Enclosed, p.17
Enclosed, page 17
I felt my eyes widen as I faced His Lordship. He breathed a deep sigh and steered my frozen body forward to the front of the room, close to where the stand stood and held me in place. My brain was having trouble catching up with my body, and the calling cry of “we are getting married” kept ringing in my ears as we approached the front.
“Are we ready my lord? Would you like no other witnesses?” asked the man of worship sheepishly. I blushed when I realized this was to be a private affair, and no one was going to believe I was coerced into it.
“Just your wife would be lovely, thank you,” His Lordship said, as he reached for both of my hands and held them in his. “We couldn’t get Lisbeth’s family out here like we originally planned and I have no family to speak of.”
I felt a tightness in my chest and my breath started coming out awkwardly, almost shaky in the fear that I was actually marrying him.
The man bowed and left through a door near the back. I started inhaling in short bursts, and my hands became slick with nerves.
“Calm down,” he sighed as he gripped my hands tighter. I kept trying to catch a breath but my lungs felt weak trying to obtain any form of air. Letting go of my hands he started rubbing my arms in what I assumed was supposed to calm me, ended up making me more aware of his presence and what it would entail as his wife.
Time passed too quickly and the man returned with a woman, who lowered her head so far that I couldn’t make out any features. Trying to calm my breathing, I felt the gasps as I inhaled get louder and I felt a sense of embarrassment that I was causing a scene.
“We will be ready in a minute,” His Lordship said, now taking his hands off his arms and enclosing me into a hug. “She is shocked by the surprise. I didn’t tell her we were going to be married today so I think she needs a minute to digest the news.”
The man smiled, as if knowingly. “Why don’t I grab a bottle of wine from our stores then so we can celebrate afterwards. We will begin the ceremony when I return.” He bowed and left, having his wife nervously dip herself gently and followed after him.
I sat on a bench and kept breathing deeply until the panic subsided. I felt the stare of his lordship on me, but I ignored it and kept my hands clasped. He sat down next to me and covered my hands, his gloved hands holding my own. I glanced at him and saw some strange look in his eyes. Compassion? Confusion? I couldn’t read it.
“I know this comes as a shock, but I think we are ready for this,” he says as he rubs my hands.
“You are insane,” I said simply, not bothering to hide my disgust. I was not ready for marriage or I wouldn’t have left Cromerth.
“Trust me, please!” he begged as he kept rubbing my hands. I felt a bit of anger but also a bit of sympathy towards him and didn’t know what else to do or think.
Time passed too quickly and the man and his wife returned. “Shall we begin?” he asked softly and I was lifted by my arms. I sighed and followed, not knowing what else I could do in the situation.
“Let’s begin,” His Lordship said, making my body shake from the fear of the event happening.
The beginning of the ceremony was quick, and honestly, I didn’t have to say anything as the man rambled and discussed the importance of marriage and the fact we are continuing as a unit versus being single in this world. I kept my gaze down at our clasped hands, thinking of Gavin and how it would feel to be here with him instead and how I wish I knew what he would say during this time.
“Miss,” hissed the man and I jumped out my thoughts.
“Huh?” I turned to see a light in his lordships eyes.
“He is looking for us to say ‘we do.”
I balked under it but I whispered the “we do’s as each vow was thrown at us, to pledge our hearts as one and help each other for the rest of our days. When the man gave the ring that was presented to me when he proposed over to his lordship, he clumsily slid it on my finger and the loose band spun on my finger, symbolizing my thoughts that this didn’t belong.
The final part of the ceremony, tying of the knot, also was clumsy with my shaking hands and his lordships gloves, but we got there and before I knew it, a firm kiss was pressed on my lips as the man announced “man and wife” to his wife who clapped in celebration of our nuptials.
His Lordship smiled widely when his lips left mine, and a tingle as a reminder of past kisses flooded my head. He grabbed me by the waist and twirled me, a true laugh escaping his chest as he spun us around, causing my skirts to flair up.
“Put me down!” I squealed as he kept spinning, my head dizzy from the movement. He finally did and as I stumbled, he caught me, his hand on my waist and bringing me closer.
“Let’s toast,” the man said as he handed me a small glass of wine. The wife came up and handed one to His Lordship, a sheepish smile on his face. “To a long and happy marriage. Congratulations!”
“Best wishes,” the wife cried and everyone lifted the glasses to their lips. The taste of wine was bitter and I coughed at the taste as it went down my throat. Everyone smiling wide, small chatter started but I held the bottle in my hand, pouring the vile drink in my glass every time it was empty. My head felt dizzy like when I was spinning, but I felt lighter than I have in days and like Gavin suggested, the taste started growing on me as I kept at it. I got a side look from his lordship, but he didn’t stop me, as he talked about the estate land and the work he puts into the borders.
“Would you consider this border being wider, my lord,” the wife pleaded, her shyness gone after a few drinks. “We would love to have more people travel here and feel a sense of peace in our beautiful little place.”
“I’m afraid not ma’am. I am proud of the lines my father made and plan to keep it that way,” he said diplomatically, but his hand twitched by my side. Realizing he never let me go the whole time we were drinking, the wine churned in my stomach.
“My lord—” I started but was abruptly interrupted.
“Alexander, my beloved,” he reminded me, making my throat tighten.
“Alexander,” I conceded and the word felt foreign on my tongue. “I am not feeling so well.”
The man and wife gave a look of knowing at each other and they bowed before leaving us without another word. My stomach twisted more and my head spun as I tried to get my heavy tongue to stay still in my mouth.
“Seems like you had a bit to drink, Lisbeth,” he said cordially. “Let’s go to our room and you can lie down.”
Nodding at his words, his anchored hand on my waist tightened as he led me out of the chapel and into a hallway and into a room that cried simplicity for his lordship, but cried home for me. The quilt was beautifully made with blues and whites, and the woodwork was beautifully done with carvings in the bedpost that went as high as the ceiling.
Laying me on top of the bed, he reached down and pulled off my boots, which were worn and caked with mud.
“Don’ do tha’,” I slurred, the spinning coming more aggressively now that I was lying down.
“How else can we sleep in the bed unless our shoes are off?”
His words didn’t register as I slipped into a calm relaxation and finally slept.
Chapter 28
I woke up to a small fluttering of light next to my face and recognized a lit candle, a luxury in this small house. I sat up and regretted it as my head felt heavy and sore, like someone stepped on it repeatedly while I slept.
“How’s your head?” I heard a grumble next to me and I tensed at the voice. It took me a second to realize that His Lordship was not only in the bed with me, but was under the covers with me. Gasping, I flipped over to face him and was shocked to see only an undershirt on him as he read a book by the candlelight. The day flashed back as I realized the most shocking thing at all; this is my husband and he has every right to be in the bed with me.
“Lisbeth?” he asked again and moved his book to the side. He reached closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder.
I flinched, and realized he still had his gloves on. “What are you doing?” I growled at him.
He chuckled. “Can’t be too bad off if you have that fire still in you.” He pointed to the cup next to the candle. “Drink some water, it will help your head.”
“Stop being nice to me,” I whined. I sat up and regretted it. I reached for the water and drank the entire goblet worth, glad for something to rinse out my dry mouth. I sat back down and noticed the state of my borrowed dress, all wrinkled and disheveled from sleep.
“Lisbeth, we need to talk,” His Lordship said.
“What do we need to talk about?” I asked gently. I noticed the screen in the corner, and wished he could leave so I could go behind it. Figuring he wasn’t, I took a risk and charged towards it.
“Hold on!” he yelled and he got up. Noticing his undershirt still came in support of his trousers made me feel a tad more comfortable as he charged out the room, slamming the door on his way. Smirking at my brilliance, I went and did my business, glad to have some solitude and time for myself.
I went back to the bed and lay down, wishing I could strip the gown off and be more comfortable. Deciding against it, I crawled back under the covers and relaxed into the thin pillow as my head spun.
Not even a minute after I lay back down, he returned, anger flashing in his eyes. “Warning would be nice next time, my wife.”
“Stop calling me your wife,” I moaned and kept my eyes closed.
“Lisbeth,” He sighed and rubbed his fingers over his eyes, like he had developed his own headache. “I think it is high time we talked and not fight for once, don’t you?”
“I like fighting, it keeps me young,” I mumbled, trying to ignore the pounding.
“You’re insufferable!” he cried, his anger finally returning.
“Stop yelling at me,” I begged and rolled over to avoid looking at him, and the light.
I heard the boards creak as he walked over and sat back down on the bed.
“Please, Lisbeth. Just,” he sighed. “Just hear me out.”
Hearing desperation for the first time, I sighed and sat up to face him. Moments passed and I waited in anticipation for his discussion, while wishing for a few more hours of sleep.
“Lisbeth,” he finally started, staring down at his hands. “I need to explain to you everything, if we are to be truly married. Please don’t say anything until this is all out.”
I nodded and waited, not wanting to fight for once and to finally, hopefully, have answers.
“You,” he croaked and he coughed to start again. “You are the first person to see me as I am. I was abhorrent to you and I want to make it up to you.”
I raised an eyebrow, noting he didn’t apologize, but he kept going.
“You are the most precious person to me. I don’t want you to ever be afraid of me, and I don’t blame you for running away like you did.” He looked down at his right hand, still gloved. “Lisbeth, I need to show you this, but I am afraid.”
“Afraid?” I popped out and a glare formed on Lord Duvan’s face. Realizing I spoke I gave a sheepish smile and tightened my lips more for him to continue.
“When I was younger, I had a horrific accident when crossing the border.”
This piqued my interest.
“When I was seven, my father took me to explore the lands, for the first time. It is hard to control when you are not at the estate and he was not well even before we began the trip. He couldn’t even summon travelers and peddlers outside the borders anymore and keep the barriers open for them to commute through.
“When we set up to leave town, we only had a window to allow a person to leave or enter. My father was slow and had a hard time making it through the barrier at the time we allowed. Since I was following him, I paid the price.”
He stared down at his hand. Curious, I reached out and grabbed his hand in my own and held it, feeling sorry for him and the story he told me.
“There was never a pain that was so excruciating as when it formed around my hand. I cannot even look at it without feeling it over again.”
“Can I see?” I asked politely.
“This is what I am afraid of,” he confessed, letting me see some vulnerability for the first time. “What if you find me repulsive?”
“I already do,” I joked and he tilted a corner of his lips up in a slight smile.
Time passed and he didn’t move and neither did I.
“So, you can only cross the barriers at specific times and dates?” I asked.
“I set it up twice a year for those folks who don’t have the power. I can do it at any time, but for Matthew, he has to follow the schedule correctly or he has to skip the town because it won’t work.” He shrugged like the news was nothing but it fascinated me that the whole time I was in Cromerth, I could have left, if I tried.
“Lisbeth,” he started and finally looked me in the face. “If I show you my hand, will you promise to be honest with me about what you think.”
I felt my heart break at his bravery, and knew if this was a time to lie, it was now. Nodding consent, I watched as he took off his left glove first, revealing a normal hand, though red and irritated from being under a glove. He then reached for the right and slowly pulled it off.
I am still proud of my reaction. Though it was a sight to behold, I was surprised to find a lot of it was more of a beautifying horror than atrocious.
His thumb and pointer finger held a gray cast to his skin that seemed to appear dead or rotten to a normal human eye, but what laid on his other three fingers seemed otherworldly and magnificent rolled into one sight. Though you can pinpoint where his other three fingers could be, it was broken into shards of glass like substance, frozen in air as it exploded around his hand and into the air. I surveyed it with an intellectual eye, feeling I was seeing true magic that these shards are not falling to the ground.
“ Can I—can I touch it?”
“You want to touch it?” he whispered. “Why touch the monster, why bother?” he sneered as he went to reach his gloves.
Shocked by the sudden mood change, I reached out to grab his hands before he could put his gloves on. His eyes widened and I felt the coolness of his right hand, while his left felt warm.
“Ice and fire,” I whispered. “Kind of like us.”
“I-I suppose so,” he stuttered.
While he stared at my face, I grabbed his hand and moved it closer, feeling the cool touch to my skin and examined the beauty of his anger. “It’s stunning,” I said as I flipped his hand over and over.
Without realizing our closeness, he pulled his hand away and lifted my chin to meet his eyes. Tears flooded his eyes as he looked at me, not hiding the joy that he was exhibiting the entire day. We exchanged our breaths before he pulled me closer, a chaste kiss on my lips.
“Thank you, for being mine,” he whispered. Guilt crushed me but it was quickly replaced by his lips meeting mine again, this time firmer and more in demand than the first. Breathing in, I parted my lips and felt his tongue lick my lower lip as he positioned his hands to my back. Surprised by the change in events, I tried to delicately pull back but his hands kept me from moving far and soon he toppled on top of me as I fell back on the bed.
His kisses grew more impassioned and I melted into him, the feeling of his warmth against my own. My stomach fluttered at the desire he displayed as he moved his hands to my shoulders.
“You are everything,” he whispered as he looked me over before reaching down to kiss my neck.
I sighed, tilting my head sideways to give him more access as he trailed a line of kisses around it.
“My wife,” he said between each kiss, or “my love” and I felt my breath hitch, almost like before the wedding, but different as it was more pleasant and not scary.
Grabbing me from the bed, he lifted me to be seated as he stared at me. I couldn’t help but stare back, he was always a beautiful man, but seeing his face filled with happiness, he had never looked more beautiful. He reached over and looked down at my dress, and slowly started untying the laces, focusing in real concentration.
“Wait,” I gasped. He stopped and looked back up at my face. “I am scared.”
“Lisbeth, I would never do anything to hurt you, ever,” he whispered and I felt truly comforted by his promise.
Not asking any further, he went back to untying my laces, then reached for the dress to pull over my head. As soon as I was exposed in my undergarments, I covered what I could, really embarrassed that it was covered in stains and not as white as a proper ladies undergarments should be. Grabbing my wrists with his hands, and a flash of light bouncing off his hand, he pulled them down and stared at me as if I was a piece of art. Blushing I turned my head away from his gaze and felt like the girl I truly was.
“Beautiful,” he purred as he pushed me back down on the bed and started kissing me again. The heat ignited my core again as I kissed him back, feeling the closeness of our bodies as we melded together. Sweat formed at my brow as we continued kissing, his hands roaming my back, my arms and my stomach. A light ignited in me at each of his touches and I lifted my body into his to get closer to the wonderful feeling of being appreciated by his beautiful hands.
Soon, he reached up to grasp my head, a hand brushing against my nipple, causing them peak. I moaned and he kissed me deeply before bringing his hand back to cover my breast. The light danced off the melting candle, and the cold clasp on it made me gasp with shock before the feeling of longing washed over me as he continued to study and play with my breast while kissing me.
Just when my confused brain couldn’t handle anymore, I felt his other hand lift up my undergarment skirt and rise it up, quickly using a finger to play with the mound that I knew led to dangerous territory. I squeaked and he shushed me as he used his finger to rotate circles around the folds. I gasped, the tension winding up in my stomach as a sensation of turmoil and pleasantry rolled into one. I felt my legs twitch under his guiding hands on my breast and the folds, while his lips artfully kept me from objecting through his kissing and the coil wound tighter and tighter with every stroke and every move he made on my body.
