Harriet watched as for the second week in a row nothing she was eating would stay down. Four months of married life, and everything up until now had been going fairly decently. Other than the constant nausea she felt fine. After cleaning herself up Harriet gathered up a few of the apples and vegetables from their small garden and told Conri that she was going to visit her parents and the Smith's. Conri grunted as he strained honey from the honey comb while trying not to get stung by the bees. Harriet stared at Conri as he talked about the latest commission he'd gotten, as well as events in the news. Trying to decide if she should share her suspicion now or wait until her condition was confirmed. Conri wasn't the sort to hold a person back she had learned, yet she was learning that she enjoyed helping out with some of the harder work and didn't want to suddenly be left out anything. When her sister Elisabeth stopped by with a small bundle of blankets and an extra pie tin, Harriet quickly ushered her inside. "What is all this for" Harriet inquired happy to see her sister, yet feeling slightly cross as she still hadn't shared her suspicion with Conri. "Mom wanted you to have these after your last trip home" Elisabeth answered nonchalantly. A sudden bang, followed by a thumb, and some very colorful language had an initially mortified Harriet doubling up with her sister in laughter. Harriet gave her sister a quick hug goodbye, saying she needed to go check on her husband. Conri almost ran smack dab into Elisabeth as she exited to leave. Seeing that they'd had a guest his face went redder than his hair and he started to stammer out an apology. Harriet waved her sister off and then pecked her husband on the cheek, before asking him if he was okay. He told her was, and then asked her to close her eyes. Harriet was tempted to peek when she felt him leading her towards their room. She was pretty sure she was facing the back wall when he asked her to open her eye's. Before her were two doors, she gave Conri a confused look. "You haven't complained, but I can tell that a sailors bucket method of cleaning up isn't what you really want to keep doing" Conri said opening the first door and showing Harriet a hand carved wooden tub. He then stepped over to the second door and opened it onto the yard. It took Harriet a few seconds to process what she was seeing. A small shack stood a short distance away with a door almost directly opposite the one she was looking out. Harriet would have never thought herself to be the sort to weep over an outhouse, but weep she did soaking Conri's vest with happy tears. When she finally lifted her face from his shoulder she shared her news with him as well. Conri quickly swept her into a crushing hug and just as quickly released her with a worried look on his face. Harriet laughed and reassured him that his hug hadn't hurt her or the coming child. Conri didn't complain about having grilled fruit for the umpteenth meal in a row. Not only was it what Harriet could consistently hold down, but it also seemed to be what she constantly craved. He was trying to find the right words to answer her question with, as he suspected that a glib answer of a potential customer wasn't going to work this time. He still wasn't sure she'd bought the answer the last time, but she had allowed the topic to drop. Harriet gritted her teeth and harshly exhaled "well?!" Taking a deep breath and letting out a small sigh Conri knew that nothing short of the truth would do, and as his wife she deserved the truth. "That was my half brother the new Duke of Bloxham. Somehow word got back to him and our father ... no his father, that I was not only still alive but doing quite well for myself. He wanted to come sooner but he had to wait until after the Duke passed from his consumption illness and wouldn't prevent him from traveling." Conri paused to take a bite and process, he could see the questions in Harriet's eyes. Before she could voice her questions he continued. "Algar had decided to see for himself that I was still alive. He also wanted to learn for himself if I had any plans on contesting him as the new Duke. Once I confirmed to him, and signed a legal document stating that not only did I have no desire to contest the title I also had no interest in suing for any part of the estate, he shared with me what had become of my mother." Harriet sat quietly, she had so many questions, but there had been a mountain of pain and anger in his last few words. Conri finally added "After she recovered from her wounds from that days fight, the Old Duke had her sent to a convent where she eventually died after jumping from the highest point she could find. Her remains were taken to her families estate in Northern Scotland." Conri abruptly stood and cleared both of their dishes and started washing them. Harriet wanted nothing more than to hug her husband, yet she recognized his body stance, the way his feet were spread yet firmly planted to the ground, back and shoulders stiff, arm movements harsh and jerky as he washed the few dishes from their meal. Instead she took her current book to their room and knew that in time he would come in and she could comfort him then. That night when Conri came to bed Harriet promised him that should their child be a girl they would name her after his mother. After that tense night Harriet finally pried more from Conri about his mother and learned that she had had her own title as an Earl's daughter. Harriet begged a trip into town with her mother one week and tried to make sense of a book on titles and rankings of the English aristocracy. The book also detailed what women and men of each ranking were expected and allowed to do as well as manner of dress. When Harriet got home she scrubbed the grill on the fireplace, and then went and splashed in the first puddle she could find. Conri poked his head around the corner and asked what she was up to. With a horrid accent Harriet gave a deep curtsy and replied "Why my Honor I'm appreciating my freedom as a simple farmers wife as compared to the stiff regiments foisted upon the Honorable Lady's of the Court." Her footing slipped and she fell backwards in the mud and dissolved into a fit of laughter. Conri tried to help her up, but instead she pulled him down beside her. Eventually they pulled themselves from the puddle after Prudence Wallace went by and gave Harriet a look of mortification. Conri helped Harriet into a warm bath to be sure she didn't catch cold. A few months later Harriet stared at the dormant vegetable garden and knew she wanted something more. Conri wasn't thrilled at the interruption, after all he only had so much time to finish making the bassinet, which had already been put off to many times as it was. Yet he'd been warned by both Harry and Johnson that the requests would get more and more interesting the closer a woman got the babies arrival date. Johnson equated it to nesting birds. So Conri took a little time out of his day to help Harriet plant a row of flowers on each side of the walk way leading up to the house. He was glad that neither of the other men had done more than nod and grin when he'd asked for flower cuttings. Conri made sure that the rose cuttings from Harriet's parents house were near the front door. Harriet contemplated the recipe in front of her wishing her back would stop hurting. Conri had built her a standing cupboard complete with bins for their vegetables for their anniversary and she wanted to make him a nice meal, and preserve some of their favorite foods for later. That is if she could stand long enough. These days she more waddled than walked, and could barley lift herself up from her chair. She sighed and closed the book she'd just read the same sentence four times and still hadn't actually read it. She called to Conri that she was going to go lie down for a nap. Harriet let out one of Conri's colorful words as she felt her belly tighten and loosen like ripples on the water. She'd sent Conri to fetch her mom earlier that morning, and right that second she wanted him there by her side. Whatever could be taking them so long. Surely Elisabeth was more than capable of watching over both of her little brothers for a few hours.
Harriet heard her named called out just as her belly squeezed harder than it had all day and she felt wet warmth running down the insides of her legs. Harriet tried to shift and the pressure intensified, she could feel a firm pressure below and tried to call back to whomever had called out her name. Unsure if she had said anything she focused on her breathing as her focus blurred and she wondered is she'd been wise to move so far from the bed. If she could just move a little she was sure she'd be okay. Another hard ripple, was that herself screaming. Was she standing or lying down and by all that was sacred why did she feel as if she was being torn in two.
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