The rabbits died.

Dr. Silverman announced this not-so-unexpected news to all four of us. Dad hugged George and then me while Ned hugged me then George. The doctor looked a bit hesitant about dealing with all of us at once but I told him that we were in this together and George backed me up. He wanted to schedule our monthly appointments separately but we nixed that idea almost before he could get it out.

He didn't know that we were on the same timetable and he seemed quite taken aback that our men wanted to be with us for every appointment. I'll bet we had the only men in town who were committed to helping us get through every part of these pregnancies. I'd started getting a little queasy in the mornings and Hannah had told me about the raspberry leaf tea that Mother had drunk when she went through morning sickness with me.

I brushed my stomach through my silk dress and thought about my mother. Had she been as excited as I am now? Not for the first time, I wished she hadn't died when I was three. But Hannah was here for me and my beloved George would be right by my side through the next seven and a half months. Grinning at Ned, I kissed him before shaking hands with the doctor. Our next appointment was in two weeks and I wanted to do a little research before it.

Dr. Spock's book had good advice but Aunt Helen had sent us some medical research from France that talked about the birth experience in a whole new light. Ned had been telling us about the dreams of one of his and Dad's former lives. He was dreaming almost every night and I'd catch him rubbing his stomach as if expecting it to change. They'd used a midwife instead of a doctor since the 1100's didn't really have doctors.

He was getting close to having the baby in his dreams and every morning he or Dad would tell us what had happened the night before. I wished there was a way for all four of us to share the dreams. I'd like to know what my body was going to be doing for the next few months. I came back with a start to the conversation about lunch that was going on beside me.

George had joined me in the back seat and she took my hand in hers immediately. "Are you okay, Nancy? You got so quiet."

"I'm fine, love." I needed to kiss her. "Just thinking about the changes to come."

She chuckled. "I can hardly wait to feel him or her move. We're not even showing yet and I'm already trying to hurry the process up."

Ned turned in the front seat and grinned at us. "Don't be in such a hurry, George. You've got long months to go and you'll lose that girlish figure of yours soon enough."

She stuck out her tongue at him while Dad and I laughed. They'd picked Rosterman's restaurant and we had a lovely lunch to celebrate being pregnant. Everything stayed down, thankfully and I enjoyed every bite. Our discussion on the pros and cons of announcing the news versus keeping it quiet until we started to show lasted the entire meal, including the chocolate mousse cake.

We decided to tell Hannah and no one else for now. After lunch, we drove out to the spot where our new house was being built. George and I had fallen in love with the plans that Ned had drawn up and we came out once a week to watch our dream going up. The weather continued dry so the foundations were all poured and electrical power was available at the site.

Ned had an arm around my shoulders while we walked around the piles of earth and the stacks of building supplies under bright blue tarps. Dad and George went the opposite way around and we met on what would be the back patio. The flagstones were made of limestone from a nearby quarry and the view from them would be fantastic. The woods were turning gold, red and yellow, their fall foliage beautifully outlined against the blue sky.

"Let's go home and fuck," I said suddenly, just thinking about it made my panties damp.

Ned gave a shout of laughter and kissed me once before taking my hand and leading me back around the stone walls. "I like the way you think, Nancy. Elizabeth was insatiable until she got too big to move easily."

"I'm horny, too." George admitted, slipping her arm around Dad's waist.

"Me, three," Dad chuckled and dropped a kiss on her dark hair. "Let's wear each other out this afternoon."

I thought that was an excellent idea and once we got to the farm, I stripped all the way upstairs so that once I reached the bedroom I was naked and ready. Ned had done the same so before I'd even landed on the mattress he was between my legs and pushing that lovely cock of his deep inside of me. It was just what I needed and I brought him down to my aching breasts so he could nibble on them while reaming me out hard and fast.

Men's cocks are true works of art when they know what to do with them. George was laughing while Dad eased slowly inside of her and I smiled before closing my eyes and concentrating on the delicious fucking that Ned was giving me. Between his suckling of my nipples and his cock hitting that magic spot inside of me, I was going to come soon and come hard.

********* Carson *********

Making love in the afternoon was more fun than I'd had in a long time. I felt a little guilty about not going back to the office to finish up some paperwork but not enough to actually leave my lithesome wife. George was so tight that I had to go slowly for fear of hurting her. Even after seven weeks, she was still virgin-tight and I appreciated it immensely.

Nancy and Ned were a little more uninhibited in their love making but George seemed to like my size and my dedication to her pleasure. She fished out the nipple clamps and held them up with a grin. Little scamp knows how much I like them and I nodded yes. Very carefully, she clamped them simultaneously and I felt an electric shock zoom up my spine.

My next thrust was harder than before and I brought her up with me so she was pillowed on my thighs and we could kiss. She and Nancy can kiss for hours and I understood why once we started. Her tart taste is addictive and it doesn't seem to matter what she's been eating or drinking, she's still her tart self. She'd told me that I deserved a spot in the oral sex hall of fame and that made me laugh every time I thought of it.

She was squeezing around me in time to my thrusts and every third stroke or so, she'd pull on the nipple chain and send another jolt of electricity through me. I laid her back down and palmed her cheeks in my hands while I began thrusting faster and deeper. Just beyond my reach, our child was growing inside of her. The next year would see our household swell by two and I could hardly wait.

George tenses all over when she comes and she ripped my climax from me at the same moment she keened and came. I let myself collapse but only long enough to roll her over on top of me. I was still lodged within her hot depths and her slight weight was negligible for now. We'd have to give this position up once she began to show but for now, it felt just right.

Nancy was vibrating all over and George leaned over to tweak her turgid nipple while Ned froze in place and came. They both did and I thought them beautiful in their climaxes. My little girl was a woman grown and I was very lucky to have her still in my life. Our foursome might not be normal for River Heights but it suited us extremely well and I hoped always would.

We almost sunk into a doze but decided to clean up instead. The girls took the shower while Ned and I filled the Jacuzzi and sank into its swirling depths. It was too bad that Elizabeth and Peter didn't have such a decadent device in their time. Ned soaped me clean then I returned the favor before he lay on top of me and half-floated in the steamy air.

***

My sweet Little Bit had grown huge. She was so close to having our child that I rarely left the manor house for more than a few hours at a time and that was only for very important reasons. The village midwife had moved in with us and the women of the house had prepared the nursery just two rooms down from ours. Elizabeth had had the girls scrub everything that the baby might come in touch with and I'd find her there at least twice a day, patting the lace coverlet or rocking in the chair near the fireplace.

The birthing room was the one next to ours and I'd made very sure that everything there was clean also. I'd seen too many battles with blood everywhere and men dying of a small infection when they should have healed. My beloved wife would not have to endure filth along with her pain. Old Agatha had told me that cleanliness was important so neither mother or child caught the wasting fever. The midwife agreed so we were all ready for the baby to decide when it wanted to come out.

I was in the midst of searching for her when I saw Elizabeth sitting in the herb garden through one of the back hall windows. The sweet scents seemed to soothe her these days and I made my way down and out to the tart September air. She smiled up at me and held out her hand to draw me down to her side. I kissed her gently then stroked our child.

"It's getting cooler, Little Bit. You should have brought your cloak with you." I put my arm around her and she laid her head on my shoulder.

"This spot is always sunny and the wall keeps the wind away from this part of the knot." She sighed a little. "I'm tired of being fat. It took all my energy just to walk down the front steps and out the rear door. Agatha checked me this morning and said it would be soon."

"I'm glad for both our sakes. I want my Little Bit back and our son out so I can see and touch him." I kissed her temple and she brought my hand up to her right breast.

"I started spurting milk this morning." She drew back the soft linen from her breast and I saw the drop of sweet milk tremble from her nipple.

"May I?" I asked eagerly and she smiled up at me. Leaning over, I gently suckled at her breast, the bland milk just a taste of what was in store for our son. Her little moan hardened me in an instant and I switched to the other breast while she held my head close.

"Dear God in Heaven, it feels like you're sucking me down at my magic spot." She trembled and I felt her lips at my temple. "I miss having you inside of me, dearest Peter. This last month has seemed endless even though you always make me come with your tongue."

"I miss coming inside of you, too." I admitted sheepishly. "I'm extremely selfish when it comes to my beautiful little wife. Making love to you is better than any other moment in my life."

"My sweet," she tucked herself back into her bodice and dropped a hand on my rock hard cock. "It's time that you give me something to taste as well." She slipped off the bench and knelt between my legs, her fingers making short work of my cod piece and hose. My cock sprang out and she kissed the head gently before wrapping her little hands around me and beginning to squeeze in the rhythm we'd discovered worked best.

While her hands were busy, her tongue was bathing the swollen crown of my shaft over and over. She even nibbled gently on the flaring head while I tried to control myself and not thrust into her sweet mouth. Looking up at me, she smiled and danced that wicked tongue of hers all over my poor leaking cock.

Letting it fall from her mouth, she gusted a warm breath across the shiny skin. "I love polishing your sword, my beloved Duke."

I laughed and came at the same moment, painting her face with my come until she started sucking all of it out of me. No man in England had a more accomplished wife and I thanked God every day for her. Once I'd gone quite limp, she tidied me and I helped raise her back up and onto my lap. Then I cleaned her face for her with my tongue while she rested against my chest.

Suddenly, I felt my lap grow damp and she moaned, clutching her stomach. Beneath us, a small pool of bloodied liquid showed against the grass and I realized that her time had come.

***

I started awake and found Ned moaning on my chest. I shook him hard and his eyes were dazed when they opened. "Sweetheart, we need to get out of the tub so we can finish this dream in bed."

"It hurts," was all he said while I somehow got him out of the tub and half-way dry. His arms cradled his stomach and for a strange moment, I saw him nine months pregnant. He seemed to be half-Ned and half-Elizabeth.

Picking him up, I cradled him against my chest and carried him into the bedroom. Nancy and George were curled up on their side of the bed but they seemed to realize that something was wrong when I carried Ned back in and laid him on the bed. He curled up instantly and started panting while I slid in behind him.

Suddenly as if I'd been told, I knew that if they touched us while we slept, they'd experience this dream with us.

********* Ned *********

It hurt everywhere. Peter carried me in to the birthing room, calling out for Agatha and the midwife. I was damp and hot at the same time when he lowered me to my feet. Agatha began stripping me out of the ruined dress, tsk-tsking at my having been outside. She'd have been more upset if she'd known that I'd been sucking on my delicious husband out where anyone could see us.

The pains left for a moment and I relaxed against Peter with a sigh. But only a few moments later, the cramps were back and the midwife told me to start walking around the room. We'd discussed this before so I knew what to expect for the next few hours. Peter left for a few moments to change clothes but he was quickly back. He'd told all three of us that he was going to be a part of this birth and none of us had bade him nay.

He was the Duke, after all. And I needed him with me so I could borrow his strength. We'd been walking for an hour when it seemed the pains grew closer together. Agatha had me lie down on the narrow cot with my knees up so she and the midwife could check between my legs.

"Ah, ye're doing fine, ma'am and this yer first child." The midwife beamed at me. "Ye're healthy and strong. Those wide hips of yourn will birth many a baby for yer husband. Ye need ta get back up and keep on movin'. He's in the right position ta coom out but ye need to widen a wee bit more so ye don' tear."

Peter raised me back up and we started walking again. The baby was active and he'd moved lower so that I had to hold up my belly with my hands so I could walk. Peter told me over and over how much he loved me and how beautiful I was carrying our child. We talked about names, having never actually picked out any. I think he was making some of them up to make me laugh and laugh I did after making sure that he wasn't serious.

Another hour went by and I was getting tired. The pains were coming much faster now and the midwife told me not to muffle my cries but to go ahead and have a good scream. Peter agreed with her and told me birthing a child was hard work and I deserved to yell at him for getting me into this position in the first place.

I laughed and screamed all at the same time when a sharp hard pain hit me, doubling me over with its force. Peter carried me to the cot again and helped me hold up my legs so she could check me.

"Dearie, ye're a marvel, that's what ye are." She'd washed her hands and I could feel her fingers checking inside of me. It hurt but then everything hurt just then. "Good girl, m'lady, now I need ye to squat near the fire wit' yer love a'backin' ye up. Ye're goin' ta push and push until ye push him right out o'ye."

Anything to get this over with, I thought and screamed a little more. Peter picked me up and set me down again nearer the fire, a soft clean cloth under me. Squatting made different muscles work and I could feel the baby's head moving down towards the floor. I pushed as hard as I could but it wasn't enough. Panting, I listened to Peter's voice although I couldn't understand the words anymore. His strong arms held me securely, giving me something to push against when the cramps hit again.

The whole world narrowed to that heavy mass between my legs. I was getting tired but the midwife told me to hold still for a long moment and then push really hard again. It felt like I'd been doing that for days and the need to push was beating at my body like a physical blow.

"Now, dearie, push him out now." She commanded me and I threw all my heart and soul into the push.

And he came out in a whoosh, all covered in blood. I fell back exhausted into Peter's arms and barely kept my eyes open to see him.

"I was right, he's a fine boy, that he is." The midwife beamed at us while she cut the cord that had connected him to me. Agatha was right there with a basin of warm water to bathe him in and my eyes followed her movements while the midwife checked between my legs for something that she called the caul. When it came, it was a disgusting mess of blood and tissue but she seemed pleased with it.

She packed peat moss between my legs and up inside of me. That would catch the blood that continued to leak from me. But she said I hadn't torn and once I'd healed in about a month or so, I could resume my wifely duties. At the moment, I doubted that I'd ever grow small enough again to give Peter pleasure but his murmur in my ear told me that just being with me gave him more satisfaction than an entire harem of women.

That made me laugh although weakly. He took the damp cloth from the midwife and bathed me himself then let her put a clean night gown on me to cover my nakedness. Then he carried me to our big bed and propped me up so Agatha could place our son in my arms. He was so tiny and I listened to his little snuffling cries while he chewed on a finger.

Peter lay beside me and counted his little toes while I counted his fingers. He was completely bald with only a fine layer of soft down on his head. "He's going to be a beautiful blonde like you, Elizabeth."

"His eyes are blue," I exclaimed. "Look at the little faces he's making. Is he cold, do you think?"

Agatha chuckled. "All babies eyes start out blue, ma'am but since both you and the master have blue eyes, then his will probably stay that color. And he's not cold but maybe a little hungry?"

"Oh, it's a good thing my milk started today." I shifted him to Peter's arms so I could unbutton my night gown and expose a breast for him. He handed him back and watched while Agatha showed me how to hold him so he could nurse.

It was just a little like having my husband suckle at my breast but the feeling of milk being drawn from my body through a pair of lips was new. He only sucked for a few moments before falling asleep and I looked in dismay at Agatha.

"Don't worry, he's just tired from being born. You both are. Why don't you lie back and sleep for a bit while I take him to the nursery?" She suggested.

"No, I don't want to let him go just yet." I was tired though.

"I'll hold him right here, Little Bit while you sleep." Peter pulled out two of the pillows and I lay down with a sigh of relief. "Our son, sweetheart, we have a healthy son. I think we should call him William after your father and Simon after mine. What do you think?"

I smiled and closed my eyes. "I think that sounds absolutely perfect, my love. Wake me when Will wakes up."

He kissed me tenderly and promised.

***

I woke up in Carson's arms, both girls holding onto me. They were crying and I felt tears on my face as well.

"Ah, Ned, that was painful and beautiful at the same time." He kissed me softly and ran his hand over my mercifully flat stomach.

"Okay, now we know what we're in for," Nancy smiled and brushed away her tears. "Thank you for showing us, Ned. Now I really do need a nap."

We curled up together in the middle of the bed and slept without dreams.

*************************
The end of part 3