He stopped. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. God, Henry, give it to me. I want it so bad.”
He thrust again and she shouted louder.
“There’s no one around to hear us, Mina. Scream as loud as you want.” He thrust again and she screamed.
The scream unleashed something inside of her. Something too quiet. Something scared. But she wasn’t afraid anymore.
“Henry! Give it to me.”
“Uhh,” he grunted as he moved deeper and faster inside of her.
And then there was a rhythm to the madness. He was seated so far inside of her that she could feel him touching every single part of her. This was life and love. And peace. Knowing the one you loved also loved you.
He placed his thumb on her bud, so sensitive. Rubbing gentle circles, she could feel herself completely under his command.
Then he lowered his head to her breast and took it in his mouth. He was inside of her, and she was inside of him. They were entwined. When he let out another moan, she was undone. Fully given over to him. Surrendered to her future with him.
He grunted and pulled out of her to soak her thighs.
They lay, drained but full, together for several minutes. Almost dozing off to sleep. Completely at peace.
After a while, Henry poked his head up. “I almost forgot something.”
“There’s more?”
He chuckled. “Well, yes, but perhaps not right now.”
He pulled up his smallclothes from around his ankles and walked over to his clothes. He brought them over to the fire and laid them out to dry. Then he reached into one of his pockets.
“This is for you. Well, I might have to get another one, but it’s all I could find on short notice. And then I guess the rain got its hands on her.”
Outstretched in his hand was a wilted flower. Almost impossible to identify except that Philomena was pretty sure it was a dahlia.
“I don’t think I’ve ever given you flowers before.”
She shook her head. She would most certainly have remembered if he had given her flowers before.
“Well, this won’t be the last time.” He tried to prop up the drooping petals.
“Thank you, Henry. I love it. I’ll treasure this forever. This shall be my lucky flower.”
Epilogue
A Little Later
PHILOMENA LOOKED AT HER betrothed as he picked her up for the ball that evening. Her betrothed. Her fiancé. The man she never would have thought could be all hers. And here he was picking her up, escorting her to a ball.
She couldn’t wait to start planning the wedding, but more than that, their future together.
“You’re even lovelier tonight than I imagined, Mina.” He twirled her in her deep purple dress, and she felt like she could float up onto the air.
She had wanted Henry for so long, she almost couldn’t believe he was all hers. Wrapping her hand around his neck, she gazed up into his eyes. The air sparked between them.
With a smoldering look in his eyes, he leaned in and whispered, “I shan’t kiss you here, where anyone could peer outthrough the windows and observe us. Let’s get into the carriage, I have something to tell you.”
Philomena’s nipples tingled at his suggestion. In the carriage? God, that sounded divine. Since she had spent more time with Henry getting to know him, she had felt more brave in opening up that pink leather bound book, The One With the Wanton Woman. And there had been an image of a woman and man in a carriage. For the first time, she was grateful to Paulina for introducing her to the book, and she wondered how many other women knew about it.
