Corset
1109 Words
Back at the Jacques estate, what was originally family grumbling ended in hand-wringing and utter silence. Kensley had just called to report Ida’s condition, requesting Fern to disclose all of Ida’s medical history to his family doctor. He then said he would call back when his doctor finished her checkup.
Katy sat next to Fern and patted her hands gently. “Don’t worry, Kensely has a fantastic physician. We will hear from him soon.”
“It’s a curse…”
Almost everyone turned towards Jason. John deftly smacked his brother on the backside of the head.
“Ow!! What’s that for!? I’m just trying to lift the mood.”
John frowned, fixing his brother a stern glare. “Not funny.”
Henry, exchanging a glance with Jason, pursed his lips. He had wanted to say something earlier but Jason beat him to the punch. Seeing the result, he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.
Charles cleared his throat. “Ida does not have any medical history to be concerned about—”
Lawrence, now the head of his family, raised a hand to stop the old man.
“Sir, please don’t take offense to our silence.” He looked to his wife, who nodded in agreement. “We are just worried for Ida’s health. The wedding is complete and she is now my daughter so I am just as concerned as all of you.”
Thomas reached over and patted Lawrence’s leg. “Good man.”
Fern, the only one who hadn’t said a word since the phone call, had her eyes glued to the phone on the table. Her trembling hands were a giveaway to her tumultuous emotions.
Thomas wanted to comfort her but years of marriage told him to tread cautiously. A woman’s frayed nerves are nothing to sneeze at; one wrong move and you would unleash a tsunami of pent-up frustration that ranges from the present to eons past. A smart man knows when to retreat but a genius knows not to engage.
So they all continued to wait in awkward silence.
***
Kensley paced the room as his attending physician checked on Ida. After reviewing Ida’s medical history, he approached Kensley.
“Her vitals are normal.”
Kensley waited but his doctor of few words kept his mouth shut.
“And?”
“What? Do you expect me to give you a full prognosis with no medical equipment on a patient I barely know? This isn’t a fantasy novel.”
Kensley gritted out, “Should I take her to the hospital then?”
The doctor shook his head. “I’ve loosened her corset and her condition has improved greatly.”
Kensley’s worried eyes hardened; he looked down at Ida’s blushing face and noticed movement under the eyelids.
Without looking away from Ida he spoke briskly, “Thank you, Harrison. I’ll take it from here.”
The doctor nodded and walked out. Once the heavy door closed, the room was plunged into an eerie silence.
Ida could hear her drumming heartbeat and was sure Kensley could too.
“I know you’re awake Ida…”
Ida twitched but stubbornly kept her eyes shut. The bed dipped and she felt a cold touch on her forehead and couldn’t help but tremble.
“You’re a terrible actress.”
Kensley’s hot breath tickled her ears and Ida’s eyes shot open in panic.
“Stop!! I’m up!!”
She rubbed her ear and turned away exposing the nape of her neck. Kensley followed the line of sight down to her exposed shoulder blades. He clenched his fists unwittingly.
“So, you fainted from lack of oxygen?”
Ida chewed on her lower lip and gave a short nod.
Kensley sighed and ruffled his hair. “I’ll call our parents so they stop worrying.”
Ida murmured her thanks.
As soon as Kensley made the call, it went through. Ida could pick up her mother’s shrill voice from the receiver, “Is Ida okay?!”
Kensley responded calmly, “Yes, ma’am. She’s fine. Her corset was too tight so she ran out of breath and fainted.”
There was a short silence before bursts of barking laughter erupted from the phone. Ida flushed with embarrassment and lunged for Kensley’s phone, screaming, “Hang up! Hang up right now!!”
With a playful smirk, Kensley only lifted the phone higher and Ida rushed him to grab the phone, both unaware of her slipping attire until it was too late.
When her loosened corset gave, it slipped down to her waist and her ample breasts plopped onto Kensley’s face. The sound of slapping flesh seemed to echo in the room. Ida’s body stiffened and her hands, mere centimeters from the phone, froze.
Kensley inhaled deeply and his fingers brushed against the screen ending the call.
His other hand swiftly moved from the bed to support Ida’s figure since she was leaning into his face awkwardly. He murmured against her soft skin taking in her scent.
“Is this an invitation?”
Ida reached down and pushed Kensley’s forehead roughly.
“No!”
She jumped off the bed, pulled the bulky dress up to avoid tripping, and ran for the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Kensley touched his warm face and blinked in a daze.
***
Ida didn’t know how long she occupied the restroom. The first thing she did was dump the stupid dress on the floor and give it a couple of good kicks out of spite.
Then she paced around, screaming internally until she decided to take a shower. Removing all the bobby pins in her hair was an arduous task and she roughly ran her fingers through her hair and painstakingly yanked one out after the other. On the bathroom counter, she found facial wipes and new skin care products that she used. Her mind was in chaos so she dismissed it and began swabbing at her face.
It was only after stepping out of a steaming shower did she feel her wits about her once again… that was until she realized she had run in without bringing a change of underwear and clothes.
Ida wrapped herself tightly in the oversized bath towel and cracked open the bathroom door.
“Kensley?” she called out tentatively.
There was no response. She stuck her head out and scanned the room only to find it empty. With a sigh of relief, she ran into the oversized walk-in closet only to stare, fixedly lost; she had no idea where anything was kept. After a few minutes, she grabbed the first clean item she found and pulled it over her head.
- Writer
