His Defiant Wife, the Adventures of Linnett Wainwright, Book 2 (15 page)

“
Sarah
!”
Both women jumped and looked at the doorway where Hans now stood,
looking thunderous. “I told you before
not
to interfere in
their marriage! You will go now to our room and await me there.”
Sarah gave Linnett an apologetic look, and flushing guiltily, she
squeezed her heavily pregnant body past her furious husband. Sarah
was as sure as she could be that Hans wouldn’t spank her in her
present condition but his scolding would be verbally very
upsetting, she was quite sure.

Hans looked
severely at Linnett, “
Get up and go and find your husband
now
! Or pack your bags and leave here. I have had enough of
your selfish and childish behaviour. You put everyone around you in
danger and all because you cannot learn to do as you are told!”
Hans turned away banging the door shut behind him. Linnett felt so
ashamed, dear Hans must hate her to speak to her like that.

Hastily Linnett
donned her clothes and went out onto the landing. She could hear
voices clearly from inside Hans and Sarah’s bedroom. Linnett paused
to listen.

“...because you
carry our child I will not risk spanking you as you deserve, Sarah,
but I am making a note in the family bible of each time you need
punishment so that when you are recovered from the birth, you will
go across my knee for as many times as the tally. You will stay in
our room and rest now until I tell you that you may join us
downstairs.”

“
Yes,
Hans,
” came the meek reply.

Relieved that
Sarah was safe, at least for now, Linnett made her way down the
stairs. John was sitting at the table cradling a cup of coffee in
his hands. He gestured for Linnett to sit down at the table
opposite him. His face looked grim, his eyes steely.

“Oh John,
I.....” Linnett burst out, but her husband interrupted her, holding
his hand up for silence.

“I don’t want
to hear it, Linnett! I am going to punish you and then tomorrow we
are leaving on horseback for Boston. I won’t put these wonderful
people in any more danger because of you! We are leaving today and
that is final.”

Linnett tried
again, “No, you have to
listen
to me, you just don’t
understand, John...I have learned my lesson...”

“I said ENOUGH
and I mean ENOUGH! Now you will come with me!” John walked around
the table and pulled Linnett roughly to her feet by her upper arm.
He towed her towards the door. Linnett tried to drag her arm free
and cried out at the top of her voice.

“Stop this,
John, I am with child!
I am carrying our child
!”

John swiftly
dropped her arm and stared at her incredulously. “What did you
say?”

“I am going to
have our baby, John,” Linnett said softly as she smiled at the
bewildered expression on her husband’s face.

“
Are you
sure?”
John asked, stunned.

“Well, as sure
as I can be. All my courses have stopped.”

She waited for
him to respond, but when he just stood there, Linnett went to him
and leant against his solid form. She said quietly, “I realised
while I was kidnapped that I had brought all this trouble on myself
and I promised that if I ever got back to you safely, I would be a
good and obedient wife and not rush off to do what I wanted,
whenever
I wanted. John, I have learnt the hard way that I
have
to listen to you. I have never been more terrified in
my life than I was, stuck in that native camp!” Linnett shuddered,
remembering Bear Man’s advances and the liberties he took with her
body.

Linnett had
already decided that she would never tell a soul what had happened
between her and the huge native man. She would take that shameful
knowledge to her grave.

John wrapped
his arms around his wife and kissed her forehead. He tilted her
head back and looked down into her swimming eyes. It took him a
moment to get his emotions under control before finally saying
gruffly, “Linnett if you ever do
anything
that endangers you
in any way again....so help me.....I...I... promise I’ll switch you
every day for the rest of your
life
!”

He then lowered
his head and kissed her, all of his love and his pent up fears and
frustrations for her were in that kiss. Linnett responded as though
her very breath was being given through John and his beautiful,
sensual mouth. Finally John broke away from her and he led Linnett
to a chair. He sat and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her
against his chest.

“I was beside
myself when I arrived at the cabin and found it burnt to the ground
and you were gone! Linnett, I thought that I had lost you forever
and I might have done so too, if it hadn’t been for Hans and his
tracking skills! I
refuse
to be put through that anguish
again and I won’t let you put others in danger because you will not
learn from your mistakes!”

“Oh, John, my
darling, I truly thought at one point that I would never see you
again! I
swear
to you that this fright has put paid to any
rebellious behaviour on my part. I understood all the things you
have tried to impress upon me since we were married and I realised
all the wilfulness I possessed and acted upon, causing myself and
everyone around me such trouble and worry! I intend to be the
perfect
biddable wife from this day forward and I do promise
you that, John!”

Linnett burst
into noisy tears and wept. John scooped her close to his chest,
cradling her on his lap while she sobbed the shock from her system.
He hushed her and rocked her kissing away her scalding tears.

“Linnett, tell
me true, my love: did the natives harm you in any way?” he asked
softly. “I know that you said you cut your hair as a gift to them,
something I still don’t understand.... but did uh, any men put
their hands on you?” John looked down intently into his wife’s face
watching and trying to gauge any deceit on her part. His knuckles
stood out white as he gripped his hands in fists awaiting her
reply, he would
kill
any man who had laid hands upon his
precious wife.

Linnett felt
John’s tension and raised her eyes. Unblinking, she denied any
misuse, only telling him that amazingly she had met Will the fur
trapper. She explained that he was alive and well, living with a
squaw who was expecting his first child and that he was happy
living within the tribe. Linnett told John how Will had kept her
safe from the fiercer members of the tribe. She knew John and she
knew her husband would try to exact revenge if she told him the
full story of her kidnap. She also knew that John wouldn’t live to
see his unborn child grow if she allowed that to happen.

Reassured by
his wife’s tale and guileless gaze, John tucked Linnett’s head
under his chin and held her close. He stroked her soft, shorn head
and prayed that her lovely hair would grow again soon.

Being rocked
safe in her husband’s arms, Linnett knew she was home at last.
Lavenstock Hall and England were the past. John and this amazing,
wild and beautiful country were her future, her place always by his
side. Together they would build a strong family, and John would
guide their children and help them to flourish in the same way that
he had helped her to become an adult at last.

Linnett had
learned that actions have consequences, and she had finally learned
to consider other people before she took action. But most of all,
she had learned to love, and true love, she realized, knows no
selfishness.

John
contemplated with joy the future arrival of their baby. He pondered
about this exciting new development and the fact that it would
change their lives forever. He told Linnett that he had decided
they should stay at least another week or so at the homestead,
there was much to do and arrange before they could think of
leaving.

They took a
trip into town and Sarah lent Linnett a white cap which tied under
her chin and hid her lack of hair. They went to see the town
doctor, who confirmed what they had both thought, that Linnett was
indeed expecting a child.

While they were
in town, John left Linnett in the general store with instructions
to buy whatever she needed. John then went to set in motion some of
the business transactions he had been secretly planning.

He hired a man
to ride to Boston to deliver a packet of papers and letters to his
mother explaining all that had passed since they had sailed from
England. He included a package to be forwarded to England that
contained letters to the families of the crew who had died aboard
the Tempest. Linnett had also written to her father telling him
that she was alive, well and very happily expecting a child.

After
collecting his wife from the mercantile store, John packed the cart
with supplies and Linnett’s packages and they set off back to the
Lammers’ homestead at a calm pace. Linnett sat with her head
resting on John’s shoulder and her hands cradling her slightly
rounded stomach. John was indeed a happy and contented man.

That night they
had a celebratory meal at the homestead with many toasts to the
Foster family to be, with Han’s homemade ale. After they had all
finished eating, Hans stood and held his hand up for silence.

“I would like
to say a few words. Firstly formal congratulations to both John and
Linnett on your wonderful news. I thank the lord that Peter asked
me to take him to the beach after our visit to town on the day that
we found you both half drowned on the shore side. I do not know how
you could have survived another night lying there so wet and cold.
I am proud to call you friend, John Foster! I turn now to John who
has, I believe, some quite exceptional information for us all.”

John stood up
and Linnett looked up at him curiously, what on earth was it that
John had to say? He cleared his throat. “First of all we owe you
our lives and nothing can ever repay your goodness to us, Hans and
Sarah, but if ever you need us for
anything
we will be there
to support and help in any way that we can.” Linnett nodded her
head vigorously.

John turned his
gaze to Linnett and taking a deep breath he said, “I have this day
purchased a large area of land with beach, near Ogunquit where I
intend to start a boat building business, along with a large house
nearby for Linnett and our children to live.”

There was
silence as all eyes turned towards Linnett, gauging her reaction.
Linnett was looking at John her gaping mouth open with shock. “Well
darling – what do you think?” John asked after Linnett hadn’t moved
or spoken. Linnett pushed back her chair and ran around the table
flinging her arms around her husband’s waist, “Yes,
oh yes
darling
, oh John, this is such
wonderful
news!”

John kissed her
and looked relieved, “You have no idea what a relief it is to hear
you say that, Linnett. I had thought your heart was set on Boston.
What has changed your mind?”

“All I could
think about before I was taken by the natives was returning to
Lavenstock Hall and to England, but John, when I was in the tribal
camp, I realised that all I really wanted was to spend my life with
you and so it didn’t matter where that was, just so long as we are
together. I love it here and I would really like to stay nearby to
Sarah, especially when her baby is due!”

Linnett turned
and smiled at her friend but then she noticed Hans sombre face and
Linnett’s own fell, she turned to Hans wringing her hands. “You
don’t want me to stay here though, do you Hans,” she asked softly,
her eyes holding out a plea to the large stern man.

Hans smiled and
shook his head slightly, “Mrs. Foster, we would like to have you
living close by and my Sarah will love to have her friend nearby to
gossip with and talk baby talk with. You are our very dear friends
almost our family, Linnett, but I think trouble is thy middle name.
However, since John and I have made an agreement that I am most
happy with, I am glad to offer you a home with us until your new
house is built.”

Linnett ran to
Hans and planted a kiss on his cheek but then she frowned. “An
agreement.......what is it you have both agreed?” she asked
curiously.

Hans winked at
John. “Ya well, after your child is born and while you are
still
living under my roof, John has granted me permission
to give you a sound
switching
every time you are out of
order, Linnett, and knowing you as I do ‘
lieveling,
’ I am
looking forward to the very day!”

Everyone
laughed but Linnett was indignant and trembling, was Hans joking?
She jolly well hoped so, how dare John! But then why should she be
worried? She was to be a mother now and she was determined to be
both a good mother and a biddable wife to John. Linnett never
wanted John to have to take her in hand again.

Feeling much
better and in control of herself once again, Linnett smiled at her
husband and friends, enjoying their banter and laughter. She
remembered the green, spoiled and lonely girl who had married John,
and compared that girl to herself now. Linnett knew she had changed
for the better and so she had nothing to fret about. After all she
could keep up her good behaviour from now onwards!

Linnett frowned
and chewed her lip. She could, couldn’t she....
well couldn’t
she
?

is one of the oldest eBook publishers
on the web. We've been running websites that publish spanking and
BDSM related romance and erotica since 1999, and we have been
selling eBooks since 2003. We hope you'll check out our hundreds of
offerings at http://www.blushingbooks.com.

You might also
enjoy our membership site at http://www.herwoodshed.com, where we
offer an exclusive first look at new novels and novellas by some of
our most popular authors before they are released anywhere
else.