Chapter Seven: In the 'Tree house'
When Dickon returned to his home, he was drenched from head to toe. He had gotten Mary and Colin to the manor in time, but he was not so lucky. He expected he would be caught in it, and he took his time while walking back. He didn't mind the rain. He could just dry off in front of a warm fire. Besides, he had been doing a lot of thinking while he was walking back.
Dickon took off his over shirt and hung it over the chair back to dry. Then he took out some sausages to heat for his dinner. After he had finished his meal, he propped his back against the back wall of the hollow tree trunk, and began to read.
After several hours of reading, Dickon finally put down his book, and began to undress and make his pallet ready for bed. Lucky was nuzzled underneath the blankets. He absently noticed that the rain was still coming down in sheets.
Just as he had taken off his under shirt, he heard a crack. It sounded like someone stepping on a stick. It sounded close. Dickon had a knife that he always kept under his pallet for protection. He reached under and gripped his hand around the handle, ready to pounce.
A figure wearing a hooded cloak appeared in the doorway. He was just about to lunge when he noticed long ringlets of wet brown hair hanging out of the cloak.
"Mary?" She looked up at the sound of her name. "Geez, Mary! You scared the wits out of me! What are you doing here?"
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Dickon jumped up and ran to her side to help her through the doorway. She was soaking wet. "Mary you're soaked! What were you thinking going out in this weather? Come in here and get warm by the fire." She sat down on the floor and held her hands to the flame. "How did you get by your father? I know he wouldn't let you come down here this late, and in this weather."
"I took the hidden corridor from my room to a servant staircase that led out of the manor." She said.
"Why did you do that Mary. You're going to catch a cold." He noticed she was shivering. "Here, take this wet cloak off." He removed the fabric from her shoulders and hung it on a stud protruding from the wall. The cloak had not done her very much good, her hair was dripping droplets of water onto the dirt floor.
"I wanted to see you." She said quietly.
Dickon sat next to her and put his arm around her to help warm her. "Why, what's the matter?"
"Nothing is the matter...I just...wanted to see you."
"Oh." He said. "Well, I'm always glad to see you Miss Mary."
She smiled. She was so beautiful when she smiled. Mary leaned her head on his shoulder. He rested his chin on her head. She smelled so sweet. He reveled in the feeling of having her in his arms. It was something he had been aching to do for a very long time. He wondered if she felt the same way, but his insecurities were lessened when he realized she had risked possibly being grounded from the garden if her father found out she was not in her bed.
Mary looked up into Dickon's eyes. The firelight reflected the anticipation in her eyes. Dickon's mouth was suddenly very dry. His heart was pounding in his chest. He felt an odd sensation all through his body.
"Dickon," Mary panted in a whisper.
"Yes, Mary?" His voice was just a labored. Their faces were gradually moving closer together.
"I'm feeling very...strange."
"Good strange or bad strange?"
"Good." She breathed. Their lips were an inch apart.
Dickon gave a tiny smile. "Me too." And then their lips met. Ever so gently, his lips softly grazed hers. They parted for a moment to look into each other's eyes. And then Dickon lifted his hand to cup her cheek, as he pulled her into a deeper kiss. The more he kissed her the more intimate and intense their kiss grew.
Mary lifted her hands and rested them lightly on Dickon's chest. He groaned in delight against her lips.
He was elated by the sensation of feeling Mary's lips against his. It was better than he had ever imagined it could be. He slipped his arm around her narrow waist. She felt so perfect, like she was made to fit with him. He slowly began to lean her back onto his pallet. He felt her muscles tense underneath him.
She must be nervous, he thought. He couldn't blame her, he was scared to death. He wanted everything about this moment to be perfect. They broke apart again, and he stared into her eyes once more as he leaned over her.
He leaned in again to kiss her, but this time his lips began to move to her neck and collar bones. She closed her eyes and sighed softly. Hearing her pleasure did something incredible to his insides. Then he began to work down the V neckline of her dress. Mary's breath caught in her chest.
Dickon froze. He was suddenly scared to death that he might push her too far. He didn't want to mess things up. He didn't want her to do something she would regret in the morning. He pulled back.
"What's wrong?" Mary asked.
"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this, right now."
Mary sat up and stared at him, puzzled.
"Why don't you let me walk you back up to the manor?" He asked sweetly.
Mary continued to stare at him in disbelief as he removed her cloak from the wall stud and placed it around her shoulders. He was close to her face when he tied the front together under her chin. He kissed her again, but this time less passionately. He was trying to control his urges. "I'll see you tomorrow." he said. "I'll be in the manor all day, helping Martha with the chores, since I'm no use outside in this weather."
Mary nodded, and they both turned to exit the piney home. They walked back to the manor in silence.
*** Mary stared blankly at her reflection as she brushed the tangles out of her sopping wet hair. She couldn't stop thinking about Dickon. About how thrilling it had felt to be so close to him. But he had humiliated her. She felt so sheepish after what had happened. He had just...stopped.
She didn't know what went wrong. What had she done? Did he suddenly 'come to his senses?'. It had felt so good to have his body over hers. She wanted more, but he did not.
Mary gave herself a mental shake and went to climb in bed. She nuzzled herself under her blankets and reached to turn out the light. She stared up at the moonlit ceiling for a few moments, trying to figure Dickon out. Whatever had happened, it had been humiliating. She knew what she had to do. As she rolled over and closed her eyes, she decided that it would be best to distance herself from Dickon.
*** The next morning, Mary dressed and went down to breakfast as usual. When she entered the dining hall, Colin was talking excitedly to her father.
"You should have seen it, father! It was a big tree! And the trunk is hollowed out, so it's like a little hut! And he's got a bed, and a fire pit..."
"You mean he lives in this tree?" Lord Craven said in amazement.
"Yeah." Answered Colin. "It's amazing."
"Well that can't be safe..."
"Good morning father." Mary said.
"Ah, good morning Mary dear. How did you sleep?"
"Just fine, thanks." She lied.
Madame De Mimsica, Dominique, and Lady Catherine were going about their breakfast without paying much attention to their conversation.
When Mary's food was being set in front of her, she looked up to thank the servant with a smile. To her astonishment, she was looking strait into Dickon's eyes. Her mouth fell open but she didn't dare say a word, knowing it would not be considered proper to distract a servant from his duties. As she gaped up at him, he gave her a small wink, and a grin. She felt her face flush, and she looked away.
But then she remembered what she had decided the night before. She suddenly felt very self-conscious She resolved not to meet his gaze while he was serving the rest of the table's occupants.
This was just great. Her first day of distancing herself from Dickon, and he's serving her breakfast! This was going to be harder than she thought.
When Mary unrolled her silverware, a small, crumpled up piece of paper fell out. She quickly snatched it up before anyone could see it. Holding it below the table, pretending to place her napkin in her lap, she unfolded the note.
"Meet me in the corridor behind the kitchen after breakfast. -Dickon"
Mary stared incredulously at the scribbled handwriting. Why did he want to meet her? And how was she going to avoid him with him asking her to meet him already? She was just going to have to meet him and tell him that she didn't need him distracting her. Yes, that's what she would do.
After she had finished, she excused herself from the table, and left the dining hall. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she turned in the direction of the kitchen, instead of the stairs. When she arrived, Dickon was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, waiting on her. When he heard her approaching he quickly got to his feet.
"Good morning, Miss Mary. I'd hoped you would come."
"Well I'm only here for a..."
He closed the distance between them and was kissing her sweetly, yet passionately before she could finish her sentence. When they broke apart, she was staring at him, dumfounded.
"Dickon, I..."
Before she could speak, she heard the sound of feet running down the hall behind her. She turned to see who it was, and was shocked to see Colin running away from them. Mary immediately followed. She knew he had probably seen them, and was afraid to imagine what he would do, or who he would tell.
"Mary, wait!" Dickon called after her, but it was too late. She was already gone.
***
Mary knocked softly on her brother's door. "Colin?"
"Go away!"
"Colin, what's the matter with you? You're acting like a child."
The door swung open. "A child, am I?" His face was red and tear stained. "I'm not the one acting a child, Mary! I'm not the one who's lying and sneaking around!"
"Colin, it's not like that..."
"How could you? How could you do that to me?"
"Do what, Colin?"
"Like I said before...go away!" The door slammed in her face.
***
After Mary returned to her room, she decided she would take a nap. She just wanted to go to sleep and forget all this. Dickon, Colin, Dominique...everything! She just wanted to sleep it all away.
As she began to untie the ribbon on her dress, she heard a knock; not from the door, but from behind the tapestry concealing the secret corridor from her room. She thought it odd, but assumed it must be Colin, coming to berate her more.
When she opened the door she gasped at the sight of Dickon.
"Hello, Mary." He gave her a sheepish smile.
She held the door aside. "Come in."
"I'm really sorry your brother saw that."
Mary stared at her feet.
"I should have thought about my actions more. I wasn't thinking. I only wanted to feel your lips against mine again..."
"Dickon, stop." There was a long silence before she went on. "Maybe we should put a little distance between ourselves."
"But why? Was Colin angry? What did he say?"
"No, Dickon, it's not that. I mean, yes, he was angry, but I think we should do this just the same."
Dickon stepped closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes, "Why, Mary? Please, don't do this."
"Why do you care? You have no feelings for me!"
"How can you say that?" He looked panicked. "Of course I have feelings for you. I care about you, Mary. I always have."
"Then, why, Dickon? Why did you have to humiliate me last night? Why did you turn me away?"
Dickon's expression dawned with sudden realization. To Mary's distaste, he looked relieved.
"Mary..." He said with a laugh. "It's not like that."
She frowned at him. "What is it like, then?"
"I was so...enthralled in kissing you. It felt so good, and I was so aroused..."
"Then why did you stop?" She said, in rising irritation.
"Because..." He paused, as if to gather his thoughts. "Because, I was afraid."
"Of what?" Mary was sounding more calm.
"I was afraid I'd lose myself...my self control." He swallowed and went on. "I was afraid I would get so carried away, and so excited...that I would push you to do something you would regret."
Mary was silent for a long moment. "Dickon...I would have told you if I thought things were going to far. I was enjoying your touch, and you're kisses. I didn't want you to stop."
"But I was afraid you would get carried away too, and then something would happen...and then the next day you would wish you hadn't." He sounded panicked again.
"Well, it's the next day now, and I'm still not glad you stopped."
Dickon stared at her. She had a point. "I was nervous Mary, very nervous. So I knew you must have been too."
"I was."
"And that's why I thought I should stop."
"Dickon, of course I'm going to be nervous. Until last night I had never even been kissed."
"Nor I." He said softly.
Mary smiled, "Really?"
"Really." He was looking into her eyes again.
Mary stepped close to him. She was inches from him. "Take me, Dickon. Take me now. Right here."
When Dickon returned to his home, he was drenched from head to toe. He had gotten Mary and Colin to the manor in time, but he was not so lucky. He expected he would be caught in it, and he took his time while walking back. He didn't mind the rain. He could just dry off in front of a warm fire. Besides, he had been doing a lot of thinking while he was walking back.
Dickon took off his over shirt and hung it over the chair back to dry. Then he took out some sausages to heat for his dinner. After he had finished his meal, he propped his back against the back wall of the hollow tree trunk, and began to read.
After several hours of reading, Dickon finally put down his book, and began to undress and make his pallet ready for bed. Lucky was nuzzled underneath the blankets. He absently noticed that the rain was still coming down in sheets.
Just as he had taken off his under shirt, he heard a crack. It sounded like someone stepping on a stick. It sounded close. Dickon had a knife that he always kept under his pallet for protection. He reached under and gripped his hand around the handle, ready to pounce.
A figure wearing a hooded cloak appeared in the doorway. He was just about to lunge when he noticed long ringlets of wet brown hair hanging out of the cloak.
"Mary?" She looked up at the sound of her name. "Geez, Mary! You scared the wits out of me! What are you doing here?"
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Dickon jumped up and ran to her side to help her through the doorway. She was soaking wet. "Mary you're soaked! What were you thinking going out in this weather? Come in here and get warm by the fire." She sat down on the floor and held her hands to the flame. "How did you get by your father? I know he wouldn't let you come down here this late, and in this weather."
"I took the hidden corridor from my room to a servant staircase that led out of the manor." She said.
"Why did you do that Mary. You're going to catch a cold." He noticed she was shivering. "Here, take this wet cloak off." He removed the fabric from her shoulders and hung it on a stud protruding from the wall. The cloak had not done her very much good, her hair was dripping droplets of water onto the dirt floor.
"I wanted to see you." She said quietly.
Dickon sat next to her and put his arm around her to help warm her. "Why, what's the matter?"
"Nothing is the matter...I just...wanted to see you."
"Oh." He said. "Well, I'm always glad to see you Miss Mary."
She smiled. She was so beautiful when she smiled. Mary leaned her head on his shoulder. He rested his chin on her head. She smelled so sweet. He reveled in the feeling of having her in his arms. It was something he had been aching to do for a very long time. He wondered if she felt the same way, but his insecurities were lessened when he realized she had risked possibly being grounded from the garden if her father found out she was not in her bed.
Mary looked up into Dickon's eyes. The firelight reflected the anticipation in her eyes. Dickon's mouth was suddenly very dry. His heart was pounding in his chest. He felt an odd sensation all through his body.
"Dickon," Mary panted in a whisper.
"Yes, Mary?" His voice was just a labored. Their faces were gradually moving closer together.
"I'm feeling very...strange."
"Good strange or bad strange?"
"Good." She breathed. Their lips were an inch apart.
Dickon gave a tiny smile. "Me too." And then their lips met. Ever so gently, his lips softly grazed hers. They parted for a moment to look into each other's eyes. And then Dickon lifted his hand to cup her cheek, as he pulled her into a deeper kiss. The more he kissed her the more intimate and intense their kiss grew.
Mary lifted her hands and rested them lightly on Dickon's chest. He groaned in delight against her lips.
He was elated by the sensation of feeling Mary's lips against his. It was better than he had ever imagined it could be. He slipped his arm around her narrow waist. She felt so perfect, like she was made to fit with him. He slowly began to lean her back onto his pallet. He felt her muscles tense underneath him.
She must be nervous, he thought. He couldn't blame her, he was scared to death. He wanted everything about this moment to be perfect. They broke apart again, and he stared into her eyes once more as he leaned over her.
He leaned in again to kiss her, but this time his lips began to move to her neck and collar bones. She closed her eyes and sighed softly. Hearing her pleasure did something incredible to his insides. Then he began to work down the V neckline of her dress. Mary's breath caught in her chest.
Dickon froze. He was suddenly scared to death that he might push her too far. He didn't want to mess things up. He didn't want her to do something she would regret in the morning. He pulled back.
"What's wrong?" Mary asked.
"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this, right now."
Mary sat up and stared at him, puzzled.
"Why don't you let me walk you back up to the manor?" He asked sweetly.
Mary continued to stare at him in disbelief as he removed her cloak from the wall stud and placed it around her shoulders. He was close to her face when he tied the front together under her chin. He kissed her again, but this time less passionately. He was trying to control his urges. "I'll see you tomorrow." he said. "I'll be in the manor all day, helping Martha with the chores, since I'm no use outside in this weather."
Mary nodded, and they both turned to exit the piney home. They walked back to the manor in silence.
*** Mary stared blankly at her reflection as she brushed the tangles out of her sopping wet hair. She couldn't stop thinking about Dickon. About how thrilling it had felt to be so close to him. But he had humiliated her. She felt so sheepish after what had happened. He had just...stopped.
She didn't know what went wrong. What had she done? Did he suddenly 'come to his senses?'. It had felt so good to have his body over hers. She wanted more, but he did not.
Mary gave herself a mental shake and went to climb in bed. She nuzzled herself under her blankets and reached to turn out the light. She stared up at the moonlit ceiling for a few moments, trying to figure Dickon out. Whatever had happened, it had been humiliating. She knew what she had to do. As she rolled over and closed her eyes, she decided that it would be best to distance herself from Dickon.
*** The next morning, Mary dressed and went down to breakfast as usual. When she entered the dining hall, Colin was talking excitedly to her father.
"You should have seen it, father! It was a big tree! And the trunk is hollowed out, so it's like a little hut! And he's got a bed, and a fire pit..."
"You mean he lives in this tree?" Lord Craven said in amazement.
"Yeah." Answered Colin. "It's amazing."
"Well that can't be safe..."
"Good morning father." Mary said.
"Ah, good morning Mary dear. How did you sleep?"
"Just fine, thanks." She lied.
Madame De Mimsica, Dominique, and Lady Catherine were going about their breakfast without paying much attention to their conversation.
When Mary's food was being set in front of her, she looked up to thank the servant with a smile. To her astonishment, she was looking strait into Dickon's eyes. Her mouth fell open but she didn't dare say a word, knowing it would not be considered proper to distract a servant from his duties. As she gaped up at him, he gave her a small wink, and a grin. She felt her face flush, and she looked away.
But then she remembered what she had decided the night before. She suddenly felt very self-conscious She resolved not to meet his gaze while he was serving the rest of the table's occupants.
This was just great. Her first day of distancing herself from Dickon, and he's serving her breakfast! This was going to be harder than she thought.
When Mary unrolled her silverware, a small, crumpled up piece of paper fell out. She quickly snatched it up before anyone could see it. Holding it below the table, pretending to place her napkin in her lap, she unfolded the note.
"Meet me in the corridor behind the kitchen after breakfast. -Dickon"
Mary stared incredulously at the scribbled handwriting. Why did he want to meet her? And how was she going to avoid him with him asking her to meet him already? She was just going to have to meet him and tell him that she didn't need him distracting her. Yes, that's what she would do.
After she had finished, she excused herself from the table, and left the dining hall. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she turned in the direction of the kitchen, instead of the stairs. When she arrived, Dickon was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, waiting on her. When he heard her approaching he quickly got to his feet.
"Good morning, Miss Mary. I'd hoped you would come."
"Well I'm only here for a..."
He closed the distance between them and was kissing her sweetly, yet passionately before she could finish her sentence. When they broke apart, she was staring at him, dumfounded.
"Dickon, I..."
Before she could speak, she heard the sound of feet running down the hall behind her. She turned to see who it was, and was shocked to see Colin running away from them. Mary immediately followed. She knew he had probably seen them, and was afraid to imagine what he would do, or who he would tell.
"Mary, wait!" Dickon called after her, but it was too late. She was already gone.
***
Mary knocked softly on her brother's door. "Colin?"
"Go away!"
"Colin, what's the matter with you? You're acting like a child."
The door swung open. "A child, am I?" His face was red and tear stained. "I'm not the one acting a child, Mary! I'm not the one who's lying and sneaking around!"
"Colin, it's not like that..."
"How could you? How could you do that to me?"
"Do what, Colin?"
"Like I said before...go away!" The door slammed in her face.
***
After Mary returned to her room, she decided she would take a nap. She just wanted to go to sleep and forget all this. Dickon, Colin, Dominique...everything! She just wanted to sleep it all away.
As she began to untie the ribbon on her dress, she heard a knock; not from the door, but from behind the tapestry concealing the secret corridor from her room. She thought it odd, but assumed it must be Colin, coming to berate her more.
When she opened the door she gasped at the sight of Dickon.
"Hello, Mary." He gave her a sheepish smile.
She held the door aside. "Come in."
"I'm really sorry your brother saw that."
Mary stared at her feet.
"I should have thought about my actions more. I wasn't thinking. I only wanted to feel your lips against mine again..."
"Dickon, stop." There was a long silence before she went on. "Maybe we should put a little distance between ourselves."
"But why? Was Colin angry? What did he say?"
"No, Dickon, it's not that. I mean, yes, he was angry, but I think we should do this just the same."
Dickon stepped closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes, "Why, Mary? Please, don't do this."
"Why do you care? You have no feelings for me!"
"How can you say that?" He looked panicked. "Of course I have feelings for you. I care about you, Mary. I always have."
"Then, why, Dickon? Why did you have to humiliate me last night? Why did you turn me away?"
Dickon's expression dawned with sudden realization. To Mary's distaste, he looked relieved.
"Mary..." He said with a laugh. "It's not like that."
She frowned at him. "What is it like, then?"
"I was so...enthralled in kissing you. It felt so good, and I was so aroused..."
"Then why did you stop?" She said, in rising irritation.
"Because..." He paused, as if to gather his thoughts. "Because, I was afraid."
"Of what?" Mary was sounding more calm.
"I was afraid I'd lose myself...my self control." He swallowed and went on. "I was afraid I would get so carried away, and so excited...that I would push you to do something you would regret."
Mary was silent for a long moment. "Dickon...I would have told you if I thought things were going to far. I was enjoying your touch, and you're kisses. I didn't want you to stop."
"But I was afraid you would get carried away too, and then something would happen...and then the next day you would wish you hadn't." He sounded panicked again.
"Well, it's the next day now, and I'm still not glad you stopped."
Dickon stared at her. She had a point. "I was nervous Mary, very nervous. So I knew you must have been too."
"I was."
"And that's why I thought I should stop."
"Dickon, of course I'm going to be nervous. Until last night I had never even been kissed."
"Nor I." He said softly.
Mary smiled, "Really?"
"Really." He was looking into her eyes again.
Mary stepped close to him. She was inches from him. "Take me, Dickon. Take me now. Right here."