To Love A Duke

The Hot Pond ||

Song Recommendation: Unholy by Sam smith

Compliments, the bane of a lady’s existence..

the words men throw out more times than necessary..

He said smiling and sliding his palms over his face. she swallowed and realized she had been biting on her lower lip

“Oh” was all her constricted voice could muster

“common Artemis. Give in once in a while to temptation, it can be very rewarding” His voice was chiding but heavily laced with humor and she bite on her lips harder heavily swayed to join him for the impropriety of it all. He was her husband but they weren’t lovers.

“Hmmm. Of course you’ll know all about it” she replied seriously considering joining him, he scoffed

“on the contrary duchess mine, that pretty lips of yours would have something entirely different to say if I had given in to temptation”

he was looking at her lips and she swallowed. He had brought her here to make her bath with him in the pond? a steaming bath was her one hiding place and he was encroaching, tearing down her one defense. She couldn’t tell if it was the darkening of the evening sky or the brandy she had drunk much much earlier in the day from his study that emboldened her but she shrugged out of his jacket and lay it on the floor, vaguely remembering the way he had pulled it over her. she reached around and found her zip and pulled it all the way down, slowly giving in to temptation she untied her bonnet, discarding it to the ground and shaking out her hair , she stepped out of the purple frock, and into the steaming pond.

Orion wasn’t dreaming she stood in her chemise and walked proudly into the pond, all hair loose and glorious as the woman who owned it he gulped visibly and she maintained eye contact like she was searching for some sort of approval and oh he gave it, he gave it all. Head held high she walked farther in, still looking at him and he floated towards her until she was so close.

“You are- You are so beautiful, Artemis” he said to her and she blinked, biting hard on her lips. Again. If only she knew what that did to him.

“This flattering of yours my Lord, it’s now a dire habit” she smiled and held his gaze

“Given the chance I’ll proof it, and there would be no room for doubt mon trainfyll” she swam backwards and away from him with her head to the sky. He could barely make her out over all the steam but he could hear her when she said

“I don’t know what you find beautiful your grace” she half shouted. He swam towards her voice, and stopped a tad too close

“Look at me, I am considered too short, my looks too delicate for the trend these days, take a long hard look at me, husband” she whispered.

“I’m looking”. He whispered back.