Chapter Seven

He found the fact that Mary wore a corset oddly unsurprising. So too was the fact that her fingers knew exactly how to unlatch his armour. But when the eyeles of her corsed finally burst open, and he touched her through the cotton of her slip, her body was finally warm

He looked inter her eyes for an answer, but he should have known he would find none. She climbed into his lap, no longer weightless as a cloud, and her mouth tasted like tea and lemon. He wondered what she could taste.

'Sea salt,' she whispered in his ear.

'What?'

She pulled his breastplate over his head and her hands flicked open the catches of his trousers. If he stood up…

'Lift me,' she said.

He held her by the ribs and stood. His thigh plates clattered as they hit the floor, and the boards squeaked as he stepped delicatedly out of his armour and then pressed Mary to the wall with his body. His lips on her neck, and his hands over the cotton could feel that her skin was now hotter than his. The flush of her cheeks had spread to her chest and neck.

He could pull the slip over her head. He could sink inside. But he stopped himself and looked at her.

'Was this what you wanted me to stay for, Mary?'

She arched against the wall and against his body. The snow and sunset of her skin called for his lips, he could almost feel the soft curves beneath her translucent slip, but he kept his hands on her ribs.

'You can't edge me like this, Arthur,' she said, breathlessly.

He leaned close to whisper in her ear.

'Were you at a loss too? When you found me on top of the bridge?'

Her breathing slowed. 'Yes, I was.'

'How about now?'

He saw the challenge come back into her eyes. She slipped her hand under his hair and grabbed a fist full close to his scalp.

'Arthur, I swear to god if you don't ravish me right now I'll put you back in the cloud chains.'

It was as more of an admission to anything than she'd made the whole afternoon, and he suspected it was the best he'd get. He through her back onto the four-poster bed and pushed his head beneath her slip.

Mary tasted a little like sea salt as well.