#i also did henry in a *cOUGH* maid dress and i hate how good he looks in it

[mr-and-mr-diaz]

Chapter 3, also today, as promised!

M/M Romance, Arranged Marriage  - Also available on AO3

Chapter 3: A Toast

"You are too kind to invite us all to such an intimate affair!" Lady Evelyn and Lady Burnett had arrived together, and the latter addressed me as soon as she waltzed into the parlour. "I had assumed you Mallory’s were all about cozying up to the nouveau riche." Burnett giggled delicately and glanced around the parlour, hoping her barb had hit the right audience. But Henry was not here yet. Nor, by my own plans, would he arrive for another half an hour.

"I prefer to think there is space for new friends and old. We shouldn't remain locked into ancient customs of fraternity. Ultimately we are the ones injured by such snobbery." I intoned.

The parlour door opened again to allow Miss Havisham through. She looked about uncertainly, noticing there were no other untitled in the room. She had no airs about her; out of the three ladies, she was the least scheming, though she was sharp. Of all three, I was cheering for her to get the golden egg.

"You ladies make yourselves comfortable whilst we wait on my betrothed." I murmured, reaching for the brandy and coated the bottom of a glass. The ladies tittered and I let the glass fill to the brim. I will need this.

"I must say, I was devastated to hear of your engagement to our circle’s most eligible bachelor." Murmured Lady Evelyn. "Really it was a blow." She sniffed

"He's only one of the most eligible, Lady Evelyn." Miss Havisham corrected. "There are quite a few who could match him for wealth."

"Ah, but influence! And ships!" Lady Burnett sniffed at her. "And surely even you would agree that he is by far the most charming and handsome."

In surprise, I looked down at my near-empty glass and reached for the decanter. Just one more... "I do apologize for having nabbed such a prize from under your noses, my ladies. But, I confess, it does give me great satisfaction to know that I will have such a man by my side in this life. I can only pray you too will be blessed with the same. But," I sighed, pouring myself a fresh drink. "There is really no one like him..." I trailed off, contemplating my glass.

"It is a wonder you got him at all, considering your family's most recent... history ." Lady Burnett put just enough emphasis on “history” to remind the room at large that I was little more than a living and breathing repayment of debt.

I swallowed half of my second drink-- the last one for now-- and played along. "I am amazed and blessed every day I remember! It appears I was so fortunate to be blessed with the one thing I least deserved in this life." And least wanted. I glanced across the room at Miss Havisham. Her eyes were slightly narrowed. Oh, I’m sorry, should I not have waved that under your nose quite so much?

"But, like anyone who has gotten something they least deserve, I worry every day that he will somehow be stolen away from me! Of course, then I remind myself that it's nigh impossible for such a thing to happen.” I finished confidently.

" Nigh impossible?" Questioned Lady Evelyn. "Pray tell, is there a way to lose such a fine man?" She could not control the excitement in her voice and I pretended not to hear it.

"There is one way. But I would never tell you ladies. I I did, then by tomorrow, the entire city would know!" Oh yes, because these ladies gossiping about such a valuable secret was definitely my chief concern.

"Oh, but we swear we wouldn't tell a soul!" Lady Burnett leaned forward in her seat. "And we can help you keep your man once we know how."

I smiled. "Oh alright. It's just... well, he is mine. But…” Pause for drama, “If he decides he wishes to sire a child and is with a woman in, well... in the way of the world " I suddenly found myself picturing Henry in the throes of passion and blushed, burying my face in the last of my brandy. "Well, then. my parents would be forced to break off the engagement to protect my honor. It's in the contract."

The two ladies gasped. Miss Havisham looked at me sideways.

"Oh, but that's terrible!" Lady Evelyn gasped. "We will do our best to ensure that such a thing would never happen!"

"What terrible thing should ever happen?" The door opened and Henry himself walked in. All the ladies' eyes followed his entrance and for a few moments I ceased to exist. I could understand why. He was dressed impeccably, in a snowy white shirt that emphasized his upper physique, and matching trousers and coat of the softest looking dove grey. A deep blue cravat brought his eyes to the forefront. Lord knew I hated the man, but for a moment he took even my breath away.

Lady Evelyn recovered after an admirable thirty seconds. "Oh, Mr. Shawdun, nothing whatsoever. Won't you have a drink? Lord Mallory was just telling me he had a long aged whiskey hidden in the room, and while I would surely get tipsy after a sniff, I'm sure you could drink it with nary a blink!" No sooner had she seen him than she was scheming to get him. I mentally congratulated myself on my choice of invitations.

He looked at her with a polite smile. "By all means, I am intrigued enough to try it." He turned to me and his smile softened. "Would you do me the honor of pouring me a glass of the drink that the lady describes, Philip?" He said my name with a smile and I felt a jolt of guilt in my gut.

"It would be my honor, Mr. Mallory." I murmured, reaching into the cabinet behind me for a truly dusty bottle of aged liquor that I had seen my father eyeing in the past.  Truly I didn't even know what it was, just that it was surely strong enough to knock out even the strongest of men, according to Father. I uncorked it, and the scent made my eyes water. Reaching for a glass, I splashed a generous amount inside. "Enjoy." I handed it to Henry with a smile.

He smiled back at me expectantly. "But where's your glass?"

I looked at him, nonplussed. "I already had a glass of younger whiskey before you arrived."

He grinned and reached for my glass, giving it a quick sniff and then grinning. "This is little more than ale. I would toast with you as equals, Philip. Unless you believe yourself the lesser man?" His eyebrows raised, and the women behind him tittered.

When I had planned to leave the room begging a headache from overdrinking, I did not imagine it would be because I was well and truly drunk. But it will have to do. My acting skills are rubbish anyway. I reached for a fresh glass and poured another generous portion, sitting in front of myself. "There we are, now we can make a toast. As equals. " I couldn't help but grit my teeth at the last part. In the current situation, I was little more than Henry's concubine and we both knew it.

He smiled at me, eyes softening further as he lifted his glass. "To your health and happiness, my Philip." He held my eyes, and for once I could smile back just as genuinely. Truly I cannot account for my health after drinking this, but my happiness is all but guaranteed. Keeping eye contact, we clicked the glasses and downed the contents.

A burning in my throat like I've never felt before set me coughing. I clutched at my face, keeping it covered until I could get the liquid hellfire down. Across from me, Miss Havisham broke into outright laughter at my expense, and even Henry chuckled, though I was gratified to hear that his voice was a bit strained. As soon as I could safely uncover my face I looked at him. He was still smiling, his eyes looking less focused than before, almost blurry.  

Eureka.

And so passed the next hour. We nibbled tiny things and the ladies laughed and kept a sharp eye on Henry's sobriety, as did I. Every so often I would offer him another drink and then he would insist, despite all my protests, that I join him in the toast. The room began to wave around me, and his laughs sounded freer and his movements more expansive. He even reached to take Miss Havisham's hand, holding it in his own passionately while whispering in her ear. It was time for my graceful exit.

I groaned. "Oh dear, I don't feel well. I think that last toast has done me in." I rose and swayed. "If you ladies would excuse me, I will go lie down for a bit. Please stay here and enjoy."

Henry rose as well. "I will accompany you, make sure you are comfortable."

I put up a hand. At least, I think I did. It was hard to tell which way was up. "No, no, these ladies were hoping for a good evening. Who am I if I walked away with such a charming host? Please look after them in my stead." Henry sat down again, slowly and I stumbled from the room.

The more I walked, the more ill I became. Even as my head pounded and my gorge threatened to rise, I knew it was worth it. One of the ladies would be leaving with more than she arrived with. I giggled sloppily. Perhaps a lot more. My private room was on the third floor, but I could not find the balance to get higher than the second floor landing. Dinner would not stay down. I stumbled for the indoor washroom.

I arrived not a moment too soon. Weaving drunkenly to the toilet, I dropped to my knees and hurled my guts out. It hurt. My eyes and nose ran, dripping onto the appalling pool of sick, and I kept hurling. I had never felt so miserable in my life. I had never been so drunk before and vowed then that I never would be again. I wished for a moment that Mother was home and feeling matronly enough to at least pat me on the back or the head. She had never been much for touching, though, always calling in the maid when I needed soothing. So I crouched by the toilet with my scheme born, my head clearing, and my throat and stomach sore from being sick. I clutched my middle, hating everything for a moment.

I heard steps behind me and a hand touched my back. Gentle pats at first, then circling, bigger and bigger, soothing strokes. I sighed softly and leaned over the toilet, tears still dripping down my face. I was well and truly miserable. And guilt at what would happen had started to take hold as well.

"It's' all so awful." I garbled around a thick tongue and sore palate.

"Drunkenness often is." Murmured a deep voice. I whirled around in recognition and dismay before quickly turning back to the toilet and heaving again.

"Why are you here?" I spat as soon as I could. "I asked you to attend the ladies downstairs. they must be," I gagged again, "Frightfully bored."

He sighed. "I sent them all home. They were disappointed at having the night cut short, but they understand that my priority is you."

I pressed my forehead to the cold seat of the toilet. It felt good. The rest of me felt worse, afflicting this much damage on myself to no end. "You were sup-p-posed to st-t-tay with them." Good grief, now I was well and truly crying.

"Until I got one of them with a child, I imagine?" I gasped, surprised and embarrassed to have my own scheme laid out before me. And me the one left utterly sloshed, no less. My humiliation could not possibly run deeper than it did now.

"Go home." I blubbered. I could barely make out the shape of his face as he regarded me.

"Not with you like this." He murmured. His hand continued stroking my back.

I elbowed him clumsily, trying to get him off. You smug bastard. Why should I feel guilty?! But of course I did. The situation was an unhappy one, but I had been trying to get him drunk enough that he would get someone with child. It was a terrible thing to do, yet his hand still stroked my back.

"How did you know?" I muttered.

He grinned. "Miss Havisham is my cousin. She made me aware of what might be at stake. She was excited to get to meet you, you know." He sighed. "I'm afraid you made a rather poor first impression."

"Good." I spat. "Maybe she will tell your father how unsuitable I am and then this farce can be over with!"

His hand stilled. "What is it about marrying me that you find so distasteful?"

"I hate you. I hate being shackled. To you." I added quickly. "You are smug, and proud, and so... so... so bloody handsome! I hate you!"

"That is a list of sins indeed." He could not hide the smile in his voice. I retched again.

"Go home."

"Not until you are comfortably settled." his tone was firm. The big fool would be a gentleman, even after I'd tried to set him up in the worst scandal.

"I will ' comfortably settled' myself, go home."

He sighed. "Stand up and walk to your room unaided. Then I'll know you need no further help and I will be out of your way."

"Whatever it takes to make you go away." I mumbled. I rose. Instantly I fell back to my knees, heaving. " Please leave me be." My eyes started watering again, humiliated.

"I will ring for a maid then." He decided. He rose and I grasped his sleeve at the last moment.

"They will laugh at me for years if they catch me like this."

"You leave me at an impasse then, Lord Mallory. I cannot leave you like this and you will not let me ring for help. We both know that you will be found eventually. Allow me to help you to your room."

I sighed. A small, tired sigh. "Ok."

#mm romance #arranged marriage au #the reluctant fiance #original story #original work #not well researched #historical inaccuracies #EVERYWHERE #Philip Marjory #Henry Shawdun

[cristinablackthornkingson]

Shadowhunter’s Short Story #30 part 2.

It was a calm Tuesday morning in 1887 and Charlotte Fairchild was due to hold a small meeting for a number of Clave members in her Idris home, in just a few hours to discuss who would take over the running of the York Institute. She knew she really ought to be preparing for the meeting, but instead she found herself in the drawing room, not yet dressed, watching her two sons interact. It had been a year since Matthew was born and he was the sweetest, happiest baby Charlotte had ever met. He hardly ever cried and always seemed to be so happy, he was also very clingy, he was constantly hanging off Charlotte’s skirts and running around after his father, but Charlotte and Henry did not mind, they loved that being with either of their boys, nothing made them happier. 

Charles adored his baby brother and was ever so sweet and gentle with him, he loved reading to Matthew and telling him stories. Matthew had only learned to walk a few months ago, and Charles had loved helping his brother get the hang of walking, and he loved teaching him to talk. At present, Matthew only said a select few words, such as ‘Mama’, but he would probably start talking properly very soon. Charlotte could not believe how fast the past year went, Charles was now 8 and in two years would start his training and receive his first Mark, Charlotte was very, very proud of him but it also broke her heart that her baby boy was growing up, she wanted to freeze him as he was, keep him and his brother small forever.

Matthew was also quiet close with Tessa and Will’s son, James, who was just a few months younger than him, in fact the age gap between James and Matthew was the exact same age gap between Will and Jem. Just a few weeks ago, Tessa had given birth to a beautiful baby girl who she and Will named Lucie, Charlotte had yet to meet her but was planning on visiting them all in London very soon, Matthew would love to have a play date with James, and Charles would enjoy seeing The Institute, they had moved to Idris when he was 3, so he did not remember much about living in The Institute. 

“Mrs Fairchild? Your meeting is in two hours, perhaps you should get dressed and have something to eat now?” Charlotte is broken from her thoughts by the sound of their maid’s- Amelia- voice. 

“Goodness is it really that time?” Charlotte asks in a tone of shock, glancing at the clock and realizing that was indeed already 10:00 a.m. and the meeting was scheduled for noon. She had not realized she had been sitting watching the boys for over an hour.

“Yes m’am, it is.” Amelia says. 

“Gracious, you two are just too cute for mummy to get any work done.” Charlotte lightly says, bending to kiss her sons. Matthew giggles and reaches to be lifted. 

“Mama!” He exclaims. Charlotte scoops him up and kisses his chubby cheek. 

“My sweet boy, you stay and play with your brother, mummy has to do some work.” Charlotte gently says, setting him back down beside Charles. 

“Can I help you mama?” Charles asks in a hopeful tone. In the last year, Charles has taken a big interest in The Law and the role of Consul and has decided he wants to be Consul some day too, and is forever trying to get into meetings with Charlotte and help her with her paperwork. 

“I’m afraid not, love, this meeting is for grown ups only.” Charlotte gently tells him. 

“But I am a grown up mama! I’m 8 now!” Charles exclaims. 

“While you are becoming very grown up, I’m afraid this meeting is not for anyone under 18, when you’re older, I promise you can come to meetings with me and I will teach you all about being Consul, for now you stay here and have fun with your brother, alright? I won’t be long, and then we can all do something together.” Charlotte gently explains. 

“Okay, I will make sure Matthew does not get into any trouble!” Charles says in a proud tone. 

“That’s my boy, you two be good for Amelia, do you hear me Mr. Matthew Fairchild?” Charlotte lightly says, directing her gaze to her youngest son. Though Matthew was mostly a very good little boy, he did love to get up to mischief and wander off on his own, Charlotte and Henry knew how to handle him, but poor Amelia found it very difficult to look after him, she was only 21, so Charlotte could not blame her for being so uneasy around a mischievous child. 

Matthew giggles and nods, his thick blonde hair falling into his face. 

“I love you both very much.” Charlotte softly says, giving them both one final kiss before reluctantly making her way upstairs to get ready for the day.

________________________________________________________________

It was now 12:30 p.m. and the meeting was in full process. The meeting was being held in the library of Charlotte and Henry’s home, since there were only 12 people in total attending this meeting, including Gideon, who was Charlotte’s right hand man. 

“Mr. Rosewain, could you tell me why you believe you are the best candidate for head of The York Institute?” Charlotte calmly asks Oliver Rosewain, one of the Shadowhunters who was hoping to appointed head of The York Institute. 

“Well I_” Rosewain does not get to finish his sentence, as right at that moment, the door to the library crashes open and little Matthew runs in, running straight to Charlotte with his arms out.

“Mama!” He exclaims. Charlotte knew it would be worthless trying to get Matthew back to the drawing room and keep him from running back here time and time again, he was teething right now and obviously in a lot of pain, and most of the time just wanted to be held by his mama, and Charlotte would not deny her child the simple pleasure of being close to her, when he was unwell.

Charlotte scoops her son up into her arms, pressing a kiss to his cheek and beginning to walk slowly around the library, as she use to walk all around the house with Matthew when he was unwell as a baby. She never liked sitting still during meetings anyway, and often got up and started pacing. 

“Please carry on Mr. Rosewain.” Charlotte calmly says. 

“Pardon me Mrs. Fairchild, but this is a meeting, not a daycare, no children under 18 are allowed in these meetings.” Mr. Rosewain says in an irritated tone. 

“Matthew won’t even be listening to us Mr. Rosewain, I assure you he does not understand what we’re talking about, he is only 1.” Charlotte says, brushing Matthew’s hair back from his face. 

“Still it is hardly appropriate, can your maid not look after him?” Rosewain asks. 

“She could, but Matthew does not want to be with Amelia, he wants to be with me, and he is not causing any disruption, he’s a perfectly behaved little boy, there is no reason he cannot stay, after all this is my meeting, in my home, so I think I shall be the one to establish the rules.” Charlotte firmly says.

“Mr. Lightwood, surely you agree this is ridiculous behavior!” Rosewain exclaims, looking to Gideon for support. 

“No I don’t agree with you Mr. Rosewain, not at all, as Charlotte said, Matthew is a very well behaved little boy and if he wants to be held by his mother for a while then I see no problem with that.” Gideon replies.

“Would you bring a child into a Clave meeting?” Mr. Rosewain asks. 

“Yes if my child needed me, my son is very unwell and I would do anything to make him happy and comfortable, if he wanted to be with me even though I was in a meeting, I would allow him to stay with me, as I would my daughters, but then again my Thomas is a mama’s boy so I doubt he would want to follow me into a meeting, but if he did, I would let him, when your child needs you, especially when they are unwell, you would move heaven and earth to be with them.” Gideon firmly says. He had not wanted to leave Thomas this morning, he was particularly unwell today, he had a bad cough and a high fever, The Silent Brothers were keeping an eye on him but it killed Gideon not to be there to make his son feel better, even though he was without a doubt being fussed over endlessly by his big sisters and mother. 

“If you have an issue with my son being here Mr. Rosewain you are welcome to leave.” Charlotte says.

“But_” Rosewain begins, before Gideon cuts him off. 

“Are you arguing with The Consul, Mr. Rosewain?” He asks. 

“No! No of course not!” Rosewain exclaims. 

“Well then either answer her question as to why you should run The Institute or leave, those are your options, pick one.” Gideon calmly says. Rosewain grumbles something unpleasant under his breath, not counting on Charlotte being able to hear him. 

“What was that you said Mr. Rosewain? Something about me being an unfit Consul and unfit mother?” Charlotte calmly asks, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“N-no, no, nothing at all, Mrs. Fairchild.” He stammers.

“Well can we carry on with the meeting then?” Charlotte asks. 

“Yes, of course Mrs. Fairchild.” Rosewain says in a reluctant tone. 

Thankfully, the rest of the meeting goes very smoothly, and Charlotte lets them all know she will be in touch once she has made her decision. 

When the meeting is over and everyone has left The Fairchild residence, Gideon makes his way over to Charlotte, who is now standing by the window, snuggling Matthew close to her.

“Charlotte, I am so sorry about how rude Mr. Rosewain was to you and Matthew, you do not deserve that kind of treatment.” Gideon softly says, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She smiles weakly at him and says

“You needn’t apologies Gideon, I very much appreciated how you stood up for me, I do not care what they say or think about me, but I could see how horrified they all were by Matthew, as if a little demon had run in and not a child, they can hate me all they like but they have no reason to hate my son.” 

“No, you’re right, Matthew is an innocent child, has never done anything wrong. You are a wonderful Consul Charlotte and a wonderful mother too, they are thoughtless fools to think so little of you.” Gideon says. 

“Thank you Gideon, how is Thomas?” Charlotte asks in a worried tone. 

“He’s been particularly unwell lately, he has a bad cough and is running a fever, The Silent Brothers are keeping an eye on him and of course he is being fussed over endlessly by Sophie and Barbara and Eugenia, I did not want to leave him this morning.” Gideon quietly says. He could not wait to get back home and hug his children tightly and sit with his son for a while, perhaps Gabriel and Cecily would call around with Anna and Christopher, that would cheer Thomas up. 

“If there is anything I can ever do, please let me know.” Charlotte says in a sympathetic tone. “I don’t know how you both cope, if it were one of my boys..... well I simply cannot think of it.” she adds, pressing a kiss to Matthew’s forehead. 

“It is very difficult but we were blessed with two healthy daughters before Thomas and we are blessed that he made it through those first few months, but Sophie and I, we would give anything for him to be healthy., it’s all any parent ever wants, a healthy baby.” Gideon softly says, reaching out to softly brush Matthew’s hair back. Matthew grins at him and reaches out to grab his hand. 

“You love your Uncle Gideon, don’t you Matthew?” Charlotte softly says. Matthew nods enthusiastically, still grinning at his uncle. 

“As I love you little one, I’m afraid I must be going now though, I need to be with my own little boy.”Gideon says. 

“Of course, I understand, give Sophie and the children my love.” Charlotte gently says, reaching out and squeezing Gideon’s hand.

“I always do, goodbye Charlotte, goodbye sweet Matthew, I will see you soon.” He gently says, leaning in to kiss Charlotte on the cheek and then pecking Matthew on the forehead. 

Once Gideon leaves, Charlotte makes her way to the drawing room, where she is greeted by Henry and Charles. 

“How was your meeting, Lottie?” Henry asks, as Charlotte takes a seat on the couch, settling Matthew on her lap. 

“I suppose you could say it was eventful, Oliver Rosewain was non to pleased about Matthew joining us, I believe I heard him call me an unfit Consul and mother, under his breath.” Charlotte says in a tight tone, trying to hold back her tears. 

“Oh Lottie darling, you are far from a bad mother or Consul, you are one of the most wonderful Consul’s we have ever had and you are such a wonderful mother, our boys love you so much and you are amazing with them, that Rosewain fool has no idea what he is talking about, you mustn't listen to him Lottie, he does not know you as I do or as our boys do, and well think you are absolutely wonderful.” Henry gently says, grasping her hand in his. Charlotte smiles wearily at her husband and through her tears, says

“What would I do without you?” 

“I think it is I who should be asking you that, forget about the meeting Lottie, take the rest of the day off. While you were in the meeting I received a fire message from Tessa and Will, they want to come visit with the children.” Henry says.

“Oh that would be lovely, did you respond to them?” Charlotte asks. 

“Not yet, I wanted to make sure you were up for visitors, I’ll go reply to them now, shall I?” Henry asks. 

“Yes, do! Matthew, do you want to play with Jamie?” Charlotte asks in a bright tone, turning Matthew so that he was facing her. His bright green eyes light up in delight. 

“Jamie!” He exclaims in delight. Charlotte was glad that Jamie and Matthew got along so well, since Will and Tessa were like a son and daughter to her, it meant a lot to her that their children got along well. 

________________________________________________________________

Tessa, Will, James and baby Lucie had arrived about 20 minutes ago, shy little Jamie was still clinging to Will’s leg, insisting that he didn't want to play with Matthew. Matthew was seemingly fine with this, and went to play with Charles, hopefully Jamie will warm up soon and go play with the boys. Right now Charlotte is holding little Lucie, with Henry at her side, and they are both gushing over the sweet little girl, remembering when their boys had been this small.

“She is so beautiful, she looks just like you, Tessa.” Charlotte softly says, running a hand over Lucie’s wispy brown hair. 

“William is absolutely thrilled that she looks like me, though I’m thrilled she has his eyes.” Tessa softly says, leaning her head against Will’s shoulder. 

“I wanted Jamie to look like his beautiful mama, but he got my dashingly handsome good looks, although it did not really matter which of us Lucie and James ended up looking like, with us as parents, they would always be beautiful!” Will says.

“They would be beautiful and perfect no matter what.” Tessa softly says. 

“That is very true, my beautiful Tess.” Will says, putting an arm around Tessa and kissing the top of her head.

“I do so hope we have a daughter someday.” Henry softly says, letting Lucie grip onto his finger. He simply adored babies, and this little one was no exception, she was such a lovely, sweet little thing, Henry just wanted to cuddle her all day long. 

“So do I, it would be so nice to give the boys a sister.” Charlotte replies. 

“Are you planning on having a baby soon?” Will curiously asks. 

“Oh no, not anytime soon, I don’t know how you two manage with the one year age gap between Jamie and Lucie, we would like there to be about 5 or so years between Matthew and our next child.” Charlotte replies. 

“Well if I am being truthful, you know Jamie was a surprise, but so was Lucie, we did not plan on having another for quiet a few years, we were not entirely sure we could have another, we thought perhaps Jamie was a miracle, so we weren’t exactly as careful as we should have been, and our sweet Lucie was the result.” Will softly says. He had been astonished when Tessa had told him she was pregnant with Lucie, perhaps more astonished than he had been when she told him she was pregnant with James, he didn’t even fully believe it until Jem came to check Tessa and the baby over and told them that everything was healthy and they were expecting a baby girl, but he was thrilled too, being a father and being Tessa’s husband were the best things he had ever done.

Just then, Matthew comes toddling over with a book clutched in his hands. 

“Aunty Tess, you read?” He asks Tessa in a hopeful tone, holding the book out to her. Tessa smiles brightly at her little nephew. 

“I would love to read to you Matthew, come here.” She says, holding her arms out for him, lifting him onto her lap.

“Would you like me to read you a story after your Aunty Tessa has read to you?” Will gently offers. Matthew shakes his head vigorously. 

“Nu uh! Only Aunty Tess read!” He exclaims, cuddling into his aunty. Tessa smiles smugly at Will over Matthew’s mop of blonde curls. 

“But Matthew I am meant to be your fun Uncle Will!” Will exclaims. 

“You silly!” Matthew tells him, wrapping his arms around Tessa’s neck. 

“Well that is very unkind! You have broken your poor Uncle’s heart, Matthew, I do not think I shall ever recover, In fact, Charlotte I think I shall need the assistance of a Silent Brother, could you be so kind as to summon Jem?” Will asks in a dramatic tone. Charlotte laughs lightly and pats Will on the arm. 

“I think you will live William.” She says in an amused tone. 

“I do not! Your son has greatly insulted me!” Will exclaims. 

“Just what are we going to do with your papa, Lucie?” Charlotte coos to the little girl, dozing in her arms, placing a kiss to her little forehead.

“Lucie! Defend your father!” Will says, reaching out to stroke his daughter’s hair. Lucie does not flinch, staying fast asleep, curled up in her Aunt Charlotte’s arms. 

“Lucie would rather you let her rest, if you wake her you can stay up with her tonight, William.” Tessa says. 

“But how will I feed her?” Will asks, dropping the dramatic act and turning his loving gaze to his wife. 

“You will have to figure that one out yourself William, though you will not have to worry about it, if you let her sleep.” Tessa says, unable to hold back a grin. 

“You are not fun.” Will says, leaning his forehead against hers. 

“Sensible is not an acronym for no fun, Will.” Tessa lightly replies. 

“You were not very sensible in marrying me, I drive you mad.” Will lightly says. Tessa giggles and says

“Yes you do, but I would not have it any other way.” 

Tessa, Will and the children stay for another few hours before it starts to grow late and they decide it is time for them to go home and get the children ready for bed. 

Charlotte ends the day as she began it, sitting in the drawing room, watching Matthew and Charles playing together, only this time Henry was by her side. She loved nothing more than just sitting and watching her boys, who brought her so much joy. although little did she know what trouble they will bring her when they grow up.

#charles fairchild #charlotte fairchild #matthew fairchild #henry branwell #gideon lightwood #sophie lightwood #sophie collins #cecily herondale #gabriel lightwood #thomas lightwood #barbara lightwood #eugenia lightwood #anna lightwood #christopher lightwood #jem carstairs #brother zachariah #tessa gray #william herondale #james herondale #lucie herondale #the infernal devices #the last hours #the shadowhunter chronicles #shadowhunters #cassandra clare #shadowhuntershortstories

[imgilmoregirl]

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Notes: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the delay with the chapter and the answer for you comments, but anxierty decided to show up again this week and I've been feeling sick and unable to do most things. However here we are again and I want to thank you all for all those kudos and for reading this fic all over again - or for the first time. Anyway, I'm sending virtual hugs to everyone.

Chapter Seven

Standing by the front door of the Dark Castle were four people, Rumplestiltskin, his lady Belle, a dark-haired woman, dressed in a purple gown, and a tiny boy around four-years-old that was asleep in her arms. Her jaw dropped when Belle showed up.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Rumple screamed angrily at his lover, but in his eyes, the fear for her life was clear.

“Let her stay.” The former maid repeated. “She only wants to keep her son safe.”

“Belle, this woman is the Evil Queen.”

A smirk formed on the woman’s lips. “As I’m no longer a queen, I prefer to be called Regina, if you don’t mind, dearie.” She said and then turned to Belle. "But, thank you, it's good to know that there are still people with a heart around here."

"Was that supposed to be a pun? Because it wasn't funny.” Rumplestiltskin replied in a very impish voice. “And she shouldn't be here, since I, her master, commanded her to stay in her chambers."

Regina laughed out loud. "Her master? You're clearly more than that, Rumple. The girl is with child."

"No one said that her bastard is mine. She is only a maid, a very inconvenient maid." Rumple said with a roll of his reptilian eyes.

That hit her hard, as if he had stabbed her with a sword. She couldn’t believe his words, he was not just calling out the fact that her child was illegitimate, but was also disowning it. Her hands pressed against her stomach, tears starting to stream down her cheeks.

Glancing at her, Rumple raised his hands to touch her, but let them fall down to his sides. "Belle, don't - " he started to say, looking a little desperate, before snapping at the other woman: "See what you've done? Get the hell out of my castle, Regina!"

Belle shook her head. "No, she stays. She can be in the dungeons with me if you'd like, master, but I can't let her leave to watch her son die." Wiping her tears, the former maid gesticulated for Regina to get inside the castle. "Come with me."

"You're disobeying me, you insolate girl.” Rumplestiltskin stormed. “This woman could kill you and your child quicker than you can blink."

"But she wouldn't,” She assured, giving a look to Regina, that she considered to be her most intimidating one. “Not when I'm going to save her son's life."

"Yeah, she's right. Today I'm not a threat, just a worried mother."

Taking a deep breath, the imp grabbed the dark-haired woman’s arm tightly. "Listen to me, if you try to do anything, I will kill you in as painful a way as possible."

"Understood." She said, impatiently with a nod.

Waving a hand, the former maid spoke: "Come on. I'll lead you to the dungeons and then get the potions your boy needs."

"Thank you, Belle."

They went down the stairs, were the dungeons were set and she looked for the better one, which had been her room for some time when she arrived the Dark Castle. It wouldn’t be great like proper chambers, but it was the best that she could offer.

Opening the door, she let Regina enter it. "You can lay him on that bed,” Belle said. “It's not exactly comfortable but I doubt Rumple would let me take you to one of the guestrooms."

"This is fine."

"I'm going to get the potions."

Her heart was still aching and she wasn’t crying because she didn’t want Regina to see how affected she was. And Belle wanted to help that poor boy with that terrible fever, so she moved through the castle and went to the tower where Rumplestiltskin’s potion laboratory was, to get what she needed.

She refused to let her hand leave her belly. The feel of her child moving inside her, the only thing that really kept her from falling apart as she pushed the door open to find the imp pouring a glass of what she believed to be wine. Trying to ignore him, she moved directly to the potions’ table.

"Belle." He called.

She kept searching for what she needed, uncertain of what were the right ones.

"Don't you dare speak to me."

"Sweetheart, please - "

Turning around, she gave him a disgusted look, the tears immediately coming to her eyes. "You know, I could have taken all the things you said about me in front of that woman, but you called our baby a bastard. You disowned your own child!"

"I - I had to.” He defended himself. “This is the Evil Queen, Belle! She needed to believe that I don't care for you and the baby, or who knows what she would do to you!"

"She's smarter than that. You can't fool someone like her and you know it, so yes, you’ve hurt me for nothing."

He breathed in, pitching his temples in a stressed movement. "You should have stayed in the nursery, so we would never have had this argument."

Belle held up her hand, too angry to continue in the same room as him. "Give me the potions, Rumplestiltskin."

With a sigh, he crossed the laboratory, walking towards the potions’ table to grab the right liquids for her, putting two small bottles in her hand, closing her fingers around it and let her leave, going straight back to the dungeons.

The little boy was laid on the bed, with Regina by his side, stroking his dark brown hair. Belle smiled at the scene and held the bottle out to the former Evil Queen. "Here make him drink this. It's for the fever."

Regina nodded, grabbing the bottle and opening the lid, shaking the boy’s shoulder. "Henry, wake up."

His eyelids trembled before opening and he coughed. "Mom - "

"It's alright, we are safe. Drink this." Regina said with a soft smile, lifting the bottle to his lips, until he had drunk every last drop of it. "Good boy, you can go back to sleep now, I'll be watching over you."

Henry didn’t even argue, before she could finish her sentence, his eyes had already closed again and he was leaning into the pillow. Belle always had a soft spot for children, but now that she was pregnant, her affection for them had grown bigger, making a huge smile impossible not to appear on her lips.

"Your son is really cute." She said.

"Thank you.” Regina replied with an equally big smile. “He is everything I have."

"Where is the father?"

"I don't know. I never met him." When Belle raised an eyebrow in surprise she felt compelled to explain: "Oh, Henry is my adoptive son, but he is actually Princess Emma's boy."

Her eyes widened. Belle was a highborn lady and had the chance of knowing a lot of royal people. Emma was some years older than her and was one of the most loved princess in their realm, as she was the daughter of the one’s who had freed the land of the Evil Queen, who was now sitting right in front of her, not looking very evil.

"Princess Emma? Snow White's daughter?” She questioned. “I thought you and Snow hated each other."

"Believe me, we do. It was her soldiers that were chasing me, after seeing that I wasn’t as banished as they wished."

Belle’s gaze fell down to the boy, soundly asleep, unaware of their talk. "And why is Henry with you, and not them?"

"Some years ago, Princess Emma had a torrid affair with a thief she met on the roads during one of her trips. Henry was the result, but she wasn't married and didn't wanted her parents to have to deal with the scandal her pregnancy would cause, so she spent some months hidden with me, while they thought she was visiting a friend in Arendelle. When he was born, I took him as my son and every year I bring him here to see his other mom."

"That is very sweet of you."

Regina sighed. "I do it for Henry."

Questions kept burning inside of Belle’s head and they were too tempting for her to ignore. "How did you come to help the princess when you hate her mother?"

"I was her secret mentor. Princess Emma has magic and when she was younger she looked for me and asked me to teach her without her parents knowing. First, I did it to have something to bother Snow and Charming, but then, we actually became friends."

By the way her voice was soft when she talked about the princess, Belle believe it to be true. Although memories from her childhood, where the maids in her father’s castle couldn’t help, but spread lots of gossip about the Evil Queen and the Charming’s came to her mind, alerting her to the fact that Regina was already a married woman when she was only a little girl.

"I'm sorry if it is rude to ask, but is it magic that is keeping you young? I believe you should be older than Snow."

"You are right in both things. Spells can be quiet incredible in some matters." Regina said in an arrogant way, but stopped when Belle gasped, gripping at the base of her belly and leaning a hand to the wall, to keep herself from falling. "What is it?"

She took a moment to answer, wanting to be sure that blood wouldn’t drip from her again and the pain wouldn’t return. When neither of those things happened, Belle sighed in relief, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, soft fingers smoothing her baby bump.

"Nothing.” The young lady finally managed to say. “I shouldn't be out of bed, I almost had a miscarriage in the beginning of the week, I guess this pain came to remind me of that."

Regina’s hand came closer to her, as she asked for permission to touch her belly with a questionable look. She nodded, letting the other woman place her palm on it, feeling the baby kick right on the spot that she pressed.

"Belle has Rumplestiltskin forced you into his bed?” She asked in a serious tone, her dark eyes, really showing concern. “Is he hurting you?"

"What? No, he never did such a thing."

"But you slept with him.” Regina pointed out. “I can feel the magic in this baby."

Belle’s mouth fell open. "My - my child has magic?"

"Powerful magic."

"Oh, gods." A tear rolled down her face as new fears started to haunt her.

Until now she hadn’t considered that her baby could have inherited this from its father, but she had been a fool to not see that one coming. Rumplestiltskin was a powerful sorcerer, of course any child of his would have magic, she didn’t know why she was crying over it, until she realized she wasn’t. Her baby was going to be fine, because he would be here to teach it to only use it’s gifts for good, but her heart, otherwise, was broken.

"Hey, you don't have to worry, this isn't a bad thing at all."

"I know, I am just sad about something else."

Giving her an incisive glance, Regina asked: "What Rumple said to me earlier? He was just being a jerk, like usual, but he was also trying to protect you."

"Yeah, I know."

The woman pulled her hand away from Belle, adjusting her sitting position, while seeming to be lost in thoughts. "I think you should go sleep somewhere more comfortable than these dungeons."

"Will you be alright alone here?"

"Sure, I have my Henry to look after."

Standing up, Belle offered her the other bottle she was still holding. "Give him this potion if the fever returns."

"Sure.” Regina said, taking the bottle from her and taking an attentive look at it. “I'm very grateful."

She smiled for her one last time before leaving the dungeons and making her way to her chambers, knowing that she would have to face Rumple now. Belle calmed herself the best she could, before pushing the door open to find him sitting on their bed, wearing nothing but a long nightshirt. Closing the door again, she leaned against it, ready to confront her lover.

"Did you know that my baby has magic?"

"Yes." He answered, coldly.

"And didn't you consider telling me? The mother?"

Rumplestiltskin snorted. "I only found it out today, when we felt it kicking."

"Right."

Turning her back to him, she went to the closet and unlaced her dress, taking it off and putting on a nightgown, before coming back and laying under the covers of the bed by his side, her back turned to him in a clear move that showed she didn’t wanted to talk anymore.

He moved on his side, following her example and laying down before letting a hand stroke her bare arm gently. "I'm sorry for what I said, Belle. I didn't mean to hurt you."

The hand continued to make its way over her body, traveling to the hem of her nightgown, pulling it up as his fingers found their way to her inner thighs, starting to rub her core. Belle closed her legs more tightly when she realised what he was doing, making Rumple pull away.

"No.” She said, firmly. “Not today."

"You never rejected my touch."

"And I'm not rejecting it now, I'm just saying that today I'm too angry with you to do this."

"Belle, sweetheart, look at me.” He begged and even with her aching heart, she couldn’t ignore him, when he sounded so human and desperate like that, so she rolled to the other side, facing him. “I am truly sorry and I will never disown our child again."

Her lower lip trembled. "You called it a bastard. That made me feel like a whore."

"Oh, Belle - "

"And at this moment I hate how much I love you, how much I need you and how I'm eager for your touch."

She locked their lips together in the most awkward and messy kiss they had ever shared. Belle was crying, angry, sad and, more than anything, she was in love with him and no matter how badly he hurt her, she was always going to want him.

They started making out without saying another thing, just letting their gasps and groans fill the silence of the night until they joined bodies as one, desiring the other as much as they did on any other day. What really got Belle surprised, however was that when Rumplestiltskin lifted his face from her neck, still thrusting inside her, she saw that he had tears in his eyes.

“Sorry, Belle.” He said, breathless. “You gave me your heart and all I ever do is to break it.”

“I’m yours -” she said, with a moan. “It is never going to change, but I would appreciate it if you try not to break my heart so often.”

A groan left him and their little talk was left aside by the burning feeling of their bodies moving together to lead them to release.

…

The moonlight that entered the room through the open window, illuminated Belle's peaceful sleeping face beautifully. Rumplestiltskin got dressed, observing her all the time, cursing himself for hurting such an angelic thing like her.

He bent to press a kiss to her lips softly before doing the same thing to her swollen belly, covered by the thin sheets, mentally asking his child for forgiveness for the mistake he had committed that night. He would never ever disown that baby again, it was too precious to him. Belle and his child were Rumplestiltskin's chance of happiness and he would take care of his family at any cost.

He snuck out of their chambers and went down stairs, sensing the wakened presence of Regina out of the dungeons. When he reached the dining hall, he found her sitting by the table with a piece of pie in front of her.

"The agreement was for you to stay where you were told to. My dungeons."

She raised an eyebrow, turning the fork around on her fingers. "Well, I didn't make any agreement with you, but with that lovely lady you defiled and I'm sure that someone so kind as her wouldn't deny me a piece of apple pie."

"You are playing a very dangerous game, dearie."

Eating one more piece of her pie, she put the fork down, before speaking: "I still can't believe that you made a child with her."

Slowly walking towards her, Rumplestiltskin held up a hand and Regina began to cough for air, feeling an invisible force pressing her throat.

"Listen to me, you will never speak of what you saw inside this castle. You will pretend you don't know Belle is living here and that she carries a baby, do you understand?"

Weakly nodding she breathed in all the air she could when the pressure was gone, glancing at Rumple with rage.

"You can try keeping your child a secret, but out there everybody talks about Belle. They know you got her from a deal and they have a good idea of what you are doing to her this whole time. She has been called the Dark One's whore."

"Don't you ever call her that again!" He stormed. "Belle is the lady of this castle, she is a respectable, kind woman and I don't care for what the rumours say."

"Good for her that she's never going to get out of here, because this reputation you're defending is gone. She gave herself to you and as good-hearted as she can be, nobody will ever look at her the same way they did before, especially now that she has a bastard in her womb."

"My child is not a bastard."

"It was you who said so, Rumple." And let's face it, no matter how many times you make your maid moan your name, you will never make her your wife." She said with a daring smile.

Rumplestiltskin was losing his nerves with her, in that moment he really wished to fulfil his threats and kill the woman, but for the sake of everything he had with Belle, the only thing he did was to approach Regina and cruelly say: "Yes, like no matter how many times Henry calls you mom, it won't make you his real mother."

The dark-haired woman stood up.

"Goodnight, Dark One and thank you for having me as your guest. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

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