No words.
Lucy Coulson was a spinster. Nobody expected her to talk too much. But before Joshua had restricted her freedom, she had words to say about most things.
Tonight, or that early morning as dawn threatened to reveal their tryst, Lucy could barely breathe. She could barely talk. The sound of their ragged breathing filled the air, mingling with the distant chirping of crickets. It also felt hotter inside the greenhouse as they clung to each other for a while.
It was goodbye, sweet and lustful, but it was still a goodbye. His arms surrounded her, and she leaned against his shoulder while he stroked her hair. She needed to stop the world from spinning before she let go. Her sex still throbbed deliciously.
Daniel pressed a kiss to her forehead while his fingers traced the velvet wrapped around her.
“You should be made to feel like this every single night,” he whispered in her ear.
Those words were enough to make her inner walls clench. She was also acutely aware of the wetness between her legs.
“Your body was made for pleasure and your heart for joy, Lucy. Don’t forget that,” he continued, his voice cracking a little.
Then, he kissed her once more. He promised her one, but this kiss was slower. It felt like a promise to someone who had illusions about what they had, but Lucy accepted, albeit painfully, that he was merely saying goodbye.
She looked up at him through teary eyes. She blinked and gave him a smile. She would not cry. After all, Daniel had been clear about what he wanted and what he could give.
With that in mind, her smile became easier. More genuine.
“Thank you, Daniel,” she whispered.
He smoothed her hair with both hands, looking like a picture of regret. Perhaps she was merely reading more into it, but perhaps she also deserved her fantasy.
“Your… virtue is still intact, Lucy. I have not ruined you, though I am afraid that you… you’ve ruined me. I was tempted to discard my honor when I felt you clench my fingers. Heard you?—”
He stopped himself then. His eyes seemed to plead with her. Why and for what? Forgiveness?
There was nothing to forgive. She had wanted it, too.
“I know what it would be like to be ruined,” she replied playfully, tightening her robe around herself. “Victoria told me what the final act is like. She said it involves fewer clothing, if any, and a?—”
“All right,” Daniel interrupted, clearing his throat. He looked uncomfortable at the mention of his youngest sister’s involvement in the education of Lucy. “Victoria needs to learn to hush.”
They chuckled softly.
“Well, where else would I have gotten that information? Certainly not from my brother,” Lucy said, shuddering at the thought.
Their laughter died down then. They were left with the silence of clarity.
Daniel dropped his shoulders and gave her a smile that looked like a wince. He took both of her hands in his own and squeezed them tightly.
“Live your life, Lucy,” he urged. “Wear the dresses you like. Dance to the music you enjoy. Tell people how you feel. And,most importantly, do not let Joshua prevent you from achieving happiness.”
Lucy wanted to tell him that it was no longer Joshua preventing her from achieving happiness. It was Daniel himself because he chose to spend his life hunting ghosts.
“You deserve to live, too, Daniel. It can’t be just about pursuing your search for whoever it is. Whatever it is.”
He again gave her that tight smile. It looked like he could not fathom the idea of ever achieving happiness, even as he advised her to seek her own. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed the knuckles that made her heart ache. She would have to remember every moment because there would not be any more after this.
“Go back inside. Dawn will be breaking soon. Your brother should not catch you outside.”
She nodded.
She slipped out of the greenhouse, moving swiftly across dewy grass. Then, she entered the same way she had snuck out. Soon, she was navigating the familiar darkness until she reached her room.
In her room, she padded to the window just in time to see his fleeing silhouette. His tall figure became clearer as streaks of orange announced the arrival of dawn. Still, he was quick and nimble, soon vanishing from her street.
