “No!   I will not have our baby anything like Margaret!” Fiona nearly nearly shrieks as she turns away from him--her hands clenched like fists.  But her seeming anger is born of fear--fear of having to suffer in childbirth as her sister-in-law Margaret suffered this day.

Baird is taken aback by his wife’s vehemence--not understanding from where it comes.  Then he looks from his wife FIona to his sister, Angharad and catches her eye.   Angharad looks at Baird and tilts her head quizzically.  Baird gestures stealthily with his hand for her to join he and Fiona.  Angharad excuses herself from her husband and Davina and Angus, then walks across the room to join her brother and sister-in-law Fiona.  Baird tilts his head at his wife Fiona with a quizzical look on his face.  Angharad nods in acknowledgment of his unstated question. What is troubling Fiona?

Angharad: “Fiona, Dearrr?  Have ye had time to settle yourrrself after Marrrgarrret’s birthing orrrdeal?”  She asks caringly.

Baird: “Orrdeal?”  His eyes widen in shock.

Angharad: “Yes Bairrrd.  Marrrgarrret was in terrrible pain from herrr contrrractions.  But the baby was so big, it could not fit thrrrough.”

Baird: “But it must have.  She is borrrn.”  Fiona is very quiet, her arms wrapped around herself, holding herself as she begins to rock forward and back a bit as a self-comforting mechanism..

Angharad: “Aye!   But Papa had to cut Marrrgarret to widen herrr womb opening.”  Baird’s eyes look at her in horror. “And … well …”

Baird: “What morrre could therrre be?”  He is incredulous.

Fiona:   Turning back to her husband, Fiona holds out her arms with ther small and dainty hands  seeking forward and keeping her fingers flat, she says.  “They made me pull the baby out.”  Her hands are trembling.  “Margaret was so small that I hurt her putting my hands inside her to get the baby out.   She begged me to stop, but Papa and the midwife told me I had to do it or Margaret and the baby would die.”  She brings her hands up to in front of her face, covering it as she trembles.  “There was so much blood.  I was so afraid that I would harm the baby.”  Fiona’s tears begin to fall, the stress of the afternoon birth is overwhelming to her.  Baird embraces his wife soothingly.

Baird:  “Oh my love!”

Angharad: “Fiona.  Ye did what you had to do.  If my hands had been smallerrr, it would have been me--and I would not hesitate.  You saved theirrr lives.   You have to focus on that.”

Fiona:   “But will Margaret ever forgive me for putting her through so much pain?   And I cannot bear to think of enduring the same pain when our baby is born.”   She shudders.  Baird is startled with the depth of his wife’s fears.

Angharad:   “Fiona, ye saved Marrrgarrret and herrr baby’s life!  Birrrthing is na pleasant.   And I have done it twice now.   But holding my babies in my arrrms was worrrth the sufferrring I endurrred.    You will feel that way as well.”

Hannah: Caressing her daughter Fiona’s cheek, Hannah concurs. “Yes, you will.”   

The other ladies all nod encouragingly at Fiona--who winces and gulps. Then Baird embraces his young wife Fiona and kisses her on her temple.

Baird:  “Angharrrad and I werrre small babies--underrr six pounds. Let us hope that ourrr child follows in ourrr example and you have an easierrr time birrrthing our bairrrn.”

Fiona;  Fiona nestles into her husband Baird’s arms.  “I hope so.”  She sighs.

Cameron walks over to his wife Hannah standing near her daughter.

Cameron:  “John and Margarrret have sent worrrd that they  would like to intrrroduce us to theirrr daughterrr, Audrrrey Grrrace.” His eyes twinkle.

Hannah “Ahhh!”

Everyone smiles--especially Hannah.

Then everyone walks upstairs to see the new baby--and they pronounce her beautiful.  For there will be more new babies in the extended Thornton-Ogilvy family very soon.

To be continued with Chapter 67

“N&S:  JT Love Lessons”, Ch. 66  References,  June 21, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #586)

1) “N&S:  John Thornton, Love Lessons” story logo:  Richard Armitageas John Thornton and Daniela Denby-Ashe in the 2004 BBC period drama North  & South, was found at  richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/nands/album/episode3/ns3-110.jpg ;  For more information about this wonderful 2004 BBC miniseries adaptation of Elizabeth’s Gaskell’s story North & South, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_&_South_%28TV_serial%29

2) Fanny is Jo Joyner in North & South epi 2 (17h04m18s189) Dec2213 Gratiana Lovelace Cap-crop-sized-delaced-clr

3) Baird Ogilvy  image  (aspect, drken,sized) is Simon Woods as Charles Bingley in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice found at  madambaggio.blogspot.com at http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJFEabizaEI/UKAkFwXlJtI/AAAAAAAAANI/G5pZUxqcZGY/s320/Hugo+Weasley+02.jpg

Link to Ch. 66 with embedded illustrations on my blog:

http://gratianads90.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/ns-john-thornton-love-lessons-ch-66-pg-13-babies-yet-to-come-june-21-2014-gratiana-lovelace-post-586/

Link to Ch. 66 Images for Wattpad: 

https://gratianads90.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/aansjohnthorntonlovelessonsfanficch66imagesjun2114gratianalovelace.jpg