EVERYTHING AND THE MOON

Chapter SIXTEEN

Michael,

Here's the truth: You're an overprotective tyrant!!!

I'm not a delicate flower to be kept from harm.

I can take care of myself.

There is no need for you to fuss over me so much!

It was just a chair! And I moved it half an inch to the side!!! There was no need to order those two footmen to follow me around the house!!! 24/7!!!

Each time I turn there's someone trying to help me, or to take care of me … or to feed me something!!!!

Really, I think you're going way over the top!

I'm pregnant not invalid.

By the way, now that we are into the subject… you better pray for a boy, Michael, because there's no way I'm going through this again!!! The morning sickness is just a killer!

Killer!!!!

Anyway… I need to finish Nikki's angel costume for the school's pageant and then we are going to start with the Christmas decorations. So… could you make yourself useful and get me a big chocolate cake from the bakery I like?

Would you, love? For me, please?

All right well don't come home too late.

Love,

Jenny.

From Jennifer, Marchioness of Danforth to her husband Michael Evencort, Marquis of Danforth as their first Christmas together drew near.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Jenny

"Darling, you have to take your costume off." I said gently.

"But I like it, Mama." Nikki said toying with her long white robe. She had big wings and even the little halo-tiara, I had it special ordered from the hat store. She and Maddy were going to be reciting some Christmas verse at their school dressed as angels.

"And you look lovely, but you wouldn't want to spill tea or jam on it and then have a dirty costume for the big night. Now, would you?"

"No." Nikki said and shook her head vigorously remembering all too well what had happened at Maddy's seven-year birthday party. "I'll go change." She said and ran up the stairs.

"Don't take too long, or I'll start decorating without you!" I called after her but we both knew I would wait until she came down.

Christmas was in the air! And I loved it! Our cook kept making Christmas cookies, buns and cakes. The air constantly smelled of cinnamon, which I loved. Life was so, so good.

Nikki came down soon enough and we began to decorate the Christmas tree in the family room. We had at least half a dozen trees in the house. One in the entrance hall, a HUGE one in the ballroom, another in the servants' hall, another one in the formal sitting room, yet another in the parlor and then the family one in the private family room.

This last one Nikki and I were decorating; the rest the Mrs. Bartlett and Mr. Kingwood – the Housekeeper and Butler – had supervised their decorations as well as with the rest of the house. Michael's orders, so I wouldn't over exert myself. But I had fought for my right to decorate the family room.

Nikki and I worked for about an hour getting the glass spheres and other decorations in the low branches and I had climbed a couple of step-boxes to reach the higher branches when Michael arrived.

"JENNIFER EVENCORT, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" He demanded and strode towards me and helped me down the step-boxes. "You could have fallen and hurt yourself or the baby!"

"I had it under control!" I protested but he wouldn't listen. Michael carried me to a comfortable stuffed chair and settled me there. "I was perfectly safe!"

"You've been clumsy of late, and you know it."

"I was having some dizzy spells! The doctor said that was normal! And that now that I'm on my fourth month I should be fine!"

"Well, I'm not taking any chances with you or baby." Michael said. "Nikki and I will finish with this tree of yours. All you have to do is lay back and order us about."

I sighed.

It wasn't as if my pregnancy was THAT evident yet! I still had more or less the same girth… and yeah, it was true that all my dresses had been let out a bit at the bust area and that I had been wearing high waisted gowns to conceal my condition as it was proper but…

Never mind.

There was no point on arguing with Michael about it.

I sat there and told Michael and Nikki how I wanted the tree to be decorated, and they did a pretty good job at it, so I was pleased.

"Can I put the star on the top?" Nikki asked as she looked for the special star Lady Caitlyn had given us for our tree. It was made of cut glass and sparkled beautifully. Nikki had loved since Lady Caitlyn gave it to us last week, sort of an early Christmas present.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." Michael said indulgently, and lifted Nikki on his shoulders so she could reach the top of the tree. Then he stepped back, put Nikki down and they admired the result of their efforts.

Nikki rested her head on Michael's side and looked up to the crystal star, as it caught the late evening light and threw sparkles about the room.

"Well," I said after moment of peaceful silence. "You two tidy up here and I'll go ask for some refreshments and tea." I said, ditching out on cleaning up.

I wandered in direction of the kitchen, my pace slower than my usual.

"Mr. Kingwood! Have you seen Mrs. Bartlett?" I called as I saw the butler standing in the entrance.

As he turned to answer me, I realized there was someone else there. "Do we have a caller?"

"Eh…" I could see he wanted to answer but something had shocked him and he couldn't quite get the words out.

"Mr. Kingwood?" I asked as I reached him in the hall. It took me full five seconds to recognize Adele. I hadn't expected to see her ever again…

"What are you doing here?" She demanded rudely.

"I don't see why I should answer you, Mrs. Drake." I answered coolly. "What do you want?" I added almost snarling. But really, the woman put me in a foul mood.

"Don't use that insolent tone with me! I'm…"

"A deceitful cow?"

"How you dare…"

"Jenny?" Michael's voice called as he and Nikki descended the stairs. "What is…?" Then he noticed Adele's standing in our hall, his lips formed a straight, angry line and his eyes turned hard.

Michael shot Adele a look that would have made a grown main writhe. Nikki noticed the tension, she looked at me and at Michael and then at Adele and then back to Michael. When he reached my side, he wrapped an arm around my mid-section as if to protect the tiny life inside of me. Something that was too precious for him.

Adele's eyes shot to my mid-section and widened. I guess she hadn't noticed my pregnancy at first but did now.

Michael kissed my temple and then whispered into my ear: "Take Nikki."

I nodded and reached for Nikki's hand, she immediately put her hand on mine, her little fingers wrapping around my own.

She half hid herself behind my skirts, looking at Adele… I don't think she recognized her… it was a display of a child's natural perception, sensing the ugliness of Adele's heart underneath her pretty exterior.

"Go ahead with your Mother, sweetheart. I'll be right with you." Michael said to Nikki.

"Yes, Papa." Nikki answered, kind of happy to get away from Adele. "Mama, I almost forgot to tell you, my friend Lily said…"

I tried to concentrate and pay attention to her lively chatter, but my mind was back with Michael. Adele never meant good news.

..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--...

Michael

I waited until Jenny had taken Nikki away, then I turned on Adele.

Adele's eyes were narrowed. "Do you let my daughter call that… servant 'mother'?"

"She is Nicole's mother and my wife."

"I am Nicole's mother."

"You're Nicole's nothing." I said forcefully. "May I remind you that Adam left her to me?"

"I can fight for her; I'll appeal to the courts if I have to. I've remarried, to Lord Overland," I knew Overland, he was at least seventy and a well known lecherous swine who had married four times to women much younger than himself, and so far he hadn't managed to produce an heir. The gossips said that he had pursued several crazy schemes to get a child… any child. "I've told Overland about my Nicole, he intends to make her his heir and…"

I shook my head. "I knew money would take part here at some point. But you've forgotten something, Adele; you gave up all parental rights where my daughter is concerned. I still have the paper you signed… and no court will give her to you when they find out you sold her off for measly two thousand pounds. Adele, get the hell out of my house. And stay away from my family."

"I'll fight you on this." Adele snarled. "If my husband makes my daughter his heir I would get far more than a stinking two thousand pounds. I won't play dumb, you know what motivates me: money."

"I have more money that your husband ever will." I said. "I won't give you a cent of it; you have no legal rights here. And if you dare to come close to my wife or daughter ever again I'll kill you with my bare hands. Get out of my house."

"I won't…"

Since I wasn't in the mood for another Adele-tirade, I grabbed her arm and dragged her down the steps. "I believe I told you to get out." I snarled and threw her out the exterior gate. "Don't come back here, ever."

I could hear her yell profanities at me as I made my way back into the house. There was something about never going away and how I would be sorry and other things I didn't care about at all.

I heard a carriage passing, a shout and then nothing. I slammed the door after me.

"Kingwood!" I said as the door closed. "If that woman ever comes around here again, call the police. Don't let her come close to Lady Danforth or Miss Nicole, do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord." Kingwood said perplexed.

"I mean it."

"Yes, my lord." He repeated with a great deal more of conviction.

I nodded and went to look for Jenny. She was in the breakfast room with Nikki.

"Who was that woman, Mama?"

"Don't you want another biscuit?" Jenny asked and waited until Nikki had taken it to answer. "That woman was an old acquaintance of your father."

"I don't like her. I hope she doesn't come back."

"I don't think she will." I said as I strode in appearing as casual as I could. "I don't like her much either,"

"Good." Nikki said with a giggle. "Papa, I was telling Mama than my friend Lily invited me to her house tomorrow after school. Can I go?"

"Sure, sweetheart." I said and proceeded to forget all about Adele, I knew I would have to discuss it later with Jenny, but we both knew Nikki was likely to eavesdrop so it was better to wait.

Wait until the next morning, actually, since Jenny fell asleep as soon as she laid her head down. "See you later, Papa." Nikki said as she ran to my seat to kiss me before she went to school.

"Be good, sweet." I said and she smiled back rather cheekily.

"Bye Mama."

"Have fun."

We waited until we were sure Nikki was gone before Jenny rose from her seat and came to me. She sat down on my lap and I cuddled her close. "What happened yesterday with Adele?"

I brushed her soft hair away from her eyes. "Nothing of importance. She said she wanted to take Nikki back. I told her that wasn't happening anytime soon. There is nothing she can do, Adele has no legal claim on our Nikki and even if she did, no court would give Nikki to Adele."

"I hope you're right. A court battle and the scandal following it would only hurt and confuse Nikki."

"I'm sure..." I began but was distracted by the picture in the front page of the newspaper. "I'm sure it all will be al right."

"I hope so." She said and laid her head on my shoulder. "Do you really have to go to work today?" She added, dismissing the subject of Adele. "Because I was thinking perhaps we should take advantage of the fact Nikki will be at school all morning to…"

"Yes?"

"Get the Christmas shopping done."

I pretended to be disappointed. And I was, a little, I did want to go upstairs with Jenny and take advantage of our privacy, but I guess that would have to wait. "I guess I don't REALLY have to go to work this morning."

"Wonderful!" She said cheerfully and stood up. "I'm going for my hat!"

I smiled as she went away and took the paper and unfolded it.

As I had first realized, the picture was of a house down the road a little ways from ours. The article said something about a woman being run over by a horse the previous evening. The reported name of the victim was Adele Overland.

A shock, really –the newspaper reported – that the young Lady Overland died before the old lord.

A shock indeed.

I better hid the paper from Jenny. Not good for her and the baby to finding out just then why I was 'sure' Adele would present no further problem.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Jenny

The funny thing about pregnancy is that you plan and wait for nine months and then, when it's time, it happens very fast and when it's lest expected.

Michael and I tried to make Nikki's first Christmas wonderful. After the holidays were done, we focused primarily on the baby and my health. As my belly grew, so did Michael's fussing. I sighed and groaned but let him go on with it and did as he said.

It was a few days after May Day when it happened. The weather had grown warm and balmy. It had been storming most of the night – and Nikki had been sleeping in our bed, between Michael and me – it was late, almost three in the morning and it had begun to thunder.

I was sitting up in bed eating a sandwich and trying to read a magazine. Michael and Nikki were used to my insomnia so they just went on sleeping.

A thunder cracked in the skies and a lighting bolt lit the room. Later the doctor would tell me it was the change in the barometric pressure what started my labor. For the moment I just reached over to smack Michael in the head and get him to wake up.

Very sound sleeper my husband, you see.

"Michael…" I gasped as I clutched the bed-sheets when the first contraction hit me. "Michael!"

"Eh? What?"

"It's time."

"Time… it's time…" he said sleepily, burying his face in the pillow. "Oh, wait. It's TIME?"

"YES!!!" I fairly yelled. "Would you mind sending for the doctor?"

"Doctor! Yes, right, doctor!"

He got to out of bed, looked for his robe, carried Nikki to her room and sent for the doctor. Then he sat with me for the first few hours of my labor, second-guessing every direction the doctor gave until finally, Dr. Mitchell banned him from the room. Still then, I could hear him pacing around outside.

Dawn came, but the baby was still taking his time. And I had to endure the torture of contractions for hours. It wasn't until about ten that I finally cried out for Michael.

He might be overly fussing, dammed distracting and a pain in the doctor's back. But I needed him there with me. He must have been listening by the door, because it took him less than two seconds to enter the room after I had yelled for him.

"What is it, love?" He inquired, striding to my side and sitting next to me, letting my back rest against his chest. "Is it normal to last these long?"

"Oh, yes, my lord, it's quite common when it's the first child, but these things take as long as they have too. Your wife is doing fine. It's almost over."

"Oh God, good." I breathed.

Well, anyone that has ever been at a birthing knows that it's full of fluids and that's why I will not tarry on the subject.

Let's just say that it took the baby full ten hours to come but when he was with us and the doctor put him in my arms and he wrapped his tiny hand around my finger, I knew every discomfort and pain had been well worth it.

"What shall we name him?" Michael asked me.

"I don't know." I answered as he ran his finger over the dark fuzz of hair on our son's little head. "What if we name him after our fathers?"

"Lucas Henry?" I laughed. "He would hate us."

"Just a little bit," He said and added "Nikki, you may come in." and sure enough Nikki was climbing to the bed with us not a second later.

"It's a boy or a girl?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

"A boy," Michael said gently, smoothing Nicole's hair with his palm. "His name is Luke Henry."

"Like my grandpas?" She asked.

"Yes."

"I like it." She smiled.

Michael kissed Nikki's head.

It was one of those perfect moments in life.

The spring light was shining brightly and the people I loved the most were with me. I had everything, the sun, the moon and a couple thousands of stars.

A girl couldn't ask for more.

…--..--..--..--..--..--..--…

End of Chapter Sixteen.

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End of Everything and the Moon.