chapter five

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"The fire is out", I hear Papa say. I'm being shaken awake, and my head is clearing slowly.

Tom. I'm pulled tight against him, and inhale his familiar scent. He's back, he's here, in my arms, my husband....my heart is pounding. I feel myself lifted off my feet, and he pulls my mouth against his.

"Oh my darlin", he moans into my hair, "I missed you, I missed you. Thank God you're all right."

"Oh Tom." He feels delightful, his belly pushing softly against me.

"I want to come home."

"Sweetheart, we don't have to decide anything right now..."

His face falls. "You want me to go?"

"No, no, no. But I don't want you to give up your dreams either. I knew who you were when I married you. You were right about that", I tell him.

"I'm a husband and a father now, and YOU were right about that. I won't be separated from you and Corrie again."

"You can go back inside", the fireman yells to us, "We'll see what can be salvaged from Lady Edith's room tomorrow."

We join the nanny in putting Corrie and George back to bed. When I enter my bedroom, he's sitting on the bed, taking off his robe.

"Come here", he drawls, and pulls me onto his lap. His lap is quickly disappearing.

We kiss and can't let go. I don't want him an inch from me. I feel like something terrible will happen if we're not touching, if I can't hear his heart beating. I love, love, love him.

He pulls off the rest of his clothes and climbs into bed, leaning against the pillows. I reach into my bedside table for my diaphragm, but he puts his hand on mine.

"Let's make another baby, please", he whispers. "I want Corrie to have a sister, another girl just as beautiful as her mother."

"Tom..."

&qu ot;The Church says to go forth and multiply..." he starts, this time with a sarcastic look on his face.

"They say lots of other silly stuff too", I finish.

He groans, then laughs. "You can do whatever you want to me..." he gestures to himself, sitting up in bed with only pajama pants on. "You can get me fat as you like. Your fat little chauffeur, I'm already even more of a laughingstock than I was before."

"You're not a laughingstock! You're my husband. And if you want another child....so do I."

When his face lights up like that, when that smile goes all way to his eyes....

"You mean it?" he asks.

"I do mean it. And I intend to take you up on your offer too."

He rolls his eyes, then kisses me. "So how round am I going to get?"

"Pretty darn round."

"Too heavy to be on top? Too round to fit through small doorways? So fat no one can help but tease me?" he whispers.

"I know you so well", he adds with a smile as he sees my eyes roll back in my head. He can feel the lust and excitement pouring off me.

I straddle him and crush him to me, chest to chest. I rest my head on his shoulder and kiss his neck again and again. "I never want to be out of your arms again", I tell him.

"You never will be. Daddy's home." I keep trying to scoot closer to him, but we're cuddled against each other.

I scoot back so he can pull down his pajama pants, and he sinks deeply inside me. I can't help a moan of satisfaction, or relief. He really is home.

"Give me your child", I whisper to him, kissing him frantically. I take his gorgeous baby face in my hands. "My Irish rebel."

"Ha", he laughs, "Not hardly. Not anymore. I think I lost my rebel credentials a while back."

He rocks his thick hips and I ride him hard enough to send him off to sleep quickly, as he spills his seed deep inside me.

"I love you, Sybil. I couldn't sleep a wink without you", he says falling immediately off to sleep.

The next morning, I'm the last one to the table, my sisters, and even both my parents are nibbling on crumpets. And waiting.

"My God, Sybil", Mary howls, "He's fat!! When did that happen?"

"He was never going to be skinny", I say, rolling my eyes at her. "And some of us don't care for that anyway."

I know he has to be over 240 pounds by now, up 80 from when we met.

"He is fat, fat as a hog in the barn, but that's not his biggest problem", Papa says so charmingly.

"Robert!" Mama corrects.

"I don't imagine you want him back, Sybil..."

"I never wanted to let him go", I say, wiping away a tear.

Momma shoots a warning look at Papa.

"I have an idea then", he says, shocking me completely.

"What?"

" He was bored. I understand that. What would he say to a job on the estate?" Papa asks.

This has to be all Mama. I smile at them both. "I think he would agree."

Tom becomes the agent of the estate, and now he has somewhere to funnel his energies.

Without Matthew, Tom is the only son of in law my father has, and he's coming around. But it takes a couple of months for him to stop making snide comments every time we sit down to eat.

"Oof", I say, sitting down, holding my own growing belly. "Your son is huge, and I'm going to get enormous with him. I can't believe I'm only five months."

Tom puts his hand on my belly and pats affectionately. "Our daughter", he corrects.

"Only a son would be this rude about kicking me", I answer back, "and he is a very big."

"Do you think I had anything to do with that?" he asks, sheepishly.

"I think it's possible your bigger size had an effect, sure. But I want a little boy just like you who will eat me out of house and home..." I smile, taking his hand. "So I guess I should stop complaining."

"You are bigger than you were with Corrie", he says, "I'm sorry." He looks so...guilty. It's hilarious. "But you're so beautiful. I wish you were pregnant all the time."

"Oh God", I moan, rolling my eyes.

"Sorry I do! You're always beautiful, but you're almost too stunning to look at when you're pregnant", he says. I want someone to explain how to stay angry with his man, because he thwarts me at every step.

"How do you feel about Thomas Robert? Your father's name was Thomas too, right?" I ask.

"Yes, and I think it's perfect...if we were having a boy. But we're not." He sticks his tongue out.


I link arms with him and cuddle him close. He kisses me on the top of the head. I feel so safe with him, no matter where we were or what happened, I always have.

We pass Mary in the hallway. "Lovebirds", she smiles.

"I can't believe either of them can walk", we both hear her snipe as she goes into the library, and we both laugh.

"Speaking of walking, shall we take a turn across the lawn?" I ask him.

"Sounds delightful, wife of mine", he answers with another kiss.

I rub his belly as we walk, and slip my hand inside his jacket. I can feel him jiggle as we walk. It's getting pricey keeping him in linen shirts and waistcoats.

"Tickles", he laughs, and my stomach falls right to the knees as it always has when he gets that look on his face. When he turns pink and his bright blue eyes twinkle.

"You really don't mind getting this big?" I ask, "I know you were against gaining 50 pounds, darling, but you must know you're far beyond that now."

"Do I have to think about it?" he asks, then rubs my cheek. "I know I am. I want to make you happy, and my body seems to be want to be plump. It's not too much for you?"

"It never would be, that's part of the problem", I say, "I'll never tell you that you need to lose weight."

"Well, we'll have to come up with a weight together that we're both okay with." I snuggle against him. 22 stone here we come. He doesn't need to know that yet.



TBC