At the moment her lips
touched his she felt suddenly insecure. Everything between them had
been so bewildering to this point that she was for the first time in
her life unsure about the reception her move would receive.
For his part he had
been startled by the sudden kiss, but his impulse to retreat from
such a brazen act was overcome by the shy hesitation, as her lips
paused, soft against his, her held breath on the verge of mingling
with his. At that point he took control, almost without conscious
thought. He moved his mouth against hers to align their lips, ran his
fingers into her hair and firmed the pressure of the kiss. It lasted
maybe ten seconds before his warring confusion once again kicked in
and he pulled himself away. He stared down at her, almost accusingly,
and without a word, turned and left.
She was left, shaken
and confused once again. She had absolutely no understanding of the
conflicts of his upbringing and belief of what a lady versus a woman
should be. She had no way of understanding that his mixed signals
came from his inability to assign her to one category or another:
lady or tramp. In his absence, she decided that it simply wasn't
worth it; and she would rather investigate the more intense emotions
she experienced around Sir Francis.
Having made a decision
she did next what came naturally to her: she formed a plan to ensure
her decision was seen through to fruition. That night she had a
number of invitations to various events. Gathering them together, she
flicked through until she found a large event which was guaranteed to
appeal to a man of a certain social status who wasn't wholly
abandoned to the pleasures of wine and gambling.
It was also an event
she could attend in a slightly more glamorous and revealing gown than
normal, without people thinking anything peculiar of it. Gathering
her skirts she went to her bedroom and rang for Mary. Once she
arrived Melissa requested a bath. Mary sent the instructions via a
chamber maid and waited patiently for her mistress to make a further
request. Melissa stood, gazing out of the window tapping the gilt
edged invitation against her teeth for almost a full minute. At the
end of that time she turned and gazed at Mary. “Peach, I think. Do
I have something in peach silk or velvet with a low neckline and a
lacy overskirt? Ideally with a little beading decorating it.”
Mary was startled.
Melisa usually had a good idea of what her style for the night would
be, but she had never been so specific before. She turned to the
garderobe and sought through the amassed gowns, seeking the colour
combination Melissa had requested. After a relatively shirt time she
had found a velvet gown in the right shades, and a pair of silver
spangled scarves that complemented it nicely. She suggested the dress
could be marginally amended while Melissa bathed, if they could take
a little time to fit it now.
Melissa consented to be
helped nto the gown and the older woman began to drape and pin the
two scarves around her form. As she watched the effect of the darker
colour overlying the rich, yet delicate blush of peach, Mary realised
the illusion Melissa was trying to create. She was, despite her
broadminded nature, slightly shocked and hesitated breifly, but then
simply carried on.
Finally, she stood back
and observed the outcome of her handiwork. Melissa gazed critically
into the mirror and was satisfied.
The lacy nature of the
scarves allowed the colour and form of the underlying dress to show
through, but they were sufficiently dark that the peach underneath
disappeared against the distraction of the spangles and the details
of the scarves. Because it faded into her skin tones at the neckline
and arms, when Melissa was in a candlelit room out of the cold wintry
sunlight, the suggestion would be that under the spangled scarves she
would be nude.
Melissa smiled and
disrobed. The process had taken over an hour and by now the clanking
and splashing indicating a bath being filled had begun in the next
room. Mary sat down to ply her needle as Melissa draped herself in a
light robe and moved into the next room. There was a series of maids
unloading water and one who had lined up her soap and other
implements for the bath within easy reach. She checked the layout of
the room to ensure that she would be able to reach everything she
wanted as easily as possible.
She had been in the
household long enough for her servants to be aware of her unusual
desire for privacy while she bathed and one of them wordlessly
positioned a series of screens that would enable a tub of hot water
to be brought up as she bathed, which she would retrieve herself when
she wanted a little heat boost.
She reclined in the
large tub – she had it specially made after attempting one hip bath
and deciding that even if money had been an issue she wasn't putting
up with that. It took significantly longer to fill and several test
runs had proved that for her enjoyment the water really did cool too
quickly. Regardless, she had now settled happily and lay, gazing at
the ceiling. For a while she planned her seduction of Sir Francis.
Then she took a brief detour into the possibility of painting the
ceiling so she had something to look at as she bathed,. Then she
decided she was cold and topped up her bath. Finally she returned to
her contemplation of the ceiling and planned once more how she would
bring matters with Sir Francis to a head.
Some time later she
arrived at the ball. Through the crowds she was unable to see the
blond giant. It was not long she was left alone to do that; within
moments several gentlemen attended to her and although she already
knew the majority it was clear that her choice of gown had expanded
her circle of admirers immediately. Hopefully it woulf have a similar
impact on Sir Francis.
It was almost two hours
later before she became aware of the gentleman himself. She was
whirling round the dance floor in the arms of a slightly tedious
gentleman farmer when she felt a warm tingling sensation in her
spine. It was all she could do to not turn her head to find the
source. After a moment or two the motion of the dance enabled her to
turn her head naturally in the direction and after scanning the crowd
her eyes lit upon the intense gaze of the man she had been hoping
for.
She smiled at him when
their eyes met, then refocussed on her partner and resolutely did not
seek out Sir Francis again throughout that dance or the two which
followed. Finally, she was stood on the edge of the dance floor, half
hidden behind a pillar and stepping backwards out of a conversation
when a gentle hand took her wrist and tugged her into an alcove.
There, he gazed admiringly at her for a few seconds before he kissed
her. There was no subtlety. This was a man who was willing to give
her any space or leeway she wanted – if she had hinted him off he
would have disappeared instantly and forever, but her gentle
encouragement and, tonight, blatant advertising, had given him
sufficient confidence that he understood her intentions.
This kiss was very
different to the one earlier in the day. His tongue swept into her
mouth and plundered her. Her knees began to shake and she clung to
him, pressing her hips up against his as she fought a whimpering
sound. The kiss broke naturally, after a short while and he bowed to
her.
“If you will permit
me, Madam, may I escort you home at the end of your evening?”
She nodded. She didn't
trust herself to speak.
Some hours later, after
the two of them had spent independent evenings she made her
farewells. He subtly followed out after her and when she retrieved
her coat he happened to be standing beside her and, as any gentleman
would, took it from the lackey to help her into it. Then he called
her landaulet and she offered to take him to his next destination.
When they arrived at her property Mary had, with her usual
knowingness of Melissa's mindset, ensured the house was fully retired
so that Melissa could escort her guest to her rooms in privacy.
There, Mary had provided a fortified wine and two glasses; to which
Sir Francis quirked an eyebrow, but smiled and quaffed the drink he
was offered.
The next morning she
awoke alone. When she called for Mary, that caretaker assured her she
had witnessed Sir Francis depart in the early hours of the morning
and that no harm – always assuming Melissa was not taken unawares –
would come to her.
Although Melissa was
initially bewildered by the euphemism for finding oneself pregnant in
unexpected or unapproved circumstances, she was relieved by the
information that Sir Francis had not, for instance, been compelled to
snoop through her personal belongings or steal any of her valuable
items. The possibility that he worked for Lord Penthvere had not
escaped her, despite the men's mutual antipathy and it was only after
their mutual satisfaction had been reached that she realised how many
secrets she had to hide in this home and how unwilling she was for it
to come crashing down around her.
It did not dramatically
change her circumstances, but the realisation of how highly she
valued the situation she was in, both socially and personally, caused
her from that day on to behave with more circumspection.
