Chapter 2

He saw the light dimmer in her eyes when he mentioned the word "home", he felt somewhat guilty.

He knew that the Nichols's were his home, would be his home until the day he died, also knew that his eldest son would become Lord of the Nichols's one day after his wife.

A sacrifice he made, that he would never regret making, and if he had to redo, he wouldn't even blink an eye.

It didn't mean that he never thought of his first home, his brothers, their wives and all of the nieces and nephews that he had.

His Da, his heart ached saying the name, for only ever having his Da growing up, it was very hard to be away from him especially for months at a time.

"What kind of a feeling?" Celeste looked concerned.

"I'm nay sure, tis just a feeling that something is wrong.

Almost as though Da is ill," Clyde almost choked out the last little bit.

Cupping one of his cheeks with her delicate hands, Celeste tried to comfort him.

"I'm sure that ye would have heard if something was wrong, or if George was ill."

Nodding, "I suppose ye are right," Clyde replied.

Taking her hand, he pulled her out of their room and down towards the steps that lead into the great hall.

Once there, he saw his four children already up on the dais waiting for them to arrive.

Joaquin and Rosie with smiles upon their faces, their four grandchildren were a joy to them.

The meal was pleasant, the boys speaking to their Grandmother, telling her about their day.

Lenora always when she finished her meal crawled up onto Clyde's lap and sat there listening to what was going on around her.

Clyde remained quiet, Celeste looked at him with concern in her eyes he reassured her with a small smile that he was well.

Some clansmen came forward to ask him questions, others just to pass the time.

He was polite but not overly talQueenieive.

Later on, in the quiet of their bed chamber, Clyde made good on his promise to himself and explored every inch of his wife's body and showed her how much he loved her.

He laid sated, caressing her back with his finger tips, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against his.

"I've been thinking," Celeste whispered against his bare chest and placed a soft kiss over his heart.

"Suppose we have Christmas with your family this year."

Clyde's hand froze over her silken back at her proclamation.

"Ye jest?" he whispered back.

"We've never spent Christmas with my family."

Sitting up and looking at him, cupping his chin, Celeste looked directly into his eyes.

The moonlight filtering into the room, the soft glow from the fire, was all the light she needed to see her husband's face.

"Ye have given up much for me Clyde," Celeste started, Clyde tried to interrupt her, but her fingertips upon his lips silenced him.

"I know you love me, the bairns and my family, but the last several days, I have come to realize that perhaps I've been selfish.

Perhaps tis time we spent some time with your family.

My family as well for my sister lives there, as well as my nieces and nephews."

"Celeste..." Clyde whispered against her fingertips, but she wouldn't remove them.

"I've spoken with my Papa and Mama," she explained.

"After Christmas, they will journey over to the Robinson's and spend time with Sasha and her family.

They willna be alone, so if ye would like to leave in several days, we can start to prepare for our journey."

"Ye truly mean this Celeste?" Clyde could barely talk he was too much in awe of his wife's wonderful gesture.

"Aye," she smiled and kissed him lightly.

"I miss my sister as well.

Twill be good for the bairns, I forget how lonely they are here.

Tis many cousins to amuse themselves with, also, your Da is there, I know he misses them, misses us."

"Have I told ye how much I love ye, Celeste?" Clyde grinned and pulled her lush body closer to him.

She giggled when his warm breath caressed her neck as he started to nibble his way towards her jaw, across her cheek.

"Aye," she sighed and then closed her eyes to Clyde's tongue tracing the shell of her ear.

"Ye tell me every day, but perhaps ye could show me now."

"Ye are a greedy wench, Lady Celeste Nichols," Clyde huskily whispered in her ear as he pulled her into his hardening body.

"When it comes to my husband," Celeste grinned against his chest, as her hands roamed down his body to cup his bottom.

She pulled him hard up against her, hearing him groan in pleasure, "aye, tis very greedy I am."

"Ye stubborn old fool," Rhea shouted at her father-in-law. "Ye will remain abed until I tell ye so." Rhea looked over at her step-mother, who nodded back to her, agreeing with Rhea's orders.

"A bossy lass ye are," George smirked at his daughter-in-law who was barking out orders to him. He pulled his pillows up behind his back so that he could sit up straighter in bed. He was tired of being in bed, it's been more than a week that he fell ill, but the past two days, his heath improved. His appetite slowly returned he was even able to walk once around his chamber before tiring and having to go back to resting. Slowly, he was feeling better and regaining the strength that he lost. He wasn't daft he knew enough that he still needed a few more days rest. He enjoyed riling up his daughter-in-law it made resting that much more pleasurable.

Watching Rhea spit fire made his days brighter.

"Hush George," Nadia reached over to grab her husband's hand. "Ye will do what Rhea says. Ye gave the castle a scare ye must rest now before Christmas comes around for there are plenty of festivities we have planned."

"I will rest as long as you continue to fret over me," George winked at his wife. "I recall ye mentioning this morn that ye would bathe me?"

Nadia gasped at her husband's boldness and Rhea just rolled her eyes. Her father-in-law's hint that he wanted to be alone with his wife, now that she knew he was feeling better, was all the encouragement she needed to rejoin everyone below. "I'll send up a tray for your supper," she called over her shoulder as she headed to the door. She knew they weren't going to answer her, for from the corner of her eye, the two were already in each other's embrace.

She knew as well that Nadia was relieved and overwhelmed with her husband's recovery.

Rhea's heart was near to bursting with joy, the past sennight was grueling. Watching George fall weak to illness was upsetting. Caring for him, doing all that she could to help him get better was draining. When he laid in fever several nights in row, the women all took turns watching over him, bathing him with cool cloths, making him sip water, getting broth into him to keep up some of his strength. She didn't want to admit the facts, but she was extremely worried when he was burning up from fever, she wasn't sure that he would pull through.

Like some miracle though, several days after his feverish nights, he woke to being drenched in his own sweat. His eyes opened, they were clear and he was asking for something to drink.