Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 4
Welcome to the next part in my Wednesday Briefs flash fiction serial, Innocence & Carnality! Each chapter has to be between 500 and 1,000 words and this week I chose the prompts, use “Cancer, Throb, and Dresser.”
Nathan prepares for Lord Rother’s arrival.
Click here to start from the beginning
Part 4
Harston reached down inside my waistline, smoothing my linen shirt before buttoning the braces into place. The tension of the straps over my shoulders pulled my pants up enough to accentuate the tailored fit through my thighs and buttocks. With practiced fingers, Harston smoothed the snug fabric until even the chastity belt couldn’t be seen underneath. I had to admit, his skills were impressive. He quickly lifted the waistcoat hanging from the wardrobe. Two tones of white created vertical stripes through the garment, and I stretched my arms outwards to ease my dressing.
“Isn’t it exciting, Sir Nathan? Traveling to another land to be wedded to a wealthy nobleman?” Harston’s words were quick and excited. His normal eloquence had come undone over the past few days as the time grew near.
“No, Harston. It’s not. I’ve never even met the man. I don’t see what’s so exciting,” I whispered.
Harston paused while sliding my arms through the vest. “But he’s a Lord! How can you not be excited?”
I sighed. Harston simply couldn’t understand. He was my most trusted servant, but his family was originally penniless before he was recruited into my family’s service. For him, it had been an upgrading of a dismal life. I did not see my own betrothal in the same light.
“I’ve had no say whatsoever in the matter. It makes me feel like purchased chattel.”
“You’re nothing of the sort, sir.”
I turned my head to catch his full attention. “You’re dressing me so that my body might arouse him. He requested a virgin and all my clothing is white. I assume that was Father’s request?”
Harston’s voice became sheepish. “He might have said something to that effect.”
Of course it was at Father’s request. Mother may have had a hand in my future, but he had the final say, and always would. Being the patriarchal head of a noble family was the mark of a successful Victorian lord. We all understood our position and lived it, whether we agreed or not. And Mother would never have agreed to dress me in white for a dinner affair. Not this late in the season.
“Everyone wants to be sure he doesn’t reject me. How do you expect me to feel?”
After an awkward pause, Harston continued to dress me in silence. When I caught a glimpse of his face, it wore a worried brow and he avoided my eyes. My arrangement meant a new locale for him as well; he was my private attendant after all. The marriage and relocation would serve to benefit him, so I could see how torn he was over my plight. If it was a plight after all.
Lord Rother Marsh Delaga III was only an hour away from arriving. The manor was alive with servants scrambling to complete the last minute details of the lavish dinner event prepared in his honor. Planning had begun before the announcement and had intensified the closer we came to our first meeting.
While I may not have appreciated my parents’ methods, I was still following the dictates of my status. Even if Lord Rother walked away without accepting me, at some point I would be married in a fashion benefitting my family and my future spouse. Nothing changed the truth of how it was done. The thought of leaving my only home frightened me, but I could grouse over the situation, or find a way to accept it, and make the most of it. Otherwise, fighting a hopeless battle would grow a cancer within me, sapping me of life and happiness. The stress had eaten enough of me already.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all. That’s what I would keep telling myself as my stomach twisted itself into a nauseous mess and the throb in my temple would pass. If I managed to survive this dinner without embarrassing myself, I stood a small chance of happiness.
At least moving to a new country would remove me from the sight of Father’s disapproving eyes. I’d never have to listen to his not-so-subtle asides about never having grandchildren again. As if he didn’t have two other sons to perform the deed for him.
Harston snugged the ties in the back of the vest, the bone rods straightening my posture. Rigid elegance was the way of the Victorian noble. I watched Harston pull the simple jacket from the wardrobe, its smooth texture a subtle contrast to the pattern of my waistcoat. The two together would focus attention on my chest.
“Do you know what he’s like?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, Sir Nathan. I’ve heard nothing.”
“So much for servants’ gossip.” It was intended to be a joke, but given the mood, it was a caustic comment.
I let out a slow breath, trying to ease my nerves. The lack of information I’d received had me on edge. My potential future husband was coming and after all my contrary reactions, it embarrassed me to admit part of the reason.
“Do you think he’ll like me?” My chin dipped, along with my volume.
Fastening the button at my neck, Harston coaxed my head upright, and caught my eye. “How could he not? With your fair skin, blond locks, and blue eyes, he’ll be smitten with one look.”
Out of all the accessories living on my dresser, Harston lifted a silver pin and fixed it to my lapel. It was a series of clock gears welded into a grouping, giving a subtle, personal flair to my outfit. Father never approved of my hobbies, so its significance was perfect. The tiny defiance and knowing I would have Harston at my side, made the anxiety a little smaller.
“Perhaps I’m worried about nothing at all,” I said. Harston looked up at me as he brushed my dinner jacket, a soft smile radiating from him.
“That’s the spirit, Sir Nathan. You just wait and see.”
Check back next Wednesday for the next installation… Be sure to take a read at the other briefers free reads this week here: Wednesday Briefs
