Enigma (closed)

[KiwiD82]

James nodded as Robert told them of his early morning start. He had secretly hoped for something of a sleep in, but he always offered to help because he respected Robert and he wanted the man to see that his daughter's boyfriend was a hard worker.

"I'll be here at 5am for breakfast," he confirmed.

He grinned to himself when Victoria spoke. Although Agatha was blissfully ignorant of the details, she was right: if any of the Stirlings was going to tire him out, it would be the eldest daughter; not the father.

James offered Agatha a sympathetic smile when she got scolded. He knew she hadn't meant to offend, and this was his simple - and silent - way of him reassuring her that he didn't think any less of her.

Taking his first bite of ham, James couldn't help making an audible sound of satisfaction, before he turned to Ruth.

"Magnificent as always, Mrs Stirling," he declared. "I can see where Victoria's cooking pedigree comes from."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I intend to get some meat on your bones, James." Ruth said with a smile as she looked fondly over at Victoria. "And I suppose she is thinking the same thing."

"If I don't cook for him, he would be down at the pub seven nights a week eating God knows what." Victoria said, drawing a laugh from her father.

"Life on a farm would do you some good, James. Fresh air, lots to do, and a good meal every single day. Perhaps I could get you away from the city and maybe my daughter would follow suit." Robert commented, looking at Victoria as if he had been having that conversation with her for years.

"Daddy, I told you that I like my job. I like living in the city." She said softly. "I don't see either myself or James leaving any time soon."

 

[KiwiD82]

James laughed along as the conversation seemed to turn against him from every angle. He didn't mind, though - the banter was just a sign of how welcome he was at the Stirling dinner table.

"I know Victoria is a country girl at heart," he responded, carefully choosing his words. "But she is also extremely intelligent. The work she does is crucial to the war effort."

He took another bite of his meal, looking across the table at Victoria. He was so proud of her and the life they were making for themselves.

"Until the Führer gets firmly put in his place, I expect we'll both be needed in the city."

James paused, not wanting to appear presumptuous or to excite anyone prematurely - especially the siblings.

"But once the war is over...who knows?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"And then Tim and John can come home." Agatha added, her mother smiling fondly at the little girl who missed her brothers deeply.

"That they can." Ruth said as their dinner conversation continued at much the same pace until everyone had eaten their fill.

Agatha, Rose, and Mary were in charge of packing up the left overs and bringing in the dessert and coffee. Ruth had saved up her rations for weeks to be able to make a cake for Victoria and James when they visited and it seemed that everyone was overjoyed with the little treat. The three youngest took their slices and disappeared to their room, leaving Victoria and James alone with her parents.

 

[KiwiD82]

James leaned back in his seat with a happily aching stomach, satisfied with his fill after a great meal. One benefit of farm life was that food seemed readily available.

"That was a wonderful meal, Mrs Stirling," he smiled. "But please don't feel you have to spend your precious rations for our benefit. Perhaps next time we can contribute more to dinner than polite conversation."

James was speaking sincerely. He was grateful for the Stirlings' generosity, but knew they had more mouths to feed than he and Victoria.

The fact that only the four of them remained wasn't lost on him. He had hoped to wait until the following day to broach the elephant in the room, but that would have only been delaying the inevitable.

Even so, he wasn't sure if he should start the conversation, or if Victoria wanted to. Despite her initial confidence, she looked nervous. He smiled weakly at her, raising his eyebrows to see if she wanted to speak or if he should take the lead.

 

[heartofcourage]

Victoria casually sipped from her coffee cup as James gave her that look from across the table. She shook her head no, telling him that now was not the time to talk about that. There would be time later. Right now, she wanted to enjoy being with her family.

"Nonsense, James. You are like family to us. Of course we're going to spoil you when you are here." Ruth insisted. "And hopefully one day, we can convince you to actually marry Victoria."

"Mummy." Victoria scolded again, looking at her mother with an exasperated sigh.

"What Ruth means is that we are happy to have you, James. As long as you are our guest, we reserve the right to do what we wish to entertain you." Robert said, placing a large hand on his wife's arm to keep her from asking any more nosy questions.

 

[KiwiD82]

James nodded subtly to Victoria in agreement. They were her parents, and she ultimately had the final say.

Ruth's regular taunts about marriage seemed to amuse James as much as they embarrassed Victoria. He knew she meant well, and the truth was that had there not been the uncertainty of war surrounding them, he would have asked her daughter to marry him months ago. He knew Victoria was ideal for him in every way.

"Very well," he chuckled back at Robert. "Consider me admonished."

James sipped away at his coffee and before long he could see the bottom of his cup, which he placed next to his quickly emptied cake dish.

"Thank you once again for a lovely meal," he added. "If I'm to be up at the crack of dawn, I had best get an early night. I should get our luggage from the car. I presume we'll be in the same rooms as last time?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"Yes, the same rooms. If you need help finding it, I'm sure Victoria can show you." Ruth said as both of them rose to go and gather their luggage.

Victoria paused long enough to kiss both of her parents and wish them good night before she was following James out to the car. She pulled him to a stop, giving him a soft smile as she leaned in and kissed him gently.

"I'm sorry about my mother." She said softly by way of apologizing for all the constant comments about marriage. "I've told her time and time again that we are waiting until this war is over. She just worries about me is all."

 

[KiwiD82]

James grinned into Victoria's kiss. He adored her family, but it still felt good to be alone with her again.

"No need to apologise," he laughed. "I see it as a compliment that she wants me as part of the family. Either that, or she just wants to get rid of you!"

His cheeky smile had returned and he kissed her softly again.

"You know what we talked about over breakfast this morning," he added. "You know I want to marry you. Tomorrow morning, I plan to ask your father for his blessing. He will no doubt tell your mother, and assuming he says 'yes', that should show them that I'm serious about this and maybe the questions will stop for a while."

James smiled warmly again, lifting a hand to caress her cheek. He found himself once again contemplating just how fortunate he was.

"Now, let's get those bags into their respective rooms. They won't carry themselves."

 

[heartofcourage]

Victoria smiled for him as he talked again about wanting to marry her. The fact that he was asking her father the next morning for her hand meant that things were about to get very serious. She had never really thought about a wedding or anything like that. To her, it was just a piece of paper that would seal a union between two people that already spent all of their waking hours together.

"Perhaps we should visit your mum as well soon." Victoria offered as he unloaded their bags from the car. "To talk to her and tell her about our plans. This isn't really something that can be properly talked about with a phone call."

She knew that James had a sometimes strange relationship with his mother. Since it had been just the two of them for so long, he didn't really like going home. His mother was very nice though and always worked hard to make Victoria feel at home when they did visit.

Quietly, they hauled their bags up the stairs and towards the rooms in question. Victoria's old room was what was once a servant's room. It was small but cozy. It had been decided that since she was the eldest that she didn't need anything large by any means. James was placed across the hall in the guest bedroom. It was much larger and shared a common wall with Agatha and Mary.

"You know, if you get lonely, you can always come see me in the middle of the night." She teased, giving him a smile as she helped him to unpack and settle into his room.

 

[KiwiD82]

James nodded when Victoria mentioned seeing his mother. She loved him but dinner time tended to be quieter than in the Stirling household.

"We should, yes. But I still want to wait until after the war before we get married. I won't leave you a war widow, no matter what."

He knew the likelihood of him being killed while serving domestically was extremely low, but he didn't want to take any chances - especially after having experienced the Blitz.

By the time they were inside and unpacking, their voices had dropped to little more than whispers, and Victoria didn't waste time in inviting him to her room.

"Why do you think I'm having an early night?" he teased back. "You didn't really think it's solely because of my early start?"

He kissed Victoria again, then continued to unpack his bags with her help.

"I doubt you could keep yourself quiet enough, though," he chuckled quietly.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Who said anything about needing to keep quiet?" Victoria asked sweetly, helping him to fold away his clothing into the wardrobe. "Perhaps I just wanted a cuddle."

She smiled towards him, soaking in the good times before they asked her parents about the extremely serious issues. She was still confident that this was all a big misunderstanding and it would all blow over by the time they got back to London at the end of the weekend.

"Although, I know that you have troubles with roaming hands." She loved teasing James and she knew that he would dish out as much as she gave him.

 

[KiwiD82]

James laughed quietly at Victoria's responses.

"Yes, but you are a famously loud cuddler."

He pulled out one last item of clothing and placed his empty bag aside. Then he spun around and took hold of Victoria by her waist, pulling her up against him.

"Yes, my hands do roam," he whispered with a smirk as they moved down to her hips and then around to her backside. "But I blame you for being so gorgeous. I'm sure if you were an ugly hag, my hands would have no trouble staying put!"

 

[heartofcourage]

The smile on her face lit up the room as he snagged her by the waist and held her tightly. His hands moved to her hips and then to her bottom, squeezing the flesh there until she let out a breathy moan.

"You should watch your hands, Jim." She warned him gently as she slipped her arms about his neck and kissed him.

Their lips met in a gentle show of passion at first. Then she parted her lips against his, the kiss deepening as their tongues were soon involved. She whimpered softly, her whole body tingling as it always did when he was kissing her and holding her tight.

"When we wed, I want you to kiss me like that." She whispered softly to him, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "As often as you can."

 

[KiwiD82]

James closed his eyes as they kissed, tongues gently duelling and caressing one another. As always, her touch and taste were magnificent, and he could feel his desire stirring.

"I fear I might start kissing you like that and never stop," he breathed, then grinned with a cheeky glint in his eye. "Although I might change which set of lips I'm kissing."

He kissed her once more, slowly and softly, then gently pulled out of her embrace.

"You'd best go to your room, before your parents get suspicious. I'll get myself setup in here and I'll join you for cuddles later."

 

[heartofcourage]

"If you're extra good this weekend, I'll let you kiss me there all you like." Victoria promised as he kissed her again and then pulled out of her embrace.

"You best not disappoint me." She commented as he promised her cuddles later. "Or interrupt my puzzles."

She couldn't help but laugh as she left the room to the door across the way. Her bedroom was devoid of her personal items, but it was just as she had left it when she finally moved out on her own. The bed was under the window, a desk on the wall, a wardrobe where she would hang up her dresses. It was familiar and it made her smile.

She set about unpacking her bags, placing her makeup case on the desk and her dresses hung in the closet. Changing into a nightgown, she rested on the covers of the bed, pulling out a book of puzzles to work on before James made his appearance.

 

[KiwiD82]

James watched Victoria go with a smile, then sat on the edge of his bed to put away his clothing, a pair of books, and his shaving kit.

He spent some time in silence, alone with his thoughts. It always felt good to be in the Stirling home, but the next day was going to be busy. He was planning to ask Victoria's father for her hand, and then there would have to be a discussion around whether Robert was her father at all.

James let out a quiet sigh, then returned his mind to the present. He stood up and crossed the room, pulling one curtain to the side slightly so he could admire the stars. The countryside always seemed to offer better views of the night sky. The complete lack of searchlights was definitely appreciated.

James waited there by the window until he was sure the Stirlings had all retired for the night, and that meant his opportunity was presenting itself. Still fully dressed, he made his way quietly to his door, then opened it and peeked down the hallway. Hearing nothing, and seeing only darkness, he crept out and across to Victoria's door, gently nudging it open without knocking and slipping inside.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I was beginning to think you got cold feet." Victoria said as her door opened and she watched James slip inside, still fully dressed.

She glanced back down at her puzzle that was nearly finished. He always seemed to walk in just when she was trying to get one done, but she wouldn't mind a welcome interruption. James was always on her mind and always welcome in her bed, no matter what.

 

[KiwiD82]

James grinned as soon as he saw her. There she was, laid out atop her bed in her nightgown with a puzzle book in her hand. It was a sight he had grown accustomed to - and he hoped to bear witness to it many more times.

James approached the bed, kicking off his shoes and beginning to unbutton his shirt.

"Cold feet?" he whispered, cocking a eyebrow. "Never."

Undoing the last of his buttons, his shirt fell to the floor.

"But don't stop your puzzle on my account."

James, now topless, knelt on the bed and gently took hold of Victoria's ankles and lifted them, kissing the soft skin.

"Keep working on it. There's nothing worse than an unsolved riddle."

His kisses trailed upwards, alternating between each leg as they remained suspended, Victoria's nightgown sliding up her slender thighs.

"You can tell me the solution when you work it out."

His kisses met the insides of her upper thighs and found her underclothes.

"Ignore me. You won't even know I'm here."

 

[heartofcourage]

She was very good at ignoring James when he was trying to distract her. Taking off his shirt was a good start and then he climbed onto the bed. Her brown eyes finally lifted from her book to see what he was doing as he lifted her ankles from the bed and kissed the soft skin on the inside of her legs.

She let out a little sigh as he pushed her nightgown up her legs, teasing her with kisses and telling her to keep working on her puzzles. When he kissed the insides of her thighs, she knew that she was done. He was irresistible and she placed the puzzle book aside, her fingers moving to comb through his hair.

"I think the riddles can wait a little while longer." She whispered to him, giving him a naughty grin as she felt his fingers grip her hips, her legs draped over his shoulders.

 

[KiwiD82]

"Pity. Another unsolved mystery."

James' lips were by now pressed against Victoria's undergarments, muffling his voice and sending vibrations through her body as he spoke.

Then he lifted his head and looked up to Victoria, seeing the hunger in his eyes being mirrored in her own.

James climbed up onto his knees, his hands gently embracing Victoria's smooth legs and keeping them resting over his shoulders, his crotch pressing against her thighs.

"I seem to have caught you, Miss Stirling. What am I to do with you now?"

 

[heartofcourage]

She let out a soft moan as he talked against her underwear, the vibrations making her shiver and grow wetter. Then he was standing up, pressing himself against her legs as he stared down at her with that handsome smirk.

"I think to the victor goes the spoils, right?" She murmured, grinning up at him as she lay there on the sheets and pillows. "Surprise me, Jim. You still know how to do that, don't you?"

 

[KiwiD82]

James looked down the length of Victoria's perfect legs, feeling their soft warmth against this skin.

"Surprise you?" he echoed, running his hands along her legs, crouching as his palms slid from ankle to calf to thigh. "You mean you were expecting me?"

The flirting never truly stopped between them. Playful banter, verbal and otherwise, was a key part of their nights.

James' thumbs reached Victoria's panties, hooking under the waistband. Then he stood again, pulling the material along her delicious limbs and exposing her most intimate - and his favourite - body part.

"Take off your nightgown for me," he whispered as he undid the fly of his pants with her legs still draped against him and pointing to the ceiling.

 

[heartofcourage]

"So bossy." She murmured as she pulled her nightgown off in one fluid motion, tossing it on the floor beside her bed.

The sound of his zipper in the quiet room was loud and she grinned at him, knowing he was probably hard as steel right then. He loved to tease her, but more importantly, he loved to be teased in return. Victoria always knew how to capture his attention with a grin or a look. Right then, she had captured him with a glimpse of her naked body.

 

[KiwiD82]

It was true. Victoria could entrance James with impeccable ease. Here he found himself, standing on the bed, looking down at the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen. Her naked form was enticingly on display for him, hair splayed about her head, breasts tempting him, legs caressing him.

By the time he had managed to loosen and remove his pants and underwear, he was as hard as a rock and throbbing in anticipation.

James moved slowly, kneeling down again and feeling Victoria's calves slide back over his shoulders. Then he leant forward, placing his hands on either side of her waist and crawled up her body, hooking her legs as he moved.

Victoria's thighs pressed against James's lower stomach as he moved upwards, pinning her upper legs between their torsos, her feet pointing at the ceiling, until his swollen head nudged against her entrance.

"Surprise."