Previously.... we discovered that:
- our heroes are off practising soldiery things,
- Treville doesn't like paperwork
- I'm trying to catch up with Spaniel but am waaaaaaaay behind
so now, to quote Sparkle advent day 2, let's skip to the good bit...
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Another day finished, she trudged up the stairs, sifting through today's haul of information: there was precious little of note. One of the ladies was allegedly enjoying a liaison with a newly arrived Duke, and the Cardinal was expecting a diplomat from Italy - Mazarin. Other than that the talk was of a masque that would be held at the palace later in the year. Norah was already busy making dresses, and looked likely to attend as a maid to one of her clients. Kate smiled to herself, recalling Norah's excitement as she'd waved designs and samples at her, and her relief (for once) that Kate wouldn't want a new dress since she was already at full stretch with her current orders. Though she was still insistent that she would need to make something new for the wedding. At least Rochefort hadn't been hanging around today - add that to the Queen granting formal permission for her absence from Court, and it had actually been quite a good day.
She retrieved her key as she reached the door - it went in the lock, but didn't turn. Knife in hand, she slowly pushed the door open against the wall and was met with the sight of a leather-clad figure prone on her bed. Boots and weapons dumped on the floor, his hat at an angle on the back of the chair. She smiled and felt the tension melt away. Easing the door shut behind her, she closed it quietly so as not to wake him and pulled off her shoes and jacket. She looked at him: sprawled across the bed, jacket hanging open and shirt undone far enough to expose a 'v' of chest hair. The boots on her floor were caked in dirt; a fine layer of dust covered his clothes and had fallen onto the blankets. She felt absurdly pleased that he appeared to have ridden back and come to find her without stopping to change. A small corner of her mind was scolding her for the purely emotional response, pointing out that the blankets would need beating out and the floor required an thorough sweeping, but she pushed those thoughts away and lay down beside him, feasting her eyes. Her concerns about Rochefort and the Cardinal's intentions evaporating in his presence - he was here, and that was enough.
Although, she decided after a few minutes of gazing at him, it wasn't quite enough. She leaned over and kissed him gently. He stirred slightly, then rolled towards her and flung an arm out, trapping her under it as he sank back into a deep sleep. She shook her head slightly - how far had he ridden today? Frustrating though it was, it felt unfair to wake him when he so clearly needed the sleep. She eased out from under his arm and sat on the edge of the bed. With a slight sigh, she unlaced her bodice - stretching her back and rolling her shoulders in relief at being freed from the constricting garment. She stood to slip out of the skirts, lit a candle and unpinned her hair. She shivered slightly in the evening air and rubbed her arms, then turned to find his eyes open, his gaze following her as she moved round the room.
She grinned at him "Long ride?" The response was a grunt. She pulled a robe on over her shift and filled a mug which he emptied immediately and held out for a refill. "Have you eaten?"
He nodded and sat up, rubbing his face and running his fingers through his hair - more dust fell onto the blankets. "I only meant to sit down for a minute..."
She smiled over her shoulder as she lifted the jug to refill the mug. He stood and crossed the room, his eyes drinking in the sight of her silhouetted against the window with her hair loose down her back. He took the mug from her and set it back down on the table, then faced her - one hand resting on her waist, the other brushing her hair back from her face, noting that the cut had healed and the bruise nearly gone.
Tension built as they looked at each other in silence, his eyes searching hers. Then his mouth descended, his kiss urgent and demanding. She met him with equal intensity, their breathing ragged with desire, hearts hammering as their hands roamed over each other's bodies. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders, winding her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, holding him close as he buried his face in her neck, tongue exploring her neck before he stepped back to push her robe off. She gazed at his torso, the muscles flexing and moving beneath his skin as his arms lifted to pull his shirt over his head; trailed her fingers through his chest hair, down towards his trousers. His mouth covered hers again as she fumbled with the buttons and laces; he burned with pure need, desperate to feel her skin against his. His hands pulled at her shift, trying to slip it off her shoulders - she heard a tear as a seam gave way beneath his fingers, and finally, clothes discarded across the floor, they fell onto the bed, the dust and dirt forgotten.
Her arms were wrapped round his neck, pulling him down then dragging her nails along his back as his lips roamed across her face and down her neck - her gasps and whimpers driving him on. She writhed under the touch of his fingers and lips, overwhelmed by the sensations and trapped beneath him as she whispered his name and lifted her hips to guide him in. He groaned in pleasure as he entered her, and fingers entwined, felt her move beneath him to match his rhythm. She licked and sucked on his neck - the taste of sweat and dust mingled together, then returned to his lips as the heat built between them. She trembled beneath him, her orgasm pulsing through her as he watched her face - her eyes unfocussed, pupils blown with desire and cheeks flushed; with a last thrust he fell on top of her, tremors running through him as he gathered her in his arms and pulled a blanket over them.
He ran a finger lightly along her scar, then kissed it gently "Miss me?"
"Hmmm" she smiled "My bed seemed an awful lot bigger while you were away... I did suggest I needed a larger one... I got a very disapproving look." She grinned happily.
"What have you been up to then?"
"I had a very pleasant week of no court duties whatsoever, and then back to the usual rounds of gossip and tedium - business as usual. You?"
He yawned "On exercise."
"Running round in the woods waving swords at each other?" She grinned, then squeaked as a finger prodded her in the ribs. "Oh - um. The stable lads are pestering me to go to the dance next week." He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged slightly sheepishly and yawned. "I've never been, and I promised last year that I'd try to go this year..." her eyes drifted shut "and I'll need to go home at some point soon, but I can't get permission unless I take an escort, and Treville said it would have to wait until he could spare someone. So that will probably be after the dance." She yawned again, shifted against him as she got more comfortable. "I did miss you though."
He glanced down, not sure he'd heard her barely audible mutter correctly, then smiled and closed his eyes.