There will be some more chapters after this one, but not for a few days I think. xx

Jean looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and frowned slightly. The silk nightdress she had bought for the occasion was beautiful, though she wondered if it was a bit too much. She pulled out the last of her hairpins and brushed through her curls, then tried a tentative smile. That worked better.

She had to admit that Lucien going out did make it all a bit easier. She slid between the covers on the bed and stretched out experimentally, acknowledging to herself that expensive hotels did have some things in their favour, large and very comfortable beds being one of them.

She wondered for a moment which side of the bed Lucien slept on, then surprised herself slightly by knowing the answer. She'd put him to bed drunk once, but otherwise had never been in his room while he was in bed. Perhaps it was just something housekeepers knew, that they picked up along with the laundry. She shuffled over accordingly and curled up a little, pulling the covers up a bit more and hoping he came back before she either lost her nerve again or fell asleep.

Lucien was relieved to find Jean still in the room when he got back, and better still, in bed. He smiled at her before disappearing into the bathroom, and reappearing a couple of minutes later wearing pyjama trousers. He slipped into bed and breathed a very quiet sigh of relief.

For some time they just held each other, kissing occasionally but mostly just looking at each other and getting used to being together like this. Eventually Jean started to stroke her fingertips over his chest and shoulders, and Lucien slid the strap of her nightdress over her shoulder and caressed her breast, brushing against her nipple with his thumb. They kissed with renewed fervour and set out to explore what they had for so long only imagined.

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Afterwards, they lay together in bed for the rest of the afternoon, watching the shadows lengthen as the light slowly faded. They talked for a while, then dozed, and eventually resolved to get up and get dressed for dinner. Jean slipped out of bed to retrieve her discarded nightdress and then realised she had not even thought about being seen naked; laughing at herself she put it on and sat down on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on Lucien's shoulder.

"Time you were getting up," she whispered in his ear. He opened an eye and pulled a face at her.

"What happened to Mrs Shy and Awkward?" Lucien teased her.

"She remembered she's married now," she replied and walked off to get dressed.

Lucien watched her, smiling to himself. He loved her vulnerability, but he loved her confidence too, and Jean was always going to be a mixture of the two.

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They both woke early in the morning, but delayed getting up for as long as they could, aware that normal life was beckoning, and this was an all too brief time for the two of them to be together undisturbed. Eventually Lucien turned to Jean and kissed her. "It may have been a very short honeymoon, but we made the most of it," and he grinned at her.

"Mmm, and I'll always remember it, but now it's time to go home," Jean replied, "and I think a few people are going to be surprised by our news." She found she was looking forward to being honest with friends and family after months of pretending and secrecy.