March 20th, 1892 — St.John-Black Home

Samuel had kept nothing of his correspondence with Melody Crouch a secret from his wife. The news of Melody's injury and subsequent memory loss could have caused chaos in their home - the fact that for an, albeit brief time she had thought that she was still engaged to Samuel had been a strange thing to discover. The truth had come out quickly but her letter had given Samuel good closure. The ability to finally put a full stop on that entire sorry portion of his life and put the record straight for both himself and Melody. And he found his anger at the original betrayal was all but gone. He carried no animus towards either of them any more, and felt the need to build some sort of bridge between himself and the crouches, not through any misconcieved affection, but in acknowledgement that his life was better for her actions, and how could one be annoyed at that.

At the arrival of the latest letter, he had written his response -polite and strangely final - the last he hoped he would speak to melody about what shared past they had but with the potential to perhaps move forward. Then he had headed to her parlour. 'Good morning my love' he greeted entering her room and crossing to kiss her, placing Melody's latest letter on a side table. 'Might I join you for tea?' a footman disappeared, presuming an affirmative answer.

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Lady is a star

Hope had mixed feelings about Mrs Crouch writing to her husband. It was of course very sad that Mrs. Crouch had lost her memories - Hope wouldn't wish that on anyone. Even so, she was still the woman who had jilted her husband. Even though things had worked out rather splendidly - the Crouches got to enjoy their love and Hope had found hers in Samuel.

She still associated Mrs Crouch with the forlorn, depressed expression her husband had sported when she had first met him. She did wish the woman and her family well though. Perhaps the womans memories would one day return, Hope fervently wished it for her. She could scarcely imagine forgetting all about her own love story.

However, thoughts of the Crouches were the furthest thing on Hope's mind as she sat in her parlour. "Good morning, dear husband," Hope said as she continued with her needlework. "Of course you can join me." It was good timing too as she had something she wished very much to speak to him about.

  

The footman brought a mug for Samuel, knowing- or rather the butler knew his masters preference for coffee rather than tea so while he often joined his wife for tea he seldom drank the stuff, preferring a strong black cup of coffee to simply sit with his wife and make the most of the morning. His mug was filled with coffee, and then a silver coffee kettle was placed on the sideboard beside the tea tray.

'How is your diary looking today? busy? he asked, the sort of idle marital small talk that made for the sort of comfortable easy affection that made him smile, the affection he saw in his mother and Earnest. He didn't really remember his own father and mothers relationship but he hoped it had been like that.

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Lady is a star

"Not quite. I will be having to take it easy for the next while," Hope said, dropping her first hint as she sipped on her tea. "So I will need to be more selective about what I get up to."

~ she was around 9 weeks in this moment

  

He quirked his head to the side questioningly. 'oh?' his hands dropped, distracted from their task, but his wifes sudden pronouncement, and a strange disquiet settling into his stomach. Worry that she might be ill, he moved around the chair towards her.

'Is everything alright? Are you alright?'

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Lady is a star

Hope could hardly keep a straight face as her husband moved toward her. "Thus far, everything seems to be quite fine. Though I am warned that I could be quite sick in some moments or crave odd things," Hope said with a giggle as she placed her teacup down. "My stomach is also expected to grow but hopefully for just a few months."

~ she was around 9 weeks in this moment

  

Hopes face did not read as anxious or scared, and her next words sent his heart leaping. HIs mouth dropped open and he grasped her hands in delight. 'You are pregnant!' Samuel's cheeks hurt and he thought his heart would burst with joy.

'Oh my darling' he pulled her to him, but then stepped back holding her hands gently 'and all else is well? you are well?' he asked, an obvious concern in his voice. His own mother had survived childbirth 3 times, but his brother Roscoe had not been so lucky, his mother had died on the mothering bed, and it haunted his step-father. He wasn't sure how he could cope with losing Hope.

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Lady is a star

Her husband seemed to have grasp what she was hinting at. She smiled brightly as he exclaimed his conclusion. "Yes, confirmed by a midwife and everything," she assured. "The woman will be coming every other week for the next few months to make sure I stay healthy and well."

  

'Oh my darling!' he half laughed half gasped, 'I am going to be a father'' and the weight of the words made him sink to the nearest seat, pulling his wife with him and into his lap.

'And you promise there is nothing you need?' he asked earnestly, 'I mean, is the midwife coming every few weeks enough? Maybe we ought to have he here permenantly, just incase?' he clasped her hands in his and looked at her for permission to place a hand on her still flat stomach, slightly over awed at the prospect that there was a life growing there.

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Lady is a star

Hope laughed in delight when he her husband continued to declare their news. She was rather petite and not yet showing so it was rather easy for her to happily settle onto her husbands lap as he pulled her onto it.

"Mama will be giving me a whole lot of help aside from the midwife," Hope assured. She nodded as he seemed to be seeking permission to touch her still flat stomach that in time would grow.

  

He placed a tenative hand on her stomach, his palm covering almost her entire torso. 'Oh my darling' He buried his nose in her hair, and held her close to him. It was hard to imagine being any more content than he was in this moment.

'We should have a party, before it takes too much out of you?' it was as much of a question as anything else. He knew it to be exhausting but he wasn't sure when that started, or perhaps it already had. 'Something to celebrate with the world that we are going to be so richly blessed.' he enthused.

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Lady is a star