Just a little fun :)
The wedding had probably been beautiful. The guests had no doubt been attentive; the small church very likely uplifting; the champagne and cakes hosted afterwards by Miss Fisher undoubtedly exquisite.
Hugh Collins didn't remember any of it.
When he turned his mind over the preceding hours, all he could remember - all he had been able to focus on - was his sweet Dottie. His lovely bride, who always made everything alright. It was her smiling face beneath the veil, her small hand in his as he placed the ring, her warm waist under his hand as they danced afterwards that filled his happy memories.
She lay beside him now beneath the sheet, in a new nightdress decorated with ivory lace. Her hair was loose, her skin flushed, and her eyes on the ceiling of their bedroom.
He had yet to touch her.
God knew he wanted to. The knowledge that he was now a married man- married to the sweetest, cleverest creature on earth - made him yearn to kiss her the way a new groom should kiss a bride.
Instead, he was also staring at the ceiling, the bed sheet pulled up over his cotton undershorts and singlet and the muscles in his throat twitching in uncertainty. Prior to today, he and Dottie and shared only three kisses. How did a man go from relatively chaste pecks on the lips to, well...the fulfilment of his marital role? What if he did something wrong? What if Dottie didn't like it? What if he hurt her?
The carriage clock on the mantelpiece ticked away the minutes.
"Hugh?"
Hugh almost jumped out of his skin. "Y...yes, Dottie?"
"I was wondering,well..." Dottie turned her head a little to look at him. "A few months ago, Miss Fisher lent me this particular book to read..."
Startled, Hugh turned his head to look at Dot properly. "The one with the illustrations?"
"Yes. And the very helpful step by step guides."
"Oh!" Hugh's face broke into a sunny smile. "She lent that one to me, too, ages ago. That's...remember the first time I kissed you? On that theatre stage?"
Dot smiled. "How could I forget, Hugh Collins. You gave me such shivers that day, I knew I'd fallen for you." She reached out and rested her palm against his face. "So, Now that we're both on the same page, I think it's about time you touched me like the picture on page 56..."
The rest of what she was going to say was lost as Hugh bent his head for a passionate kiss, ran his hand down the lace of Dot's nightdress and proceeded to show his wife just how studious he had been.