All Chapters of DON'T MESS WITH THE HEIRESS : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

130 Chapters

CHAPTER 122: QUICKENING OF THE VALLEY

Weeks went by. Then a month had passed. The manor started to feel different. There was a feeling in the air. Hannah began to notice changes in her body. The wine they had for dinner started to taste. It tasted like iron. The smell of the fire in the morning made her feel sick. At first she didn't say anything. She was scared that if she said something it wouldn't happen.She kept going to the edge of the vineyard. The soil was really dark there. She would kneel down put her hands in the dirt and feel the earth moving. That's where she realized what was happening. It wasn't like a surprise. It was like a feeling that settled in her stomach.When she told Stephen they were in the kitchen. The sun was shining through the window. The kettle was making steam. She took his hand put it on her belly. He stopped moving. He wasn't breathing. He looked really scared. She had never seen him like that before. He used to be in charge of the Vane guard. Now he just looked vulnerable. He didn't talk

CHAPTER 123: BREAKING OF THE STORM

The baby was coming on a night when the wind was extremely loud. The windows of the house were shaking. Hannahs body was taken over by a feeling. For a while she was walking around the room. She had to lean on Stephen when the pain became really bad. This pain was different from what she had felt. It was a pain that was actually doing something to her body.Stephen was there for Hannah the time. He helped her by wiping the sweat from her face with towels. He let her squeeze his hands really hard when it hurt the most. He did not look at her like he felt sorry for her. Like he thought she was really strong and could handle it.Then after a lot of work the room was filled with a new noise. A loud cry that was like nothing else. The midwife gave the baby to Hannah. The baby was a boy. He was red and loud, with Stephens hair and a lot of energy. They named him Thomas. When Thomas started drinking milk from Hannah she felt like she was connected to the world in a way she never knew before.

CHAPTER 124: THE SECOND HARVEST

Two years went fast. Muddy knees, little steps and the sweet smell of milk filled the air. Thomas loved playing. He was happy in the dirt not on a rug. The big house was noisy now. You could hear toys hitting the floor. The farm dogs barking.Hannah and Stephen got used to being parents. They found a routine.. They still loved each other a lot. They were not just trying to survive; they were building a life. One warm autumn evening after Thomas fell asleep they sat on the porch. They shared a cup of cider from their cider press."The house feels just right " Stephen said, looking at the moon."Yes it does " Hannah said,. She felt a little nervous. "I think the valley has more to give us."Hannah was pregnant again. This time it was different. The time it was a surprise. This time it was exciting. Hannah felt more confident. Her body knew what to do. She spent the months teaching Thomas about flowers and vines. Thomas held her hand on her growing stomach. She told him stories, about t

CHAPTER 125: FLOWER OF THE MANOR

Elena was born on a Sunday afternoon. The sun was. It was a really peaceful time. She came into the world quickly like she was excited to be here. When Elena arrived she looked like Hannah with big eyes that seemed to notice everything around her.Now that Hannah and Thomas had two kids the Vane family was totally different. The old Tower on the hill was not as important as it used to be. It was a place where the sheep could hang out in the shade. Hannah was standing by the window in the nursery holding Elena while Thomas pulled on her dress asking to go and play.Hannah looked out at the valley. Saw all the grapes growing and the smoke coming from the chimneys in the village. She used to have a responsibility but now she had a simple life. She knew she had made the choice. The Vane name would still be around. It would not be scary or powerful anymore. It would mean times, like the smell of rain on dry ground the sound of kids laughing in the hallway and the feeling of being, at peace

CHAPTER 126: LANGUAGE OF THE SKIN

Having two kids around the house was really tiring for Hannah and Stephen. It also brought them closer together in a very special way. With Thomas running and baby Elena in her basket they found time to connect with each other when the kids were asleep at night. It was not about having kids but about keeping their love strong even when things got crazy.At night when Thomas and Elena were sleeping peacefully Stephen would take Hannah to the tub by the fireplace. The water smelled nice with rosemary and mint. They would find each other again. Stephen would wash away the stress from Hannahs shoulders being very gentle."You look more beautiful now than when I first met you at the Tower " he said softly his voice feeling nice against the back of her neck. Hannah leaned back into Stephen feeling his chest. Their love had changed it was more calm. They knew what the other person wanted without saying it. When they went to bed their love was stronger because they were grateful, for what the

CHAPTER 127: THE RHYTHMS OF TWO

Life with a toddler and a baby was super hard. It needed a lot of planning like an operation.. It was also really sweet and made Stephens heart feel happy. He spent mornings in the vineyard with Thomas on his back. Thomas would point at the vines. Say "my vines".Hannah took care of the house. It was like a meeting place for women from the valley. They would trade wool for herbs from her garden.This was very different from her moms life. Her mom just sat in a chair and got reports from people she never met.Hannah sat on the kitchen floor. Her clothes were dirty from plums. She was helping Thomas learn to use a spoon. Her baby, Elena was happy on her rug.The rules here were different. Kindness was more important than being proper. Laughter was better than being quiet.One afternoon Hannah saw herself in a silver tray. Her hair was messy. Some strands were stuck to her forehead. She had flour on her cheek.She smiled. She had never looked less, like a lady but she felt like the bes

CHAPTER 128: EMPIRE OF THE HEART

Five years after Hannah Vane first got out of that carriage as a girl who had lost her mother she was standing on the porch of the house. The sun was going down. It was making the valley look really pretty with long shadows. The big building on the hill was almost completely covered up by trees you could barely see the grey stones because of all the oak and ivy. It was like a reminder of how things used to be. That way of life is gone now. Down in the yard Stephen was showing Thomas how to fix a vine to a tree. Elena was sitting on a bench making a crown out of flowers for baby Julian, who was crawling around in the clover. Hannah Vane took a breath of the air. It did not smell like a funeral or a cold dark room. It smelled like a fire, fresh bread and the sweat of the man she loved. She walked down the steps her boots sinking into the ground just like she had felt on her first day at the house. Hannah Vane was not a lady. She was not just a part of a rich family. She was a woman,

CHAPTER 129: THE FIRST STORM OF SPRING

The rain started before dawn,Hannah Vane woke up to the sound of thunder. It sounded like drums. The windows shook softly as wind swept through the hills. Beside her Stephen was already awake. He was staring at the ceiling. The room flickered with lightning."It is going to be a storm " he said quietly.Hannah sat up slowly. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. The smell of rain came through the cracks of the shutters. Downstairs she heard Julian crying softly in his sleep.Stephen got out of bed. He pulled on his boots. "The north vineyard floods after winter. I should check the drainage before the river rises.""I will come with you " Hannah said.He looked at her. "Hannah the ground will be dangerous."She smiled a little. "You forget I survived the Vane family. Mud does not scare me."Stephen laughed quietly. He shook his head.By the time they went outside the rain was falling hard. The valley looked different. The peaceful hills were dark and restless. Trees bent under t

CHAPTER 130: STRANGER FROM THE CITY

Summer was a time where the days were long and sunny with fields of wildflowers. The valley was alive and happy again. Thomas helped Stephen in the vineyard every morning, Elena filled the house with flowers and pictures of birds she found by the river. Julian was not afraid of anything and loved to climb trees and chase chickens, Hannah was always worried that Julian would get hurt. Then one day a stranger came to the valley. This happened on the day of the market in the village. Hannah and Elena went to the market to sell cheese and herbs. Stephen stayed home to fix the fence in the orchard. The market was busy with people talking and music playing, farmers were selling their food and children were running around. Hannah was buying apples when she saw a man watching her. He was standing by the fountain, he was wearing a coat that was not right for the country. He stood up straight. Looked formal. This looked familiar to Hannah. She knew he was from her life.Elena saw that Hannah

CHAPTER 131: LIGHT BEYOND THE ORCHARD

The vineyards were golden in the fading sunlight. A cool wind blew through the hills carrying the smell of woodsmoke. Hannah stood in the orchard watching Thomas carefully prune one of the trees. He was almost a man now taller than she remembered him being a few months before. Hannah called out to him gently "You are holding the blade tightly." Thomas changed his grip away. Stephen laughed softly beside her "You sound like me." Hannah said, "That is unfortunate for him." Stephen grinned. Elena sat under a tree drawing the orchard in a notebook. Julian was running around chasing leaves that were falling from the trees. The years were going by now. Sometimes it scared Hannah how quickly childhood was disappearing. That evening after they ate supper Elena came to Hannah quietly. "Mama?" she said. "Yes?" Hannah replied. Elena hesitated, "Do you ever miss being important?" Hannah looked up from folding the laundry. "What makes you ask that?" she said. Elena said, "There a

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