"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", by Gratiana Lovelace (2013-2014) (Done)

Ch. 70 (PG-13): Advent Surprises, Part 1

"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", Ch. 70 (PG-13):  Advent Surprises, Part 1,  July 12, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace 

(An original fan fiction copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace;   All rights reserved; Based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel, North & South and its  2004 BBC adaptation; No copyright infringement intended) 

[I will illustrate my story using my dream cast from the 2004 BBC production of "North & South" and other actors for additional characters:   Richard Armitage for John Thornton, Daniela Denby-Ashe for Margaret Hale, Lesley Manville for Mrs. Maria Hale,  Tim Pigott-Smith for Mr. Richard Hale, Sinead Cusack for Mrs. Hannah Thornton Ogilvy, Jo Joyner for Fiona/Fanny Thornton Ogilvy, Brendan Coyle for Nicholas Higgins, Graham McTavish as Dr. Cameron Ogilvy, Holliday Grainger for Angharad Ogilvy MacIntosh, Simon Woods for Baird Ogilvy, and Emma Ashton as Mrs. Dillard, John Light as Henry Lennox, Tim Faraday as Watson, Gillian Anderson at Carlotta Quint Watson, Jeremy Northam as Dr. Miles Houghton, Gerard Butler as Lord Jamie Ogilvy, and Juliette Lewis as Lady Thistle Ogilvy, etc.] [(1) story logo, top right] 

Author's Mature Content Note:  "N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons" is a story with mature themes of love and relationships set within a period drama of the 1850's.  As such there will be heartfelt moments of love and sensuality (S)--as well as other dramatic emotions (D), including some violence (V)--and I will rate those chapters accordingly.  If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read that chapter.  This is my disclaimer.

Author's Recap from the previous chapter:  Friday, November 21, 1851, Lord Baird and the heavily pregnant Lady Fiona Ogilvy arrive--via train from London--at Angus, Scotland to visit their parents--Lord Airlie, Dr. Cameron Ogilvy and his soon to give birth wife Lady Airlie, Hannah Thornton Ogilvy.  Lady Fiona has obtained many of the latest pregnancy comfort devices--such as water tubs and water mattresses--and brought them with them for their stay for the Christmans holidays.  With Lady Fiona's due date being January 1852, she has over a month to wait to givebirth.  However Lady Fiona is so roundly pregnant that her little five year old cousin, Lady Blythe Ogilvy was almost to the point of offering Lady Fiona her lamb birthing services.  As it was, Lady Fiona tried to coax her mother, Lady Airlie, into trying out one of the water tubs to no avail.  This Christmas season will be the first for the newly married Ogilvy couples--and bring a few surprises with them.

"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", Ch. 70 (PG-13): Advent Surprises, Part 1

The week after Baird and Fiona arrived at the Airlie Estate near Angus, Scotland on Friday, November 21, 1851 is filled with relaxing past times--especially for the two pregnant ladies.  They do not venture out of their homes--Airlie Castle [(2) right]  for Hannah, Lady Airlie and Airlie Cottage for Lady Fiona--due to the cold weather and sometimes slippery snowy conditions.  The brisk wintery winds blow and howl throughout the trees at night. But for the large castle having twenty five fireplaces, they and the castle staff might all freeze. Happily, Hannah has also seen fit to have copious rugs and tapestry retrieved from the attics--and thoroughly beaten clean--to be hung on the walls and strewn about the floors, respectively. 

And Lady Fiona at Airlie Cottage  [(3) left], takes full advantage of all of the pregnancy pampering equipment that she and her husband Lord Baird brought with them.  Their large and spacious 10 bed chamber cottage now even boasts running water--a necessity for the aquatic nature of many of Lady Fiona's contrrraptions, as her husband Lord Baird bemusedly refers to them.  The water mattress is, of course, a boon to their lovemaking--with Lady Fiona on top giving her control of their rhythm since she is now fully eight months pregnant and more delicate, in reality, when before her marriage Lady Fiona was merely slightly hypochondriacal about her many fusses about her health.