Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 12

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 prompt, use “You’re mine, and you’d better not forget it.” and a photo of a carriage.

The men ride together on the way home.

Click here to start from the beginning

Part 12

“Must be difficult, you having to sit with the servants. First in the cafe, and now on the ride home.”

Blythe’s taunting smirk matched the looks he’d given me the entire time we spent in the restaurant. The carriage Rother hired was smaller than the coach in Victoria, almost an uncovered wagon with plush seating. With the tighter streets in Francine, a larger vehicle would be unwieldy. The driver’s seat fit only one man, so Blythe and Harston sat across from me with Rother at my side.

The social hierarchy here would take some time to adapt to, but Blythe’s goading tempted me to slap the grin off his face. With a mallet.

“It’s not something I grew up with, but I’m learning to adjust. My man is not impolite company.”

Blythe turned to Harston. “So, boy—”

“His name is Harston,” I said.

Blythe raised an eyebrow as he began again. “So, Harston, what do you do for our Nathan?”

“I am his valet. I attend to dressing him and whatever personal needs he requires.” Harston sat upright and spoke with pride, yet I detected a soft tremor in his voice. Not surprising, Blythe intimidated him.

“Harston has been my right hand for years,” I said.

“You dress and undress our pretty young lord?” A lewd smile spread over Blythe’s lips. “Oh, now that’s a right picture. How does one such as myself procure such a fortunate position?”

“One such as yourself does not.”

Ignoring me, Blythe leaned closer to Harston and lowered his voice a notch. “Have the two of you ever taken advantage of the arrangement?”

“I don’t understand,” Harston said.

“With all these private moments, you’ve never played with one another? I know what Rother asked for in a husband, but what about you, Harston? Any inappropriate requests from your young master? Any diddling before high tea?”

Harston’s eyes went wide, aghast at the suggestion. “O… of course not!”

“I’ve never done anything of the sort!” I snarled.

Blythe shrugged in a mock show of remorse. “Just thought I’d ask.” He leaned back and spread his massive arms along the back of the seat.

Rother chuckled softly as he spoke. “Have a care, Blythe. Nathan’s brother teased him in a similar manner before dinner and Nathan nearly tore off his balls with his bare hands. In front of his shocked mother, no less.”

“Finn deserved it,” I said.

“Oh yes he did.” Rother seemed far too amused at the memory.

Blythe cupped his groin in his huge hand. “He wouldn’t be the first young man to give my boys a rough handling.”

“Are you going to sit here and let your servant talk to me this way?” The satisfied smile on Blythe’s face flattened at my response. My annoyance was somewhat soothed by the sight.

Rother reached up and feathered his hand near my temple. “Blythe is needling you for effect. And you are giving him exactly the reaction he’s after. He knows his boundaries and would ultimately never cross the man who pays his healthy wage. Allowing him to speak his mind does not lessen my contract with you.” Rother’s tone took on a husky edge. “You’re mine, and you’d better not forget it.”

Something about Rother’s possessive declaration disarmed me. The men’s bawdy humor was something I needed to learn to find a kind of comfort in, if I would survive among them. Their coarse behavior rattled me, but I’d endured my brother’s slights for years. This was no worse in its own way. I wasn’t about to be Blythe’s victim for the rest of his employment—however long that may be. If he didn’t learn to mind his manners, my spousal privilege would be used to cut it short.

I leaned into Rother and brushed my fingers along his chest. “Is there any chance we can leash him and have him dragged behind the carriage?” My husband growled in approval.

“Oy!” Blythe protested. “That’s cheating!”

My face heated anxiously. Having no experience at seductive behavior, I wasn’t sure Rother would respond. I could have easily made a fool of myself, but I proved to have some innate skill.

“It’s tempting, my husband.” Rother gave a feral grin to Blythe, his eyes twinkling with malice. “My man shirtless and manacled would be a prime entertainment. It would, however, be a waste of time, because we’ve already arrived.”

The relentless vibration from the uneven street shifted as we turned. Pulling through a high iron gate, the carriage approached a four-story sanguine painted house with white trim, black shutters and rooftop. Balconies adorned the higher floors, looking out over the street. It lacked the grandeur I’d grow up with, in spite of how well crafted it appeared, but given the density, size, and facades the rest of the city buildings sported, it stood well above all the rest.

The wheels gave a pleasant crunching on the paver stones as we followed the driveway around the side to the rear of the building.

“We have a private garden and entrance at the rear, away from prying eyes,” Rother said.

A lovely little sunporch faced the lush garden behind the house. I could imagine a morning cup of tea surrounded by the fragrant flowers, hidden from the public. Once the carriage came to a stop, I couldn’t stop staring.

Blythe slapped Harston on the shoulder. “C’mon, boy. Let’s gather the luggage and get it indoors.” The carriage lurched as they jumped overboard.

“What do you think?” Rother asked. The pride in his home couldn’t be mistaken. He wanted me to love it as much as he did. However, I’d learned a lesson of how men of Francine treated one another this afternoon.

I grinned, giving Rother an obvious and deliberate teasing. “I suppose it will have to do.”

Rother barked a laugh, clearly amused. “Come along, my husband.” He stood, taking my hand. “It’s time to go inside and meet the staff.”

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