Thank you to all of my reviewers, and I am so sorry for taking SO long to get this chapter up… my job went to hell in a hand basket as they say and then I was away for Thanksgiving. So on to the personal notes of appreciation…
Evenstar Elanor… Glad you like Porthos. He does add some humor to it all, doesn't he?
Utsuri… Yes, it has turned out well for everyone. Athos will get over his reluctance. Maybe once there is a grandchild running around, he'll see things differently. LOL.
Angoliel… Laughing until you cried? Excellent! And a very special thank you for your help with the end of this chapter. You're totally awesome, sistahgirlfriend! And see, I didn't drag the honeymoon over several chapters… It will only be over two.
Mercury Gray… No, no, Athos won't die. He might feel like it for a moment but he's a Musketeer. He'll recover.
Sweet A.K… Glad you're still enjoying it and that you liked the wedding so much. Sorry it took so long to get more posted. I'll try to get the next one up sooner.
Chapter 34: Honeymoon
A special suite had been set aside for Aramis and Natalie's wedding night. There were four luxurious rooms. A bathroom with a gilded mirror and marble tub occupied one area of the suite. Adjacent to it was a dressing room with a folded panel, settee and dresser. The sitting room was spacious without feeling empty. Against one wall was an enormous fireplace. The mantle was taller than Aramis and a low panel made of stained glass sat on the hearth, taking the flickers of flame and shooting colored rays of light all around the room. There was a thick rug on the floor and two well stuffed, comfortable chairs.
Beyond the sitting room was the bedroom. The large bed had thick posts of carved mahogany wood at each corner and a mattress stuffed with down feathers. Gauzy curtains hung down from the frame resting on the top of the posts, and they were tied back on each side, framing the bed. The sheets were the softest of weaves and felt cool and fluid against the skin. Two large bouquets of flowers rested in crystal vases on the window sills, and the drapes had been discreetly drawn so that no on could spy upon the newlyweds.
The seamstresses were waiting outside the suite. "Madame d'Herblay," one said. "We are here to attend you. If you would give us but a moment, we will make you ready for your wedding night." They took her into the dressing room. One removed the veil and combs from her hair while the others unlaced the wedding gown and laid it softly aside. They gently brushed out her hair and put a dab of perfume behind each of her ears. They barely spoke during their ministrations and left the room just as silently. Aramis saw them go out of the corner of his eye as he stood by the fire, waiting for his new wife.
Finally, in the dressing room Natalie took a deep breath, her curiosity overcoming her nervousness. She walked into the sitting room and saw Aramis standing by the fire, watching the flames. He was barefoot and his shirt was untucked. He'd taken his hair out of the tie that had held it back all evening and it hung loose around his shoulders, a little grey peppering the brown. He heard her footsteps before she reached the rug and turned to face her. His shirt was unbuttoned, showing just a hint of the body beneath it.
Aramis smiled. "Vous semblez beau," he said. Natalie put her hand to her throat. Her chemise was made of a fine, soft linen. The neckline was softly gathered and there was satin trim that encircled her just below her breasts. The sleeves were loose below the elbow and the hem of the chemise was trimmed with satin and embroidered with a flower pattern.
"You're very kind," she said, smiling.
Aramis went and sat in one of the chairs. "Come here," he said holding a hand out to her. "Come sit with me."
She walked over. "There is only room for one in that chair," she said.
He reached up and pulled Natalie to him, settling her in his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist. "I think there is quite enough room for two." He pulled her head down gently and kissed her softly. Natalie sighed, melting into the embrace and marveling that now she could enjoy kisses like these without concern.
Aramis ran his fingers along the trim of her chemise and pulled the cloth down, fully exposing her shoulder. She shifted slightly and colored, but did not protest as Aramis began to kiss her neck and her shoulder. She lost herself in the heady sensation of his touch and didn't even really notice as he pulled the chemise even lower. By the time she realized how exposed she truly was, it didn't really concern her that much anymore.
Looking down at Natalie and watching the firelight play across her skin, the curve of her breast. The next kiss they shared was harder, more demanding. Natalie responded matching the desire she could feel within Aramis. He ran his hand over her, feeling the swell of her breast travel beneath his fingers and then running them over the soft linen of the chemise. He allowed his fingers to lightly trace along her waist, her hip and down her leg until he reached Natalie's ankle. She groaned softly and pressed herself into Aramis. He kissed her again, allowing his tongue to gently graze her lips. Natalie yielded beneath his embrace allowing him his pleasures and finding her own in the process.
"You are a most eager student, love," he said with a knowing grin.
"I wish for you to be pleased with you new wife." Her smile was coy and her eyes, full of mischief.
I am pleased beyond measure, he thought as he gazed down at her as she lay in his arms, half undressed. She was as intoxicating as any heady wine. He ran his hand back up her leg, but this time his fingers traveled beneath the chemise and stayed on her skin. She was warm beneath his touch, but as his hand passed slowly up her thigh, Natalie stiffened slightly. Aramis stopped, but he didn't remove his hand, while he did not take more, he also did not yield what he had achieved.
"Shhh," he whispered into her ear. "Trust me, Natalie. I'll not hurt you." He kissed her again, and as her thoughts turned more to the kiss, she reached out and ran her hand and fingers over Aramis' chest. As her fingers skimmed across him, it was Aramis' turn to struggle for control. Natalie smiled up at him, pleased that her touch made him react, and not realizing how he longed to simply lay her down on the rug before the fire and claim her then and there.
He moved his hand again, this time reaching the top of Natalie's thigh. She was warm, and he could tell her body was ready for him, even if she didn't realize it. She shivered again, both thrilled and worried by the way she felt, and he could feel the hesitation stiffen her body.
"A woman's… dew… is nothing to be afraid of or ashamed of, Natalie. By this can a man tell how much his wife desires him as a lover… Just as there are ways for a woman to tell how much she is wanted by a man." He shifted again so she could feel the press of him beneath her. Holding her tightly, but not cruelly, Aramis moved his fingers again, this time finding some of her most intimate places, and sending a wave of feeling through Natalie the likes of which she had never experienced before.
She tilted her head back and gasped, and Aramis found he took immense pleasure in simply watching how she reacted to his touch. He did not relent, but continued the gentle rhythm he had begun. Natalie felt a knot of anticipation growing inside her, building in concert with the motion of Aramis' hand until she thought she would die from the expectation.
Aramis waited until Natalie's breathing grew harder, more passionate. She grabbed his shirt and arched in his arms, balancing on the very edge. Then, and only then, did he increase his tempo sending Natalie into a world of sensation she'd never imagined existed. Everything inside her tensed and then released all at once, sending an enormous shiver of warmth cascading through her that reached all the way to the tips of her toes and the very roots of her hair. Without thinking, she grabbed Aramis' hair and cried his name between gasping breaths.
She looked up, love and wonder coloring her features and Aramis couldn't help but smile. He caressed her face and kissed her gently again. He shifted in the chair and Natalie stood… How beautiful she looked with her hair mussed and wild, and the top of her chemise in disarray around her waist. Aramis stripped off the remainder of his shirt as he stood up and then pulled her to him, feeling her warm skin against his chest as the chemise dropped to the floor.
"Come," he said as he swept her off of her feet and into his arms. "Now it is time to retire to the marriage bed, for I can resist you no longer…"
Feeling his strong arms around her, Natalie gasped a little, and couldn't help but cling to him as if for dear life. Aramis had promised her that he would be gentle, and he had fulfilled that promise so far. But even the virgin bride that she was, Natalie could tell that his desire was growing more urgent as the moments went by. When he took her, would he still be gentle? Or would he be insistent and wild?
Her new husband laid her on the bed and looked down at her with a glint in his eye that she had never seen before. It didn't frighten her, but stirred something in her belly, beginning an ever-increasing throb.
"Promise me you'll look at me like that forever," she whispered.
"Mon amour, mon amour," Aramis murmured against her skin as he made a trail of kisses from her lips down to the vale of her breasts, where he paused. Looking back up at her, he could see that her eyes were closing as his breath caressed her skin. The absent, delighted smile on her face was all he needed to continue. Slowly, Aramis lowered his head and softly pressed his lips over the gentle curves of her bosom, helping her to concentrate on the sensations she was feeling there, instead of the way the fabric of her chemise had left on her body.
"Aramis," Natalie softly sighed. He chuckled, the vibrations passing through his lips and sending a shiver across her body. Raising his head a bit, he smiled.
"Yes?" he drew out the single syllable. The noise Natalie made was closer to a gentle moan than it was to a sigh. Aramis' voice held a sultry, seductive tone that she knew she would never be able to resist. Pausing a moment to regain her senses to speak, Natalie felt her mischief returning.
"How fair is it that you are still clothed, and I am not?"
Aramis threw back his head a little and laughed. "Ah yes, I was getting to that…"
Well, I hope part one of the honeymoon was worth the wait. Special kudos and thanks to Angoliel for the excellent suggestions she made for the final few paragraphs. Hopefully the next chapter – which is my last planned chapter for this fic – measures up to everyone's expectations.
Disclaimer: a few of the characters (like Natalie) are mine, but the vast majority I've borrowed with much respect and appreciation to Dumas and also to the screen writers for Man in the Iron Mask (I believe Christine is actually their invention… in Dumas' work, I believe she is Louise.)