Danielle Steel - Jewels

Emanuelle’s brother, Henri, was helping Sarah by doing errands, but most of the men and boys who had worked for them had already disappeared and gone into the army. There was no one left to work on the château, except old men and very young boys. Even the sixteen and seventeen year olds had tried to lie their way into the army, and were gone. Suddenly, it seemed like a nation of women and children

Sarah had heard from William several times by then. His letters had gotten through, and he had called once. He said nothing much had happened yet, and he hoped to get a little time to visit her in November.

She had also heard from her parents, and they were desperate for her to come home, and bring the baby. The Aquitania had made a crossing to New York just after war was declared, despite everyone else’s fears, but she had still been too weak to move then, so they hadn’t suggested it to her. But three more ships came over to England from New York after that, the Manhattan , the Washington , and The President Roosevelt , to take Americans home to safety. But just as she insisted to William that she was safe where she was, she wrote the same thing in letters to her parents, but she still hadn’t convinced them.

They were terrified of her remaining in France for the war, but she knew how absurd that was. Life around the Château de la Meuze was quieter than it had ever been before, and the region was completely peaceful.

By November, she felt like her old self again. She went for long walks, and often carried Phillip with her. She worked in the garden, and on her beloved boiseries , and she even did some heavier work down at the stables whenever Henri had time to help her. His parents had lost all their male employees at the hotel and he helped out there as well He was a nice little boy, very engaging, and very willing to help her. And he loved living at the château, as did Emanuelle. Sarah no longer needed Emanuelle’s help at night, but she moved into the cottage and came up to the château to work in the morning.

It was late November, one afternoon, as she walked home from the woods, singing to Phillip as she carried him in a sling Emanuelle had made her. He was almost asleep as she reached the front door of the château with a sigh, and stepped inside, and then she screamed as she saw him. It was William, standing there in his uniform, looking more handsome than ever. She rushed into his arms, and he held her, trying not to squash the baby. She quickly took off the sling and set him down gently. He had been startled by her scream and he was beginning to cry, but all she could think of now was William as he held her.

“I’ve missed you so…” Her words were muffled by his chest, and he held her so tightly, he almost hurt her.

“God, I’ve missed you too.” He pulled away from her then to see her. “You look wonderful again.” Thinner, but strong and well, and very healthy. “How beautiful you are,” he said, looking as though he wanted to devour her, and she laughed as she kissed him.

Emanuelle had heard them talking. She’d seen the duke when he arrived, and now she came to take the baby. He would want feeding soon, but at least she could free them from him for a little while, so Sarah could spend some time with her husband. They went upstairs hand in hand, talking and laughing, as she asked him a thousand questions about where he was going, where he had been, and where they would send him after advanced training. He had flown in the RAF before and had only needed an update on the new equipment. He was careful not to tell her what he knew. That they were sending him to Bomber Command, to fly Blenheim bombers. He didn’t want to worry her, and he made light of all of it. But he did tell her how seriously people were taking the war in England.

“They’re taking it seriously here too,” she explained. “There’s no one left except Henri and his friends and a bunch of old men, who are too weak to work. I’ve been doing everything myself, with Emanuelle and Henri. But I’ve almost finished the stables. Wait till you see them!” He had wanted half of them set up for the horses they would buy, and a few he wanted to bring over from England, and the rest of it was set up in small rooms for their staff, and bunks for some of the hands they might hire on a temporary basis. It was an excellent system, and the way they’d done it there was room for about forty or fifty men, and at least as many horses.

“It sounds like you don’t need me here at all.” He pretended to sound miffed. “Perhaps I should stay in England.”

“Don’t you dare!” She reached up and kissed him again, and as they entered their bedroom, he spun her around and kissed her so hard that she knew exactly how much he’d missed her.

He locked the door behind them and looked at her adoringly, as she began unbuttoning the jacket of his uniform, and he pulled off her heavy sweater. It was one of his own, and he tossed it halfway across the room as he looked at the full breasts and the waist that was so small again. It was difficult to believe she had ever had a baby.

“Sarah… you’re so beautiful…” He was almost speechless, and almost out of control. He had never wanted her as much, even on their first night together. They almost didn’t make it to the bed, but as they lay together there, they found each other quickly and well, and their longings exploded almost instantly as they gave in to their hunger.

“I’ve missed you so much …” she confessed. It had been so lonely without him.

“Not half as much as I’ve missed you,” he confided.

“How long can you stay?”

He hesitated, it seemed so little to him now, and at first it had seemed such a gift. “Three days. It’s not much, but it’ll have to do. I’m hoping to get back again around Christmas.” That was only a month away, and at least it would give her something to look forward to when he left. But right now, she couldn’t bear to think of him leaving.

They lay together on the bed for a long time, and then they heard Emanuelle with the baby outside their room, and Sarah put on a dressing gown and went to get him.

She brought Phillip back into the room, loudly demanding his dinner. And William smiled at him as he watched him eat hungrily, choking on the milk he was so anxious for, and making all kinds of funny little noises.

“His table manners are appalling, aren’t they?” William grinned.

“We’ll have to work on that,” Sarah said, switching him to the other breast. “He’s a terrible little pig. He wants to eat all the time.”

“It looks to me like he does. He’s three times the size he was when he was born, and I thought he was enormous then.”

“So did I,” Sarah said ruefully, and then William thought of something he had never thought of before, and he looked at her gently.

“Do you want me to be careful?” She shook her head as she smiled at him. She wanted to have lots more of his babies.

“Of course not, but I don’t think we need to worry about that yet anyway. I don’t think I can get pregnant while I’m nursing.”

“Then all the more fun,” he teased. They spent the next three days as they had their honeymoon, in bed most of the time. And in between times, she took him around the property to show him what she’d done in his absence. She had worked on a number of things, and he was very impressed when he saw the stables.

“You really are quite remarkable!” he praised. “I couldn’t have done this myself, certainly not without help from anyone. I don’t know how you did it!” She had spent many, many nights, hammering and sawing and pounding nails well after midnight, with little Phillip in a cradle next to her, bundled up in his blankets.