Authors: Rachel Brant
“I had already told you that he likes you. Otherwise, he would have never talked to you so politely on the day he came to meet the villagers. He treats you equal to him. Do not be a fool Amy. He likes you so much.” Ellen is so sure about it.
“But, I am not sure. What if I am just another girl for him? You are the only one who knows well what I feel about the man of my dreams. I just cannot bear heartbreak. I do not have a brave heart, Ellen. What if he leaves me when I start loving him? Isn’t it better that I refuse for the ball? Shall I leave the house tomorrow before the carriage comes?”
“No baby. Just be brave. What else do you want when you can clearly see a man like Edward falling in love with you? He is the Duke for God’s sake Amy.”
“Yes. That is the problem. He is the Duke, Ellen. Why would he even want to marry me? And I can fall in love only with the man who will marry me. If he leaves me in the middle of this affair, I will be shattered forever.” I said melting like snow, helpless in the warm weather.
“He will Amy, he will marry you. It’s you who can convince him to do so. Do not let him go so easily. There are hordes of girls dying to marry him. If he is interested in you, just go and spend time with him.”
“I can’t be so mean. I cannot rush for him just because he is the Duke.” albeit I know that this is one main reason I fantasize him.
“This is nothing mean dear. It’s just practical. You will not get an opportunity like this.”
“Opportunity! Are you mad? I am not looking for any opportunity in Heaven’s name. I am just longing for the love of my life.”
“I am sorry. I did not mean to rub the wrong way. But, please Amy. Just give him a chance. You will have a very happy life with him. Moreover, after meeting Edward, can you imagine spending the rest of your life with someone as creepy as David? Your parents are already happy to engage you with him.”
That leaves me spellbound. “How does she know it where to crack the nut? She always has the convincing reasons for everything right and wrong.”
“Okay. I will go for the ball. What about mother and father? What will I tell them? They might get annoyed if I tell them that I met Edward.”
“They will not get angry Amy. Which parents would not like to see their daughter settle with
Royalty?”
Again, Ellen has a point. “But, I cannot confront them.”
“No problem. I will win over them. You just concentrate on displaying the best manners to his family tomorrow.”
“Yeah, this thing is freaking me out even more. How would I even talk to people at the ball?”
“I hope Edward handles it well.”
“Yeah, he has to take care of it. Please, help me, Ellen, I feel so overwhelmed.”
“Don’t worry dear. I am always there with you. We will figure something out.”
“Hmmm… okay” I pause, for a few seconds, visualizing the gleaming eyes of Edward. “Is he the one for whom I have waited all my life? Is he as perfect as he seems?”
I see Edward taking off his white glove from his right hand and stretching out the hand to me. I place my hand into his and somehow managing my elaborate gown that he had sent for me, I come off the carriage. It was cold, very cold. But, the norms of the high society did not allow me to wear a shawl.
He kisses the back of my hand and holds me against his chest faintly. “You look gorgeous my sweetheart”. My heart skips a beat!
“Thank you, Edward.’
“Amelia, do not be nervous. My parents are going to like you for sure. You look no less than the ladies present inside. Just be confident and a little shy!” He smirks at me.
I smile at him and flush inside at the sight of his eyes again engraved on my face. He looks so handsome in his black coat flowing to the back of his knees. The glow on his face is extraordinary today. Holding my hand, he takes me inside the hall, which is glowing with lights all over. Not even a single corner is left untouched with flowers and embellishments. The ceiling is well above the normal height and that gives an extraordinary grand feeling to the hall. Now I realize why this place is situated on the outskirts of Brackcliffe. Of course, the royalty needs space to build such a huge palace. They can also keep away from the clamor of village kids.
I feel so out of place in this palace of the Duke. Still holding his hand, I tried to maintain the best possible elegance and propriety and we walk up to his parents. Edward walked upright, with ease and grace. He is so comfortable with his richness and his own well-built body.
I could not stop myself from fantasizing Edward’s body underneath his clothes when I noticed the look of scrutiny in the eyes of his mother. His father seems polite. As I had heard already, there was no feeling of pride in the eyes of guests present in the ballroom. They seem to maintain distance with me but not with a hint of arrogance. It gives me some comfort to be there with the love of my life if destiny has conjured some plans for us.
“Mother, Father, she is Amelia.” Edward introduced me to his parents. I do a little curtsy, wish them with a smile and just uttered, “Your highness! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
They rise to their feet a little and smile at me. Although I could see her mother dissect me from top to bottom, I could feel a sense of courtesy in their eyes. It is understandable for a mother to meet a girl known to her son with an eye of scrutiny.
“Mother, shall I proceed to dance with Amelia if you do not mind”. Edward asks for her permission.
She kisses Edward’s forehead and gave away her permission with the grace that I had never seen before in a lady. Even with the wrinkles below her chin, she looks the most beautiful lady on Earth. The pearly white colored gloves in her hands give a real majestic look to her.
“Lady, would you like to dance with me?” Edward held out his hand to me once more. I just want to melt in his arms right in this moment.
“I am honored Edward. Thank you for bringing me here” I put my hand into his and we go to the dance floor for a waltz. The well-groomed Edward is here and his left hand behind my back and my left hand on his shoulder. His right-hand takes care of my right hand and we both stretch our hands out to take our dance position. The orchestra started playing the Mozart music and I could barely manage to dance to the tune of Edward’s whims. He led me to take the steps in the initial few seconds and then I matched his steps.
“You are so responsive Amy. You grasped the dance so quickly. That is why I admire you so much. I hope you show the same responsiveness in other arenas as well.” He grinned.
“He called me Amy! Does He love me? Is he looking forward to making love with me? Really! Am I not the only one fantasizing about him?” But, sleeping with him without any formal commitment makes me anxious even while dancing. I jerk my hand on his shoulder and he notices my discomfort.
“Don’t worry Amy; nothing will happen without your permission.” He eases me with his words, so calmly coming out of his mouth. He tries to comfort me with his usual perfection and holds me closer to his body. And I cannot help but surrender to his controlling temperament. He is holding me closer than the usual posture of the waltz. And I notice people around us burning with resentment, particularly girls who seemingly so wanted to be with Edward, but now cannot do anything to snatch me out of his hold.
As the dance is about to get over, he whispers in my ears, “Do I have the permission of the lovely Amy to kiss her?” I go crimson at hearing his words and hope that he senses my permission. I feel so shy to permit him in words.
I just reluctantly come out of his embrace and asked for his consent to leave.
“Did I hurt you, Amy? Come on, tell me? Have my words failed to please you?” I can see the feeling of uneasiness in his words. The usual composed Edward seems like a child asking me about my feelings.
“No Edward. I just have a few things in mind which make me fretful in front of you. I hope you understand.” I say walking towards the table in the right corner of the ballroom.
“I would escort you to home sweetheart. But, I want to talk to you for a while. Will you come with me?”
I nod with a smile of mixed feelings. He ushers me to the backyard, faintly radiating with the full moonlight.
“Amy, the day I saw you, I somewhere knew it inside that I like you. I have been thinking about you day and night after coming home. I don’t know what is it about you that grips me to your thoughts but I just know that I want to be with you forever. You already know that I am here for marriage. After meeting you, I do not want to see any other girl. You are an accomplished lady Amy and it is good enough for me accept you as you are. You do not have to be nervous in my society. I know you will learn everything gradually.
Do not shy away from me Amy; I want to live with you forever.”
“Will you marry me?” He proposes while holding my hand into his and kneels on the ground and the look of love that I was looking for all the time. “I want to know your decision before I make it public”
Overwhelming with tears brimming in my eyes, I could just utter “I am sorry Edward but I cannot marry you!”
Devastated by my reply, he pleaded, “But why, Amy? Don’t you like me?” he gets up and asks furiously.
“I love you from the bottom of my heart. It’s just that I don’t belong to your world.”
“You belong to me Amy, nowhere else!” and he pressed his chiseled lips on mine and kissed me softly. He stays there for a while and suddenly parts, “I am sorry I could not hold myself. I should have asked you.” He apologized.
And I cannot hold my tears in my eyes anymore. They drip on my cheeks like a river suddenly set free from the clutch of a dam.
“You don’t worry my beloved. I will take care of everything. I will take care of you too. Just be mine.” He reassured me.
I look up into his eyes and see the gentility so scrupulous of the Duke. I come closer to him and want to hug him just when he holds his arms around my waist and on the back of my neck and holds me tightly against his body. The warmth of his physique against my trembling body in the cold thaws me entirely. We held each other like this in the moonlight for some time when the thought of mother crossed my mind. I realize that I must go home.
“I should leave now, Edward. Everyone must be waiting for me.” I whisper in his ears and undo the hug. With my lips closer to his and my head held high, I ask for his permission to leave.
He closes his eyes and as I reluctantly turn around, he holds me from the back and hugs me again. He places his hands tightly against my stomach and holds me like stacked spoons.
“I want to kiss you Amy”, he says softly in my ears. I can feel his erection against my hips and my erotic feelings of being with him are at the highest. I can feel the tender breath of Edward near my ears when he whispers again, “You did not answer me. May I kiss you?”
I roll around to face him and close my eyes. I lift my head upwards and offer my lips to be kissed. He gently holds my chin upwards and touches my lips with his. I am trembling like a leaf. His blazing eyes are fixed on my lips when he takes a break to examine my face. He pushes me against the wall of the garden behind the long bushes. He pins me and holds my hair with his hand and his other hand holds my hand with complete control. I groan into his mouth when his tongue enters my mouth and makes its way to explore the inside of my mouth. I am pleasantly surprised with his exerting control over me and not letting me do anything expect to savor the pleasure. This is the first time I had been kissed. I can feel his erection against my tummy. “Oh! My God! He wants me. He wants me too.” But I cannot…!
“I don’t want to be another Julia of Brackcliffe, Edward. She went insane taking care of her daughter. And Max never came back to marry her. I don’t want to…” I cannot stop sobbing.
“Oh! Amy! I know that I have not known you for long. But trust me! I have been longing for you since the day I saw you. I am here only. I will leave only when I marry you. It’s just up to you that you want to marry me or not.” His words are so tender, so soft that I want to surrender right there, right then.
I lifted up my head slightly more and murmured, “I am sorry Edward for spoiling this moment. Even I want to be yours forever.”
“Then be mine Amy, please be mine!” “You smell so good love!” he sniffed my skin. “I love you” I can feel him exerting his weight over me when I have to bend myself on my back to respond to his kiss.
He savors the flavor of my lips through his lips. His tongue takes pleasure in touching and circling around my teeth and my tongue. I can also feel the aroma of the inside of his body through his breath. The cozy breathing of Edward while kissing me takes me to Heaven. His right-hand travels to touch my belly and then upwards to caress my right breast, and I have to hold his hand to stop him from moving ahead.
“This is not the right moment Edward.”
“Okay”
“Don’t stop me from kissing you. I feel so good to be with you” and he go ahead with his expedition of delving into my mouth.
He breathed heavily after a while when I almost start panting. I can sense that I am feeling wet down there. My body starts feeling so light. He is still erected and the hardness moved over my body over and over again as he rises up and stands back.
Slowing down his kissing, he kisses my lips several times before finally parting. I could feel the swelling on my mouth. And my hair must have been a mess.
He stays there staring into gaping into my eyes for a while and smiles all the while.
“Will you marry me?” Edward holds my hand and asks gently.
“Yes Edward, yes.” Once more my eyes brim with tears.
He catches my tears with his lips and murmurs, “Do not waste them, love, they are precious. I do not want to see them again.”
“Amelia Beverly, I want to be with you forever right from this moment but we must leave for now. And listen, Amy, I have seen the same love in your eyes as I feel for you. I am going to talk to my father about us. Amy, you must be feeling hungry. Let’s eat something.”
“I am not in a condition to go back to the ballroom dear. Please drop me home.”
“Of course, but you must eat something when you get back home.”