"The late Lord Harrow actually still had it in him? But wait, that doesn't seem right…" Was Adrian's first thought.
As he trudged toward the castle with the information Hedly just whispered to him, Adrian was lost in thought, drawing strange looks from the villagers along the way.
The late Lord Gareth Harrow had died about two months ago, and now Lady Ela Harrow was pregnant.
Although Adrian didn't know exactly how long it took for a woman to realize she was expecting, but two months should have been enough to know if one is pregnant or not.
It would seem the late Lord Harrow had managed to impregnate his young wife before he passed. Pity he didn't know it before he died.
Yet, something nagged at Adrian's mind, especially given the faint, knowing looks some of the villagers were casting his way.
As for whether this child's arrival threatened his position as Lord, he wasn't worried, he had been acknowledged by the Prince himself, meaning the main line of succession now rested with him.
'Or my balls..' Adrian tried to lighten up.
Not that he was overly concerned about losing his title anyway. Having been a Lord for some time now, he knew it was a role of both pleasure and heavy responsibility. If it were taken from him, he would only lament the loss of luxury for a moment before moving on.
Soon, he entered the castle and made his way to the keep. It was well into the afternoon, with less than an hour left before the sun disappeared. He hadn't seen Lady Ela yet, but he knew she would at the upcoming dinner, and he wondered what he should say to her. He wondered, too, what she was feeling.
The child she was supposed to have, the child that was meant to be the next Baron, had arrived much too late. She would have become the baroness if the late Gareth Harrow knews of this.
Adrian frowned as he looked at the darkening sky. Perched on a balcony and munching on fruit, the nagging thought about the strangeness of Lady Ela's pregnancy returned to him.
Then, he remembered that strange, pleasurable night, the enigmatic favor the Lady had once asked of him, and how he seemed to have fulfilled it.
He had brushed the thought aside before, it was easier to ignore, easier to move on. But what if… the child in her womb was…
"Fuck," Adrian cursed, shaking his head. Tonight, he would confront Lady Ela. He couldn't keep avoiding the matter regardless. Until then, he would hold his suspicions at bay.
------
When Lady Ela entered the dining room, she was wearing one of her green dresses. Adrian tried not to stare outright, but he couldn't tell if her stomach was bloated with a child or not, as it had only been two months.
They ate supper, exchanging only polite words and news of the coming port city. When they were nearly finished, Adrian gathered his courage and spoke.
"I hear rumors you're with child?"
Lady Ela paused, hesitation flickering across her face before she gave a slight nod. "Yes…"
Adrian nodded, the confirmation was something he expected by now. "Such a shame the late Lord Harrow wasn't here for... his child," he said, deliberately watching her reaction.
Lady Ela showed no emotion, offering only a silent nod in return.
'Man... should I just be direct, or forget it?' Adrian thought, nearly ready to give up. But then, Lady Ela spoke to the two servants standing nearby.
"Leave us."
The two bowed before quickly departing. Adrian felt a rising sense of unease welling up inside him. After a few moments, Lady Ela took a sip of her wine, set it down, and spoke.
"It shouldn't be his."
Adrian was shocked. His mouth hung agape, and his heart raced as he uttered, "The- then... whose is it?"
Without looking at him, the widow answered, "The late Lord struggled to procure another child for years. Age, sickness, and an old injury... I didn't think I was the problem, so I tried to think of ways..."
Adrian nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair and listening intently.
"And then you came along..."
Adrian closed his eyes as the realization washed over him. He thought of the heated night from before.
Suddenly he felt as if the world spun.
"You're a Harrow, and I tried to be hide doing it." She said hesitantly. "I didn't expect the Lord to pass away just like that. I have no intention of using this-" she quickly added, and placed her hand on her stomach "-child to usurp you, milord. Never."
"I only hope you can forgive me for what I did. You may punish me as you wish."
Adrian rubbed his face before opening his eyes, taking a deep breath as he got his bearing before he spoke, his voice stuttering.
"So... the child inside you... is mine?"
The thought of punishment hadn't even crossed his mind.
"...It should be."
"Haha..." Adrian's strength left him, and he slumped back into his chair. He had a child. He was a father now, and at only 15.
For all the denial he had for having a wife yet here he was now, with a child.
Lady Ela leaned toward him slightly and spoke quickly. "Milord, the child doesn't need to know you are the father. I could raise him as Lord Gareth Harrow's son."
Adrian glanced at her. Then she looked hesitant now, her face flushing slightly.
"Or... if you wish, and I would be honored, I can be your mistress... if you'll have me." she said, her gaze flickering away before she found her resolve and looked him in the eye.
Adrian was stunned, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Mistress. Among lords of higher rank and greater wealth, they were called concubines. Lord Bronsone, for instance, had both a wife and a mistress, and had children with both. While children born to mistresses would never inherit a lordship, they were still treated far better than peasants.
The late Lord Harrow had lost his first wife, a relative of a noble he met while returning from the capital and shortly after she gave birth to his sons she had died of depression, and the Lord hadn't taken a new wife until his sons died in the war.
That was when Lady Ela caught his eye. She had been a mere villager before the Lord noticed her beauty and took her as his wife, her only living relative, her father, had been sent to war and never returned.
And now Lady Ela Harrow, the wife of the former Baron, a widow, and a woman nearly nine years older, wanted to be his mistress?
The abrupt offer made Adrian disorient again, if he wasn't sitting down he would have fallen on his butt.
Adrian's instinct was to deny her, but looking at her face, he couldn't help but find her flushed expression, determined brown eyes, and soft, long hair, beautiful.
He shook his head, he couldn't let himself be swayed by beauty alone, or he would be doomed.
But the knowledge that she carried his child made him hesitate. Planned or not, it was his blood. Could he abandon his own child so easily?
He realized quickly that he could not.
The child needs a father, just like how his father was by his side before he never returned from the war, he wanted to be by this child's side.
He couldn't take her as a wife, either. Even if he wanted to, what would people think of him taking the late Lord Gareth's widow as his own?
Most importantly, he wanted to marry for love. While he found Lady Ela pleasing, he felt no deep affection for her.
Adrian let out a shaky breath, closed his eyes, and made his decision.
It was the most complicated decision he had ever made yet the choice was clear.
"Alright..."
-----
It was late into the night, and for the first time, Adrian wasn't alone in bed. While the silence was awkward at first, the faint glow of the candles and the soft moonlight soon turned that awkwardness into a heavy, mounting tension.
And with Lady Ela's initiative, soon she was straddling him, Adrians hand roaming behind her back, thin dress doing little as he felt her body.
Their mouths were soon locked, molding into each other, Adrian shuddered as Lady Ela took his tongue and started sucking them, their breaths and saliva mixing, and as he tasted her, he found her more and more delicious.
Then she leaned forward a bit more and then sat down, his hardness squeezed by her bottom, and he groaned, instinctively thrusting upwards.
And while he was returning her effort and sucking her tongue as well, she started to grind against him.
Adrian groaned, the arousal in him rising so quickly, taking over his mind, the action made him remember something however as he pulled away from her.
Adrian looked at her face, flushed, gaze cloudy with the lust, and lips thoroughly kissed and swollen as a thin line of saliva connected them. They panted, hot breath washing over their faces. And Adrian wanted nothing more but to continue what they were doing.
"Who was the other person that night?" He asked, he had always been curious about this.
"My cousin… Edith.. she's also my handmaiden…" She answered, fingers caressing his cheeks, as she pressed down on his hardness, nearly making him forgot the conversation.
"You mean her?" Adrian uttered out, nearly moaning at the sensation. He remembered her, she was the servant that seemed to be always by her side, long black hair and decent looking face.
"Yes… why, milord-" Lady Ela brought her face closer and whispered in his ears, "do you want me to call her?"
Adrian was startled, "No…" Although the idea did flash his mind making him more excited but he brushed it away immediately.
Lady Ela chuckled, pulled her face away from him, her hands on his face, "You are a just and fitting lord, Adrian Harrow, these past few months I've seen it with my own eyes… Though you still act reserved on some matters, remember, you are a lord… take what you want…"
"And don't hesitate."
Then lady Ela pulled back from him and to her feet, her gaze never leaving his, as she then grab the strap of her dress and let it fall off her shoulders.
Adrian took a sharp inhale, as lady Ela's bare body presented itself to him.
Among things he liked being the lord, he decided this was a contender to be number one.