The past two months since John had been freed from prison had been nothing short of a miracle and a revelation. It had taken his Lordship a week to have the cottage prepared for them, and upon entering it, they were faced with the looming task of making it theirs. They both put on good faces as they cleaned and scrubbed and brushed paint over dingy grey walls, but at the end of each of their half days since, five so far, they were both exhausted to the point of falling asleep in each other's arms, without a single thought of anything more adventurous.
It was on that sixth half day, a Thursday, that they strolled home arm in arm after taking care of his Lordship and Lady Mary's needs for the morning. They entered the cottage with nothing pressing to do, other than catching up on their normal chores. The laundry was already washed and folded, the little kitchen only needed a bit of straightening, the floors needed sweeping, but these were all little jobs that they could do any time. Anna rather enjoyed when they puttered around the cottage together, working side by side to make the empty shell into their own home.
John's warm hand pressed into the small of her back as he followed her inside the cottage sometime after noon. They helped each other out of their coats and hung them dutifully on the pegs beside the door. Anna must have frowned as she pressed a knuckle to her forehead, and John took note of it.
"Are you feeling alright, love?" he asked in concern, bending slightly and touching her elbow.
Anna smiled weakly and patted his chest. "I'm fine, Mister Bates," she replied quickly. "I just have a little bit of a headache. I think that new polish Lady Mary had me using made me a little lightheaded."
He pressed his hand to her forehead, then drew the backs of his fingers down her cheek. "Why don't you go have a lie down for a while, and I'll bring you a powder and some tea," he offered sweetly. His gentle worrying always warmed her so, and though she would never admit it, she found that she quite liked having him fret over her.
She smiled in return and covered his hand with her own. "I can lie down after things down here are finished," she argued.
"There's nothing so pressing that cannot wait a little while," John said right back, his voice a little stern. "Go on and rest, and I'll be up in a few minutes."
She finally relented and gave him a good natured eye roll before climbing the creaking stairs to their bedroom. The afternoon light filtered in through the leaded glass windows, lighting motes of dust that gave the room an almost magical appearance. She wasn't ashamed to admit that this room had quickly become her favorite in the cottage, for the simple fact that it was the one place that was for them only. No guests would ever come up here, they didn't need to keep up any appearances upstairs. It was the room where they fell asleep and awakened beside each other, and where over and over again, they learned each other's bodies in the flicker of candlelight at night.
The dull ache behind her eyes was a small one, really, but it was enough to make her long to lie down for just a little while. She sat in the wooden rocking chair that John usually read books in at night and undid the laces of her shoes, toeing them off and tucking them under the wardrobe beside her other pair of cream shoes. Her stockings came next, and she always found it to be a strange relief when she peeled them off at the end of the day. That would do for now, she decided, as John would be upstairs soon with the tea. She heard him moving about in the kitchen downstairs and smiled. She was thrilled that he was so domestic, willing and eager to split their household chores in a thoroughly modern fashion. He was never above making her tea or cleaning up after their simple meals, or even folding and putting away their laundry.
Anna reclined on her side of the bed with a small throw pillow under her neck for support. Instantly, she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, letting the tension drain out from her body and into the blankets below. It was only a few minutes later that she heard the distinct cadence of John's ambling walk as he came up the steps, the slight clatter of the tea tray loud in the stairwell. She smiled and sat up, propping the pillow behind her.
John sat the tray down on her little vanity and handed her the small glass of water, cloudy with the stirred-in powder. She drank it quickly, grimacing at the bitter, chalky taste. He gave her a gentle smile and took the glass from her, replacing it with a cup of tea.
"Aren't you going to have some?" Anna asked, noticing the lack of a second cup on the tray.
He shook his head and sat down on the edge of his side of the bed, his eyes looking her up and down boldly. "Perhaps later on," he replied. He reached out his hand to gently graze her skirt-covered knee, sending a little thrill up her spine. "You finish up and rest a while. I'll be downstairs if you need anything." He stood and gave her a little wink, then walked out of their bedroom and closed the door behind him.
Anna finished her tea and set the cup and saucer on the little wooden table beside the bed. She settled back down a bit and closed her eyes. She only needed a few minutes to let the powder work its magic, and she would join John downstairs.
The creak of the bedroom door made her open her eyes abruptly, and she blinked in the late afternoon sun that was angled across her. John was standing in the doorway, his tie and waistcoat discarded and sleeves rolled up. He was watching her with such intense scrutiny that she blushed.
"How long was I asleep?" Anna groaned, taking herself to task for sleeping the afternoon away.
"Two hours," John said quietly. He took a tentative step toward her and stopped, bracing himself against the chair inside the door. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Anna smiled. "My head feels much better, thank you."
He nodded and continued to stare at her, his eyes soft and his lips pulling ever so slightly at the corners.
Anna was almost uncomfortable under his gaze and she started to sit up. "What?" she asked him curiously.
John took another step forward and raised his hand. "Stay there," he insisted. "I wish to remember this moment. The way the light plays on you lying there. A nymph in a forest clearing."
She wanted to both laugh and blush at his romanticism, and settled for a little giggle instead. "Silly beggar," she admonished him lightheartedly. Her hand curled open on the bed beside her, into his space, a subconscious invitation to join her.
He took two more confident steps toward her, crossing the little space between the door and the bed, and stopped, drinking in the sight of her. "I've just realized that I've never seen you by sunlight before, only by candle or lamp."
Anna frowned and cocked her head to the side. "Don't be daft, you see me during the day all the time," she said. At his gentle smile, she realized what he was implying. "Oh," she said so softly, she could barely hear herself. "Mister Bates…"
He slowly sat down on his side of the bed, the mattress bowing under his weight. He took her hand and traced the back with his thumb slowly. "I've no right to insist anything of you, but if you care to…"
He didn't have to say another word as Anna gave his hand a strong tug, pulling him to her. It felt so scandalous to be doing these sorts of things in the broad daylight, but at the same time, the very notion of it had set her afire. John braced himself over her as she pulled him downward by the back of his neck, pressing her lips to his in a searing kiss. Both of them immediately deepened the kiss, tongues tentatively touching and ragged breaths passing between them.
Anna sat up, bringing him with her, to touch the buttons of his shirt in a wordless question. John grinned, the smile bringing out the boyish charm she alone saw in him. His own hands went to the collar of her black dress, trying to find the place where it closed.
He frowned as Anna got one of his buttons undone, while he was still trying to even find hers. "How does this one work?" he asked in frustration. It was one of her newer ones that she'd purchased in a second-hand shop in Ripon a few days before his release.
Anna giggled and slid his hand to the side panel and the hidden buttons beneath. His expression was triumphant as he tried to work one of the buttons loose, then became horrified when said button popped off and clattered to the floor.
"John Bates!" Anna shrieked, swinging her legs out to the floor and bending down to pick up the button. "Her Ladyship would have you taken to task for such clumsiness."
"Then it's a good thing his Lordship is far more forgiving of such things," John said.
He looked suitably abashed as Anna placed the button in the glass dish on her vanity. She returned to the bed, where John was sitting on the edge, his feet on the floor and legs splayed open. The temptation to go stand between them and continue where they left off was far too great, and she molded herself against him, delighting in the fact that he was made a little shorter than her by their positions. His hands boldly drew up and down her back, and down to her rear, which he squeezed through the layers of fabric, causing her to whimper into his mouth.
She decided she didn't want to sacrifice another button to his large fingers, so she went to unbutton her dress herself. He took the hint and unbuttoned his own shirt, and by the time she'd deftly opened the front of her dress, he'd done the same with his shirt. He took her by the waist and spun her about, pushing her a step forward and away from the bed. He got to his feet behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Look there," he breathed hotly into her ear, his growing need pressing up against the small of her back.
Anna opened her eyes and looked forward, to where the tall mirror they'd received as a belated wedding gift from her Ladyship stood in the corner. Despite the crack that bisected the center of the glass, Anna could see the way the sunlight burned across them both, his arms a bright contrast to the black fabric of her dress.
John went to pull her dress open, kissing her neck and looking upward toward their reflection in the mirror. His hands possessively skimmed the tops of her breasts, pressed upward by her corset. Anna groaned, biting her lip to keep from making too much noise. It was salacious enough to be doing what they were doing this time of the day, but to alert others to their actions…
"Don't stifle yourself, darling," John said, his lips moist against her neck. He finally pulled the dress open and down, stripping it off her arms. She stepped out of the skirt and he laid it on the bed beside them.
As Anna stood there in her corset and chemise, she suddenly felt ashamed and tried to turn around, wanting to bury herself under the blankets. They'd both only gotten fleeting glimpses of each other when they'd made love before, and she felt horribly exposed in the broad daylight.
John stilled her with strong arms wrapped around her, one around her shoulders and breasts, and the other at her hips. He shushed her and met her eyes in the mirror. Her expression was one of apprehension, his was one of hot anticipation. "You are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen," he said to reassure her. He gently drew his hands down her bare shoulders and arms, kissing her shoulder. "Have you any idea what you do to me?"
Anna blushed from top to toe, his words breaking down most of her inhibitions. She reached her hand up and back to thread her fingers in his hair as he dipped to kiss her neck again. This time she allowed herself to gasp loudly, the sound sharp in the small room. She felt his hands go to the back of her corset, and then the pressure released slightly as he untied the ribbons that held it together. He made quick work of pulling it loose and removing it from her, letting it fall to the floor.
She didn't have a moment to admonish him about dropping it to the floor because his hands immediately came up to cup and knead her breasts through her chemise. Anna threw her head back in ecstasy and John took that opportunity to pull the pins from her hair. He knew exactly how many and where they were at this point, having taken great pleasure every evening in loosing her hair and running his fingers through it. He set the pins on the table and buried his nose in her hair, returning his hands to splay across her abdomen and breasts.
Anna chanced another glance at herself in the mirror. The light had taken on a decidedly golden hue, making her pale skin seem much richer than it was. The skin that was exposed was completely flushed by now, and her eyes were heavy lidded with lust. This is what her husband did to her.
She was tired of being a passive participant in today's activities. She spun around too fast for him to stop her and pushed the shirt from his shoulders, pressing her lips against his desperately. She broke their kiss only long enough to pull his undershirt from his pants, lifting it up and over his head and tossing it to the foot of the bed with her dress. Her hands began fumbling at the closure of his pants next, brushing against the unmistakable bulge therein.
John hissed and grabbed her wrists, setting her hands at his waist as he stood up. He was back to being taller than her, and without her heeled shoes, Anna had to stand awkwardly on her tiptoes to kiss him. She settled for running her lips across his chest, the dark hair softly tickling her nose. John's hands bunched and pulled at the fabric of her chemise and she quickly nodded, giving him permission to slide it up and off of her.
She was down to her undergarments and shivered in the sudden chill of the room, despite being pressed against his bare torso. John bent over to kiss her deeply before turning back the covers and gingerly sitting down on the bed, pulling her down with him. Anna rose over him, suddenly emboldened and feeling altogether wanton as she tried again to remove his trousers. This time, he lay back and let her do it, a wide grin breaking his face in two. He lifted his hips so she could work them down his long legs, and she removed his socks and garters just as quickly. His loose-fitting shorts tented upward unashamedly and Anna licked her lips nervously.
John sat up slightly and took her by her elbow. "Do you want to get under the covers?" he asked quietly.
Anna bit her lip and shook her head no. His concern for her inexperience touched her greatly. She'd seen him before of course, just about every night since he was released from prison, and sometimes even in the morning as first light allowed them to see each other in dim grey shadows. But the way that the golden light slanted across their bed and kissed them both with warmth emboldened her. She eased her undergarments down over her hips, leaving herself completely exposed to his hot gaze.
John's hands were trembling as he spanned her waist with one and caressed her cheek with the other. Their tongues twisted and tested each other, and Anna's already racing heart began to pound so hard she could practically hear it. She reached down to tug at the waist of his shorts and removed them with his help, letting him bob free in between them. She wrapped one small hand around him and drew it up and down tentatively, pausing at the tip to smooth the little bead of moisture across the head with her thumb.
He gasped loudly into her mouth and almost jerked completely away from her, but she wouldn't let go. She appreciated every one of his tiny grunts and twist of hips, and she intended to let him know how much she did. She pushed him backward onto the pillows with her other hand and swung her leg across his thighs, settling down and looking at him impishly.
"You'll have to stop that, love," John gasped, his hips grinding upward and his head thrown back.
"Stop what, darling?" Anna said with a sly grin.
"Anna…" he warned sharply.
Anna giggled and released his rigidness, letting it fall against his hipbone. She slid her hands up his stomach and teased his skin with her nails. When she came up his body far enough, he slipped his hand between the two of them to slide his fingers into her folds. Anna yelped in surprise, the ache that had been building for the better part of an hour suddenly getting the attention it craved. He drew two of his fingers along either side of her center, eliciting a shuddering unladylike groan from her. He chuckled and gave her a few more teasing touches before sliding a finger inside her. The feeling was delicious, and she threw her head back, bracing herself on shaking arms above him. She could feel his manhood bobbing beneath her, against her thighs, and the instinctive urge to sink down onto it was getting to be too much to bear. John slid a second finger inside her and ground the his thumb against her core. It didn't take long for her to teeter over the edge, as she found it never did. He gave her a few good flicks of his wrist and she was undone, purple and blue sparks flying across her tightly shut eyes. She cried out openly to any god that cared to listen before the sensation was too much and she jerked her hips away from John's hand.
John was chuckling softly as she draped herself across him, breathing heavily, her limbs limp and sated. He ran his hands across her back and shoulders, drifting down to caress the top of her buttocks on the return trip.
"Proud of yourself, aren't you, Mister Bates?" she said, amazed that she could form a coherent word at this point.
"I might be," he smiled back as he laced the fingers of one hand in her hair.
Her head lay against the crisp hairs of his chest and she languidly drew her fingers down one side of his ribs. He'd lost so much weight in prison, the solid bulk that she'd loved so much on their wedding night replaced with slightly doughy slackness. She knew that Mrs. Patmore had been secretly slipping him an extra half serving at every meal, and he was slowly gaining some of the weight back.
The pressing issue between them wasn't going anywhere, and Anna finally summoned up the energy to lift her head and press delicate kisses on his skin. Her arm slid between them to take him in hand again, eliciting a gentle groan from him. They began kissing each other anew, hotly burning and open-mouthed. She slid her body up and down his, the feel of having the heat of his skin at her front and the chill of the room at her back a clashing mix of sensation.
Finally, she rose up and centered herself above them as John reached up to palm her breasts. They'd done it once this way before, on their wedding night of all nights, and she was eager to try it again, now that her body was well attuned to his. She carefully settled him in place and sank down a tiny bit and rose back up, gasping at the feeling. John's eyes were closed and he was biting his lip, probably to maintain some semblance of control. She lowered herself again, taking most of him in, then back up and down again, finally burying him to the hilt. The feeling was exquisite, and she almost wept from the emotion and pleasure of it. John's eyes had opened and settled on hers at some point, and the intensity of his gaze made her eyes sting with tears. She leaned forward and kissed him as he brought his arms up to hold her tightly to him.
She finally began to move, rocking her hips slowly, trying to find the best angle to work with. She settled in and rose up, bracing her hands on his chest and throwing her head back in pleasure. It was quite different this way, and she swore he felt larger and deeper inside of her. His own hips arched up to meet hers periodically as both of their gasps and whispered confessions of love filled the room.
"Anna," John said almost desperately, drawing her with his eyes to look to their side. She could see herself above him in the tall mirror, the long crack dividing her image in an almost surreal way. She watched herself writhe and rise and fall, and her reflection, with his darker hands possessively digging into her hips, was enough to send another jolt of pleasure through her body. She let out a tiny little scream and screwed her eyes shut, stilling her hips as waves and waves washed over her.
She was still for several moments before John suddenly reached up to pull her flat against him. He braced his feet on the bed and began thrusting his hips upward sharply, once, twice, three and four and five, almost to the point of pain deep inside of her, and then he grunted loudly and slammed upward one more time, spilling into her with a wordless cry. He jerked weakly a few more times before he suddenly went slack, his arms loosening from their desperate grip around her shoulders and waist.
Both of them were breathing so heavily that she honestly thought that this was the moment that both of them would die, and someone would discover them in this position tomorrow when they didn't report in for work. The very notion caused her to giggle quietly, her shoulders shaking in mirth.
"What?" John rasped out into her hair.
Anna drew herself up and patted his chest, taking in his heavy lidded eyes and thoroughly mussed hair. "Nothing," she reassured him before sniffing in amusement. "Just the image we must make right now."
He grunted as she delicately swung her leg off of him, ending their connection. She settled beside his heated body and laid her head on his chest, her fingers making whorling patterns in the hair they found. She shivered and John reached over to draw the quilt over their bodies, his hands returning to her skin for warmth.
"To think we have to wait another fortnight for an afternoon like this again," he lamented.
Anna lifted her head and settled her chin into his shoulder, catching his sleepy eyes. "I suppose we'll have to make due with candles at midnight until then, Mister Bates," she replied with a cheeky grin.
The golden hour of light had finally passed, and the room had taken on a decidedly grey appearance as the sun drew down in the sky. John kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer to him as they both relished in the miracle of their life together and the decadence of the day.