Sharpe's Exploits

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

A short time later Owen was back, huffing, his shirt now damp with perspiration. He jogged all the way back to the tent, glad that he was dressed as he was; fully clothed and dry, he would have just gotten hotter and sweatier. His aides and the soldiers who were conscious gave him a bit of a confused stare as he had a soldier who was milling about help him collect his tools, but he said nothing, reasonable sure Sharpe would want the incident to remain as quiet as possible, at least for the moment.

With the help of the soldier, he hurriedly returned to the inn, having the servants clear the dining table that Lord Wellington's party had just been occupying; if he had to perform surgery, it was the only flat surface large enough. Setting the tools, cloth and laudanum out on one end of the table, he finally told the soldier to head back to camp and keep mum, and allowed himself a sigh. He hoped all of this was unnecessary. He had never had to operate on a woman suffering from bullet or other war wounds before, and the thought of not only having to amputate one of Miss Savage's limbs, but then informing Susannah of it later, made him wonder if he could go through with it.

Susannah...the thought of her brought a guilty twinge, and he asked one of the soldiers where she was. The man pointed to the room they had been in, with a small smirk as if imagining why he wanted to know. With a small blush, Owen thanked him, and ordered the man to fetch him the moment Sharpe and Miss Savage returned. With that, Owen returned to the room, opening the door gently to find Susannah dozing in bed. Approaching her gently, he laid a palm on her forehead, and satisfied her fever had not returned, began to dress himself. He might still be wet underneath, but at least he could be properly clothed for the Major and his lady once they returned, especially if they needed his services. That done, Owen sat down, watching Susannah sleep.

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

Susannah was aware of quiet shufflings and movements in the room with her as she stirred. Her eyelids flickering open, hazily searching the room until they fell upon Owen's watchful face. She smiled, not moving, the curving of her lips bringing light to her eyes.
"...Hello..."
She sat up slightly, leaning back against the headboard of the bed, licking her lips and running a hand back through her hair. The ribbon that had held part of it back had fallen out at some point and now the auburn curls and waves were loose, framing her face before tumbling down around her shoulders and down her front and back.

"I...I am sorry for disobeying you before, I should have stayed here..." She said softly. "You had far more important things to consider and I was an unnecessary distraction..." As was becoming habit around Owen, she felt her teeth catch on her lower lip once more. "Is there any word of my mistress?" Susannah asked suddenly, as if a memory had been flash before her eyes.

 

[Steiner]

Major Sharpe

Chase Justine or stop for Kate. It really wasn't much of a damn choice, and Sharpe didn't really think twice before reining his horse in. He did cast a few choice curses at the disappearing horsewoman though.

Kate was out cold, bruised and scraped from her impact with the hard Spanish ground. He knelt beside her in concern and began checking her limbs for hurt, knowing that to move her was dangerous if she was injured, but not liking the idea of her out on this deserted heath on her own.

He stroked her forehead soothingly as he checked, reassured to find no sign of broken fingers, wrists, arms, feet ankles or legs. Superficial scuffing then. Perhaps not the most dignified look she'd ever borne, but so much better than he feared.

At least Justine had not decided to strike back at him by cutting Kate's throat.

He patted her cheeks gently, stroked her hair again and called her name softly.

"Kate? Kate? Wake up, Kate. Please? Come on... Wake up?"

 

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

No sooner had Owen sat down, it seemed, that Susannah began to stir in bed.

"...Hello..." she said in her soft voice, as thrilling to him as any siren might have been, a soft smile breaking across her face.

"And hello to you, too," Owen began, about to tell her what a scare she'd given him, when his breath caught as she sat up, running a hand through her thick hair, suddenly loosened and cascading down past her shoulders. Oh, how he loved the hair of a woman, the finer the better, and with its soft curls and lustrous copper hue and the way it chastely hid her shoulders and bosom, Susannah's hair was perhaps the finest he'd ever seen...

"I...I am sorry for disobeying you before, I should have stayed here...You had far more important things to consider and I was an unnecessary distraction...Is there any word of my mistress?"

Even the way she bit her lower lip in the way he found himself anticipating couldn't distract Owen from the worry he heard in her voice, and any thoughts he had had about admonishing her (however gently) vanished instantly. How could he bear to make such a sweet thing as her feel any worse than she obviously already did?

Getting up out of his chair, he moved to sit on the bed next to her, taking one of her hands between both of his. Romance was absent (well, at least a distant second) in his mind; Owen just wished to comfort her at the present.

"I'm afraid not, Susannah, but never fear. Major Sharpe is a top-rate soldier, never seen him fail to take an objective yet. As for my order..." he let himself chuckle. "I should have known I wouldn't be able to keep you from looking after your mistress. I admit I would have obeyed my order had I been in your place, but then, I am not blessed with the spirit that so livens you." He looked up from their clasped hands into her eyes, and smiled again.

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

Susannah watched Owen move to join her, sitting on the bed beside her and taking her hand between his own. Her heart fluttered for a few thrilling seconds as his fingers curled gently around her own, his frame close to her own once more.
"I'm afraid not, Susannah, but never fear. Major Sharpe is a top-rate soldier, never seen him fail to take an objective yet..."
Susannah knew he was right, she had heard enough from Miss Savage to know that Sharpe was more than likely the best, if not the only, person to pursue her. He had rescued her once, Susannah was certain he could not fail to do it again.

"...As for my order..."
Susannah began to look down but stopped as he laughed lightly, drawing her gaze back up from her dress to his face.
"I should have known I wouldn't be able to keep you from looking after your mistress. I admit I would have obeyed my order had I been in your place, but then, I am not blessed with the spirit that so livens you."
It was now Susannah's turn to laugh,
"I doubt there are many who would see an inability to follow orders as a blessing in a servant...but I believe I should take those words as a compliment and so...I shall..." Her cheeks blushed a little as she returned his smile, her thumb absent mindedly starting to softly stroke the heel of his as he held her hand. She glanced down at their hands to notice after a minute or two and stopped instantly.

"I can't seem to stop apologising around you, Owen, but...I am sorry...my thumb...it's something I used to do when I was young, a comforting action...I assume it is the result of worry, for my Mistress..." To say nothing of the pounding within her chest whenever Owen's eyes met her own.

 

[magbeam]

"I doubt there are many who would see an inability to follow orders as a blessing in a servant...but I believe I should take those words as a compliment and so...I shall..."

Owen laughed with her. "Point taken. And I am glad to hear that. Had you not taken it as a compliment, I would have been forced to become rather cross with you." The fact that he seemed to keep forgetting Susannah's position worried him slightly, especially since he might make of fool of himself, her, and Miss Savage, but for now, he was content to sit there, letting her stroke his hand with her thumb, the movement relaxing him. She remained quiet for a few minutes before speaking again, bringing Owen out of his thoughts.

"I can't seem to stop apologising around you, Owen, but...I am sorry...my thumb...it's something I used to do when I was young, a comforting action...I assume it is the result of worry, for my Mistress..."

Owen's heart fell a bit as she said the innocent-yet-intimate gesture he had been enjoying was nothing more than a nervous habit, and not something she did for him...But then, best to make the most of it. Turning back to her, he said, "Think nothing of it, Susannah. And forgive my impudence, but if you are so worried about Miss Savage, perhaps we should...ahm, do something to distract you?"

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

There was a flash of something across Owen's face, she wasn't quite sure what it was given how fleeting it was but it almost looked like disappointment.
"Think nothing of it, Susannah. And forgive my impudence, but if you are so worried about Miss Savage, perhaps we should...ahm, do something to distract you?"

"Distract me?" Susannah repeated, tipping her head to the side slightly, her tone intrigued. "It sounds like an interesting idea although I am not sure what you intend to do..." Her smile grew a little broader as she added. "But you are the surgeon, Doctor Llewelyn, and if you think I need distracting, then who am I to question or resist your judgement..."

She placed her hands in her lap, showing her compliance with his advice, her expression one of almost total submission.
"I am yours to distract, Owen..." Susannah finished with a slight laugh in her tone, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

 

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

"Distract me? It sounds like an interesting idea although I am not sure what you intend to do...But you are the surgeon, Doctor Llewelyn, and if you think I need distracting, then who am I to question or resist your judgement...I am yours to distract, Owen..."

Susannah sounded so sweet, her voice slightly lilting, looking at him with such wide, sparkling eyes, that it took Owen a great deal of self-reserve not to distract her by leaning in and taking her into his arms then and there. He would have been less than honest to claim that that was not partly what he was thinking when he suggested distraction, and if she had responded differently, perhaps even now they would be embracing. But what was he expecting from one obviously so young and innocent? He felt a small flash of shame pass over him, one he covered up by standing off the bed.

"Do you feel well enough to get up?" Owen asked, holding out his hand. "A walk around the inn, some fresh air, perhaps might help." Not too far, of course, for when Major Sharpe would return, but still, even a few minutes under the stars with her on his arm...And what could anyone else say? He was the doctor overseeing a patient, after all.

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

"Do you feel well enough to get up?...A walk around the inn, some fresh air, perhaps might help."
Susannah took his offered hand.
"A walk and some fresh air sound like a very good idea..."
She adjusted her dress and began to slide from the bed, the material of her dress pulling the bedsheets with it, causing them to pool upon the floor around her ankles.
"Do you think I should bring a shawl with me, it might be...?" Susannah didn't get chance to finish speaking as she made to step from the bedside and caught her ankle in the sheets surrounding it, drawing a gasp from her lips as she lost her balance, lurching towards Owen.

She reached up, hoping to grab hold of something, anything to prevent her tumbling entirely to the floor and her arms found purchase around Owen's neck and shoulders. Causing her to land in his arms, her grip drawing his head down towards her own. His eyes, his lips inches from her own. For a moment neither moved, neither spoke, their attentions apparently focused on the face before their own. Susannah saw his eyes clearly, seeing their depth and richness and warmth as if for the first time.
"I...I fell..." Susannah murmured huskily after a moment or two, speaking more for a need to say something to end the silence hanging over them, than for anything else.

 

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

Owen smiled as she took his hand, rising out of the bed, trying to ignore how her rearranging her dress left it pressing against parts of her that, as a gentleman, he should have absolutely no interest in. "A walk and some fresh air sound like a very good idea. Do you think I should bring a shawl with me, it might be...?"

She gasped and stumbled, falling towards him, and Owen instinctively reached out to prevent her from falling to the floor. However, Susannah's arms were already out, seeking purchase on him, and finding it around his neck and shoulders, just as his wrapped around her waist and back. Their bodies were pulled together and Owen could feel her wonderfully soft bosom pressing against him just as her hands pulled his face before hers, and he spent what must have been at least three eternities mesmerized by the brilliant emerald eyes he found only a few more inches before his own.

Finally, Susannah spoke, her voice little more than a husky whisper. "I...I fell..."

The barest hint of her warm breath against his face, the full lips barely moving before him, was the final push. Inwardly groaning at his weakness, Owen muttered, "I believe I am about to, as well." Then, pulling her body even tighter against his, he tilted his head, leaning in to kiss her, no longer even hoping he wouldn't regret it.

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

"I believe I am about to, as well."
The beginnings of a frown of confusion began to crease Susannah's brow for the briefest of moments as he replied before his arms drew her closer and his head moved towards her own. She could feel the strength in his arms, his breath against her cheek. Her body began to tremble with excitement, knowing what was about to happen. There were pangs of nerves and concern that gripped her but they were fleeting and easily overwhelmed by the thrill of Owen's lips drawing closer to her own.

Susannah tilted her chin upwards, closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his. Sighing as his warmth, smooth flesh touched hers. A shiver running down her spine at the conncection and causing her back to arch slightly in his embrace. Her arms curled a little tighter around his neck, her legs feeling weak all of a sudden, her head light and her body as if it would simply break up into thousands of small pieces at any second.

 

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

Owen felt her trembled in his arms, her back arching, pressing against his arms, Susannah's arms tightening around his head and neck, pressing him more into her soft, supple lips, a small sigh passing between them. Her lips were like the rest of the body he felt against his own, so soft and so warm, deliciously moist, and his tongue just barely flicked across the bottom one, his lips sucking on it gently, just before he forced himself to pull away, looking down into her flushed, panting, confused face.

"I...I'm sorry, Susannah, I...should not have taken advantage of you like that...I don't know what came over me..." But his protestations were only said with token force, and he made no move to release his embrace of her or break his gaze from her sparkling eyes.

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

Another shiver of delight rippled it's way down Susannah's spine as she felt Owen's tongue gently stroke across her bottom lip before drawing it between his own. A soft and muted whimper leaving her own slightly parted lips before he suddenly pulled away. Her chest was heaving slightly within her dress, her cheeks flushed and eyes bright. At first she wondered if she had done something wrong, causing him to stop their kiss, but his words soon came to answer her unasked question.

"I...I'm sorry, Susannah, I...should not have taken advantage of you like that...I don't know what came over me..."
Susannah swallowed quietly, her arms still around his neck and her body as close to his as ever.
"You...you have nothing to be sorry for, Owen..." She whispered, her voice trembling ever so slightly and huskier than before. "I believe I kissed you back..." She added softly, a smile curving her lips ever so slightly. "So I must have taken as much advantage of you as you did of me..." She lowered her eyes for a moment before looking back into his warm brown eyes through her lashes, revelling in the dark depths that gazed back at her. "And I...I would very much like to kiss you again...please..."

Her words tailed off as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his once more. All thoughts of propriety and the proper way a young lady should act with a gentleman being pushed from her head. Even if Owen were to resist her muted attempt at an advance, she didn't care. Susannah felt more alive in those moments than she'd ever dreamed she'd feel and even if she was only going to feel that way for a few moments more, it was worth the possible disgrace that might follow should Owen take offence. Although she prayed with all her might that he would not...

 

[Lady_Mornington]

Kate Savage *dazed and confused*

Once again she found herself at the mercy of an opponent stronger and more ruthless than herself. Kate had tried to stall Justine's attempts to further arm herself, but she had failed. The shock of seeing how the Frenchwoman had callously murdered Captain de Avellanos as well as attempting to shot Richard had further served to obliterate whatever resistance she could muster.

She didn't remember much of the escape, and she didn't even have the presense of mind to be afraid when she was unceremoniously pushed out of the saddle. Kate had manged to land on her feet and roll so to cushion the blow but her head hurt something terribly and she felt drained as she lay motionless. Looking up at the clear sky trying to focus before quietly slipping into to blessed unconciousness.

*******

"Kate? Kate? Wake up, Kate. Please? Come on... Wake up?"

She heard the words as she slowly opened her eyes to see Richard's face just inches from her own. Carefully opening her eyes wider and wincing as she moved to sit up.

"I am awake Richard" she bit her lip as she took his hand, squeezing it as she felt him embrace her.

"I'm sorry I tried to stop her but I couldn't"

 

[Steiner]

Major Sharpe

"Stop her? Kitten you're so damn lucky to even be alive. I was afraid she'd kill you to take revenge on me. Christ, what a bloody mess. It all adds up now. Paul Leroux... Paul Leroux... That bastard! That murdering bastard! Dead and STILL he has another go at me!"

The shako was long gone, the pellise stained with smoke and blood from the light wound he'd suffered. Sharpe didn't care - she was alive and suddenly that was enough to make him happy.

"Well done you, for wriggling free. Let's get you back to the camp and patched up, eh? Can you move, darling? Is anything seriously hurt?"

 

[Lady_Mornington]

Kate Savage

It seemed every limb in her body ached and her dress was fit for nothing but going for the dusters. Kate shakily got to her feet, stumbling a little and having to lean on Richard as not to lose her balance completely.

"Who's Philipe Lerouz Richard? And why is de Villiers so intent on killing you?"

Trying for a smile as she looked at him, she imagined that she looked far from the image that she had tried for. Right now she was sweaty and dirty and her heart was beating like a sledgehammer.

"I'm so sorry Richard. Perhaps if I hadn't insisted on coming none of this would have happened."

Kate bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears that had preyed on her. She was shocked and frightened, at least she was now when she could understand just hot great a danger she had been in.

"Do you really thing she would have done such a thing Richard?"

She knew the answer but hoped that he would prove her wrong. Strange as it may seem a small part of Kate still felt sorry for Justine de Villiers. Shaking her head as she raised her hands to her temples and rubbing at them.

"God I'm hurting everywhere Richard"

She forced a smile again but seeing the look on his face she knew that there was no point in pretending. Instead she let herself be embraced, feeling his strong arma wrapped around her as she rested her head on his shoulder and cried.

 

[Steiner]

Major Sharpe

He held her tight and rocked her gently, holding her as if she might explode or break apart at any second.

When she'd calmed down he explained everything;

"Leroux was an intelligencer, like the Scots officer you sat next to tonight. His methods of intelligence gathering, though, were a lot more brutal. He skinned people, he took them apart, and he carved his name on them - Leroux fecit or Leroux made this. Arrogant, big, bastard. Cavalryman like his lover, who you met today."

Sharpe twisted his foot on the ground in memory.

"At Salamanca, Leroux was captured by me. He pretended to be some froggie called Paul Delmas and convinced my Colonel to give him a parole and let him go back to HQ. He killed the guard, lured my Colonel under the guns of Salamanca and got HIM killed too. We wounded him, but he escaped. I decided to kill the bastard - he had a sword I wanted badly."
Sharpe smiled at the memory of the sword, but his eyes darkened quickly.

"There was a woman in Salamanca, A noblewoman, a Frenchwoman who married a Spaniard. I thought she was a spy of ours, La Mirador - it turned out she was a spy alright, but a spy for the French. She was the sister of this man, Leroux. Helene, she was called and we were together for awhile, whilst she used me for information. Maybe she cared for me a little, I don't know."

He pulled a tight face now.

"I caught Leroux, eventually, but the bastard was too tricky for me. He shot me in the gut and left me to die. I almost did, but Pat saved me. Pat nursed me and Helene saw I had the best. It was enough, it pulled me through. The next time I found Leroux I slaughtered him. I still have his boots, the sword I threw away. Kept this one that Pat made for me instead." here he did smile "I buried Leroux, Helene escaped and I thought that chapter of my life was over. Justine, it seems, was Leroux's lover - and the pair of them were no doubt made for each other. It seems she isn't willing to write his loss off as the fortunes of war..."

He bent to kiss Kate's forehead.

"The lucky thing is that she has no idea how much you mean to me. Believing you to merely be a plaything of mine is probably what kept you alive, Kate. If she'd known I love you, then she'd have killed you in revenge. As it is, she just used you to distract me."

 

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

Owen was thrilled to find that not only did she not recoil in anger and fear, but that she actually accepted his unorthodox advances. But nearly as exciting was the fact that her voice was somewhat more throaty than before, adding a sensual air to the girl who until quite recently presented a wholly-innocent air. Owen found the juxtaposition thrilling.

Susannah coyishly lowered her eyes just enough to stare up at him through her thick eyelashes, though it proved to be just a tease as she closed them, leaning up to bring her lips to his. Meredith had never been this forward (at least to him) nor had any of the proper women he had courted, and the knowledge that a mere maid, especially combined with her earlier shyness, was doing so was almost as arousing as the act itself. Almost, but not quite, and Owen found his hands moving up around her own neck and shoulders, just as hers had around him, drawing her close, savoring the warm softness of her lips, her delicious, moist lips...

His heart perhaps not pounding, but certainly beating rather more quickly than normally occured in his interactions among women, slowly slid one of his hands down her back, tracing her spine through her dress, enjoying the feel of the material on the bottom of his hand and her thick hair on the exterior. Reaching the spine's bottom, and careful to avoid her bottom, Owen stroked her thigh for a few moments, before bringing his hand up her side, following her wonderful contours, and ending by taking a fistful of her beautiful, lustrous hair, careful not to pull on it or cause even the slightest bit of discomfort. He wanted nothing to ruin this moment.

Breaking from her kiss once more, he brought the hair to his cheek, lovingly rubbing it against his skin, the sensation more pleasant than he had thought. "Shall we take this to the bed?" he whispered into her ear, carefully sensing for any signs of rejection or fright...but taking the opportunity to nuzzle her slightly-tanned neck, kissing the base of her shoulder. Perhaps this was taking advantage of an obviously-innocent woman, but at this stage, Owen didn't care, and unless he was off his mark, Susannah didn't either. He only hoped she wouldn't hate him in the morning any more than he would surely hate himself.

 

[Lady_Mornington]

Kate Savage

Her head was spinning and her limbs aching from the fall but suddenly she couldn't care less about the bodily ailings. Her entire being focused on the six words that he had uttered.

If she'd known I love you

Kate wouldn't call herself a romantic, nor overly sensitive but as he uttered that sentence she could not help but cry.

If she'd known I love you

She knew she was dirty and her dress was torn and looking at Richard she saw that he was thoroughly dishelvelled to. His new pelisse being torn by the bullet, his face sporting specks of blood from the wound and his black hair unruly and matted with sweat. Yet he had never looked more perfect than he did there and then.

If she'd known I love you

She buried her head at his shoulder, her slender arms wrapped around him as she bit her lip, not wanting him to know she was crying. Holding on to him like a drowning person clings to a piece of driftwood as his words reverberated in her ears.

If she'd known I love you

He was married, their liason was everything but proper, he was a man promoted from the ranks, the son of a prostitute, he was not a gentleman, but he loved her and he had come after her captor. Others might have gathered help, or simply not come at all. Richard had come on his own, for her.

Her lips sought his, kissing him with a ferocity as she pulled him closer to herself. Not able to express herself in any other way.

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

Susannah felt her body growing almost limp in Owen's embrace, the feel of his hands beginning their exploration of her figure over her dress sending thrill after thrill dancing down her spine. Unrecognisable urges began rushing through her veins, causing her body to arch, to bend against his. Suddenly Susannah longed to feel his hands against her, feel his skin against her own but just thinking such things caused her cheeks to burn with excited embarassment.

Such thoughts were not the ones a young lady should be thinking about before she entered her married bed and perhaps not even then. Women who enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh were, she had heard, often thought of as harlots, women of the night time hours. Not something she should aspire to be. The romantic novels Susannah had read had made the act of love to be a soft, gentle act and yet the feelings she was experiencing were far from those she had read about.

Owen's mouth was smooth and warm, his lips inviting. She whimpered softly into his mouth as his hand rose up her side to gather her hair in his palm. He did not pull or catch her hair in any way but the simple action of his fingers entwining into her auburn waves caused a ripple of confusing feelings to trip through her body. All at once she wondered how it would feel to have him brush her hair, to play with it, to gather it tightly in his palm as his body pressed against hers.....
A sudden short sound resembling one of disappointment left her lips as Owen's mouth broke the kiss.

"Shall we take this to the bed?"
Susannah shivered as his lips brushed the base of her neck, her arms wrapping a little tighter around his neck and shoulders as a result.
"I...I don't..." She whispered, her own lips brushing against his ear as he continued to graze his lips against her neck. "...I've never...." Her words were halting in tone but whether it was nerves or anticipation that was causing it, Susannah couldn't say for certain. "I hardly know what I know, Owen..." Her breathing was slightly fast and her voice verging on the breathless. "...I am sure I do not know what to do..." Susannah knew that to continue to speak and to ask for his assistance, his guidance, would brand her the kind of woman a gentleman like Owen should not spend his time with. While she had stated her concerns, she had not declined his offer.

She pulled back a little until her eyes met his once more, her hand moving to run along his jaw, lips parting to speak but the words failing to come, her body trembling in his arms. She wanted to say yes, to kiss him again, to embrace him again...but the words hung back upon her tongue and remained unsaid. There was a pause.
Susannah could sense him seeking a sign from her, a sign of her acceptance or her fear or her confusion...
Curving her lips into a smile, Susannah nodded and gently pressed her lips to his once more. The words still would not come, but then, as she had often observed; Actions sometimes speak louder than words.

 

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

Owen continued to kiss and gently suckle her neck as he felt Susannah's lips brush the sensitive edge of his ear, an experience that made him pause, drawing in breath with a low hiss, wondering if she did that on purpose. But her next few words dispelled that idea. She was as charmingly innocent as he had assumed. He felt a small thrill, accompanied by a larger level of guilt, knowing that he would be her first. Certainly he would be more skilled than a stablehand youth or whoever else she might cavort with, but at the same time, he did not want to scar her, even if in her own eyes. But this did not stop him from continuing his ministrations to her; after all, she hadn't refused, and Owen knew from experience that women liked to play up their innocence and reluctance. It made it easier for them to accept, and he couldn't deny it made the prelude to lovemaking just a bit more enjoyable.

However, it was just then that Susannah pulled away from him, and although she stayed in his arms, he was suddenly made aware of her trembling. Shame flooded through him, afraid he had mortally offended her, brought dishonor upon himself. She opened her mouth, and Owen steeled himself to take her rebuke in a properly chaste and apologetical way.

It was then that her hand ran across his jaw, and she nodded her head before leaning in to kiss him again. When they at last broke, Owen saw that she was smiling, if a bit nervously, and Owen smiled back. He reached up with one hand to trace her cheek, before gently lowering her onto the bed, so she was lying on her back. He took one of her hands into his own, bringing it up to his mouth, kissing each fingertip in turn, and ending with a kiss to the top of her hand.

"Don't be afraid, Susannah," he said softly, his words coming in between kisses. "I promise with all my heart I will be as gentle as possible. You have nothing to fear from me or be ashamed about. You may stop me at any time...although, for both our sakes, I hope you won't. I want this to be something you will remember forever."

Repositioning himself, Owen leaned down, kissing her forhead, as he began to loosen the strings of her dress."

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

Susannah's smile grew a little more relaxed as Owen's hand grazed her cheek, prompting her to turn her face towards his palm a little. Closing her eyes for a moment as his fingers stoked her skin. Carefully and smoothly, Owen moved her back upon the bed, the mattress and sheets soft beneath her as Susannah looked up into his face, her hair spilt around her head like paint running across the bedding. Her nerves bubbled over and she giggled lightly for a moment or two as Owen pressed her finger tips to his lips before she regained control of herself.

"Don't be afraid, Susannah,"
"I am not afraid, Owen...I don't think I could ever be afraid of you..." She whispered earnestly, her eyes now fixed upon his.
"I promise with all my heart I will be as gentle as possible. You have nothing to fear from me or be ashamed about. You may stop me at any time...although, for both our sakes, I hope you won't. I want this to be something you will remember forever."
"I am certain I shall...and I know that you will..." Susannah finished with another warm smile, sighing once again as his lips touched her forehead and his fingers moved to the laces of her dress. Almost at once the tension and pressure around her torso lessened and a familiar sensation of relief filled her. She was slim and trim thanks to her upbringing and the nature of her employment and yet the tightly laced dresses and undergarments of the time still felt more than a little restrictive around her frame.

As Owen's fingers worked to undo the laces, the material parted to show her simple slip beneath, a thin garment that left little to the imagination, a garment designed more to prevent the slightly stiff dress from irritating the skin beneath. Susannah's fingers rose to stroke through his hair and the back of his neck, the smile remaining on her lips as she watched him and his gaze, a gaze focused upon the activities of his fingers. In that instance she felt a twinge of...something....something she imagined might be pride or something similiar although the exact word for it escaped her. The look in his eyes as he undid her dress, a look of desire...it made Susannah feel...it made her feel suddenly a lot less like the confused, naive girl she had been when she had first stepped out of the coach and into the camp. The dress' front parted and for a moment a pang of nerves shot through Susannah as more of her body was revealed to Owen's eyes than had ever been shown to a man before. Once again, she found her teeth catching on her bottom lip as she awaited his reaction.

 

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

Owen smiled as he pulled away from her forehead, noting that she seemed to be relaxing beneath him. Her hair was beautiful splayed on the bed, and Owen had an urge to roll himself within it, feel its silkeness all over his body, but there would be time enough for that, hopefully, some other night. It was as if it were a sunburst or as the halo of an icon; she was certainly beautiful enough to be a saint, although perhaps not quite pure enough, at least once this night would be through. The thought filled Owen with a twinge of sadness and remorse, but not enough to stop. If anything, it made him go slower, so as to prolong the sensations of lovemaking, for him but especially for his Susannah. He was no longer surprised at him thinking of her as his lady.

His fingers did not tremble as he unlaced the front of her dress, but that was likely more due to his surgeon's training than due to a lack of nervousness. It had been long enough since he had bedded a woman; let alone one as young and beautiful as Susannah. The fact that she was young and virginal, and thus unable to compare him unfavorably to anyone else from personal experience, did not leave him at ease; instead, it just made Owen more nervous, knowing he would have to live up to whatever dreams and expectations she might have.

Finally, her dress was open, revealing the thin slip beneath, clinging enchantingly to her slim figure. Fashions surely had changed some since his own youth and the first time he had stumbled beneath Gwynneth's heavy dress; he could only imagine what his father would say about women's fashions had he seen this. Of course, even as mild-mannered and averse to physical confrontations as he was, Owen would have felt a strong inclination towards altercation had his father - or any other man, for that matter - tried to see this side of Susannah.

And once more, Susannah was nibbling on her lower lip. Owen found it as gently arousing a sight as any, but began to recognize just how nervous she was when she did it. He reached down to stroke her cheek, before cupping her chin up to meet his eyes. "You look beautiful, Susannah. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He leaned down to just barely trace his lips over hers, before leaning up again. His words were only partly flattery meant to put her at ease; Owen wasn't completely sure that she wasn't actually the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

Having her sit up to help, Owen pulled her dress up, depositing it on a nearby chair. He didn't want to ruin Susannah's clothing, but he also did not want to break from it at this juncture. Helping her lay back down, his gaze again turned to her lithe, supply frame, only hidden from him by the thin shift he wanted nothing more than to tear from her. But that would be most impolite. Instead, he reached out, gently running a hand over her stomach and up her side, before moving his mouth close to where he guessed her navel was. Slowly, as his hands rubbed her sides, he kissed up her stomach, between the valley of her breasts, up her neck, and to her face, again warmly bringing his lips to hers.

One of his hands moved behind her head to bring it up to his, while the other moved down her still (if barely) clothed sides to lie on her lower leg, before moving under the slip, slowly moving up to rest on her lower thigh, gently caressing it despite aching to move higher. He wanted to see how she would react to a hand on her bare, somewhat intimate flesh, before moving on to an area rather more personal. Even through his own jacket, he could feel her stiff nipples nudging into his stomach, and wondered how they would taste.

 

[Britwitch]

Susannah

"You look beautiful, Susannah. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
Susannah blushed, her smile growing shy and her gaze moving from Owen's for a moment or two. It felt as if butterflies had invaded her insides, thrilling her all over. She had never been told such a thing, while she knew she wasn't plain she never thought of herself as overly pretty, let alone beautiful. She kissed him back softly as she sat up and helped him remove her dress.

A fresh flush coloured her cheeks as she laid back down, her body only hidden beneath her slip and Owen's eyes clearly enjoying the view before him. His hands felt warmer as they ran over the slip, tingles dancing across her skin it their wake. Susannah gasped as his lips pressed to her stomach through the thin cotton. She writhed ever so slightly beneath him, her back arching and head tilting backwards, presenting her neck to his slowly rising lips. Her breathing growing increasingly unsteady. Owen's lips brushed her neck and her hands moved to run through his hair once more, gripping the cropped locks as a shiver of anticipation shot along her body.

Her muscles tensed instinctively as his hand moved beneath her slip to stroke her thigh, softly stroking and caressing the skin. The only hands to have touched such flesh before had been her own and even then, it had never felt like this. As the warmth of his palm and fingers spread into her flesh, Susannah felt stirrings inside of her, a warmth growing and spreading higher up her body, tingling thrills running riot in the very pit of her stomach as well as dancing across her skin. Hardening her nipples, making them almost begin to throb as Owen's torso pressed down upon her. The pressure of his body alone was making it hard to remain quiet and still, she longed to wriggle and move, longed to whimper and moan as the excitement steadily increased inside her.

Her hips shifted a little, causing her shift to rise slightly around his hand, her back arching even more, crushing her breasts slightly against his chest. His hand remained where it was throughout her mild writhings. She moved one of her hands from his hair, running it down his neck and shoulder, then down his arm to take hold of his own hand from upon her thigh. Lifting it, raising it up across her body before moving it to her slip, guiding his fingers to undo the small bow that held the front closed across her bust. She wanted to feel his hands upon her body, feel his skin against her own and while she still struggled to completely understand the urges rushing through her body, she was powerless to resist them.

 

[magbeam]

Owen Llewelyn

Owen let out a small murmur of approval as Susannah's hands moved through his hair. He was beginning to enjoy the wild side that lovemaking brought out in her, even if wild was relative with this sweet young thing. But he still enjoyed it immensely, groaning again as Susannah moaned and arched beneath him, grinding her feminine attributes against him. Oh, if only she knew what she was doing to him.

Her hands moved down to his own that was currently stroking her thigh, and for a moment, his fear and shame spiking, Owen was afraid she was going to come to her senses, pull it away and push him from her, realize what they were doing was improper and that he was no gentleman for forcing himself on her in such a manner...But instead, she merely pulled his hand up to her slip, the small bow that was the one remainder of her modesty. Owen smiled at it, kissing her with renewed passion. A woman after his own heart.

He repositioned himself again once their kiss broke, so that he was kneeling over her legs, her thighs between his own. It was a bit stiff moving in his uniform, but he was enjoying the juxtaposition, him fully clothed (if more than a bit dishevelled) and her increasingly bare to his attention. He marvelled at her beauty yet again, letting it sink in as he stroked her cheek. She truly was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

His hand left her cheek, joining with his other hand at the bow. Still steady despite his nerves, barely restrained at knowing what would be revealed beneath it, he quickly untied it. Looking at her again for confirmation, he reached up, slowly pulling the now-loose upper part down, baring her shoulders and then her upper chest, far lower than any respectable dress would cover, before the swell of her pale breasts came into view. The tugging was now a slow constant pressure as the slip's edge made its way across her breasts before, with a slight pause as they reached her proud nipples, her bosom was completely bared, and Owen found himself looking at the firm, floating globes topped with their painfully-erect pink buds.

"Magificent," he breathed, trailing a fingertip over one, circling the aureola. "Oh, how fantastic." He looked up at Susanah's eyes, again looking for permission, before lowering his head to the right one, running his tongue up the underside and around the edge, spiralling in towards the nipple, skirting the circumference just as his fingertip had before flicking the very tip. He heard Susannah groan and shift beneath him, and just when Owen believed she would die from the wait, he took the entire nub into his mouth, beginning to gently suckle upon it.