Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 8
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 “Lost doesn’t even begin to cover what I am.”
Nathan and Rother share a stagecoach.
Click here to start from the beginning
Part 8
“Are you still upset over the simple wedding?” Lord Rother asked.
Once the ceremony was complete, he’d hoisted me into the waiting stagecoach to get us on our way. He and I shared the cabin as his man, Blythe and Harston sat up front with the driver and horses. My family sent me off with a meager series of goodbyes, but after the farce of a wedding, it was more than I wanted from them.
“What makes you think I’d be upset?” I stiffened my arm to the upholstered seat to hold my balance as the shaking carriage lurched. I would have been happier traveling by railcar.
“You’re looking more rigid than usual.” He sat across from me, assessing with his intense eyes.
I didn’t even try to hide my annoyance. “Perhaps it’s the ride, Lord Rother.”
“I told you, the railcar schedules don’t match our itinerary. And when I say rigid, my title is exactly what I’m talking about. We’re married. Call me Rother. Titles are only for men who place value on status. This level of suffocating decorum your people insist on is tiring. A wedding is nothing more than a ceremony to bind two people.”
“It’s a declaration of that union.”
“With as large an audience as possible?” Rother’s brow twisted as he shook his head. “That smacks of elitist popularity.”
“It is not.”
“How many in attendance are actually close friends or relatives? How many are invited based on their social status? What’s the point of the Countess of Snobbery attending other than rubbing her nose in your success?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and refused to look at him. “It’s not like that.”
“It most certainly is. True success comes from discovering and satisfying the needs of others, not glorifying in something that took little effort.”
“If I’m so hopelessly shallow, why would you marry me?”
Rother leaned to the side to catch my attention and bring me back to his. “I don’t think you are. I liked how you handled yourself in spite of your family’s negligence. Arthur puts on a grand show, but I know a liar when I see one. You were disappointed at the shabby chapel we married in, yet you said nothing. You have pride and integrity, Nathan. It’s a rare quality in a beautiful man. But I was interested from the first pictograph your father showed me.”
“When was that?”
“A year ago, I think.”
I laid a hand across my waist, fingering the edge of the chastity belt through my clothing. “So my… purity wasn’t your idea?”
“No, they thought you’d be more appealing to suitors that way. It’s what I wanted, so I saw no reason to change their minds.”
“The two of you discussed that about me?”
“My wishes were specific, but no secret.”
“Why was it so important?”
He turned to look out the window, watching the scenery race by. “In business, I am surrounded by immoral people, many of whose motives can’t be trusted from one moment to the next. I wanted something pure for once in my life. Everyone should have what they desire. I believe I’ve earned it.”
“And what about my desires?”
“Victorian men rarely understand them. It’s the upbringing.”
I added as much sarcasm as I could muster. “How ever shall I learn?”
“I plan on educating you.”
The confident rumble in his voice was equal parts alluring and disturbing. There was no humor in his comment, simply a matter of fact. I wasn’t sure if I should be alarmed or not. Hopefully, I hadn’t traded in one controlling man for another. Long minutes passed as I mulled over the concept. Rother continued to watch out the window, slumped back comfortably in his seat, unfazed by the quake as we hit a rough stretch of road.
“What kind of business are you in?”
“You’ll see soon enough. I’ll show you everything after we arrive. There are many other things far more important to attend to first.”
“Such as?”
“Settling you into your new home for one.”
“And?”
Without turning, Rother reached into his pocket and drew out an all too familiar key. “Getting you out of that belt.” I found myself speechless as he reached out with his boot and dragged the toe up my calf. The foreign heat of contact pushed ice into my spine. Rother’s growl drew a unexpected shiver out of me. “Your current condition is not going to be permanent.”
My breaths became quick, shallow puffs, matching my speeding pulse. The carriage seemed too small and stifling. Without another word, Rother returned his foot back to the floor. I tugged at the edges of my sleeves and jacket lapel, trying to order myself with uneasy hands. The heat in my chest made me queasy, so I levered open my window for fresh air.
Ridding myself of the horrible garment was a fantasy, but I could barely face the reality. A man like Rother would expect more than gracious thanks. Much more. He was my husband after all. There were marital responsibilities to consider, which I knew, but were now more pronounced than ever. Why was the thought of intimacy so terrifying? Out of my depth, I felt the need to change the subject.
“Why are we riding so fast?”
Rother snapped open his pocket watch and checked the time. “We’re in a hurry. We’ll be in a rush to board the airship. Stay close when we arrive. I don’t want you becoming lost.”
I exhaled slowly, feeling overwhelmed as the breeze flew across my clammy skin. Everything about us, like this coach, rocketed along at a breakneck pace. I hoped I’d have the chance to catch my bearings soon.
I kept my words hushed so Rother couldn’t hear. “Lost doesn’t even begin to cover what I am.”
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
