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Flint knew that he should just go to his own room upon their return. But he had to see Hester at least just to have a glimpse of her sleeping before he retired. He walked soundlessly down the family hallway, hoping no one would see or hear him.
He and Percy had taken the eastern route. Flint had agreed with the duke that if they had not found Cecilia and Lord Archibald by the time they reached Shepton Mallet, they should turn around. As the eloping couple was traveling in a carriage, it was unlikely that they would have made it past the town in only a day’s travel.
As night descended, Percy had wanted to stop at the nearest inn and spent the night there, but Flint had urged him to go on. He might not be able to see Hester before she retired but at least he would be there to see her in the morning.
His request had made Percy chuckle.
“I never understood why you wanted me to go after her when you were completely infatuated with her yourself from the beginning,” he had said.
Flint had not even tried to explain it. He had known his thoughts were not rational but had not been able to find a different way to cope with them. And it was not as if they had simply changed in the course of one day. He still only wanted one child with Hester; he did not believe himself capable of seeing her pregnant more than once.
As he entered her dark room, he could hear her regular breathing from the bed. He tiptoed to the side of it, not wanting to disturb her, yet needing to look at her at least. There was not much to see as it turned out. He had assumed that women slept demurely on their side, their hands resting under their chin, their hair a perfect glory around their faces.
Hester did not. She had practically cocooned herself in the duvet with only her closed eyes, her nose, and a bit of her forehead visible. Flint could not help but smile. Hester was not like others and of course, this was the way she would sleep.
He fought the temptation to remove the duvet and run his fingers over her hair. He should let her sleep and head to his own bed. Now he had at least seen her. As he turned towards the door, she opened her eyes.
“Flint?” she asked in a raspy voice.
He came back at once, sitting down on the side of her bed. Her warm hand shot from the covers to hold his firmly as if she was afraid he would go.
“Did you find them?” she asked, her voice becoming clearer with each word she spoke.
“No, but your father, Mr. Gaywood, and Algernon Gaywood have not returned. The footman told me that Captain Drummond, Mr. Drummond, and Addinggrove returned about an hour ago.”
“I hope they find them,” Hester muttered and looked pensive. “Do you think we hurt her a lot?” she then asked.
Flint squeezed her hand firmly.
“I do not know. I am quite certain that Cecilia was not in love with me, but still, I would have preferred her finding out in another manner.”
Hester nodded and for a minute or more they were silent, simply holding each other’s hands.
“You’re cold,” Hester then said, she moved into the middle of the bed and lifted the duvet. “Come into the bed.”
“Hester, no...” Flint began.
“Just to warm up,” Hester prodded, but something in her voice told him that she did not believe it herself.
Flint smiled but still did not move.
“We are getting married in four weeks, are we not?” The smile in her voice was clear as was the flirtatious tone.
“Yes, I will send a letter to the vicar in Barford tomorrow and have him read the first bands on Sunday and I will speak to the minister here as well,” Flint explained. He knew she had not asked for the logistics of it, but it was important to him that she knew that he had thought it through.
“Well, then, there is no reason you should sit on the side of my bed and be cold when you could be lying in it with me,” Hester told him in that matter-of-fact tone of voice that was so her and that he so adored.
Flint quickly divested himself of jacket, waistcoat, and boots before he crawled under her duvet and into her arms, enjoying the warmth of her body.
***
Hester knew that it was completely scandalous to invite Flint into her bed, yet she could not simply let him go back to his own. Their mouths found each other as soon as Flint was settled beside her under the heavy and warm down duvet.
Their kisses were laced with both passion and need and completely devoid of the guilt that Hester had felt previously. Even though they were not married, he was hers and she could enjoy him as much as she pleased. The thought made her bold and she untucked his shirt from his pantaloons, reveling in the feeling of his smooth naked skin, despite it being a bit cold to the touch.
Flint quickly divested himself of the shirt, giving her hands free rein to roam up and down his chest and back. She could not really see him in the darkness of her room, which only seemed to enhance the feeling of the soft skin on his back and that sprinkled with hair on his chest.
Her exploration of his body elicited small sounds of approvement from him deep in his throat as they continued kissing. He was lying halfway on top of her, his torso over hers, but his legs resting beside her on the bed. She reached for his bottom, squeezed it, and tried to nudge him to lie on top of her.
“Damnation, Hester,” Flint groaned as he broke their kiss. “I am not sure I can stay in your bed and not... do something irrevocable.”
Hester laughed as he used the phrase she had previously.
“I want something irrevocable to happen. I crave it as much as I suspect you do,” she whispered. She was not sure why she spoke in a hushed voice, but it seemed the situation called for it.
“You know what that means, don’t you?” Flint asked, suddenly serious. Hester smiled and cupped his face. It only made her love him more that he would take the time to ensure that she was properly prepared instead of being swept away by passion.
“Yes, my mother explained it to me before my first season... and I’ve read the pamphlet I told you. It’s not like Sophia is discreet either,” she added to tease him.
“I do not want to discuss what my sister may know regarding...marital relations,” Flint stated in a voice that she was quite certain was not serious although she could not be completely certain.
“She is expecting her second child after all...” Hester could not help but continue.
Flint groaned with frustration.
“No more talk of my sister,” he dictated and started unbuttoning the front of her nightgown, quickly freeing one of her breasts and suckling it. Hester gasped with both surprise and amazement at the sensation and his passion. She could not help but squirm beneath him as his ministrations instantly made heat pool between her legs.
He tucked the nightgown further down to uncover both her breasts. Hester could do nothing but run her hands through his hair and over what she could reach of his back and shoulders enjoying his actions. Flint kissed a path down her body, dragging the nightgown with him. Hester squirmed and giggled as he reached her stomach.
“Oh, I forgot you’re ticklish,” he murmured. He tugged on the nightgown as he made circles with his tongue on her stomach that were as pleasurable as they tickled. Hester squirmed and writhed and felt her nightgown slide under her bottom and then down her legs.
Flint’s mouth was circling still lower and even though Hester had read about it in the pamphlet, she had assumed that it was not common to do so. It seemed so decadent as if it was something that only happened on rare occasions.
When his mouth found her inner folds, she forgot all about how often people usually licked each other’s genitalia. If Flint did not mind doing so every day, she would certainly not put up stipulations. She gasped loudly as he licked and kissed her, finding the little nubbin that brought her such pleasure. His fingers found her entrance and first one, then a second finger was thrust inside of her.
“You are so ready for me,” he murmured against her sex and his hot breath made Hester tingle all over.
“Yes,” Hester could only gasp as he continued to kiss and lick her. “Flint, I want you.” When he did not immediately move his mouth, she gasped: “I need you.”
Flint chuckled and slowly removed his hands and mouth from her. Hester already missed them even though she had been the one who wanted to move matters along. She watched as Flint sat back on his knees and undid his pantaloons, then dragged them down to his thighs and squirmed out of them, throwing them impatiently on the floor. He lay down beside her, which confused Hester, and she turned on her side to be able to look at him, although not seeing much of his expression in the darkness.
“I thought you might enjoy being on top,” he told her.
Hester felt her stomach flutter at the suggestion. She had read about it as well as Sophia had indicated that this was a possibility. She had not thought that a man would suggest it unless the situation demanded it. She was thrilled that Flint liked her to take control though.
She slowly moved to position herself above Flint. With her hands on his shoulders for balance, she slowly lowered herself over his hard manhood. Flint’s hands were on her hips, his fingers holding her tightly, almost painfully. Hester felt the tip of him enter her.
“We will be careful, of course,” he panted.
Hester groaned as she moved from the area over his pelvis and plumped down on his stomach instead. Flint made a strained sound that could be from her not impaling herself on his manhood, or simply that she had given him a blow in the stomach. Hester did not have time to figure out the reason, instead, she pinned his hands over his head and looked into his eyes.
“No,” she told him firmly.
“No?” Flint repeated, uncomprehendingly, his voice strained.
“I suppose you mean that we will be careful not to conceive?” Hester asked, even though she felt certain of the answer.
“Yes,” Flint said, his hands moved in her grip, but Hester only tightened her grip on him. “Could you move? I can’t breathe properly.”
Hester took the weight off his stomach by leaning forward on her knees, which only brought her face closer to his.
“For how long would we be careful?” she demanded.
Flint made a gesture that was probably a shrug, given that he was lying down, and his hands were over his head.
“I am not certain. I have not thought it through. Two years?”
“Two years?” Hester repeated, even though she had heard him.
“Well...”
“Why would we wait two years?”
“Hester, we are not even married...”
“No, but we will be in a month, which means there is no reason to wait.”
“Hester,” Flint pleaded again.
“And what would happen when the two years were over? Would we then stop being careful?”
“I suppose,” Flint muttered.
Hester let go of him, sat back again, and looked down on him. Now that desire was not roaring through her, she started feeling cold. She moved to lie next to Flint, pulling the covers over her.
“Hester,” Flint murmured and turned towards her. “What is happening?”
Hester stared at the balcony above her. It seemed like a solid mass in the darkness. She felt Flint move closer to her and how his warm hand gently slid across her naked stomach. Not in a sexual way, at least she believed so, since he neither sought her breast nor her sex, but simply splayed his fingers across her stomach.
“I do not understand why you would want to wait. I thought you were not afraid anymore. Or at least that you would try to control it.”
“I am. We are to be married. I would never if it was as before. You had me see that...”
Hester turned towards him.
“But I have not if you want to be careful.”
“I just want it to be the two of us for a couple of years before we become parents.”
Hester thought about his statement. As such it made sense. Despite them having known each other for years, they had only recently fallen in love and a few years of marriage where it was just the two of them would be lovely. Except...
“I do not believe you.”
Flint sighed and his hand tightened on her hip.
“It might play a slight part. I just want to not have to worry about you being pregnant and giving birth.”
“If we assume that we would not try to conceive a child for two years, would you then be able to enjoy that time? Or would you be worried about it having to happen at some point? If the last is the case, I would say that we might as well start trying now, which might I add would also have the added benefit of us enjoying more time with our future child. I mean, if we conceive now, we will meet our child in only nine months as opposed to two years and nine months if we do not start trying until two years into our marriage and...”
Hester stopped when Flint leaned over and kissed her.
“What?” she demanded as he leaned back a little.
“You are just so wonderfully logical,” was Flint’s answer, which did not exactly answer her question, but he had called her wonderful, which was definitely positive.
“And? What do you think?” Hester prodded.
Flint was quiet for a moment. Hester turned on her side to look at him and he rotated towards her. She wished it was lighter in the room and she would be able to see his face.
“I am afraid,” he admitted in a slow voice. “I... finally committing to you and it is both a relief and so bloody frightening.”
Hester pushed closer to him, trying to embrace him as tightly as possible even though they were lying down. Flint pressed himself against her as well. There was nothing sexual in the embrace, it was simply two people who loved each other and were comforting one another. Reassuring each other with their bodies.
“I will do my very best not to die,” Hester muttered into his shoulder.
Flint gave a watery laugh.
“But if I do and you fall apart,” she felt Flint tense at her words, “You should lean on your brother for help. I am certain that he will be able to manage the earldom successfully while you... do whatever you have to do.”
“Please let’s not talk about it anymore,” Flint muttered and squeezed her tighter and Hester obliged him.
They stayed that way for what felt like at least an hour. Hester had prepared herself that nothing carnal would happen between them that night. She was a bit disappointed but also relieved that the issue seemed to be resolved. Her whole body came to life however when she felt Flint’s lips start a trail up her neck.
“Do you still want to?” he muttered.
Hester’s body immediately started tingling again at his words. She pressed her body against his at the same time that she closed her mouth over his. Their kiss was greedy and open-mouthed, and Flint’s hand soon found her folds again while he held onto her with the other. Hester instinctively parted her legs to make room for his ministrations and sighed against his mouth.
"You are so ready for me. Do you still want to?" Flint asked again.
Hester only nodded as she sat up and pushed him onto his back again. Flint chuckled as she did so. She fumbled for his manhood which was erect but not as erect as before. She gently stroked it before remembering how his mouth had felt absolutely divine on her. She leaned forward tentatively.
“Hester, you don’t have to,” Flint murmured.
She continued, however, since he had not said that he did not want her to, merely that she did not need to. He was larger than she thought and the whole coordination of tongue and lips seemed to need more coordination than she had initially anticipated, but by Flint’s moans, she also gathered that he enjoyed it.
His hand tangled in her hair and gently lifted her head from him.
“I’m more than ready for you now,” he rasped.
Hester moved to sit over him again, slowly lowering herself once more. They both sighed as he inched inside her and she did not stop this time. It was not exactly painful and not exactly pleasurable either and Hester was glad that she was able to control the pace herself. When she was finally seated on him, she realized that she had not looked at him once.
“Did it hurt much?” Flint asked in a hoarse voice.
She shook her head.
“But I’m not certain what to do now.”
Flint’s hands came to rest on her hips, and he guided her into a slow rhythm that Hester gradually took over. A rhythm that had nothing to do with the mating of birds and more to do with the determined coupling of mammals she had seen and yet nothing like it. Because this was bliss. This was pleasure in its truest form.
Hester moved faster, chasing her climax, feeling Flint work with her, chasing it just as fervently. She did not need to fear that she would not achieve it since she had been able to with Flint the other times. Her movements were frantic until everything tightened and clenched, and she felt as if she crashed into a wall of pure pleasure and slumped forward over Flint as she moaned and panted. She felt him squeeze her tight, thrusting into her a few more times, before he gasped against her shoulder and finished as well.
Hester felt she should say something but had no idea what. Her mind was completely empty; she was completely satisfied. All she wanted was to fall asleep like this, yet she sensed that Flint might appreciate it if she moved.
Perhaps he sensed that she was too tired to move as well. At least he slowly rolled them onto their side and tugged her against his body, covering her completely with the duvet as she liked. Her stomach fluttered with the knowledge that he had paid attention to this detail even though he had only seen her sleep once.
"I still think you are the swan, and I am the owl," he muttered against the top of her head.
Hester shook her head. Her eyes were closed, and she was already drifting away.
"No, we are both kingfishers and we just agreed that you have found the perfect nesting ground," she muttered.
Flint chuckled and Hester fell asleep with a smile on her face.
***
Thank you for reading Mating Rituals of the Haut Ton. If you liked the book, please rate it, or leave a review it would mean the world to me as an indie author.
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If you are more curious about what when Archie and Cecilia are found, you can continue the story in An Accidental Elopement. You can find it, where you normally buy your books.
After being slighted by a man Cecilia is certain that she will never be able to hold the attention of her husband for long. Hence, she settles for a loveless marriage. When she meets Archie at the house party, she is immediately annoyed: Both with him for subtly making eyes at her, and herself for wanting him to.
Despite this friendship starts to grow between the two, but when they leave the house party after finding Flint and Hester together, they suddenly find themselves married. This forces Cecilia to face her fear of not being enough for the incurable rake Archie, while he in turn cannot simply leave a woman when times get tough – nor do he want to, he finds.