“You’d still like to do them here? I mean. Whatever tonight’s like, you can do that.” Thessaly felt insistent about that. “Not the grove, but anywhere else is fine.”
“I don’t really know what the effect would be in that grove, so no, let’s not add ancient unspecified magic to the problem. Especially when we’re dealing with lightning.” Vitus was now in shirtsleeves, and Thessaly found that decidedly distracting. She’d almost never seen another man that way, not since her school years. Not even Father. He tilted his head. “Look, are you nervous?”
“Yes?” Her voice squeaked. “I want— whatever it is we do. I just, I don’t know how to get from here to there. And I want you to enjoy it.”
“It is a bit of a surprise, yes. But I’ve now had, what, forty-five minutes of anticipation. I, for my part, am nervous about making it excellent for you, but I don’t think my enjoyment is at all in question.” He took a breath, reaching to touch her shoulder. “Eventually, we’ll want more of our clothes off, but we don’t need to start there. May I kiss you?”
Thessaly nodded, and then he was leaning in, kissing her, one strong hand coming up on her back, spread so she could feel each of his fingers. They didn’t dig in, they just were solid and there. It had been a long time, she realised, since she’d been able to lean into a touch and trust it. Well, except for Vitus, and they were still so new to what they were doing together that leaning in felt different.
When he pulled back, he let his hand come up and cup her cheek. “How is the rest of it going? Are you still trying to make sense of the papers?”
Thessaly nodded. “I left them in the order she had them. Surely that means something? Or it’s relevant in some way.But I still can’t make sense of it. I’ve made copies onto other sheets, so I can rearrange them, see if there are patterns, but I’m missing something. I let Cousin Owain know, but there’s nothing obvious there. It’s all coded. And they’ve all been frantically busy.”
Vitus considered. “Let me think about it. And maybe, if we have time, have a look tomorrow? Or sometime. If you’re willing. You could decide you don’t want to trust me that far.”
She blinked at him. “I think trusting you here and now is— well, it’s a sign of how I trust you, yes?”
“Did your aunt trust everyone she took to bed, do you think?” Vitus asked it, half teasing and half something else. Thessaly looked at him, frowning, because now she was thinking.
“She never wanted something lasting, I think. Not someone having control over her. I have to say, I understand that. I just don’t know how she did it, especially earlier. Once she was on the Council, once she had her own money, I suppose it was easier. But that wasn’t the original, um. Set of materia to draw from.”
Vitus ducked his chin. “Money changes things.” Before Thessaly could say anything, he went on. “I’m glad you have more freedom. Or will, when everything settles, I suppose. Do you get a pause in it for the holidays?”
“More or less. I’m sure the Fortiers will have me out to Arundel again. But Cyrus and Andie were hosting something small, just before New Year’s, and he offered an invitation to that, if I’d like. Council and various other connections. I can’t ask if you’ll come with me. It would be too obvious, but...”
“That sounds like a good thing to go to.” Vitus hesitated. “And you’re fine with him taking an interest in me, my work?”
“Oh, absolutely. Better you than other people.” Thessaly looked away. “I— you don’t mind, my continuing to not tell the Fortiers no?”
She watched Vitus closely now. He took a breath. “I don’t like it. But you’re right, there’s something odd there. And I don’t think anyone’s going to figure it out who isn’t there, on the estate, sometimes. I can’t do that. Cyrus or anyone else on the Council can’t do that. You can.”
“And whatever Laudine knows, or her husband, they’re not likely to tell me much more.” Thessaly let out a long breath. “All right. I’ll think about it.” She added, after a moment’s consideration. “And Cyrus has nudged someone he knows for an afternoon of duelling. Half a dozen of us, likely.”
“That will be good for you.” Vitus sounded absolutely certain of that. Thessaly wished she felt the same. It had been months— well, just about six and a week— since she’d had a proper duel that was any challenge other than with Emeline. Who was quite good, but who was also unwilling to risk injuring the person she was hired and oathsworn to protect. It made for somewhat limited scope.
Before she could get too snared in that, he moved, kissing her again lightly, and then he whispered in her ear, “Perhaps we might remove some of our clothing, both of us?” She shivered, feeling it run up her back. She let him guide her, loosening the wrap, then the buttons, tiny ivory ones, on her nightgown, as her fingers fumbled at undoing his shirt.
Once the gown was falling off one shoulder, exposing a broad triangle of her skin, it felt scandalous. He paused. “Do you like being seen?” Thessaly blinked, not sure what to make of the question. Vitus kissed the bare skin of her shoulder. “You dress, in public, for the face you want to show. You’ve been dressing here, at Bryn Glas, for your own pleasure and comfort. This is something different. Do you want to be seen?”
“By you.” It caught in her throat. “What do you see when you’re looking at a gem you might carve?”
Something in that brought him to a low chuckle, a rolling purr of one, as if she’d asked the perfect question. “I see the potential of what could be there. Several ways to get to that potential, usually. May I move your hand?” She nodded once, though she wasn’t sure what he had in mind. A moment later, he was guiding her fingers, her palm, into his lap, into a swelling hardness there. He rocked into the touch, once he could, letting the fact he got pleasure from it show. “In a little, if you permit, that’s the part of me that will slide into you. You did pay attention to your aunt’s books, in all the particulars?”
Something in the way he put it, certain that she’d been attentive, made her moan with it. He took advantage to press her back on the bed; the wrapper discarded now, his shirt on top of it. His hands were roaming over her skin now, as he could, from the neck, from under the hem. She had no idea what to do with hers, until he paused, and encouraged her to undo more of his clothing.
Within a few minutes, they were in a tangle on the bed. Her hair was coming down out of its braid, and her nightgown was mostly up around her hips. “More?” Vitus lifted his head. “Or just this?”
If she stopped now, she might never talk herself into more again. Or she’d let herself be pushed into a marriage she didn’t want, with someone who wouldn’t have nearly the care for her Vitus did. His eyes were shining, bright like gemstones she didn’t know how to name, pink on his cheeks from a flush of pleasure. “Show me more. Please.” She stumbled over the words, but she’d got her point across.
A moment or three later, he’d encouraged her to lift up enough that he could draw her nightgown off. One of her hands got stuck in the billowing fabric for a second. Then he waspushing his trousers and the rest of his clothing off, until they were both on the bed, skin bare. The fireplace and the charms meant she wasn’t cold, not exactly, but she was suddenly entirely aware of her skin, and she didn’t know how to go on.
“Here, focus on what I’m doing. Or kiss me. Kissing is also excellent.” Vitus stretched out beside her, one of his hands stroking down her hip, her thigh, before moving between her legs. As his fingers came closer to there, the spot that was beginning to ache, he kissed her. It was not a polite kiss, it was an eager one, tumbling over in delight, like a puppy. Only, much more adult than a puppy, because his fingers were deft, his other hand was, he knew exactly what he was doing.
Sometime, perhaps, she’d be brave enough to ask him where he’d learned his skill, so she could thank whoever it was, if only in her thoughts, for the gift. That got pushed out of her mind, though, as his hand became more active, urgent. She whimpered at a sensitivity that wasn’t like anything she’d managed on her own. She knew where she liked to be touched, but it was predictable. She knew where her hand was and where she was telling it to be.
This was like a duel, gloriously like a duel. There were a set of likely things that might happen, some of which she understood better than others. But she had no idea which she would find now, or next, or in a few minutes. His fingertips teased. As soon as she thought she understood that, they were stroking. Then there was a long finger sliding into her, pressing inside her, that made her hips twitch and arch, trying to make sense of it.
“There we go. Just like that. Does that feel good, my sweet?” It was an endearment he hadn’t used before, and Thessaly liked it. She opened her mouth, he did something slightly different, and she moaned, her head back. “Oh, yes, more like that. Youneedn’t find words, that was clear.” His fingers did it again. Then there was a second finger inside her and she arched more.
