"Do you think I could kill someone?" she murmured in his ear as they laid there on the bed, their bodies tangled in the moonlight.
"With your looks, yes of course, darling." He retorted without hesitation, finding it ever so funny when he riled her up and she got that annoyed look on her face.
True to her nature, Sibella scowled at him and smacked his arm once she moved her lips away from his ear.
Her face was deadly serious, the tilt of her head made her golden hair fall to one side and even though it was half covering her eyes, Monty could still feel her harsh sapphire gaze on him.
"I mean it. Do you think I could kill someone?"
"You'd scream if the blood got on your dress or in your hair," Monty stated simply as he adjusted his position on the bed. The sheets tangled beneath them were now half falling off the bed, and with Monty's sudden movements, they fell lightly to the floor.
Sibella didn't even notice, clearly too engrossed in whatever thoughts she had running through her head. He loved her, truly he did, but sometimes she scared him. She could be so ruthlessly cruel, unnecessarily mean.
She cleared her throat irritably, clearly not amused nor satisfied with the witty answers he was giving her tonight.
"What if I didn't scream?" she said in a challenging voice, her normally slightly high pitched voice sinking down into a dangerously seductive lower tone that Monty nearly always found arousing. The intent in her eyes was enough to make anyone squirm.
Monty flinched slightly, his thoughts now consumed with the thought of his beloved killing someone. His precious Sibella with murder in her eyes. He hated it. It made him sick, and he didn't want to think of it anymore.
"You'd never be able to kill someone."
"And why ever not?" She looked fierce.
"You're… you're too…."
She cocked an eyebrow at him, telling him that he should choose his next words very carefully.
"Women are too delicate for grotesque things such as murder," said Monty, even though he knew he would regret his words. What he wanted to say was that he didn't want her to kill anyone, that he didn't want to stain this image of her that he had in his mind, nor the image she had of him in his mind.
He couldn't imagine what Sibella would think of him if she knew. Monty gathered that she had her suspicions, but nothing had been confirmed, for that Monty was ever grateful for. But even still, her suspicion and sudden interest in death was worrying.
Sibella looked affronted, anger twisted her face.
"Too delicate? Women go through much more horrific ordeals than men do. Your sex simply faints dead away at the sight of childbirth while we women are conditioned to endure it."
"Is this to be a battle of the sexes then?" Monty asked, "Is that what you came here to discuss while Lionel is away on business? You know not all men are like him."
A dark shadow crossed her face.
"Don't say that," she whispered. "Men are all the same, and you know it. Most men are really like Lionel when you look at them. All men want to be powerful, have it all, and yet they always fall short somehow and then they resort to the most terrible of acts in order to try and make some meaning of their lives."
"How did Lionel fall short?"
"He has a wife that doesn't love him," she answered quietly.
"Do you think women fall short as well?"
She nodded, "Of course, my life is just one big string of mistakes…. I think women fall short more than men in the end. At least men have some rights, and they can always find a woman to fuck in the end, so they never go completely unhappy. But women… women are doomed to the choices they make, even if they gravely regret it. This world doesn't reward women who make mistakes, whereas it awards men."
Monty thought back on how he had landed his title of Earl of Highhurst while Sibella had been more or less forced to marry Lionel.
She fell silent.
Monty pulled back from her and considered her face for a moment. She always looked so insecure when she was talking personally, and Monty knew she was, briefly, letting down her guard. It was refreshing to see, since her usual behavior caused Monty irritation.
"Sibella…" he coaxed, trying to get her to look at him, since she had turned her head away from him and was now staring at the carpet, "Sibella… please. I didn't mean to make you upset. I am terribly sorry."
She snorted, even that sounded delicate and beautiful.
"Don't lie, Monty. You like riling me up, you enjoy it."
He sighed, "I admit that it gives me some delight and amusement in seeing your nose scrunch up like that, but I hate it when you're mad at me."
She relaxed her face, but still did not look at him fully in the eye.
"You're quite pensive tonight."
When she had nothing to say in reply, Monty couldn't resist jabbing at her one last time, if nothing for the fact that he knew it would get some sort of reaction from her.
"Say, have you started reading some of Phoebe's novels? I know I said that you're allowed to anything in the castle but I don't think she would appreciate you rummaging through her books."
She scowled at him playfully and then placed a pout on her lips.
He reached up and kissed the top of her head, dissolving her pout for just a moment.
"Now why are you asking about such things as murder? Is there someone you want to kill?" Monty asked, wanting to know what the hell she could possibly be getting at.
"I could kill Lionel."
Monty looked up at her to see her face serious. Her eyes were dark. He gulped. She was not joking.
"Do you really want to be rid of him?"
She nodded. "Of course I do. He's a terrible bore." She inched closer to him, and kissed his lips. In that moment, all thoughts of the previous conversation melted away in his mind. All he was concerned about was her lips. Monty's hands grazed across her skin and he embraced her closely. It wasn't until she smirked and pulled away that he found himself talking again.
"And what would you do once he's dead?"
She bit her lip at that. "Eat all of the damn chocolate that I want."
Monty laughed at that. Sibella smirked in response.
A silent moment passed between them.
"Would you marry me?" He asked, hopeful.
It was Sibella's turn to laugh, and her laugh was cruel, "And be married to you and Phoebe? No, no, darling, that would be ridiculous. Could you imagine what people would say?"
Monty bit his tongue. He hated when she teased him so mercilessly. She could make a simple phrase sound so cruel and unkind with just a change in her tone.
Instead of biting and taking her bait, Monty just grimaced and kissed her suddenly again.
"You know I love both of you so much," he murmured.
"Mhm," she replied.
"Sibella…" he started.
Her eyes stared into his, "Yes, Monty?"
"Why has the thought of murder and death been on your mind lately?" he asked again, though it was softly this time.
She chewed on her lower lip. "I've just been thinking… this castle… the whole D'ysquith business… it's all so very real and dangerous. And Lionel is in a power of position…. I, well, I'm afraid that if something were to happen to me that I wouldn't be able to defend myself. All of this talk of the D'ysquith's murders is making everyone anxious, usually nobility doesn't get murdered… but Monty, I'm frightened if I'm telling the truth. That's why I hate being alone in that house when Lionel's away, and I hate hailing a carriage by myself…" she trailed off… "Aren't you frightened, Monty?"
Monty immediately embraced her tightly, holding her close. Her head buried into his chest. He wanted to tell her that everything was alright, that no one dared to even touch her, that he would find them and murder them.
"Did he threaten you?" Monty asked in a grave tone.
"No," came her muffled reply, "No I swear he didn't."
"Are you lying to me?"
"No, Monty I swear, Lionel may be a brute but he'd never kill me."
"I promise you that nothing will ever happen to you," he murmured as he held her tight and kissed her hair, "You won't ever have to hurt someone in order to save yourself."
She suddenly pulled away from him, "I know that. It's stupid to be so afraid," she laughed, her voice turning cold.
"Sibella," he started, "You can stay here tonight, if you want."
She glanced up at him, her face had now returned to her normal state, which was one of faint amusement and smugness, but her eyes flickered with the tiniest bit of fear. A small, grateful smile appeared on her lips.
"I guess it is rather too late to head back to the house," she said softly as she curled up against him, with her head on his chest.
"I'll protect you, always," Monty promised in a whisper.
"I never doubted that, Monty," she replied as she kissed his lips once more.
"No more talk of death or murder tonight, alright?" he begged her, his thoughts traveling to how he had murdered the D'ysquiths. "You have nothing to worry about anymore."
She nodded softly. Soon she fell asleep, unaware of the torment she had put her lover through. Monty stayed up all night, having terrible nightmares about how he murdered his family. It haunted him, and Sibella's questioning had only made it worse.
But come morning, when Sibella woke, Monty pretended as if nothing had bothered him all night. He kissed her lips and cupped her cheek.
She smiled at him as she got up from the bed to go get dressed. He caught her hand.
"Promise me you won't ever kill anyone? I've heard it haunts men, and I can only imagine what it would do to you," he said quietly. "Promise me, Sibella," he begged.
She frowned, concerned and a bit frightened at his sudden question.
"I promise Monty, I won't." She bent down and kissed him. "I only joke about killing Lionel because it's so much fun to imagine it."
"Nothing about murder is fun!" he snapped.
Sibella froze. Her jaw clenched.
Monty found himself breathing heavily, due to his outburst. He tried to calm down. "Sibella, I am sorry, that was rude of me. I'm just a bit fatigued… you wore me out last night…"
But the damage had been done. Sibella had her nose perked upwards and she had already gotten herself dressed in the time that Monty had taken to realize that he had yelled at her.
"I think I'll leave now," she said curtly.
"Sibella," Monty stumbled out of bed and tried to catch her, "Sibella, please I'm sorry."
She turned back at him, "I told you, you men are all the same. I just thought you were different…"
She left in a flash of pink and then she was gone, the only reminder that she had been there was the faint, lingering smell of her perfume.
Monty sat on the bed and put his head in his hands.
I haven't written in forever and I'm so sorry about that. I'm also sorry that this might be a little OOC, but I'm trying to get back into writing so bear with me while I get back into my writing headspace. I hope you all enjoyed this!