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“I’ll come through in a few minutes, my dear,” whispered Lord Babington to his wife as they stood by the door to her bedroom.
Lady Babington tilted her cheek towards him, an invitation for a kiss and Babington duly obliged.
“Very well, husband,” she responded as she turned to go inside.
Babington strolled down to his room, his mind full of his wife and his son, who they had just seen in his nursery, fast asleep. After this evening’s festivities at a neighbour’s, Esther wished to check on little George before they retired for the night, and Babington was all too happy to leave early so that they could get home.
Following the loss of their daughter in the summer, Babington had thought that a family for him and Esther would never happen. But after an unimaginable train of events, George was now theirs, to bring up as their own son and heir. When Esther explained all that had happened on his visit to see her in Sanditon a few months ago, Babington could not initially comprehend what that meant for them. She took him down the hall in Sanditon House, to see George asleep in his crib, and the pure joy on her face when she whispered, “He’s ours, husband, our son!”, was all he needed to know that he would do whatever it took to make his wife happy.
Since their return home, Lord and Lady Babington quickly settled into parenthood, providing everything their baby needed and more. Now they were back in London for the winter, close to his family and friends and settling into family life.
Babington wrapped his banyan around him then extracted a box from the top drawer of his desk. He wished to give a present to Esther this evening, when it was just the two of them. Life in London during the Christmas period required attendance to one party after another, and entertaining guests at home, too. Tomorrow was no exception as his mother and sister were arriving to celebrate Christmas with them.
He placed the present in his pocket and strolled over to the connecting door. Many times recently, he remembered previous evenings when he had waited at this door to Esther’s room.
Memories of their first night in London, when they were still in the early weeks of their marriage. He recalled the nervous excitement of that period, when he and Esther were building the intimacy between them. Then there were nights when he had no patience to wait, and he entered the room before Esther had chance to respond to his knock. She gave him a stern look for his rudeness, but all was forgiven later in bed.
But, following the events of the summer, the miscarriage and the poisoning of Esther at the hands of her stepbrother, that intimacy had disappeared as Babington gave his wife plenty of space to recover at their country estate.
When they returned to London for the winter, Babington started to develop that intimacy again, little by little, wary of pushing Esther before she was ready. Holding hands, pecks on the cheek, quiet cuddles in front of the fire after the day’s visits and work were done – all were now part of the Babingtons’ relationship again. After Esther grumbled one evening that she was feeling cold in the night, her husband tentatively offered to join her, to hold her and keep her warm. Esther assented and they had spent every night since in each other’s arms, although Babington restrained from trying anything further.
He was waiting for a sign from his wife, that she was ready for renewed intimacy between them. But he hadn’t seen any signs yet, and he thought she must still be recovering. It would take time he told himself, not only the physical but the mental issues caused by Sir Edward, and so Babington determined to be patient.
With a calming breath as he stood by the connecting door, he raised his hand to rap his knuckles against it.
“Come,” was Esther’s response and he slowly opened the door, poking his head around and scanning the room to find his wife. His heart warmed when he saw her sitting at her vanity table, her long copper tresses loose down her back.
“Will you?” she asked him as their eyes met in the mirror and she held up her pearl hairbrush, the gift Babington gave her for their first Christmas together. He quickly crossed the room, a grin on his face and took the brush from her hand.
“Of course, Esther,” he gladly agreed.
With great care he brushed her locks in sections, now and again meeting Esther’s sparkling eyes in the mirror.
“Esther, do you remember when I first visited Denham Place? And I offered to undertake such a commission as this?” he reminded her.
With a widening smile, Esther nodded. “You were very forward, Lord Babington, shockingly so!” she admonished, laughing.
“Yes, but I couldn’t resist, you were the most amazing woman I had ever met. And here we are now, I am your husband, willing to brush your hair whenever you wish, my Lady.” Babington gave his wife a small bow as they gazed at one another through the mirror.
“Very well, Babington, but for now will you plait it for me?” Esther offered him a green ribbon from the table.
As Babington pulled up the locks to plait, they revealed the pale freckled skin of his wife’s neck and collarbone. When the ribbon was tied, he gently brushed his thumbs down that neck, watching Esther’s reaction closely in the mirror.
Her eyes were already closed, and a small gasp escaped her lips as his thumbs reached the nape of her neck. This was a sign that she still enjoyed his touch, and he couldn’t resist leaning down and brushing his lips over the same spot, once, twice, a third time. After another gasp from Esther, Babington felt the stirrings in his body, and was keen to continue the kissing.
But the box in his pocket bumped his thigh and he remembered what he wished to do this evening.
He brushed his fingers along Esther’s upper arm as he moved to her side.
“Will you come and sit with me on the sofa, my dear?” he said as she looked up at him, her eyes soft and dark in the candlelight. Her answer was a small nod, and she took his hand so he could lead them to the chaise longue at the foot of the bed. He motioned his wife to sit whilst he poked at the fire to boost the heat.
Esther clasped her hands in her lap and watched him, an expectant look on her face.
“What is it, husband?” she asked pleasantly.
Babington sat and gently rested his hands over hers.
“Tomorrow is Christmas Day and I wanted to give you one of my gifts now, whilst it’s just the two of us, before we’re all busy with guests,” he stated.
“Oh! Of course, if you wish,” responded Esther, sounding pleasantly surprised.
Babington pushed his hand into his pocket and brought out the box wrapped in silk and ribbon.
“Merry Christmas, darling Esther,” he said as he passed it to her.
Esther quirked her eyebrow as she took it, giving Babington a small smile before gently pulling one end of the ribbon tied around the box. The silk slipped away and as Esther lifted off the lid, Babington kept his eyes on her face, waiting for her reaction.
“Oh!” she gasped, and she stared at the contents for a few moments before looking up at him.
“They’re beautiful, John,” she whispered, her eyes turning glassy. She gently removed one of the emerald and diamond drop earrings from the box and held it up to inspect it. As it dangled in the firelight, the facets of the stones sparkled, bringing them to life.
“I saw them and knew straight away that I wanted to buy them for you. I thought they may complement some of your dresses,” he remarked.
Esther tilted her head and gave him a questioning look.
“And complement you of course, my darling!” he quickly added with a smirk.
Babington soon learnt that Esther was not impressed by being showered with gifts. A few items, with careful thought put into their acquisition were the way to please Esther and so he tried hard to offer meaningful items.
Esther held up one earring to dangle at the side of the neck, “Well, husband, do they suit me?”
Her husband’s eyes softened as he gazed at his wife. His love for her grew bigger every day and he would never tire of being with her. But he also knew that too many compliments embarrassed her, so he answered the question she’d asked.
“Mmm, yes Esther, they do suit you, the emeralds contrast beautifully with your hair, and the diamonds add to the sparkle in your eyes.”
He grinned as she shook her head at him, flushing at the praise and putting the earring back in its box.
“I think I shall wear them tomorrow, they will go well with my dress,” she commented.
Back to practical Esther, thought John, but he was a little disappointed at having to wait to see her wear them.
He wrapped his arm around her and drew her close to his side, pressing his lips to her temple.
“Merry Christmas, darling. I would very much like to see you wear them now. Will you put them on? Please?” begged Babington and he gave her shoulder a little squeeze.
His hopeful expression did the trick and Esther released an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, very well, John,” she smirked, and retrieved the earrings from the box.
She stood in front of the full-length mirror to the side of the fire, and carefully put on the earrings. Babington distracted himself by drinking in the glimpses of Esther’s freckled skin, at her neck, her wrists and ankles. The firelight shone through her thin cotton robe, revealing her body's curves.
“They’re beautiful, John, thank you,” Esther murmured, and he caught her eyes staring at him in the mirror. Babington basked in that gaze – he lived for moments like this, when Esther looked at him openly, and he could see the love he knew she held for him.
He stood and slowly walked across to her, maintaining their gaze through the mirror. “You are beautiful, Esther, and I love you,” he stated and gently pushed his arms through hers to wrap them around her waist.
“I love you so much,” he continued, then brushed a few more kisses up and down her neck. Esther pressed her cheek to his and pulled him closer.
“I love you, too, John,” she confessed, and they stayed there for a minute, both enjoying the warmth and closeness of the other.
When Esther stirred, Babington pulled his arms away, believing that she’d had enough and was ready for bed. But she turned to face him, and he noticed her determined look as she took his hands in hers.
“John, since our return from Sanditon, we have not fully been as husband and wife. I know I needed time to for my health to recover after all that happened, and I thank you for allowing me that time and space.”
He saw apprehension in her face, in the small frown on her forehead, but there was still the determined set to her mouth.
Whilst keeping her gaze on John, her hands moved to her robe, her fingers undoing the ribbons and letting the robe fall open.
“I miss you, John. I miss your skin next to mine, our bodies moving together,” she whispered.
Babington silently gasped as he watched her let the robe fall to the ground, and his eyes roamed freely over her naked curves.
When his gaze returned to her face, he could see the vulnerability in her expression. His hands automatically reached for hers.
“Esther,” he breathed, overcome with emotion at seeing his wife like this.
“I want us to be husband and wife in all ways, John. I am ready for us to rekindle the desire we have for each other and explore ways that we can be together without the risks.”
Her lip trembled a little following her confession and Babington scrambled to say something coherent as, yet again, Esther surprised him.
Only a few words came to mind, and Babington spoke them with a heartfelt conviction.
“You are extraordinary, Esther, truly extraordinary. I love you.” He brought her hand to his face, kissing the palm before resting it against his cheek.
Esther's face relaxed in relief and her smile warmed his heart. She leant forward to meet his lips with hers, and Babington pulled her close as they reacquainted themselves with this most natural of human expressions.
“Will you join me in bed, husband?” Esther asked after they parted, her eyes sparkling.
Babington’s gaze burned into her where she stood, the orange firelight illuminating and warming her body.
“Of course, my dear Esther.”