Our own form of courting: Chapter One - Dinner with a final course of courting.
Jealous was not a feeling that Jack was familiar with. As child he would simply take whatever he wanted and maybe deal with the consequences if he was caught.
So, sitting here now he was confused as to why he felt the way he did. He had been invited to yet another dinner at the Governor’s house and was fully expecting it to just be the usual attendees. But when he arrived there was an extra place around the table and a clearly rich man sitting at it. The man was engaging Belle in conversation and from the way she was looking at him Jack knew that she was bored. Jack's hold on his fork tightened when the man patted Belle's hand and she pulled away in annoyance her eyes flicking to his for a second and then returning to the other man.
Jack didn’t really know what their relationship was. Talks of congress and stolen kisses in the hospital storeroom had given him the impression that she was open to further engagement, but the unmoving judgement that was the class system stood in their way. A marriage or really any form of relationship between a Lady and a penniless Doctor was unheard off and not approved of. But the draw to her was unavoidable and they found themselves often tangle together in the storeroom each time she attends the hospital.
He thought about her morning, noon, and night. She was the first thing he thought of in the morning and the last thing at night when he struggled his way up to his room. Thoughts of her filled his head during the day when he was meant to be tending to people and her face filled his mind when he reached for himself at night to stem the ever-growing feeling of want and desire for her. She had frozen the first time she had felt him press hard up against her lower stomach during one of their stolen moments and blushed unable to meet his eyes, when Jack pulled away with stammered apologies. But as time went on, she had grown more assertive in her actions and started to drag moans from Jack when she moved against him as they kissed. One such moment had ended with her legs wrapped around his waist and their hips thrusting together in primal need, Jack had pulled away just in time to avoid spilling in his pants and Belle was left panting and flushed leaning up against the storeroom shelves rubbing her legs together to chase the unknown feeling that was flooding her body. Jack would remember said legs as he stoked himself to completion that night and gasped out her name at the memory of her hips moving against his.
“What say you Dr Dawkins?" Belle said trying to get Jack's attention to avoid speaking to Mr Glendale, "Jack!" she called again when he did not reply. Jack jolted and almost dropped his fork and looked at Belle in confusion. She looked back widening her eyes as if to say, 'save me for the love of god'.
"I’m sorry?" Jack said placing down his knife and fork trying to work out the question that was ask. "I said what do say you about the recent outbreak of flu that is sweeping across the city?" Belle asked again.
"Um, yes very bad indeed. Far too many cases are coming into the hospital, beds are starting to run low my Lady”.
"Father might it be time to talk about the hospital extension? I’m sure Dr Dawkins would be happy to make some recommendations." Belle said looking at her father who was in no way listening to the conversation. He like Jack too struggled to find an answer for a question that he hadn't listened to.
"Yes. Yes, that could be arranged." He said taking a deep sip of his wine really having no idea what he had agreed to. Belle rolled her eyes and looked at Jack with a faint smile. He returned it, that was until Mr Glendale took it upon himself to brush his hand over Belle's arm to garner her attention again. This time Belle didn’t try to hide her annoyance and moved her chair noisily to the side to place some distance between the two. Jack's anger flared up when Mr Glendale tried to hide a look annoyed at her action. Not that he was one to talk given their daily storeroom romps, but at least said romps were away from the public eye and didn’t make her uncomfortable.
Belle was very much over this dinner and the man sitting next to her. If he wasn’t boring her with talk of his “rather large estate” then his hands were wandering. First it was a pat on the hand and next a brush on her arm. She had noticed that Jack seemed to not be able to take his eyes off the man’s hand and she could see he was starting to get annoyed at the man. It wasn’t until Mr Glendale placed a rather firm hand on her upper leg that Belle did something. With a quick slip her knife sliced across the palm of her hand leaving what she thought was a shallow cut.
"Oh, silly me!" Belle gasped holding her bleeding hand in a fist, "I seem to have cut myself. Dr Dawkins if you could be of assistance" she said ignoring her mother disapproval and giving Jack a pointed look. "Yes of course" Jack said getting up and rounding the table to assist Belle with leaving the room. He held his arm out for her, and she took it immediately wishing nothing more then to leave the table.
"Belle, I don’t think..." her mother started but was cut off by her father when Belle let a drop of blood escape her fingers, "Now dear Dawkins can attend her." With a nod to the Governor Jack led her form the room and up to her bedroom.
Belle didn’t think the cut was deep enough to warrant a doctor's attention, but she was sick of being pawned over by Mr Glendale and had needed an exit before Jack leapt over the table and assaulted the man. She had been watching his movements ever since they sat down and knew he was on a wire's edge when she saw his jaw twitch and his hand tighten around his cutlery.
When they reached her bedroom Jack lead her over to her bed and sat her down on the edge. He knelt before her to and began to examine her hand. Contrary to what Belle had thought before it actually was quite a deep cut and would require a bandage of some sort. Jack rose and walked over to her supplies and began searching in silence. Belle could see that he was put out and it wasn’t just his normal annoyance at having to attend a dinner at the estate. She stopped her musing when he knelt back down in front of her and began cleaning the cut. He worked in silence meticulously cleaning cut and she couldn’t help but winced at random intervals when he had to dig in the fabric of the cloth into her broken skin. Blood was still slowly dripping down her palm and he put pressure on the pulse at her wrist to slow down the blood flow.
"I don’t like him touching you," Jack said quietly as he was bent over her hand. Belle bit her lip trying not to laugh, her sweet man was jealous. "Really? I hadn't noticed" she replied with a teasing tone. Jacks jaw twitched in annoyance again and his fingers had started to stoke the inside of her wrist lightly. "He shouldn’t be touching you like that in public" he continued without looking up at her. Wanting to see how far she could push him Belle teased again, "as opposed to how you touch me" she said biting her lip and slowly opening her legs so that he came to rest between them. Jack's fingers paused and she watched how he swallowed deeply, his eyes flicked to the closed door and then back to her hand before he stood up gathered her in his arms and kissing her deeply. Belle reacted in kind by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in closer to rest against her between her parted legs.
He placed rough kisses down her neck that made her head roll back and she moan deeply. Hands began to franticly grab at each other's clothing and their hips were starting to roll against each other. Soon Jack's jacket had been discarded onto the floor and his necktie was somewhere over Belle’s shoulder where she had thrown it. In-kind the buttons on the front of her dress were undone, as was the under shirt beneath. Jack had pulled them open, and they were revealing her chemise and corset, her skirts was up bunched up around her waist showing a improper amount of leg and a thin sneak peak of her hips. "I don’t want him touching me either" Belle breathed out while Jack was attacking her neck with nursing sucks, and she felt him harden against her stomach in reaction to her words. She could feel that he was tense and not in the normal way he was when they stole kisses, and he was worried about being found or pushing too far into her space. His was tense in a way that made her think he was about to steal her away in the night and never let her out of his sight. Tense in a way she had never seen him before and the only thing she could think of was jealously. Bone deep, soul burning jealously. "I only want you" she confessed grabbing his face between his hands to make him look at her.
"I only want you, Jack. Only you." she continued, and Jack searched her face for any word of a lie. When he found none his shoulders relaxed and kissed her softly. Belle moaned when Jack hitched her legs up around his hips and started to grind against her. A chorus of moans and whimpers echoed in Belle’s room as the pair thrusted against each other. Jack could feel her warm wet heat against his hard length and could feel himself weeping into the inside of his pants. Groaning at the thought of having to reappear downstairs with a wet patch on his pant Jack pulled away and held Belle from him with a firm hand in the middle of her chest.
“What?” Belle panted still slightly moving her hips back and forth, Jack looked down at his erection and blushed when Belles eyes followed, “Oh,” she said. Jack swallowed, “If we go any further, I won’t be able to hide the effects of our actions on the fabric of my pants”. Belle looked confused for a moment and then her eyes widened in understanding, “Can’t you just…take it out?” she asked shyly. Jack pulled her back into his arms, “I could. But we haven’t…” his words faded off hoping she would understand. She did and nodded in understanding, “I want you to. Want to see you” she whispered against his lips before gently biting them. Jack shuddered when he felt her soft hands start to unbutton his pants and buried his head in her neck and moaned when he felt her pulled out his hard cock from its fabric coverings. She timidly stoked him a few times before he had to pull away with a harsh cut off moan of pleasure. He reached down quickly and gripped the base tightly hoping to stop his orgasm. He succeeded and pulled her against him again, returning her legs to high on his hips. He felt her jolt when his warm length brush against her wet womanhood.
He began to slowly thrust against her, and she tightened her arms around him. Their lips slipped together with want and Belle groaning against Jack’s tongue as he licked feverishly into her mouth. She gasped against his kiss as his fingers dug harder into her soft legs and her gasp turned to a needy whine for more when his cock slide over her clit. He groaned desperately; his arms moved to wrap around the small of Belle’s back to pull her in closer as the other hand weaved through the back of her hair. She cried out as he gripped her hair with a sharp but subdued tug, the new position allowing his hard cock to hit her clit harder.
"Goddammit." Jack growled out, his eyes wild with heat and absolute want. His hips were starting to jerk uncontrollably, and Belle was starting to feel a deep pulsating tightening in her stomach. With each rut, Belle could feel the rolling arousal come closer and closer to the edge until she was whimpering into his scathing kiss.
"I...I'm gonna...,” She breathed out against his lips, sharp pangs of ecstasy shooting through her clit as Jack continued to snap his hips against her. He growled low and raw as he let go of her hair and gripped her hips tightly and started to thrust harder into her. Belle cried out and moaned against his tongue as her hands ran through his hair. A few long moments passed before Belle’s hands gripped his hair with a cry, her back arching as she felt her orgasm completely wreck her and made her vision blur around the edges. She heard Jack let out a strangled groan and felt the erratic and final thrust of his hips against her before he stilled, his cock twitching against her still pulsing heat and he buried his face in her neck, his mouth opens in a silent cry of pleasure against her slick skin.
There was silence, the only sound being the panting between the pair and Belle’s soft whimpering as Jack rocked slowly against her trying to draw out every last beat of pleasure form the both of them. Guiding his lips to hers she groaned a final “Jack” into him, and he stilled with his own moan of contentment. They stayed like that for a moment, wrapped up in each other breathing deeply.
“That was…”
“One of many?” Belle jokes pushing him away gently so she would clean herself up. Their mixture releases were coating her mound and inner thighs, and she could feel them sliding down towards the inside of her knees. Jake laughed at her joke as she bent to pick up one of the cloths he had brought over. He lifted her again and began to wipe the insides of her legs and smirked when he brushed over her womanhood, and she jerked with a deep moan.
“Never one of many” he said placing a kiss under her jaw. Before she had time to repay his kindness and clean his now soft cock, there was a sharp knock at the door that had them scrambling to redress and once Jack tad tucked himself back into his pants, he was frantically trying to gather all the medical supplies that had ended up on the floor and hide the cloth that was covered in their releases. He tucked said cloth into his jacket pocket and grabbed a now dressed Belle's hand just in time for the door to open to reveal her mother standing there.
"It should be fine now my Lady. It won’t need stitches." he said patting her hand gently. Lady Jane eyed him suspiciously as he walked past her running a hand through his now messy hair and he threw an apologetic look over his shoulder to the now cornered Belle. They had definitely lost track of time and been upstairs for far too long.
Belle looked away from the retreating form of Jack and played with her well tied bandage trying to not meet her mother’s eye line "Belle...," her mother started in a disapproving tone. "Mama don’t start please," she said knowing what her mother was going to say and she didn’t want to hear it.
"You may think me unkind Belle, but no relationship with a man of his background can end well and we both know it."
"I love him," Belle said determinedly jumping off the bed and squaring her shoulders to face her mother. Lady Jane took in her daughters flushed complexion, rumbled clothes, and sighed. She closed the door softly and walked closer to her daughter.
"My dear, I know that it may seem like that now. But once reality sets in and you see that he cannot provide for you, the world will snap into a sharp and harsh focus." She said taking her daughters injured hand gently.
"He is a good man Mama and I truly believe he would make happy, and I will want for nothing that I desire" Belle said. Her mother scoffed at this, and Belle ripped her hands from hers and spaced in anger, tears forming in her eyes.
"I don’t care that we won’t live in a house like this!" Belle said waving her hands around her room, "and I don’t care that he has no title. I love him. I love him Mama and I won’t be made to feel bad about that. He is kind, so much kinder than any of the men you have thrown in my path, and he is smart Mama, oh you have no idea how smart he is. At last, I am on equal footing with a man that doesn’t make me feel silly or inadequate. We spend hours talking about a world of things and he listen to me Mama, he really listens to me and cares about my thoughts. He is gentle and when he...and when he kisses me, I never want him to stop. But he always does and there is never any pressure from him to fully ruin myself and by god I want him to ruin me, if just to stop other man from thinking they can have me." Belle said throwing herself at her mother's feet and grasping at her hands, "Mama I am begging you, please give us you’re blessing. I want for no one else and there will be no one else but him" Belle begged again pleading for her mother to understand.
Lady Jane looked at her daughter in shock, she could have sworn that the pasting flash in the pan between the two of them was just that, passing and would burn out once the doctor had had his fill. Never did she think for a second the connect between the two ran this deep. She noted the terrified look in her daughters eyes and the tears that were rolling down her cheeks, she was also trying to ignore the hastily button dress and dark bruises forming low on her neck. She felt Belle's hands tighten in hers and was drawn back to her daughters pleading face and concluded that there was no hope in fighting this connection. She knew that Dr Dawkins gentlemen like ways would not hold out forever and not to mention her daughters own apparent wants and a child born out of wedlock was more of a scandal then her titled daughter marrying a man of a lower station.
Lady Jane had to admit the one thing that Jack Dawkins had his in corner was an unblemished military recorded and an officer title to his name. Military titles and battle born bravely went along way for untitled men in their family's circles and she knew that her husband held Mr Dawkin’s navel career in the highest regard. The truth of the matter was that her daughter could do better, but she could do worse then Naval doctor with no title or family.
"Mama?" Belle asked breaking the silence that had fallen over the two. "We shall speak to you father. Ask your good doctor to stay behind tonight once dinner has concluded." Belle let out a sob and threw herself into her mother's arms, "Thank you Mama! Thank you!"
The rest of dinner passed without issue and easy conversation. Lady Jane now in full understanding of her daughter’s heart was now privy to the small looks the pair shared over the table and the cold looks that Jack sent Mr Glendale each time he spoke to Belle. She had to give it to them, if you didn’t know they were in love you wouldn’t have noticed the slight blush on the doctors face when Belle smiled at him or the slight shake of her daughters hands when Jack smiled back. Lady Jane was trying to think back on the all the dinners the Doctor has attended and was trying to remember if she had noticed the looks before. She couldn’t remember a time and now was even more convinced that they were at least equally paired in their skills of deception if not in their love for each other.
Jack was almost at the front door when he was pulled into the Governer's study and felt lips connected with his. His hands held Belle's face to his and he chuckled as he gently pushed her away, "You will be the death of me" Belle smiled and kissed him again. Jack’s hands started to wander, and she found herself slowly slipping into his warm arms and forgetting why she had pulled him in there. Voices from the hallway brought her back to her senses and she pulled herself away from Jack with a groan. She laughed when Jacks lips tried to follow her, and his eyes were still closed in bliss.
"Mama has given us permission to court" she said quickly and laughed again when is eyes snapped opened. He didn’t say anything and was just looking at her in confusion. Her smiled faded the longer he just stood there in silence. "Jack?" she said confused at his reaction and wondering why he wasn’t more excited at the idea of being with her. Oh god, what is her mother was right Belle thought and the cold feeling of dread began to settle in her flipping stomach. What I he did indeed have no plans of marrying her and what if he lied about their time together and the plan all along was to make her one of his many. She was going to be sick, and she felt a look of disgust forming on her face.
"You said I wasn’t one of many," she said sadly as tears began to form in the corner of her eyes, "You never planned on marrying me did?" she asked his still silent form. Jack on the other hand was reeling, his thought bouncing around his mind faster than he could think about them and all he wanted was to kiss her.
"Jesus Jack!" Belle yelled angrily, "I can't...," But she was cut short by Jack slamming their lips together in a harsh kiss. She lost her footing slightly and stumbled back against the bookcase. Jack was pressed tightly against her and was driving his tongue into her mouth with passionate abandonment. Belle had whiplash and her brain was foggy, his lips were the only thing she could think about.
"What’s the meaning of this?" Her father thundered making the pair break apart as if they had been yank by invisible strings. Jack wiped his mouth his thumb and looked at Belle for help, but Belle was looking at him for the same. Silence fell over the study as the group just stood there, Belle and Jack in slight embarrassment, her mother in shocked annoyance and her father in anger.
"Father," Belle said, but was cut off by her father holding up a finger to silence her. He turned to Jack with a look of fury, "I invite you into this house and this is how you repay me! Taking advantage of my daughter!" He yelled striding towards Jack. Jack had just enough time to duck under her father’s hands and come to stand beside her, Belle took his shaking hand in hers not knowing what else to do.
"My dear calm is needed," He mother said moving to take her father's hand, "Belle and I have spoken on this and I have given my blessing. Perhaps we should speak on this".
"Blessing! What blessing? There is nothing to blessing!" He father continued to yell.
"Father I love him!" Belle yelled back and this silenced the Governor. He looked between the two of them and his eyes fell to their entwined hands. "Love? You barely know him, Isabelle!" He yelled. If Belle was startled by the use of her full name, she didn’t show it, she turned into Jack and wrapped her other hand across her body to hold his forearm, "Yes Father. I love him and he returns my love" she said looking up at Jack with all but stars in her eyes, he returned her look tenfold and rubbed his thumb over their joined hands.
"Why don’t we sit?" Her mother pressed leading her father over to his desk and stood beside him when he sat down. When the pair didn’t move she snapped, "Sit. Now." Belle and Jack rushed to take their place on the chairs opposite her father.
"Explain." the Governor said sharply. Belle started but was cut off again and the Governor spoke to Jack. "Now Lieutenant"
Jack sat up straight as if his rank was an invisible string through the top of his head and held his head high. "I love your daughter Sir. More than I can put into words. I know that my station is of a concern, but I am Gentleman Officer and know what circles my rank provides me entry into. With respect Sir I will love her with or without your permission. If she will have me," Jack said looking towards Belle. She again has tears in her eyes and reached over to hold his hand again. "Belle?" Her father asked, and without looking away from Jack she nodded, "Yes. I return Doctor Dawkins’ feelings and affections whole heartedly."
Her father sighed and slumped back into his chair, "You must know that people will not understand”.
"I don’t care," Belle said quickly looking at her father, "He is a Naval Lieutenant, an Officer and a Doctor. He is not so far beneath my rank to cause gossip and even than we should not listen to it." The Governor nodded and like the military man was he knew when a battle was lost and by the looks of couple sitting before him, he was well and truly beaten.
"Marriage?" He asked Jack plainly. "Eventually with your blessing Sir" Jack answered back with well-rehearsed soldiers’ quickness. The Governor nodded in acceptance and turned to his wife, "My dear?".
"I see no other option, as our daughter has made it bluntly clear there will be no severing of this relationship. Marriage will be the end goal, but six months of courting should temper down any rumours of any...impropriety." Jack and Belle both blushed at her mother insinuation and her father was trying to look anywhere but the couple or the abused bookcase.
"I take it you understand the rules of courting Doctor Dawkins?" Lady Jane asked. "Yes, my Lady," Jack lied and Belle tried to not laugh. Of course, he didn’t know the rules of courting, where he came from courting was a non-issue. Normally pregnancy was the motivation for marriage and many a woman had been forced into an unhappy situation due to a moment of starvation or lust.
"Very well. You have our blessing to court Lady Belle Doctor Dawkins," The Governor said standing up from his desk. He held out his hand for Jack to shake and pulled him in close to speak quietly to him, "Just know Dawkins if any word reaches my ears that you have been improper with Lady Belle or caused her any harm, know that laws don’t cover everything in this place and a father can be far more dangerous than a governor when pushed." He let go of Jack's hand and placed a gentle kiss on Belle cheek before leaving the room.
"You will not embarrass this family do you understand" Lady Jane said to both of them, "No children shall come from this partnership until you are marriage, no untoward public shows of affection and for the love of god Doctor Dawkins no more sneaking into my daughter’s bedroom. We have a front door!" She yelled before following her husband from the room.
Jack let out a sigh and fell back into his chair, Belle moved to sit on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack relaxed into her hold and wrapped his own arms around her. "You lied" Bell whispered against his neck. Jack shrugged, "Just a small one" he confessed. "You have no idea about the rules of courting" Belle laughed as his hand moved down to fondle her ass. "This isn’t one of them?" Jack asked against her lips as his hands now wandered up to cup her breasts. Belle groaned into their kiss and could feel his equal excitement against her leg.
"Holly hell, we're in trouble" Belle said breaking their kiss to rest their foreheads together. They were both panting and not at all concerned with the fact that they were breaking many of the seemingly unknown courting rules.
"So much trouble," Jack replied before pulling her face back towards his and joining their lips again in a heated kiss.
Collection of one shots revolving around Anthony comforting his siblings while they are injured or sick.
CHAPTER Two - Gregory - The Attack of the Playpen.
Anthony is 19 and Gregory is 2.
Anthony groaned and rubbed his eyes; he had been sitting in the study at Aubrey Hall for the last few hours going through the estate books and banking statements. Benedict had taken the Colin and the girls to the village to give him a moments peace and the nanny was with H upstairs. Gregory on the other hand was sitting in a play pen by the window happily playing with his toys a babbling to himself. Anthony remembers his father doing the same for Ben and Colin when they were younger, and their mother needed a break from all three of them.
Anthony laughed then Gregory pulled himself up using the walls of the playpen for leverage, “Such a clear little man!” he said cheerfully clapping his hands in encouragement. Gregory smiled a gummy smile in response and proceeded to stamp his little bare feet against the blanket Anthony has put down and Anthony smiled back before going back to his papers. Seeming to lose interest in standing up Gregory fell back onto his bottom and started playing with his toys again. The two brothers played and worked in relative silence for the new few minutes, said silence only broken by the sound of Anthony’s pen and Gregory smashing his toys to get and laughing to himself.
Anthony was in the middle of writing cheques for the children school fees when Gregory gave a loud scream of pain and started to cry. Anthony dropped his pen and rushed over to the play pen scroop up the crying boy onto his hip. Gregory had a small bleeding cut on his chin and big fat tears were rolling down his flushed cheeks. Anthony looked into the play pen to search for offending object that has caused the small cut and saw a building block with a tiny spec of blood on it’s corner. Gregory had been playing with it when Anthony had glanced up a before and hadn’t given it a moment thought. He pulled a tissue out of his pocket and wiped the tiny trickle of blood that was running down Gregory’s chin.
“OH such a grievance my little man!” Anthony said using the same tissue to wipe away some of Gregory’s tears. “Shhhh….shhhh,” Anthony cooed as he started to pace around the study bouncing Gregory in his arms, “Did the bad block hurt you? Oh noo…” He continued to soothe and when Gregory's cries continued and went up in octave he laughed and caught himself with a bite of his lip.
“Come now little man, such a noise!” He said pulling a funny face trying to calm down the little boy. It somewhat worked and Gregory’s cries turned in little sobs as he tried to catch his breath. Anthony moved the little boy, so his head was resting in the crook of Anthony neck and shoulder, and he continued to pace.
“Is everything okay my Lord?”
Anthony spun around to see their nanny, Kate, standing at the door with baby H in her arms. Anthony moved Gregory back to his hip and ran a hand over the little boys back, “We have had a minor disagreement with a block. Poor Gregory has been brutally attacked!” He said tickling the little boys stomach. Gregory gave a little giggle but still continued to give little sobs and buried his head in Anthony’s shoulder. Kate stuck out her bottom lip and gave Gregory a little wave.
“Shall we swap? I can clean him up and he is due a nappy chance anyway.” Kate said moving Hyacinth, so she was holding her with one arm. Anthony nodded, “Do you want to go with Miss Kate?” he said running a hand through Gregory’s messy curls trying to flatten them the best he could. The little boy nodded sadly and yet still reached his arms out for her and with a small shuffle the adults swapped the children with a practiced ease. Anthony waved Hyacinth little hand at Gregory and Kate as they left the study and when they were gone, he held Hyacinth out in front of him, blew a raspberry on her little stomach and was rewarded with a loud laugh from his baby sister.
“Hello my little love, shall we sit a while?” Anthony said to Hyacinth who stared down at him with their mothers eyes, “I think so” he said taking a seat on the lounge that was by the wide window. He sat with his back against the armrest and propped up Hyacinth on his knees, “Did you have a good day?” he asked playing with her hands and watching as she smiled at the sound of his voice.
A father wasn’t something that Anthony though he would be at eighteen, but looking down at the tiny baby he knew that he would never have a more important job. The title, the running of the estate and even his own schooling at Oxford would never been more important than the little life that was resting on his knees. He would put every one of his siblings before himself and he would spend the rest of the life insuring that they were happy and provided for. For he was now father, mother and brother to six children that has known more heartbreak in their small life then most adults would in their whole big life. Giving Hyacinth a smile he brought her up to rest on his chest and held her tightly to him placing a soft kiss on her head. He felt as she started to drift off and closed his eyes too, the sun casting them in a warm glow as they both fell into a peaceful nap.
Although his days is a pickpocket were well and truly behind him Jack still indulged in the occasional bout of quick hands. His only victim the pompous Dr Sneed.
Jack would get a sick pleasure out of watching the good doctor wander around the hospital looking for the items that Jack had taken and stored away. For days Sneed would walk around looking for his things growing increasingly annoyed until he found them in random places that Jack had put them.
His good scalpel had ended up in the food hall, his watch in the washing baskets and one that Jack was particularly proud of, his ring right off his finger was found in a bottle of surgical alcohol in the operating theatre.
These acts of small rebellion were sometimes the only thing stopping Jack was hitting the man daily. Just this morning Jack has lifted Sneed’s wallets from inside his coat pocket and was just about to hide it away when he felt a hand on his arm.
“My love?” Belle questioned an eyebrow rising at the wallet in Jacks hands.
“I’ll give it back, contents intact” he counted tucking the wallet into the back of his pants and hiding it under his coat, “Its either this or I hit the man.” He said quietly. Belle sighed and stood up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss.
“I don’t care about the contents. Just don’t get caught” she said smiling against his lips.
Jack nodded and after another quick kiss he was hurrying away to hide his latest score.
Often Belle wakes up to Jack fingers at one of her pulse points. Gentle fingers searching for her pulse on her wrist, neck or under her breast. His warm fingers would be pressed firmly against one of these when she woke in the morning, and she felt him search for them just before she drifted off to the sleep.
His favourite pulse point seemed to the one hidden under her breast.. She would wake to the feel of his hand tucked under her breast, pushed tight against the skin to feel her heartbeat against it. She knew that he still worried, more than ever after they engage in congress. During sex she could feel her heart trying to beat out of her chest and she knew he could feel it too. But no matter how many times she told him she was fine she still fell asleep to the feeling of his fingers searching her skin.
Her heart truly was fine, the whooshing sound had disappeared, and she had not had an attacked since he operated on her. But she could tell that he was scared, with every glance towards her when she made a sound of discomfort to the searching look he gave her after she climaxed and her heart was beating in her chest at a rapid rate. She could see the fear in his eyes, and she hated it. Gone was the carefree love they had shared before her operation. Gone was the laugher they shared in her bed after sex. It was now replaced with him silently counting and her trying to not look annoyed when he did.
She had tried to speak to him about it but it was no use. He brushed away her concerns and they ended up in fight. He had stormed away with the slam of her bedroom door, and she had thrown a book at him.
“You need to stop!” She had yelled roughly wrapping her dressing gown around her naked body.
“I can’t!” He had yelled back, “I can’t…I won’t lose you again”.
“I’m not going anywhere…but I will if you don’t stop”.
She will remember the heartbroken look on his face when she had said those words forever. His eyes tearing up as he grabbed his clothes and started to dress. Anger was rolling off him in wave and she just stood there watching him not sure how to take back her words.
“Fine. Fine” he said roughly pulling on his shirt and tucking it into his pants, “Sorry if me wanting to keep you alive is an inconvenience!”
“You’re being ridiculous.” She scoffed, annoyed with the tone he was taking with her.
“Ridiculous!? If my love for you is ridiculous then I don’t know what we are doing here!”
“Neither do I!” She had yelled back. They both stared at each other for a moment, then he had left slamming the door behind him. She had picked up the closest book and thrown it at the door with a shout of rage, the hard covered corner leaving a dent in the wood.
They didn’t speak for days after that and each time they saw each other at the hospital no words were shared. It wasn’t until Jack was summoned to the estate by her mother that any words were spoken. Belle had caught a cold and had been bedridden with a fever for days before she allowed her mother to call for Jack.
“You stupid women!” he had yelled rushing into her room with his medical bag swinging in his hand. “You stupid, stupid, women” he said again as he pulled her into a sitting position. He reached for the ties of her nightdress, and she sighed when she felt his cold fingers on the pulse point on her neck, her fever had robbed her of any normal temperature. He sighed in relief when he felt that her pulse was fine and that it was just a cold.
“I’m sorry” she sobbed out, her fever taking away any form of censorship from her mouth.
“My darling” he soothed as he laid her back down and reached for the bowl of water and cloth that was by her bed. He gently wiped her brow and settled in to doctor her through the night. It was touch and go that night, her fever has worsened, and she started to thrash and groan. He ended up striping her of her nightdress and lowering her into a cold bath pouring water over her as the night grew dark. Come daybreak she was asleep, and he was exhausted. Her fever has broken just before sunrise, and she fell into a fitful sleep with Jack lying beside her.
That's how she found herself now, her head throbbing with a post fever headache and Jack tucked beside her with his hand cupping her breast, his fingertips against the beating of her heart. She could see that this was a battle she would not win, not against him and his panic. She reached over to brush the hair from his eyes, he groaned and his hold on her breast tightened. He didn’t wake and his hand relaxed slightly, Belle smiled and moved herself closer to him tucking herself under his chin and falling back to sleep.
Collection of one shots revolving around Anthony comforting his siblings while they are injured or sick.
TRIGGER WARNING - CANCER AND CANCER TREATMENT.
CHAPTER FIVE - Francesca - IV stands
Francesca was Anthony’s quietest sibling and that was never more apparent then right at this very moment while the nurse hooked her up to her weekly chemo treatment. The pair sat in silence while the nurse inserted the IV and the only show of pain was her hand tightening around his.
At fourteen Francesca has been a health happy teenager, that was until she started to have fevers that kept Anthony up a night sitting by her bedside with a wet cloth in his hand. Her arms and leg became covered in bruises at the slightest touch and her normal flushed and healthy complexion had been become greyish and washed out. She started having nose bleeds and migraines. But what eventually drove them to the hospital was Daphne finding her passed out on the bathroom floor blood coming a cut on her head from hitting on the sink as she fainted.
“It’s leukaemia. Early stages, but it’s still leukaemia.”
Anthony had been standing with Dr James in the hallway when he was told the news and he bit his lip so to not cry in front of the stranger.
“What do we do?” he asked wiping a hand down his face.
“I can’t give you an exact timeframe or information right now, we need to do more tests. But the likely outcome will be chemotherapy. In most cases, for girls in Francesca’s age group it around two years of treatment and another year of monitoring for new cancer cell growth.”
Anthony nodded a small sob escaping his throat. The doctor smiled sadly at him and gestured for them to take a seat.
“Can I be frank my Lord?”
“Of course, yes.”
“This will be marathon not a sprint. Your sister is going to be very unwell for a very long time. I understand that you are the guardian for your siblings, you have seven, yes?” The doctor asked, trying to be as gentle as possible with the man that sat next to her.
“Yes, our parents have both passed” Anthony said nodded but not looking at the doctor.
“It would be my recommendation to hire a live in cancer nurse my Lord. Francesca will at some point need round the clock care and I’m not saying that you we be lacking in your care of her, but it will be a full-time job on top of your current responsibilities. Bathing her, toilet trips, changing of the chemo port and IVs….” The Doctor stopped talking when she noticed that Anthony was now openly crying and struggling to contain his sobs.
“Will she die?” He sobbed out looking at the doctor as if the breath has just been stolen from his lungs. His eyes filled a terror that Dr James was all too familiar with. She had seen it a hundred times form parents and relatives that she had had the same conversation with. But never form some so young and with so much on their shoulders. The story of the Bridgerton family was not unknown in the hospital and delivering this new was one of the hardest she had ever had to do.
“I don’t know,” Doctor James said truthfully, “We have caught it early which is fantastic, but I won’t lie and say that it’s a possibility. Cancer in children is complicated compared to adults, they are smaller, they can’t always communicate what they need or are feeling, and their organs can eventually only take so much. But I will do everything I can see her through this.”
That’s where they were now, two years later and to many chemo appointments to count. Now sixteen Francesca was a shell of the young girl she once was, looking small and fragile in her chemo chair with a green tinge to her face. A scarf was wrapped around her bald head, her face was sunken, and her bones were visible all over her body. She was always cold, so she was currently wearing a jumper that had once been his, she was tucked in under several blankets and had horrid some socks on that Daphne had tried to knit. More often than not one of her brothers needed to carry her from room to room with her nurse following along with her IV stand and school has become a far-off dream. She had recently been having more bad days then good, the treatments for sapping any energy or hunger that she had, and she was very quickly fading away right before her families pained eyes. Sometimes Anthony found himself just sitting by her bed holding her hand and counting the breathes that she took hoping that he would never have to stop counting. Her weak chest would move unevenly up and down, and he hold his own breath when for a second her chest didn’t rise back up fast enough. He had once thought that the pain of losing his parents would be the worst thing that he would ever have to go thought. But watching his sister seemingly die, was something that would haunt him and place scars upon his own soul.
With quick practice Anthony held a bucket under her chin as she vomited up what little food, she had eaten that morning. She started to sob when she finished, gut knotting sobs that Anthony knew all too well. Over the last year he had been her turn a dark corner and was struggling to help her find a way out. Anthony rested her head against his chest and ran a hand over to head.
“I wanna go home” she begged and sobbed into Anthony chest, and it almost broke him. After that first night in hospital Anthony swore that he wouldn’t cry in front of her, choosing instead to cry in his study or behind the locked door of his bathroom when it all became too much, and her suffering reached in and ripped at his heart. Every cry, every scream of pain that he couldn’t take away and every beg from her was something that he carried with him very day. It was dark cloud that took the forms of IV stands, orange filled fucking chemo bags and the endless hospital visits and overnights stays and missed moments.
So many missed moments with her siblings and future moments that she may not see. Moments he may not see. Her graduation, her wedding, her children. These thoughts assaulted him every time he looked at her and could do nothing to help. He was helpless. Useless his mind would whisper in dark moments solitude. When he sat by bed or while he showered and let the water wash away the tears that he could no longer hold in.
“I know my love, just a little longer.” He tried to smooth and looked over to see how much chemo was left in the bag, a little over half empty. Like his sister. Half empty, running fumes and sheer luck.
Francesca was dying and Anthony was utterly helpless.
One-shots about Anthony attending school events for his siblings.
CHAPTER ONE: Benedict - Chopin’s - Nocturne No. 20 in C# Minor
2003
Late was something that Anthony hated being, but here he was running down a school hallway with Hyacinth on one arm and Gregory resting on his opposite hip. Daphne and Eloise were running beside him, and Colin had Francesca tucked under his arm. Not one of them was fully dressed, Hyacinth had lost her baby socks somewhere in the carpark, Colins was in half of his school uniform; shirt untucked and tie missing, Daphne and Fran were still in their school uniforms and Gregory was in some kind of children’s dress up costume. Anthony himself was still in what the children called his ‘work clothes’, a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt that he should have changed before rushing out the door this afternoon and he had a baby bag slung over his shoulder.
They had been late leaving Kent after lunch to make it to Benedict’s piano recital on time at Eton. Anthony has business in London and meetings with his lawyers, so he decided to pull the children out of school and make a weekend of it. Between finishing his morning work, picking up the girls and readying the babies they left Kent at the unacceptable time of 4:30pm for Benedict’s performance at 6pm.
Cutting it fine was an understatement when Colin met them in the carpark at 5:40, underdressed for a boy who lived where they were visiting.
“I see you dressed up,” Anthony had snipped as he struggled to open the buckle of Gregory’s car seat.
“It’s after hours,” Colin has replied moving around to help the other children out of the car.
Using his fading memory of the school lay out Anthony rushed through the semi familiar halls of Eton Collage his sibling trailing after him like ducklings. He checked his watch when the concert hall doors come into view, 5:50pm. Swinging the doors open with a bang several heads turned to look at him with disapproving eyes, but the looks faded when they saw it was the Viscount and his family. Quickly they moved down the middle aisle under the watchful eyes of the parents and families and settled into their seats in the front row. Colin said he would be right back and would let Benedict know they where here and he slipped away though some curtains to the back of the stage. Anthony got the children settled, Daphne and Fran were happily chatting and El was flicking through a program that he hadn’t realised she had grabbed on the way in. Hyacinth was contently resting her little head against his shoulder and Gregory was sitting on his lap looking around the grand room excitedly.
“Ben!” El yelled waving her hands towards the stage, the siblings all looked in the direction that she was waving and saw Colin and Benedict sticking their heads around wings of the stage. They both gave a small wave and Anthony smiled at his brother. With a pat on Benedict’s shoulder Colin disappeared from view and emerged back out on the side of the stage and walked back to his seat. He reached out his arms for Gregory who Anthony was struggling to keep a hold off ever since the little boy had seen Benedict.
“Pass the devil here” he said gesturing to his baby brother. With practiced movements the siblings passed the toddler down the line and Daphne handed him to Colin who placed him on his lap facing the stage.
“Which one did he pick El,” Anthony asked nodding at the program she was still reading. Eloise squinted at the page and soundless sounded out the letters before speaking.
“Chopin - Nocturne No. 20 in C# Minor” El said showing the program to Anthony who sighed in relief. For the last few weeks, he had been gifted late night calls from Benedict in various states of panic over his choice of song. Each one he had played over the phone has been note perfect but nothing he had said had seemed to calm the boy.
The lights of the hall flicker announcing the start of the concert and several people rushed to their seats before the MC graced the stage.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My Lord,” he said bowing to Anthony when he noticed him sitting the in the front row. Anthony simply nodded his head in acknowledgement and moved Hyacinth, who had fallen asleep to his other shoulder.
“I am very happy to welcome you to Eton College’s Music and Drama department’s exhibition night. We have a full night planned for this evening so please if I could drag your attention to the stage, please welcome grade 4 music class with a “Ba Ba Black sheep” played on the recorder”. A small group of boys were ushered onto the stage by a male teacher and what came next was 10mins of pure hell. Not one of them poor lads played a note in time or on key and many of the parents surrounding him were trying and mostly failing to hide their smiles and laughs. To his siblings credit not one of them broke and he put it down to all of them being used to each other bad singing or failed hobbies that nothing relating to lack of musical talent shocked them anymore. Over the next three hours Anthony excused himself a few times to change Hyacinth and Gregory and each time he felt the stares of the other parents.
He was not the only man of nobility to have children enrolled in the school, far from it really. There are children of barons, other viscounts, a duke or two and not the mention the crown prince that has just started in Colin’s year. But he was one of the very few that rarely missed a school event; sports days, music events like tonight, parent teacher conferences and a smattering of other events that parents would normally attend. Whispers still followed him whenever he attended an event in place of his parents.
“Did you hear? Yes, both of them now, such a sad future for them.”
“I hear he is struggling. My husband does business with the estate, and he is pushing meeting left right and centre. I give it a year.”
He had gotten good at ignoring the voices and concentrating on his siblings and the little smiles and waves that were gifted to him when they noticed him sitting the crowd at their events.
He kept an eagle ear on the program in El’s and could see that Benedict was one of the last to preform that night. The MC introduced a 10th grader that recited a Shakespeare sonnet that would rival any that were being preformed at the National theatre and a boy that played the classical guitar effortless with fingers flying over the strings. Anthony was glad when Benedict was called to the stage, Hyacinth and the other younger siblings were starting to get restless having been seated for almost three hours and he could feel a tantrum coming from Eloise after he told her that no she couldn’t go and find the library.
“Please give a round of applause for Mr Benedict Bridgerton, who will be preforming Chopin’s - Nocturne No. 20 in C# Minor,” the MC said and Benedict walked somewhat shyly onto the stage his eyes searching the darkness for his family. When his eyes locked with Anthony he smiled and gave a small wave and Anthony locked away the memory with the others his siblings had gifted him. Anthony’s nerves kicked in when Benedict sat down at the piano. He always felt like this when watching his siblings do something in public; not for him but for them, he wanted them to succeed in everything they did and watching them fail was heart-breaking to him. He held his breath as Benedict played the first few notes and he left it out when he saw that Benedict had gotten into the zone and his fingers were flying across the keys with learnt and practiced precision. The song came to a close and Benedict turned to the crowd and like they always did Anthony and his sibling jumped to their feet clapping and cheering. Anthony who was still holding Hyacinth and couldn’t clap put his fingers between his lips and let out a loud wolf whistle not caring if it drew disapproving looks from some of the other people around him. His siblings on the other hand were loudly cheering and clapping; Colin had raised Gregory in the air and the toddler was clapping with all his little might. Benedict looked a little embarrassed but took a bow and shook his head at his family antics and left the stage.
“He’s gonna hate us” Colin laughed in a sing song voice trying to wrangle a now over excited Gregory back into his lap and Anthony laughed, he probably would, but the next event they attend he would get pay back on his siblings.
Slowly the night came to a close and the MC thanked everyone for attending and people started to exit the hall. Several people came up and spoke to Anthony about business, these he brushed off and told them to call the Estate in the coming week and several more passed on their praise for Ben’s performance and cooed at Hyacinth who stared back at them with wide eyes and a gummy smile.
“Wait a second girls!” Anthony yelled to his sisters who made to run towards large crowd that was streaming towards the exit, “We need to collect Benedict for the weekend. Here Daph take Hyacinth, I need to run backstage. Colin you’re in charge.” He said before ducking through the curtains and backstage.
He spotted Benedict talking with some of his friends and noticed how happy the young boy looked when he threw his head back and laugh along with the other boys. He had grown in the last year and was resembling their father more then every before. His long chestnut hair was falling into his eyes, and he brushed it away. It was this action that reminded Anthony that he needs to have it cut over the coming break and filed it away in his mental calendar.
“My Lord?” A voice said from behind him, and he turned to find Benedict’s music teacher Mr James standing here. Anthony reached his hand out to shake the mans.
“Mr James, pleasure. He was good tonight.” Anthony said looking back at Benedict who was yet to notice him and was still laughing and fooling around with his friends.
“He is very gifted, one of my best. I was actually hoping we could talk about something.” Mr James said nodding his head to a quite corner.
“Of course, is there something wrong with his work?” Anthony asked trying to remember if he had received any mail or calls about Benedict in the last few months.
“Nothing of the sort, as I said he is one of my best students. It regarding to an advanced music course taking place in Paris over the summer break and I was hoping that Benedict would be interested in taking part. I mentioned it to him, but he seemed apprehensive about travelling and mentioned that he would be needed at home. I understand my Lord that this last year has been difficult, but I really feel that it would be very beneficial for him.” Mr James said trying to be as sensitive at possible.
“Um…of course. I will speak to him about it thank you for bringing it to my attention.” Anthony said looking back over at Benedict who was no looking at them with worry on his face. Mr James nodded and left to speak to some other parents and Benedict walked over looking more worried than before.
“What did Mr James want?” Benedict asked before Anthony was even able to greet him.
“We’ll talk about it later. You did so well!” Anthony said pulling Benedict into a deep tight hug. Benedict returned it burying his face into his brother’s chest and taking a deep breath.
“I missed a couple of notes in the middle,” He mumbled into his brother’s shirt causing Anthony to tighten his hold on him. “I was perfect Ben, no one but you noticed.” Anthony said pushing Benedict away so that he could look at the young boy, “I promise.” Benedict nodded and gave Anthony another hug.
“I need to get back out there I left Colin in charge of the troops. I fear he will be overrun if I leave them for too long. Have you packed your bag for the weekend?” Anthony asked fixing the collar of Benedict’s dress shirt. Benedict nodded, “Yep, I just need to go and change, and I will meet you at the car. I’ll be ten minutes.” He said before running off towards the dorms.
Colin was indeed overrun by the time Anthony got back to the main hall; Gregory was hanging off his pant leg while he balanced Hyacinth in one arm while holding the back of Eloise's jumper to stop her from running away.
Anthony scooped up Gregory and placed him on his hip, picked up the baby bag and hung it over his shoulder, “All good? Where are Daph and Fran?” he asked Colin looking around for their missing sisters. “They ran to the bathroom. It’s just outside the door I told them to wait for us there” he replied letting go of Eliseo’s jumper and taking her hand. They were stopped several times by parents remarking on Benedict’s performance and only made there escape when Hyacinth started to fuss, “It’s well passed her bedtime” Anthony had joked when one mothers looked at him with a hint of pity in her eyes. Daphne and Francesca where right where Colin said they would be, waiting by the woman’s bathroom door playing a hand clap game and laughing to each other.
“Take Greg’s hand Daphne please,’ Anthony said passing the little boy over his sister. With his extra free hand, he was able to open and search through the baby bag for the insulated bag that held Hyacinth’s warm bottles of milk. Walking and feeding had become a necessary skill he had perfected in the last year, and he was please to say he could balance Hyacinth, feed her, talk on the phone and pace the study if he needed to.
Benedict, like his sisters, was also where he said he would be. He was leaning against the car in a fresh set of clothes with an overnight bag at his feet. He smiled and squatted down as Gregory took off towards him as fast as his little legs could carry him, their sisters rushing after him. Anthony would have yelled out, “Don’t run in a carpark!” if he felt it would do anything. Benedict was bowled over by his siblings and they all tumbled to the ground in sounds of happy laugher. “My little menaces!” Anthony heard his brother shout from under the pile of little limbs on top of him.
“All right! Get off the ground and in the car please!” Anthony shouted as he gently pulled the bottle away from Hyacinth’s lips and burped her before placing her in the car seat and buckling her in tight and safe; he tucked the baby bag under the front seat making sure it wouldn’t move but was still within reach if it was needed. Benedict had climbed in and was in the process of trying to buckle in Gregory who seemed to have turned to a snake and was fighting his way back out of the car. With quick thinking Anthony shut the back door trapping the little by inside, at least he couldn’t escape he thought to himself as he heard the little boys angry yells from inside the car and saw his little face looking at him from the window as if expecting him to save him from Benedict. He went around to the back of the car where is sisters were waiting patiently and helped them all climb into the third row
The car ride to London was quiet, Gregory and Hyacinth had fallen asleep almost instantly in the middle row with Benedict dosing in-between them. After his mother died Anthony had attended some parenting classes with Hyacinth and was forever traumatised by stories about baby car seats being stuck in the third row after accidents. Even since then one of the older boys was always seated in the middle row with the babies and Fran, Daphne and El were exiled to the third row, where they were now sitting quietly with the light on reading and finishing homework. Colin was sitting next to him in the front with a journal resting on his lap as she wrote quickly across the pages. What had started as a grief journal that a child counsellor had recommend after the death of their parents has turned into a daily release for the young boy and Colin was routinely asking for extra money for stationary and new journals when he filled his old one. Anthony never asked what the boy was writing in them but from the drivers he could glance over and catch random words like he and his siblings names, things about school and London all written out in Colin’s annoyingly neat handwriting.
By the time they reached the outskirts of London, Anthony was the only one awake in the car, the radio had been turned down to a soft hum and he was contently steering the car through the familiar streets of his childhood. He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other was resting on the open window that was letting in cool summer air. The streets were empty, and the streetlamps were casting a soft orange glow over the landscape.
Turning the car into the tree lined Grosvenor Square the family Bridgerton House loomed at the end of the street. Still covered in purple wisteria the house looked untouched as if frozen in time. There were lights on inside indicating that the staff where still awake and waiting to greet the family. They hadn’t been here since the death of their parents; Anthony preferred the stay in a hotel that was close to his office if he ever needed to stay in London as the other children has shown little to no interest in visiting. So, it had stayed locked up, the gardens were kept in order and the inside looked over by the gardeners when they visited. But it was unlived in and empty. Until last week his parents’ bedroom was still untouched; their clothes still hanging in the wardrobe and shoes still tucked just inside their bedroom door. Family pictures had still hung on the walls, smiling faces looking back at all those who visited.
But not anymore, the pictures had been taken down and their parents room locked and sealed away. He wasn’t sure how his siblings would react to being back at the house and he was hoping that with less reminders of what had been, that it would be easier for them to settle in for the night. Staff from the estate had travelled in that morning to make ready the house, bedrooms had been aired out and bedsheets changed; the kitchen was reopened by their cook Mr Datson and Mrs Wilson had overseen the reopening and cleaning of the property.
Putting the car into park Anthony sat and stared at the house and took a deep breath. He could feel tears welling in his eyes and hastily wiped them before his siblings could wake up and see them. But he wasn’t quick enough and felt Benedict’s hand on his shoulder giving a comforting squeeze. He reached back and placed his hand over his brothers and gave it a tight squeeze back and mentally readied himself to leave the car.
