Warning: Some mature stuff ahead. Do not read if you're not old enough. there will be historical inconsisties in my story. i'm not writing to inform, i'm writing to relive :) (gosh, that sounds so poetic....:):)
1. Looming omen
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"--His dagger cut through the lace strings and the corset fell with ease upon the ground. Her breasts heaved in the firelight as she braced her hands upon the back of the chair. The Lord watched her naked back glisten in the moonlight, before reaching out and roughly cupping her breasts in two hands, teasing her aching nipples with strong lithe fingers. Immediately heat pooled between her legs as she leant back across his bare chest, and let out such a hearty moan that he almost cummed within his breeches, the only thing stopping him from burying his arousal within her searing heat-"
A loud groan filled the interior of the carriage. However unlike the moan from the story being read aloud, this groan was full of pain. Maria ignored her mistress, and continued reading.
" The Lord demanded, "Who is your master?" as his finger gentally eased around her clitoris. The pool of desire did not go un-noticed by the Lord, and he smirked, sliding two fingers up her womb; only ceasing his ascent when his fingers met the musky aroma of her maidenhead. His wanton face was illuminated for a brief second by a bolt of lightening before the aftermath; a roll of coarse thunder drowned out her pleasured gasp-"
Outside the carriage; through the translucent mesh of netting; the landscape was illuminated by a bolt of lightening. Both girls shrieked when a clap of thunder sounded overhead shortly after.
Lady Hermione glared fiercely at her maid, with a hand placed over her racing heart. Maria blinked innocently back, clutching the book---yet another romance novel---against her chest. "Maria, I understand your need for reading such novels---but must you really read it out aloud? Who has put you up to this? Do you wish to make your mistress ill by all that nonsense you're spouting?" Hermione did indeed feel faint. At the age of seventeen, the idea of a man demanding "Who is your master?" was nearly enough for her to demand the carriage to be pulled over right this instant. She was sure there was some woodland nearby, she could be sick in.
Maria had the decency to blush, casting her raven eyelashes downward as she worried her lip. Finding that she could not keep the truth any longer; she exclaimed, "It was your aunt, Lady Hermione, she is deeply worried about you." She looked up, and let her green eyes catch Hermione's startling brown. " I mean, why not? You are of seventeen years, my lady, and have reached the marrigeable age in which every lad in the county wants you as his wife. But yet you resist their charms and instead wallow your pity out in the stables, where you groom Hetty." Maria frowned, " Which you must know, my lady, is not a suitable place to be of a lady of your vocation--"
Hermione's heart swelled as she thought of her beloved pony, a young mare that had been injured in a cart incident two years back with a previous owner. But she returned with a bump, when Maria accused her of being more interested in animals than of acquiring a husband of good fortune.
" I know what you all think," she said bitterly, "My aunt. The servants, everyone. They think me a silly woman, because they somehow have come to the conclusion that I am looking for my true love. Well, let me tell you a secret, Maria. There is no love. I do not believe he exists. When I hide out in the stables; it is not because I yearn for my knight to come riding on his white horse and save me but rather because I find Hetty a more decent listener than any of you! I can talk about anything with her. The weather, the garden, recent happenings in the neighbourhood without involving talk about balls, men, or love at all!"
For a long moment, silence reigned before Maria meekly replied, "Perhaps it would have been wise to have said that I had wished to read this book, out of my own free will?"
Hermione glared fiercely at Maria for a while, before breaking out into racuous laughter and clapping her hand on her thigh. "Maria, you never fail to cease to amuse me so. I guess the many years we spent together did some good after all." She settled back on her seat, resting her head once again on the rest as she closed her eyes. "Although I despise romance novels of love and such; I rather prefer listening to your cockney accent then that terrible thunder outside. I hope that you do continue reading aloud; and for both our sakes that I fall asleep!"
Maria's eyes softened; cracking a wry smile at her mistress; before opening the book once again to page 253. Although she had thought the book was too frisky for her nature; the display of content had definitely kept her distracted from the hailing rain outside; battering against the carriage as it wound itself along the carriage track. She felt incredibly sorry for the coachmen outside, cracking their whips along the horse's flanks as water streamed down their top hats and onto their fine suits. She could only but imagine them looking like drowned rats.
Hermione cleared her throat; and Maria jumped lightly on her seat. "Oh, right away missus! I mean, my lady..." And then to echo Hermione, Maria coughed twice before launching back into the story.
"- His breeches were unbuckled were agonizing slowness, slipping down his toned thighs and releasing the erect organ nestled within his curls. It jutted out proudly, it's crown a blisteringly swollen purple as it weeped silently, silvery white tears of satisfaction-" Maria gulped loudly, before sneaking a peek up at her mistress. To her relief, the added combination of Maria's voice and the rocking of the carriage had sent Hermione off into a dreamless slumber. Maria knew that she could stop reading right there, but the hypnotic words etched upon the paper seemed to be calling to her. Her eyes once again were drawn to the page-
"- Just to gauge her reaction, the Lord leaned temptestously forward, letting his organ brush against the pearly skin of her buttocks. She gasped at once, bucking her hips wildly as she seeked contact of the taunting organ that hung low and proud, between her wretched Lord's thighs. He taunted her a few seconds more, leaning back as his eyes fell upon her swaying buttocks and the pearl gates that lay just out of sight. And then conceding defeat, and delivering a loud moan into her wet hair, the Lord let himself be nestled and cupped by her two cheeks of temptation. His chest bathed in sweat as she rested upon him-"
The carriage came to a sudden halt, stopping so abruptly that Hermione was thrown awake. She sat up with panic, glancing sideways frantically for the unseen attacker. But Maria, oblivious to it all, continued reading-
"He demanded hotly, "Do you wish for you womb to milk me?"
"Maria, something is in the wrong here....we have stopped! Maria are you listening?"
"Her answer was indistinguishable as he bit her earlobe. Continuing his intense questioning, he quiered, " You grow warm for me. Is that what you want? Your milky thighs wrapped around my narrow waist, as I take your maidenhood over and over again?"
The sounds of struggle were heard outside as Maria read on, and Hermione listened with baited breath, hand over heart. She shrunk back on her seat when an ominous shadow flitted over the netted curtain before disappearing altogether. Hermione could not deny that there wasn't any people outside any longer. It was truly bad lack to be robbed by bandits, she had heard, with regal ladies merely escaping with their lives.
" --The girl whimpered as he whispered, "So what is it to be? Your maidenhood or your reputaion?"
"Your money or your life?"
Maria's voice seemed to echo within the carriage, but by the time it had died away, Hermione had come to an alarming conclusion- why on earth did the echo have the words maidenhood and reputation replaced with money and life?
The question was forgetten, when a loud gun-shot was sounded from the outside. Hermione and Maria both shrieked, and clung to the other as further sounds of struggle reached their ears. Maria was as pale as a sheet. " Highwaymen!" she hissed, making the sign of the cross against both shoulders and forehead. Then with practised ease and calm that one could only posess in an emergency, she held Hermione by the shoulders and shook her lightly.
" Listen to me, my lady! Highwaymen would not hesitate to slit your throat, as soon as the look of you. Your life is of more value than mine. So it is in my duty of protection, to demand that we switch dresses right at this moment!"
"What?" Hermione cried, " What would that acheive?"
Maria held Hermione's hand to her chest, setting her face in a watery smile. "I know the ways of these highwaymen, missus. So if they were to think I were you, then I would know how to get out of this situation with nothing more than a few backhands around the face-"
Hermione opened her mouth to resist, but Maria was having none of it. "Your safety is paramount, my lady, trust me in this. Now hand me that dress before I rip it off you myself! We will get out of this with nothing more than a few cuts or so, I promise you! And remember my lady---always look at the ground. They would not do much to harm you then."
Hermione nodded grimly; trusting the maid without a sliver of doubt. She set work on her stockings, whilst Maria made sure to slide the clips out of Arianna's hair and into her own.
When the second gunshot sounded it was a sudden bolt to the system, and the pair started shedding clothing faster than ever. Maria only had a simple grey dress to contend with, but Hermione, with petticoats and laces was a different case altogether. Hermione felt tears welling up as she struggled to unlace her corset. "Maria, " she gasped before her hands were slapped away by Maria's and replaced with her own.
"Silly girl," Maria muttered as she quickly retied the lace that Hermione had managed to get undone. "We do not have time for this! Here just put on my dress on top, and I shall put on yours! And unless they strip us down to our underwear, they shall never know the difference!"
If Hermione had been told twenty-four hours earlier that her shy maid would be ordering her around in an event of an emergency, she would have outright laughed. But such a situation was upon them, and Hermione did not find it funny at all. In fact, she felt oddly grateful, as she dried her wet tears upon the hem of the unremarkable grey gown. Maria straightened her skirts, having done it thousands of times in the past, but never on her own body. The gown fit Hermione better but in the light of the situation, Maria supposed she could not fuss over such details.
Once again, they interlinked hands, squeezing their eyes shut as the dreaded sounds of footsteps squelching through the mud reached their ears.
The carriage door- the last barrier between the unknown enemy and them- swung open easily and a large gust of wind swarmed into the carriage.
"We have you surrounded, ladies. I think it might be in your best interests, if you both were to step out- would you not agree?" a gruff voice growled.
A/N: Yes your eyes are not deceiving you. TWO updates in one day! Now that warrants a review don't you think?? lol
And many thanks to TwilightDreamz13, my first reviewer for this story. Much loves!