~One Heart, One Love~

The plates of dinner having being cleared away long ago, the children tucked safe and sleeping in their beds, Eleanor was left alone in her chambers. She had ordered Anais and Marie to leave her when they came to help her ready for bed, telling them firmly that she would do it herself.

Despite the hesitant looks they gave her, and one another, they had curtsied silently before slipping away to their own chambers and Eleanor had slowly removed her gown, rubbing the heavy green silk between her fingers as she lay it out on the end of the bed.

She had struggled with the laces at first, so used she had become to being dressed and undressed by others and had found herself cursing the cumbersome buttons that closed her sleeves but had at last managed to undo them, silently thanking the Lord as she did so.

She then headed to her dressing table, lighting the candles that sat awaiting her upon the dark oak surface before she sat down on the stool padded with red velvet. Locking eyes with herself, she slowly removed the golden pins from her copper locks, letting the silver silken thread that bound her hair float freely to the ground as strands of fiery red fell over her shoulders.

As she placed each pin down on the cold wood she found herself gazing at her reflection. With her hair loose around her face and her fine gown discarded she seemed to herself almost like a child again.

Her shoulders slumped and she could see her younger self staring back at her. Her lower lip trembled slightly as she recalled the child she had once been. How her only concerns in life had been how to achieve the golden hair of her sisters and the long dreamt of ownership of her own green gown.

What would that child think if she could see her now, she wondered. Would little Leena have been afraid of children of four and three?

She strongly doubted it.

The girl that had hidden behind the oak tree would have put her best foot forward, would have sulked for around half an hour before stepping into her sunny disposition once more.

'Why can I not do that now?' Eleanor questioned irritably as she began to pull an ivory comb through her hair, her young self fading back into mere memory once more.

The soft click of the door closing made her gaze finally tear from herself as she caught Richard entering their chambers in his undershirt and breeches. She kept her eyes firmly on him as he padded over to her, gently taking the comb from her hand before he began to brush her hair himself, a look of concentration settling on his face.

After he had counted to one hundred in his head, the number Marie had instructed him to diligently brush till, he placed the comb down and reached down to take Eleanor's hand.

Raising her from her stool he her to the fireplace where he sat her down before sitting opposite her. Leaning forward slightly, he attempted a small smile and tucked a stray curl behind her ear before taking her hand again.

"Say something, sweetheart" he murmured, almost pleading as she stared at him, a mixture of tears and sadness in her eyes "What can I do? The children cannot go but what can I do to ease this for you? What are you afraid of?"

"Kate" she said slowly, though the dreaded name barely left her lips at all as if each letter caused her untold grief "of the sway she holds over you, of the love that you bear her, of the children she has borne you....of your son" Eleanor's voice began to rise as she spoke, her pulse quickening while she admitted her fears, despite how ashamed she was of them "I'm afraid that....that they will replace our daughters, our little Bess and Matilda will be shunted aside for these two children of yours!"

Richard watched her carefully as she spoke, noting how the grip on his hand became increasingly firmer as she began to seemingly panic. It was as if her own feelings confused and scared her. He had by now realised that they did. That she was perhaps more scared of the idea of the children than the children themselves.

Still, he knew he had to reassure her, had to tell her that their little daughter's were in no danger of being replaced and never would be, though he knew as a wave of shame washed over him that he could trace back to where this particular fear had come from.

"I love little Bess and Tilda with everything that I am" he said, taking the hand his wife had fisted into the linen of her chemise "they are our daughters, our heirs, and no one can ever nor will ever replace them....I remember the words I once said to you, when we were first married and I was a stupid fool in need of a good bashing around the head with a frying pan" he saw her smile slightly at that "and I can only promise that they hold no truth to them and never will do, Eleanor. Of course I love John and Katheryn for they are my flesh and blood, sweetheart, but that does not mean I love our two little doves any less!"

He paused for a brief second, reflecting on her words of moments ago before he decided to speak again "why is it John that plagues your mind? Because he is a boy and not a girl?"

"Because I have not given you a son" Eleanor whispered, bowing her head slightly for she knew how selfish her words sounded and hated to speak them aloud "you say that you don't care, that we will have sons in due course....but I know that a Duke needs male heirs to carry on his line! That each man yearns for them! And....she has given you one and I have not! But I know that that is no fault of the children! That they did not ask to be born into this world to bear the brunt of my anger at myself! I should be able to overcome such things! Should be able to keep my emotions in check...."

She forced herself to stop for a moment, taking a deep breath as she forced the anger that threatened to overtake her to halt. Now was not a moment for anger or cross words, there was no point to them, and she was grateful to feel Richard's hands gently squeeze hers "I think I would be less worried if you had two little girls....in fact I know I would have! It may seem silly but...."

"It's not silly" he told her quietly, eyes searching hers "I think understand how you feel...."
"But how?" Eleanor suddenly cried, rising from her chair only for Richard to do the same "you say that you love our daughters and I believe that you do, one only has to look at you playing with them to see it! But I know how much you love her, and with her children around how do I know that you will not run back to her as soon as she calls?"

"Because I love you!"

A small gasp escaped her lips as Richard practically yelled the words she had not known her heart had yearned to hear until that moment.

"I love you, Eleanor" he said again, his voice softer, the way he spoke her name almost a caress as he raised a hand to gently cradle the side of her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. She stared up at him, her emerald eyes filled with shock and almost disbelief as her lips parted slightly in wonder.

"You love me, Richard?" She breathed "truly?"

"I do" he said, beginning to smile while he nodded "I....I love you, I don't know why I have not said it before, I should have told you every minute of every day....but I adore you, Leena. You fill my thoughts from morning to night, you fill my heart with pure joy whenever I see you, just the sound of your voice is enough to set my heart aflame...." a soft smile began to curve the corners of Eleanor's lips, her eyes beginning to sparkle as she felt her heart pounding with joy. Reaching up a hand just as he had done, she cupped his cheek.

"You love me!" She laughed, an almost childish giggle working its way into her voice. She could not remember a time when she had felt so happy, she felt as if she were being carried above the clouds, floating upwards into the highest realms of delight.

"And I will always love you" Richard told her, brining their joined hands to his lips, kissing her fingers with a gentleness and care that reflected the truth of his admission. He did love her. And she loved him "I may have loved her once but I love you now, Leena. And I will love you until the day I die! You are my dearest love, my only love....I love you Eleanor Woodville, I love you with all of my heart"

Her chest rose and fell quicker and quicker as she stared up at him, her hands gently sliding into his hair, fingers bending so that she could caress the soft black curls. Green eyes searched blue, finding all the love and adoration of which Richard spoke, and then, she leant forward.

Their kiss was slow, sweet, gentle, everything the two needed at that moment until she felt the Duke's hands on her waist and the spark of desire inside of them both was fanned into a longing flame.

Suddenly she was grasping at his shirt, pulling it out of the waistband of his breeches while Richard lowered his lips to her neck, bestowing burning kisses on her skin that elicited a wanting ache between her thighs.

As she pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it to one side, his hands slowly slid up her arms, thumbs hooking the thin straps of her chemise. Again their lips met, a tangle of love and lust that blinded them to all else as Eleanor felt her shift slide down her body; gather at her feet.

A gasp escaped her as she felt herself suddenly lifted before she was lowered to the floor, Richard's arms cradling her naked body against his own. A certain fire lit his eyes as he gazed upon her before he bent his head and began to kiss her breasts.

Eleanor grasped onto his hair once more, her hips beginning to rise and fall of their own volition as her mind dizzied with desire, the heat of their passion mingling with that of the fire beside them.

"I....I love you too" she gasped, feeling bolts of fire shoot between her legs when Richard groaned in response, once more moving up her body as he crushed her lips beneath his. A hand wandering down his chest, Eleanor took hold of the laces of his breeches and tugged impatiently, grinning when Richard moved off her for a moment to throw the last of his garments aside.

When he returned to her, she parted her legs, expecting for him to come between them only to watch as he sat back on his heels.
"You are so beautiful, Leena" he whispered, voice husky with yearning as Eleanor felt her face reddening slightly, took to peering up at him from beneath her lashes.

"You are rather handsome yourself, my lord" she replied before leaning forward, letting one of her hands brush Richard's thigh, her nails slightly scraping his skin. She grinned as she felt a shiver go through him, a sense of power momentarily entering her.

Taking him by the shoulders, unable to wait any longer, she brought him back down to her, kissing him with all the passion that filled her. Trailing a hand down her leg, Richard lifted it, hooking it around his waist. Eleanor began to grind her hips impatiently against his before they both cried out as he thrust into her.

Their kisses became hungrier as their pleasure rose, a mess of teeth and tongues as their moans began to echo around the room.
"Richard...." Eleanor gasped as the Duke took hold of her wrists, pinning them above her head.

Her back arched, their shadows dancing across the walls, moans tumbling from her lips as Richard's thrusts quickened and her hips rolled against his, her body seeking release.

Her stomach tightened deliciously as she felt her pleasure mount, hands curling into fists as she tried to moan another declaration of love only to find words escaped her entirely. She could not think, could not speak, all that filled her mind was Richard, her Richard, her love.

"By God I love you, Eleanor" he groaned against her neck.

꧁꧂

"Dickon?"
"Yes, dear heart?"
Eleanor raised her head from Richard's chest, smoothing back the black curls that had fallen over his forehead while she gazed into his eyes, the afterglow of their love-making still enveloping her, making her shiver in delight.

"Can I make a request of you at the risk of sounding rather hypocritical and high handed based on my recent actions?" She murmured, lightly tracing his lips with a finger which he gently caught between his teeth, making her giggle as he nodded "I would ask for us to take another child into our care....I made a promise long ago and it is high time that I honoured it....and with the arrival of Katheryn and John I think this may be the best time?"

"A child?" Richard asked curiously "and which child might this be, Leena?"

"She is a bastard" Eleanor admitted "and at first I thought that if you intend to bring bastards into this home then I think I am entitled to bring in one of my own, although now, based on my reaction at Westminster I think you may be entitled to say no!" Her voice was filled with amusement as she spoke, though there was a note of sincere apology in it that made her expression become rather solemn "I do hope you know that I am sorry for that, it was wrong of me to act how I did and say such things when it was neither your fault nor the children's....it wasn't anyone's fault and I should have at least tried to see that"

"Well" he simply returned, winding a garland of her hair around two of his fingers "I wasn't aware that you had sired any bastards during your time on this earth, sweetheart" he grinned as Eleanor chuckled, shaking her head.
"She's not mine, though she does remind me of our Bess....no, she's Bella's. Bella and George's"

The Duke's eyes widened and he sat up, taking his wife with him as she shifted herself onto his lap to keep him from rising from the bed.
"George's?" He asked in disbelief "my brother George? A-and your sister Bella?" He shook his head, almost not believing his own words while Eleanor watched him with a small smile on her face "but how, when?"

She chuckled lightly, sliding her hands up and down his chest, her fingers dancing patterns along his warm skin. Richard gently caught her wrists, pressing gentle kisses to the palms of her hands.

"Well" Eleanor observed "I do not think you need for me to explain how Eliza was conceived for you provided a rather good example just a mere hour ago!" She grinned as Richard raised an eyebrow at her.

"Only rather good?" He questioned, releasing her wrists to slide his hands around her waist "perhaps I should make a another attempt?"

"Perhaps" Eleanor mused, smirking as he pulled her closer only to remember the mission at hand and gently draw away a little "I promised my sister that I would take her daughter in....she was born in the year we married, in France that November....before she was placed in a convent where she has been ever since...."

"And is she known to you?" Richard asked, nodding in thought as she smiled.

"She is" she confirmed, thinking of the little girl with raven hair and George's deep brown eyes that she had spent afternoons chasing around the convent gardens, her little shrieks of laughter filling the air "I have visited her twice a month for the past year!" Eleanor laughed at Richard's surprised expression for he had not an inkling of her outings to the convent "it is only a two hour ride from here!" She explained "b-but I want us to take her now....I promised Bella that I would take Eliza into my care, love her as I would my own daughter."

"And you will" Richard murmured, tracing the line of her jaw with a finger, smiling at her "you must honour your promise as I honoured mine and I'm glad that you see that....bring little Eliza to Middleham as soon as you can arrange it!" In an instant his wife's face lit up with a large smile and she darted forward to kiss him, her gratitude clear in her affection.

"Thank you, Richard!" She cried before jumping from the rumpled covers of their bed, casting another smile over her shoulder as Richard exclaimed in surprise. All but skipping over to her dressing table, she heard him chuckle as he settled back against the pillows of the bed, feeling his desire for her stir again as his adoring gaze wandered up and down her naked body.

Opening the small square draw that was carved into the wood, Eleanor rummaged through the pile of letters inside until she found the one that had her name written in Bella's elegant hand on the front.

She had written to her sister, just as she had promised George she would, during the previous September, after her first visit to the convent and Bella's quick reply had more than surprised her.

Her sister had not only given her approval for Eliza to be united with George but had also sent her blessing, saying that she agreed with her former lover on that their child should know at least one of her parent's love, no matter how much she wished she could be there in person to cherish her daughter.

Now that Richard had given his approval, all she need to was collect Eliza which she could do the next day, if she so wished but there was something she wanted to do first.

She wanted Eliza to see her Father.

It was true, George could come to Middleham, could bond with his daughter in the gardens there, perhaps teach her to ride her first pony in the courtyard? But Eleanor had decided against it, knowing that it would be best for George to meet his daughter in a place of privacy and what better place could that be than the convent?

He would not want the prying and curious eyes of his little brother watching his every move and he would surely be freer with his emotion unobserved?

The Duchess wished for the first meeting to be carefree, so that Father and daughter could become at ease with one another. And at Middleham that would sadly not be possible.

Yes, she would invite George to the North for them to meet at the convent together and there he would see his daughter.

Little Eliza of Clarence.

"Are you going to return to me?" Richard called from the bed, an edge of jest to his voice that made Eleanor grin at him as she looked up from the letter in her hands "or do I have to come and fetch you?" She placed the parchment aside, leaning back on her dressing table as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Perhaps you will" she retorted confidently with a giggle that turned into a squeal as Richard jumped from the bed and ran towards her, catching her around the waist as she tried to escape to the other side of the room.

"Come here, you little minx" he chuckled against her neck as she playfully struggled in his grip, well aware that the way she was rubbing herself against him was making his blood rush through his veins at an alarming rate.

"Are you so determined to have me, my lord?" She enquired with a smirk as Richard backed her against the wall of their chamber, the coolness of the stone making her gasp, a stark contrast to the warmth of his body as he pressed against her.

"I am" he replied as her inquisitive hands made their way up his neck, finding purchase in the black curls of his hair "if you will have me?"