Seven years later

“Eleonora,” Ida called out as she walked out of the orphanage and entered the garden to search for her little girl. “Nora?” she called again. She smiled when she saw two boys hurry in her direction and then past her, and she hoped her daughter Eleonora was in the direction they had come from.

Elias had travelled to Wellington to see his sister and her new baby girl, and Ida had chosen to stay and care for Eleonora in Chelsea until he returned. She would have liked to join him but decided she’d rather not be jolted and shaken into giving birth in a carriage. While the nanny fixed meals or sorted Eleonora’s clothing, Ida played with her daughter in the garden or told her stories in the nursery.

“My lady… you should not stress yourself,” Elizabeth said from behind her and came closer to assist Ida.

“I haven’t seen Nora all day. I thought she was out here playing in the garden, but I can’t find her,” she said. When she finished her sentence, she spotted her daughter crouched behind the huge oak tree, and relief flooded through her.

“Mother,” Eleonora called when she turned and saw Ida and Elizabeth. Ida laughed as Nora ran towards her and wrapped her arms around her mother’s legs. She leaned forward a bit and touched her daughter’s head.

“How are you, honey? I haven’t seen you in a while and I was looking everywhere for you.”

Ida saw tears in her daughter’s eyes as she spoke, and she frowned. “What is it? Why are you crying?”

Elizabeth knelt down to be on the same eye level as Eleonora, and Ida watched as Elizabeth wiped her tears away.

“Some boys took my diary, and they were teasing me about it,” Nora replied in a tearful voice. “I tried to get it back from them, and they ended up ripping it in two.”

“Oh, honey,” Ida said and took the book that her daughter’s small hands extended to her. “You don’t have to cry about this; I will get you another one if that’s what you want.”

“I don’t want them to laugh at me, mama,” she replied in an agonized tone, as Ida admired her daughter’s lovely face.

She smiled and signaled to Elizabeth to leave them alone for a bit. When they stood in the garden alone, she put a hand on Nora’s cheek and smiled at her. “I will tell you a story about a girl who kept a diary and how she met the love of her life because of it,” Ida said and led Nora to the tree so they could sit there together.

A little later, she had finished the story of how she met Elias for the first time because of her missing diary, and the good memories they had created together from that day forward.

“So, you see, you might meet the love of your life through a diary, too, honey,” she said finally, framing Nora’s cheeks with both hands so she could kiss the top of her head.

Eleonora giggled, her mood lighter, and Ida hugged her for a long time. She was smiling when she pulled back and was about to rise to her feet when she heard Elias’s voice behind her.

“Papa,” Eleonora squealed and hurried away from Ida to hug him. Ida saw him lift her off the ground, swirl her around in the air, and kiss her cheek before setting his daughter on her feet again.

“How are my two favorite women?” he asked as he helped Ida to her feet, then put his hand on her stomach before kissing her on the lips.

“I am well; how was your trip?”

“It was not the same without you, my love, but it was satisfactory because Hannah is safe, and her daughter is a beautiful, healthy baby,” he responded.

His hand moved to Ida’s back, and she laughed as she leaned her head on his shoulder and allowed him to lead her out of the garden. Eleonora, walking beside them, tugged at Elias’s hand.

“Mama told me a story about a little girl and how she met the love of her life through her diary,” she announced, giggling as she showed him the torn diary she held. “I will a keep a diary from now on, papa,” she added.

“That is a brilliant idea,” he agreed, “just be careful what kind of lists you make, and you’ll find someone worthy of your love when the time comes.” Elias took a moment to brush a hand over Eleonora’s cheek before he met Ida’s eyes, and they exchanged a reminiscent smile.

Ida felt heat rush to her cheeks because she read the passion in the way he looked at her, and she flushed at the very thought of it.

“Making lists is very exciting. In fact, I have just started writing on my old diary again too”, Ida said pointedly.

“But haven’t you found the love of your life, mama?” Eleonora asked, confused.

“Of course, my dear. That’s why I started it again, because I want to keep him forever”, she said as she looked lovingly at her husband.

That night, after returning home, she lay in Elias’s arms and listened to him talk about his trip to Wellington, and how well his family there was doing. She was glad he had them now.

“Once the baby is born, they will all come for a visit here, and you will get to meet Hannah’s little baby girl. She is so beautiful, and the duchess says she looks just as Hannah did when she was younger.”

“I am sure she is,” Ida replied and snuggled deeper into him. “How is the duchess?” Ida hadn’t seen Elias’s stepmother since Hannah’s wedding a year ago, and Elias had often been worried about her.

For a while, after the Duke of Wellington’s death, the duchess had distanced herself from everyone while nursing her grief. Ida could only hope that things were better with her now.

“She is well,” Elias replied. “I saw her smile more often during my visit; it seems that Hannah’s safe delivery and the child have brought her a new  source of joy. That gladdens me.”

“Me too,” Ida agreed.

His hand came around her waist, and he pressed a kiss into the side of her neck. “I missed you,” she heard him say as his hand came around to cup her abdomen. “So much.”

“I missed you more,” she replied, “which is why I prepared a little surprise for you”, she finished as she went to her bedchambers to bring her gift, and returned in her husband’s arms. “Like I said in the morning, I have started making lists again”, she said teasingly as she gave her old diary to him. As soon as he flicked through the pages, his eyes widened. When he turned to her, she flushed at his lustful gaze.

Ida positioned herself so she could accept his kiss on the lips, and she kissed him back, pouring everything she felt for him into it.

“Do you think we will have a girl?” he asked when his kisses moved from her lips to her neck. She arched, moaning and giving him access to bring the kisses down to her cleavage.

Ida sighed when he kissed his way back up, and then pecked her on the cheeks. When he propped his head on one elbow to stare down at her, she felt a snap inside her, followed by liquid trickling down her thighs.

Her eyes widened and sought his, and, in spite of the painful cramp that followed the breaking of her water, she found herself unable to hold back a burst of laughter that erupted from deep inside her.

Tears of joy stung her eyes, and she whispered, her throat tight as the pain of her labor spread slowly. “I think we’re about to find out.”

Elias’s jaw dropped, and he asked in a shaky voice as he rose from the bed, “The baby’s coming?”

“The baby is coming,” she squealed, unable to hide her own joy as another wave of pain struck, this time forcing a groan from her lips.

Ida gave birth to a baby boy that night, and, together, she and Elias named him William. Her little family was growing, and the joy that brought—the happiness that she shared with Elias— was more than she had ever dreamed possible. Now, she had only a few things left on her new list. Elias had promised to help her cross them out. And they would start tonight. Of course, who knows, she might have already added one or two more…

***

Exciting things I would like to do with a man…

1. Fall in love with a gentleman.
2. Explore England with the man I love.
3. Kiss him until I’m breathless.
4. Ride with him in a carriage and have him hold my hand.
5. Look into his eyes and feel my heart thump in my chest.
6. Sneak out of a ball to meet my love, watch the starry night together, and lean into him to enjoy the warmth of his arms.
7. Dance in his arms, our movement a mimicry of what we do under the moonlight when I am naked in his arms.
8. Allow my love to help me undress.
9. Eat a late supper alone and spend the night reading poetry to each other.
10. Kiss him under the moonlight.
11. Pretend to be married for a night.
12. Make love until dawn.
13. Go horse riding with the man I love.
14. Spend a night under the moonlight making love.
15. Steal touches at a grand public event.
16. Kiss a man in a carriage and make love to him under the stars.
17. Let my love touch me in public.
18. Seduce him in the middle of the day.
19. To love and be loved.

List no 2: Exciting things I’d like to do to Elias…

1. Tease him before he attends his business.
2. Undress him slowly, not letting him touch me.
3. …

The end

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