The demand for werewolf pelts was small but in a few certain underground and highly illegal markets there was money to be made in werewolf pelts.
A howl from the alphas signaled that they had decided to remain together in the lodge for safety. Nathaniel located the wolf forms of Eldon and Claire. They were in a corner. Eldon paced the floor while Claire lay against the wall gazing up at Eldon. When Nathaniel arrived at their side Eldon stopped pacing and sat down. Claire got up and moved to nuzzle his neck. Eldon licked her muzzle before lying down. The twitching of his ears showed Nathaniel that his brother was still uneasy. Nathaniel did not blame him in the least. He was feeling uneasy as well. He looked around the room for Vivian but he did not see her. She likely was upstairs. Many of the wolves who had been closer to the lodge had gone upstairs to stake claim on the upper stories where there was better ventilation and fewer wolves crammed into the small spaces. Nathaniel thought about seeking her out but decided against it. His place was with his alpha, his brother, and his sister-in-law. If any threats tried to enter the lodge they were who he would defend.
Nathaniel laid down on the floor near his family. He reached a paw out and placed it on his brother's. He was not sure how much comfort that would be but that was all there was for him to offer.
Chapter 14
Sophronia looked in the mirror one last time. Nathaniel was due home sometime after lunch and she planned to look her best. There was still a gown she had not worn that was informal enough for a day at home but still pretty enough to show off her best features. The gown was red silk and cut low enough that it accentuated her swollen breasts. Underneath she was wearing a maternity corset which helped to hold in her belly but did not entirely hide the swell of the child within her.
She was not sure why she had wanted to look her best when Nathaniel came home. All morning she had thought of the kiss he had left on her cheek when he departed. It was a silly thing to dwell on but equally something she could not seem to cast from her mind.
She made her way down the stairs to where Mercy was sitting at the table in the dining room. Beside her plate was a leather bound volume with no visible title.
Sophronia heaped her plate and sat down across from her at the table.
"Have you finished Don Quixote yet?" Mercy asked after Sophronia had taken several bites.
"I have perhaps half of the book left to read. I think I will be spending more and more time relaxing with a book until the baby is born. I have been feeling weary," Sophronia confessed. Since Nathaniel had left she had been going to bed early as there was no chance of him coming to her room as he had on their wedding. Dreams of that night filled her sleep and she wondered if Nathaniel would ever make her feel those things again.
"What of your book?" Sophronia asked.
"It is the journal of a great aunt of mine who died while the Tudors were still on the throne. Her father sent her to serve in the palace once he realized that she was like me," Mercy said. Sophronia guessed that her great aunt also must have been unable to have children.
"I suppose it is nice to know that you are not alone in your condition," Sophronia said.
"It is a comfort to be sure. She led a very full and happy life despite everything. I have read her journal a few times but after being up in the nursery with you I wanted to read it again. She married eventually. Her husband was a widower who had seven children."
"You will find love one day. I am sure of it," Sophronia said. She hoped she was telling the truth. Mercy deserved love and happiness. Sophronia wondered if she and Nathaniel would ever come to a place where they could find love and joy in each other.
Nathaniel felt relieved to be home. He sighed deeply as the carriage pulled to the front of the house. Jonah, the man who cared for Nathaniel's dogs, was standing in wait. Dalton had accompanied them on their journey. He was tasked with the care of Eldon's dogs and unlike Jonah he was a werewolf. Once the carriage was unloaded Jonah and Dalton would take the draft dogs to the stables, clean them, feed them, and settle them in. Then, Jonah would meet him with a full report on anything that had happened with the dogs during his absence. He did not expect anything lengthy. Jonah had been with him for years and he trusted him implicitly.
He was less eager to hear of the happenings with his dogs than to see Sophronia. It was an odd thing for him to feel but after everything that had happened in the last few days he was filled with strange emotions.
He walked through the door behind his father, Eldon, and Claire. Sophronia was standing with Mercy waiting for them. She looked lovely. He was sure she had taken extra time to make herself beautiful for him and he wondered if the days apart had made her contemplate their situation as well.
"What happened?" Mercy asked rushing forward to grasp her father's arm. Sophronia's face mirrored the look of worry on his sister's. He supposed that the dour faces of his brother and father had given things away. If Mercy had been the only one in the room they would have spilled the whole story to her but they could not be so free with pack business in front of his wife.
"There was an accident. A hunter was killed," his father said. Mercy's hand flew up to cover her mouth as she looked them over in horror. He had no doubt that she feared for the life of Daniel along with everyone else in the werewolf community she knew and cared about.
"It was not someone you would know," Claire added quickly rushing forward to envelope his sister in her arms.
"But it still is troubling," his father said gravely.
"I am relieved none of you were hurt," Sophronia said stepping forward to take his hand. He was surprised how warm and soft her hand felt in his.
"As am I," Nathaniel said. He held her hand for a long moment before releasing it.
"Surely, you will want to rest after such an ordeal," Sophronia said to him.
"Actually, once I have changed into fresh clothes I plan to go to the stables and get a report on my dogs. You could join me," Nathaniel said. Once the words were out of his mouth he felt ridiculous. Walking around the lawns was no place for his pregnant wife to be. She should be indoors.
"Of course I will join you," Sophronia said with a sweet smile.
"You should probably change into clothes that you would not mind a muddy paw print or two on," Nathaniel warned.
"Shall we meet here in a quarter of an hour?" Sophronia asked.
Sophronia did not have any dress that she wanted covered with muddy paw prints but there was one dress of a light brown that she did not think would be made unusable with a bit of mud. Once properly attired she made her way downstairs to where Nathaniel was waiting for her. He reached out his arm and she took it.
The breeze was gentle when they stepped in the yard and the sky was blue. It was a nice enough day.
The walk to the stables was silent. She was not sure if he was simply caught up in thoughts or unsure what to say to her.
The stables were not exactly what she had pictured in her mind. The building they entered did have stalls as one would house a horse in but only a few dogs were in those stalls. The other half a dozen ran free in the yard.
Nathaniel peeked his head over the top of the first stall and then reached for the door and opened it. Sophronia saw that the dog in the stall was a mother with three furry white pups. Nathaniel bent over to pet the mother dog who licked his hand. Then, he reached forward and scooped up one of the pups that were lying on a bed of straw. The mother did not seem to mind him handling her baby though the dog momentarily looked unsure when he handed the pup to Sophronia. She held the wiggling ball of fur against her. The pup had open eyes so he could not have been too very young.
"This is the newest set of pups. They are about four weeks old. The one you are holding is Hamlet," Nathaniel explained.
"He was the only surviving male of the litter," a male voice behind her said. She turned to see a man about the same age as her husband. He was a thin and wiry man with calloused hands. He was leaning against a long handled shovel.
"This
is Jonah. He cares for the dogs," Nathaniel said.
"Nice to meet you," Sophronia said.
"He has a good strong bone structure. Once he is a bit older we can evaluate his temperament. His father will be retiring from sire duties soon and if Hamlet shows potential we may have him replace his father," Nathaniel said.
"What will happen to his father?" Sophronia asked. She did not want to sound too worried for him but she knew what happened to other animals that grew too old to be of use.
"Zeus will enjoy the rest of his life as a guardian of our home. I have two other retired dogs who share my quarters now," Nathaniel explained.
The dog in the stall beside them stood up on his hind legs and peeked over the door. Nathaniel reached out to rub his ears.
"Speak of the devil," Jonah said.
Sophronia handed Hamlet to Jonah and stepped over to join Nathaniel in petting Zeus.
"He will be a fine dog to guard our home," she said. He was a much larger dog than she was used to and he had muscles more like an oxen than a dog but his wagging tail and the tongue that hung out of the side of his mouth assured her that he was indeed the same as any other dog.
"These are the breeding dogs," Nathaniel explained. "The males and new litters are in the stalls. The breeding females are free to roam the stables.
"The males will not jump over the doors to get to the females?" Sophronia asked.
"Oh, they try. When a female is in heat we keep her separated from the others until we are ready to breed her. Usually, our methods succeed," Nathaniel said.
"It is important to know whose line the pups come from," Jonah added. Sophronia winced.
"All of our sires are quality stock," Nathaniel hastily added.
Nathaniel offered her his arm and led her through a door near the back of the stable and out into the sunlight. Across from the doorway was another stable. The other one was larger than the one they had just vacated. He opened the door and led her inside.
The carriages and equipment were on one side of the barn. On the other was a large open area covered in straw. In that area laid more than a dozen dogs. They were lying together almost in a pile and it was difficult to know where one dog started and another dog ended.
"These are our draft dogs. They live together and they work together. The grooms work them through specialized exercises and training each day. These are some of the smartest and best tempered of our litters. All of our draft dogs are male. Pups who we do not keep for breeding or working are sold. Our dogs are some of the best trained and obedient you will find in England," Nathaniel said.
"It does not seem a terrible life," Sophronia conceded. Certainly it seemed no crueler than dogs left in fields with sheep now that she was looking on the peaceful beasts curled together before her. She thought that if the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals could see the scene before her that they would return their attentions to bears for baiting and animals serving in circuses instead of Wolstenholme draft dogs.
Sophronia followed Nathaniel out of the stable and he led her towards the house.
"I did not see a barn. Have you no animals other than dogs on the estate?" Sophronia asked.
"We have cats as well. There are fish in the pond and falcons for hunting though that passion is more Eldon and my father. I appreciate a bird of prey but hunting with them is of less interest to me than hunting with dogs."
"But you have no cattle or sheep. I have not even seen a chicken," Sophronia said.
"We barter what we need from the renters on our land. We do have a nice garden though," Nathaniel said.
"But-"
"But that seems odd to you?" Nathaniel said. Sophronia nodded. "There are many animals that are upset by something in our scent. We have to keep a distance from such animals and we certainly cannot manage them. They will not breed or thrive if they are kept too near us."
"It is very odd," Sophronia said.
"I suppose it must seem so to you," he agreed.
"Your renters must be pleased to have a landowner with so many needs," Sophronia said.
"We take very good care of our tenants," Nathaniel said.
He put his hand on the small of her back and gently led her to the door.
"Because of our limitations we are also extremely cunning and adaptable. All of the dogs you see here produce coats that can be made into yarn. It is not perhaps as fine as wool but how many men have you met whose seemingly woolen clothes are actually made from the fur of draft dogs?"
"And then there are the spoils from your hunt. I did not see any game returned from your hunting trip," Sophronia said. It was something that had bothered her slightly.
"I am afraid that the death of our fellow huntsman shook us up so much that we were very poor hunters this time," Nathaniel said.
"Did you know him well?"
"No," Nathaniel said.
He did not seem eager to talk about the tragedy and she supposed it was unladylike to ask so she let Nathaniel lead her up the stairs. She thought he was returning her to her room but he stopped before a different door. He opened the door and let out a whistle. Two dogs that were obviously elderly and a bit frail walked forward to greet them. They sniffed at her hand and accepted her gentle attention to their crowns.
"These are your dogs?" Sophronia guessed.
"Snow and Winter. I hope you do not mind that they will be moving with us to our home once it is completed."
"My mother never allowed us to have animals indoors. She thought they were terribly dirty. I do not mind though," Sophronia said and she realized she did not. Nathaniel might seem like a hard man to her at times but it was obvious that he cared for his dogs. These dogs had aged out of use but he kept them in his own room. She wondered briefly if Eldon had dogs stashed away in his room as well but she decided that was unlikely. Eldon was not a man who seemed to be able to care for others. Nathaniel at least cared for his dogs. Perhaps someday he would learn to care for her and for her child.
Nathaniel commanded Winter and Snow back into his room and closed the door behind them. He was glad the dogs all seemed to take to Sophronia. It was a good sign. He could not have been companionable with a wife who disliked dogs or who his dogs disliked. At least now he was sure that once their home was built there would be some harmony found.
"Were you able to occupy your hours while I was away?" Nathaniel asked. He could take her down the hallway to her own room but he was not quite ready to leave her side.
"Your sister and Ruth helped me arrange things for a nursery," Sophronia said.
"I am sorry I was not here to help," Nathaniel said though he doubted he would have been much use. He knew about puppies not about babies. Still, it did seem his duty as the man claiming to have sired her child.
"I was able to see the nursery where you were raised. It will be a fine place for my baby until we move to our own home," Sophronia said.
It had not occurred to him at all that the baby would need a nursery much less that the baby would be put in the nursery where he had been raised.
"I am sure Ruth will know what needs done. It is a shame I have no mother to assist you," Nathaniel said.
"We can agree that many things would be different if you had a mother," Sophronia said gently. He knew she was right. If his mother had lived perhaps the sadness that drew his brother to drink would not exist and Sophronia even now would be on a boat home to America.
"Are you ready to return to your room?" Nathaniel asked. He felt a sudden weight of emotions but he wanted to push them away. He rarely longed for his mother but it was a twinge in his chest now. Seeing Sophronia full of child made it harder to push the feeling down. Once his mother had carried him inside of her body. She had likely stood in the same space that Sophronia now occupied and talked with her husband about her plans for her child. Had she loved him as much as she loved Eldon the heir?
"I am. It was very kind of you to show me your dogs but it was quite exhausting. I am nearly finished with the book I am
reading. Perhaps I will be done by tomorrow morning if I spend the evening on it," Sophronia said.
"What are you reading now?" Nathaniel asked.
"The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha."
"Not exactly the reading material I would expect," Nathaniel said.
"Yet I am enjoying it immensely," Sophronia assured.
"I have not read it myself but I am told it is quite comical," Nathaniel said.
"I am finding it equal parts comical and tragic. Many of us have ideas about who we are but it is not always the truth. Don Quixote may have been mad but in that madness his heart was in the right place though I will grant his methods often were lacking. Is it not better to imagine yourself above what you are?"
"We are what we are," Nathaniel said.
"Yes, we do end up being no more than that," Sophronia said with a sigh.
"I suppose that it is hard being put into a life you had not planned," Nathaniel said seeing the look in her eyes. It appeared as if she was on the verge of tears as she looked at an imagined life that would never be.
"Even when the mess is of my own making?" Sophronia asked.
"I have not made it easy for you," Nathaniel said.
"Nor I for you," Sophronia said.
"Perhaps a start would be to try and make it easier for each other," Nathaniel said.
"How should we do that?"
"I suppose by being there to lend comfort to each other," Nathaniel said. He reached out and pulled Sophronia against his chest. Her body went stiff as he held her but she did not pull away. The babe in her belly kicked wildly against him as if protesting the sudden compression of his space but Nathaniel continued to hold Sophronia until her body went limp in his arms and he could hear little whimpers from her throat.
The Werewolf's Pregnant Bride Page 10
