So Far From I Expected

29

I dreamt of music and dancing, dancing with Theodore in an empty ballroom, just the two of us gliding across the polished floor, laughing and joking with each other.

I awoke with a start, I was on a soft surface, the twins weren’t beside me and there was no noise. Sitting upright to see the blankets around me, my dress a pile of fabric on the floor, Theodore’s shirt and trousers discarded by the bed.

I rubbed my eyes and stretched my arms above my head. ‘Morning beautiful.’ I jumped at the words and Theodore laughed. ‘You look wonderful in the mornings!’ he said through a smile and kissed my shoulder. ‘You should always look like this!’ I blushed and started to giggle at him. His hair was stood on end and his stubble was dark and rough against my shoulder.

‘Thirsty?’ he asked as he swung himself out of bed, I realised he was wearing only his under wear and blushed, remembering the events from the night before. My insides clenched and I moaned softly. Theodore smiled as he handed me a glass of cold water and sat on the edge of the bed.

I began to feel awkward and didn’t know what to say to him. He must have realised how I was feeling and pulled on a robe I hadn’t noticed was behind the door. ‘Would you like some breakfast or to have a bath? It’s early; your parents don’t expect you home until tomorrow. You can go and see them if you want? They’re still here.’  He was nervous, I couldn’t believe it! Theodore the big Junaathn fancy man was nervous about me!

‘Let’s have breakfast and then I’d like to have a bath please.  But before that maybe I should see my parents. Could we have breakfast with them?’ Nodding eagerly, he helped me out of bed and wrapped my robe around me.

‘Breakfast here or in the dining room?’ We agreed that breakfast in the room would be best and Theodore left me to arrange for my parents and Granny to be invited to our suite. A hotel maid entered my room and began to tidy the clothes on the floor. I made my way into the bathroom and washed my face. Pulling my hair back from my face and looking at myself in the mirror, I realised that Theodore had said my parents didn’t expect me back home until tomorrow, but why?

I returned to my room feeling refreshed and the door to the great room was open. Theodore was dressed in a pyjama suit and had combed his hair which caused me to smile. ‘We’re having breakfast in our nightwear!’ he exclaimed. The alarm crossed my face making Theodore laugh at me, ‘You expect me to see my parents like this!’ I looked down and gasped!

I wrapped my arms around myself and Theodore closed the door behind him. ‘Come here!’ he walked towards me and untied my robe. I protested and he shook his head, continuing he removed it from my shoulders and lifted the nightdress over my head. He opened a drawer in the dresser and removed and white soft wool nightdress, long to the floor with ruffled sleeves and placed it over my head. ‘Better?’ I nodded and he pulled me into his arms. He kissed me passionately and gripped my hair in his hand and pulled me close into his embrace.

A bell rang in the great room and he pulled himself away from me. ‘Your parents are here.’ I bit my lip and smiled broadly, a little embarrassed. ‘We will finish this later!’ he promised, his voice sent shivers across my spine as it had the night before. He turned sharply and left my room as I tried to compose myself.

I could hear Mama and Papa laughing in the great room at something Theodore, being his charming self had said. I walked into the room to see Papa in a similar pyjama suit to Theodore’s and Mama and Granny in similar night gowns to me. ‘Awk Caireann isn’t this grand! Breakfast in our sleep suits!’ Granny exclaimed as a maid handed her a cup of tea.

We ate bacon and sausages, eggs with cheese on top and bread toasted with butter and jam. There was fruit juice and coffee all served to us by young girls in black dresses.

The happenings at the ball were discussed in detail, Granny told us of how Lord Tumlus’s mother had approved greatly of the match Theodore and I had made. Mama talked about the dresses and the food whilst Papa was excited to tell us how Lord Tumlus was promoting him to be manager of the farm when Sean Og McNeilly retired.

It was all very exciting and surreal, I wondered how we had gotten to the position we were in. Surely Theodore had spoken to Mama and Papa when I wasn’t around and they had agreed on certain things. How did Papa allow me to stay with Theodore overnight? How was it that my family were invited to the ball at all? I tried to remind myself to ask him to explain this later.

Papa and Theodore sat on one of the sofas whilst Mama and Granny quizzed me at the little table. They wanted to know what we were doing that day and didn’t believe me when I informed them I didn’t know. They asked me about Theodore’s parents, laughing at their question I didn’t know how to answer.

‘Oh Mama, they are like no people I’ve ever met. Surely they are nice people but very different to us.’ I explained about Theodore’s father, and Granny tutted in annoyance. Mama shook her head and looked sad until I explained what had happened just before we left. ‘You know Caireann, we just want you to be happy. This man has enchanted us all, I would never have let one of the boys in the village take you into his home for a night and trust that you’d leave the next day in the same way you went in. I know he’s not a bad man Caireann, don’t ask me how I know but I just do. If he asks you to marry him you’ll say yes won’t you?’

I looked over my shoulder at Theodore and Papa, my heart lifted like it would burst out of my chest and I smiled. My gaze met Theodore’s and he smiled affectionately back at me. ‘Yes Mama, I’ll marry him.’ I said quietly.

Mama and Granny laughed loudly drawing Papa and Theodore’s attention to us. We chatted more about the ball before Mama insisted they leave to collect the twins and Tommy from Mrs McNamara.

Mama and Granny hurriedly said goodbye and Papa hugged me close and kissed me hard on the forehead, tears were in his eyes as they left and he looked sad. I pondered this as the maids cleared the room and Theodore sat at the desk in the library writing what I supposed to be a letter to his parents.

‘I’ve asked the maids to bring some hot water for you to bathe.’ Theodore looked up from his desk at me looking for a response. I nodded and wrung my hands, wondering whether it was the right time to discuss how we had come to be in this situation. I stared into the fire and watched the flames lick the air in the magnificent fire place.

‘What is it Caireann, are you not well?’ his hand rested on my hip and caused me to start. I shook my head. ‘No Theodore, I am very well! In fact I feel better than ever in my life. It’s just, I don’t know how we got here. How did you get my Papa to let me stay here? How have my parents managed to be invited to a ball? Why is Papa going to be farm manager? What did you do? And why?’

Theodore looked a little taken aback by my questions. ‘Do you not want to stay with me? You don’t have to, I can take you home. I wanted my family to meet yours and I thought it would be easier for your parents to be having fun whilst it happened, my Momma can be very difficult to handle, Caireann I’m sorry if I was wrong I didn’t mean to be.’ He ran his hands through hair, something I’d noticed he does when he feels insecure.

I walked to him and shushed him gently, I held tightly to his hands and kissed his knuckles. ‘Ssshhh, ssshhh! Please, you’ve done nothing wrong!’ He continued to look anxiously at me. ‘Caireann the farm manager, that was nothing to do with me. Lord Tumlus asked your father about the managing job and spoke to him about me, before I asked him to put in a good word for me. I’m sorry I messed this all up, I just wanted everything to be right. I want you to be happy with me, I want you to be happy and I want you to say yes to me. I’ve messed it all up.’ Tears welled in his eyes and I held him close to me and shook my head.

‘Theodore, pet please would you listen to me. You have nothing to be sorry about. I am happy, happier than ever before in my life. I just wondered how you enchanted my family. I don’t really know how you enchanted me! Please don’t be upset. I love you.’

He wrapped his arms around me and we sank to the floor. His head laid on my chest and I stroked away his tears. We could hear the maids filling the bath in my room as we lay there. After a long while Theodore lifted his head and looked into my eyes, ‘You really are happy?’ He studied my face as he waited for my response. I smiled at his beautiful face, ‘I am, I am so happy.’

He pulled himself up and lifted me onto his lap, ‘You make me happy, you make my heart want to burst out of my chest when I see you. I watched you sleep this morning and I wanted to have a painting of it. I want to watch you, to look at you every day forever.’ I blushed and leant in to kiss him. His lips were soft, salty from his tears. They were eager and wanting, his hands gripped my waist and his tongue flitted over my lip and my hands dug into his hair. I moaned loudly, unable to control the sensations that were taking over my body.

Holding me tightly, Theodore lifted me so that my legs were apart on either side of his waist. His hands slid up my thighs under the night gown and rounded on my bottom squeezing it tightly, he kissed me tenderly and I loosened the tie on his robe. My heart was pounding and my fingers trembled over the buttons as I opened them and pushed it open to feel his soft skin under my hands.

He kissed my neck and shoulder forcefully and moved himself to stand. With my legs wrapped around his waist and my hands gripping tightly onto his arms he burst through the library doors and into the great room. Sitting me on the dining table he shrugged off his robe and shirt, I was breathing hard and fast, every part of my body ached and I wanted his skin on mine. Between my legs throbbed and felt swollen, begging for release. I moved to stand, I wanted his skin on mine and couldn’t control myself, I lifted the gown over my head and stood before him bare, my body begging him to take me.

My breasts were swollen and my n*****s sensitive, my chest rose and fell with my breaths and Theodore watched me for a moment, his eyes burning with desire. His arms lifted me and I pushed him away, I needed his skin, all of his skin; I looked to see how I was to remove his trousers and pulled the tie whilst looking at Theodore’s face.

Surprise and excitement crossed his face as they fell to his ankles where he kicked them aside. He moved to lift me again but stopped in his tracks and backed away. He turned and I watched his muscular back and bottom as he ran through the library into his room, ‘Theodore!’ I called after him, I began to panic thinking I had done something wrong when he returned. His erection was visible, his body was beautiful and I wanted him more at that moment than before.

His stride slowed and he scooped me into his arms and swept me through my room into my bathroom where climbed into the bath and lowered us into it. My legs were open and my core rested on his stomach when he laid in the water. His erection rested against the cheeks of my bottom. I leant forward and felt it smooth against my opening and my insides tightened. I wanted to lower myself onto him, to feel his passion inside me and release my frustration.

I exhaled and Theodore lifted my chin with his finger, ‘Marry me Caireann. Be my wife, I beg you.’ My eyes widened like a stunned rabbit and my mouth dropped open. In his other hand a glint of light caught my eye, he took my hand and slid a silver ring with a dark stone and diamonds surrounding it onto my finger.

My face ached with a smile as much as my body ached with need for Theodore. ‘Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll marry you today if you want!’ I laughed and hugged him tightly splashing water over the sides of the bath. He sat up and turned me around to hold me. We lay for a moment in each other’s arms before Theodore washed my body gently and kissed as much of me as the bathtub would allow.

He wrapped me tightly in a bath towel and scooped me up into his arms like a child and twirled me into the bedroom and lay me gently on the bed. ‘Would you marry me today? If I can do it can we get married today?’ I laughed at the boyish glee in his wonderful face and nodded eagerly. ‘Haha, yes! Let us see if we can catch your parents and let them know the news! See if your father can talk to the priest and then we can talk to Momma and my father. Lord Tumlus will approve it! Oh Caireann do you really mean it?’ I laughed harder at his delight, ‘Yes Theodore! Let’s get married today!’

He called for a maid to halt my parents and appeared with a dress before rushing to his own room and dressing hurriedly.

He had to help me into a navy dress with long sleeves and a heavy coat with a collar of fox fur; and waited patiently for me to arrange my hair. He swung me around the room like children do before he pulled me enthusiastically through the door towards my family.