Yorkshire, England – 1816

"Ready to go down Your Grace?" John extended his open hand to Anna and she placed her gloved one in his.

"I believe I am, my Lord." Anna pulled an exaggerated bow and then leaned forward to give John a quick kiss. "Are you?"

"I think I am but…" John winced, "I'll admit to being a bit nervous."

"About?"

"Whether or not we can pull this off."

Anna shook her head, "I've no worries in that regard."

"No?"

"Absolutely not." Anna made a show of holding her head high, "It will be a success. I guarantee it."

"You guarantee it?"

"Of course." Anna grinned, "I'm the Duchess of Reerbourne after all. My word, as you've consistently reminded me, is the law around here and what I say goes. Therefore, if I say it'll be a success tonight then it will be a smashing one."

"With that level of confidence it couldn't be anything less." John opened the door and led Anna out. "The very stars themselves will do as you command."

"Now you're being ridiculous."

"Perhaps a need a bit of ridiculous." John shivered, "It will help me focus on something other than the fact that, in a moment we'll toast with all of our guests and then watch our winter's ball commence."

"Does that make you nervous."

"Very."

Anna squeezed his hand. "Then take comfort in the fact that I'm here, beside you, for the entire venture."

"That is a comfort."

"Good." Anna held herself taller. "Because you might not like what I say next."

"And what would that be?"

"That it tonight's enough of a success, we should hold another ball on Valentine's Day."

"So I can watch my wife dance with other man on the day love is celebrated?" John lowered his voice, "On the day I'd want to celebrate the love I have for my wife in private?"

"It would be a splendid function."

"So would what I would plan for us alone."

Anna gave a slight shiver and offered John a suggestive smile as they moved through the backstairs of the house toward the back terrace and the entrance to the gardens. "I guess having a ball will give you a reason to show me exactly why none of those men could ever replace you in my life."

"My dear Lady Reerbourne," John leaned close to Anna's ear, "I could show you that in five minutes in our drawing room."

"Could you?"

"Of course."

"In only five minutes?" Anna almost pouted, "That almost seems as if you're stealing from me."

"Never."

"But you've taken much longer than that before." Anna trilled her tongue against her teeth and John forced himself to breathe normally. "Just last night you showed me more attention in an hour."

"The five minutes, my dear, would be all the time I'd have to spare between your dances." John kissed Anna just behind the ear and hummed as she shivered. "The night however… That night I would show you a great many things."

"What sorts of things?"

"The kinds of things one only learns in the bedroom."

"Then it's a shame."

"What is?"

Anna tried to keep her voice even. "That I was planning on purchasing so many cards to send off on Valentine's Day this year."

"Were you?"

"Of course?"

"And why would you need so many cards?"

"For all my secret admirers."

"Ah." John nodded, "Then don't let me stop your purchases?"

"Why not?"

"Because what is life without a few secret admirers?" John smiled, "And it's no more than you deserve."

"Is it?"

"Of course." John kissed Anna's gloved fingers. "As long as I can be one of them, I'm content."

"They won't be."

"Won't they?"

"It's hard to be content when they'll receive disappointing responses this year." Anna firmed her fingers in John's grip again. "I've only time for one response this year and it'll be for my husband."

"I'll make sure to send you a card."

"Only a card?"

"What else I'd send you can't come through the mail." John ran his tongue over his lips and noted the catch in Anna's breath. "But I could suffice myself with sending you all the flowers from every shop in town."

"You do spoil me."

"I'm hoping to spend the rest of our lives doing just that." John held out Anna's hand and brought them both to the door that would lead out onto the terrace that looked out over the grounds. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

They glided out and onto the stone steps to the applause of their gathered guests. Greeting a few of them, obligatory introductions made as necessary, John took Anna to the middle of the outdoor ballroom floor and swept her around in front of him so they could take position as the music cued for the first dance. A veritable eternity passed in the short space they had between the end of the soft music that kept their guests occupied until they descended and the beginning of their dance.

But Anna did not give John the time to get nervous or distracted. With a simple squeeze on his hand she kept his attention focused on her. On her white dress, shining with silver embroidery in the candlelight, that practically set her aglow. On the simplicity of her hair style that did nothing to hide her beauty. On the reality of them standing in the middle of the floor and waiting for the music to cue them to dance.

And when the music began John forgot all about the idea of nerves. There was only one thought in his mind and it involved leading Anna around the floor. It kept the simplicity of his thoughts to the swishing of her skirt instead of any whispers that wafted through the room. It focused him on the smooth glide of their motions until the end of the music forced them to stop.

Reluctantly, John surrendered Anna to others, those doing their duty as guests, but he watched her dancing throughout the night. Much like the first ball they attended in their marriage, the sight of Anna on the floor distracted John. So much so that in the few dances away from her, John barely saved himself from turning the experiences into disasters with trodden on toes.

But he managed. And each time he could take Anna back in his arms, it was as if a weight pulled from John's chest to allow his breaths to come easier. And if the smile Anna wore whenever they danced together was any indication, she felt the same. It buoyed John's heart to the point he wondered if he simply floated when he danced with her and only touched the ground when she was out of his arms.

After an obligatory number of dances with their guests, they made their way off the floor. For as heated as the area became, with so many guests moving close to one another in the glow of candles and torches and scattered braziers, the chilling kiss of the night air felt almost welcome on John's cheeks. He accepted the cloak one of the footmen gave him but insisted on spreading the deep blue cape over Anna's shoulders before he led her into the hedges of the garden.

The winter wonderland still evoked cries of appreciation and surprise that echoed through the garden and from the outdoor ballroom as John led Anna deeper into the garden. He did not stop until he found a quiet spot where the soft trills of the music could still reach them but they were hidden from any of their guests. Using a small bench, John sat them down and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think we've done our due diligence."

"It's our ball, Mr. Bates." Anna chided but patted his hand on his leg before drawing it to her lap to hold. "But I do believe you've performed admirably."

"Thank you very much." John let out a puff of air, watching the vapor rise into the night. "But I believe the credit goes to you."

"I'm merely-"

"There's nothing mere about you, Anna." John slid closer to Anna on the bench. "You are the architect and artist of all that lies around us."

"It's my duty."

"And you've grown into it beautifully."

Anna raised her other hand to John's cheek, tracing the lines of his cheekbone and the creases by his eyes before looking at him. "I've a good teacher."

"A master is only as good as his material."

"Then we can both stop trying to bat about the responsibility and claim it together so we can divide the spoils equally between ourselves."

"I agree." John used his other hand to echo Anna's motions and drew her face toward his, holding his lips just above hers. "May I share this spoil with you?"

"I'd be rather upset if you didn't."

John placed his lips on Anna's and waited a moment for them to warm enough to move smoothly. Her fingers firmed on the edge of his jaw, right below where it met his ear, and held him still as she manipulated the kiss in the direction she wanted. Giving over control to her allowed John to enjoy the depth and duration of the kiss until they both needed air.

Without moving her fingers, Anna rested her forehead against John's and took a deep breath. "I've something to ask you."

"Anything." John's hand squeezed hers, where it rested in her lap. "I'd give you anything you'd ask for."

"I know." Anna pressed her forehead hard against John's a moment before pulling back. "Which is why I'll never take it for granted."

"Then ask what you will." John brought her gloved hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'm yours Anna. Yours to command."

"Then I'll command you, when this ball is over, to allow me to give you one of my requirements."

John frowned, "I don't understand."

"I'm…" Anna licked her lips. "I want you to show me the rest of it."

John's frown persisted and then vanished as his eyebrows almost hit his hairline. "Do you mean…"

"Yes." Anna nodded, sparing him a nervous smile. "I do mean."

"But you were… I don't want you to…" John swallowed, "I want you to be sure that's what you'd want."

"I am sure." Anna drew John's lips back to hers again, kissing him deeply before drawing back to put her lips to his ear. "I want you to finish showing me what pleasure is John. I want you to show me everything and leave nothing untouched. I want to be fully yours. Completely and totally your wife."

Her breath blew hot against John's ear for another moment before she pulled back to look at him. "I want to consummate our marriage John. And I want to do it tonight, when we're all alone again, because I'm tired of waiting and I can't go another day without being one with you."

John could not speak. All he could manage was a nod and he gave what he could. Anna took it with a little laugh before moaning into the kiss John pressed on her as his only means of responding coherently. They breathed together for a moment, the thudding of their hearts the only expression of their emotions as blood thundered in John's ears. He kissed her again, still speechless, and lost what little breath he managed to steal for himself as Anna moved her lips to whisper in his ear.

"Will you John? Fully and completely?" She kissed along his cheekbone and finally landed on his lips before pulling back enough to look at him as their breaths clouded in the cold air. "Will you make me your wife John?

All John could do was kiss her.

Deeply and fully, his tongue providing the texture to their kiss that forced chilled lips together. Despite the heat coursing through his body, John still registered the chill of his lips, the prickle of cold at his gloved fingers, and the creeping sensation of frigidity through the stone bench beneath them. But he continued the kiss until he could find the words. Simple as they were, John could think of no better way to express himself as any attempts at poetry would prove mediocre and fledgling replacements for honesty.

He pulled away from their kiss, breathing hard, and did not dare open his eyes as he kept his forehead pressed to hers to answer. "Yes. A thousand times yes."

Anna took control of their next kiss. The roughness of her motions, the lack of finesse, John could attribute to the cold seeping into their bones. Even the brevity of the kiss could trace its way back to the settling chill. Despite that, Anna pressed into John until he imagined they might freeze together as a statue to the endurance of love despite all.

But the Duchess of Reerbourne knew better than to succumb to her passions when there were obligations to fulfill. And she acted in accordance with her title as she drew back. Lips swollen, face flushed, and irises almost lost to dilation due to their moments of shared passion, Anna stood.

"We'd best not keep our guests waiting any longer."

"I agree." John stood as well, "We can't give them reasons to gossip."

"I don't worry about that." Anna shook her head at John, as if chiding an incorrect answer to a basic question.

"Then what does worry you?"

"That if we do not care for them now they'll never leave." Anna slid closer to John, holding to his side as he led them from the garden. "And if they never leave then I'll have to wait."

She tugged him to a stop just inside the entrance to the garden. "And I'm tired of waiting John."

"As am I." John slid his hand along the back of Anna's neck, caressing there a moment as he pressed a simple kiss to her lips, keeping it softer than those before. "But we've waited this long. What's a few more hours?"

"An eternity."

John only smiled and guided them from the garden.

He agreed with Anna. Wholeheartedly and without reservation but to admit it aloud would shatter the last of his decorum. Not that Anna was any help in maintaining the façade of respectability when she continued to whisper in his ear. Or stroke her fingers along his skin. Or hold close to him and moan softly in his ear.

Every action only dragged the hours longer, as if stretching them to torment John with the anticipation. Each tick of the clock had John wishing he could simply leave his guests and carry Anna to their room. A close of the door and all the noise and mess of their ball would disappear. Then it would be just the two of them and…

And Anna pulled him onto the dancefloor for the final dance of the night. Despite the cold, despite the guttering torches, despite the yawns and shivers of their guests, John and Anna danced their last dance together. Exchanging grins and shivers, both from cold and anticipation, they glided around the floor just as flurries of snow descended on them.

The light dusting accompanied their final motions and John held Anna in place for a moment as white settled on her cape. He was loathe to move, watching Anna gain a feathering of white as if she were a winter queen deigning to join him on the floor, but the wind picked up and blew the snow away. Taking that as the cue, John called out for the guests to make their way inside and ushered all to follow Anna while he waited to ensure none were trapped out of doors.

They waved off the majority of their guests, seeing to a few who would not risk a possible storm on the road, before turning over the care of their guests to their steward… With the strict instructions that any and all guests were to be kept in another wing of their house. Their rooms were not to be disturbed for any reason.

No exceptions.

John took Anna's hand, leading her back to their rooms in much the same way he guided her through the house at the start of the evening. This time, however, the tremors in his grip were due to anticipation instead of anxiety. And when they stopped before their door, John used his grip to bring Anna around to face him.

"Your Grace," John kissed the back of her hand before releasing it. "It's in your hands now."

"Mine?" Anna's smile grew over her face but John caught the twitch of hesitation there.

"Always yours." John nodded toward the doors, "I told you, I'll never enter through your doors without your permission."

"Then," Anna twisted and opened her doors, pushing them back to leave the yawning maw of her room open to them. "I'd like you to enter with me."

John took her extended hand and used it as an anchor. With a dip and swift move, John managed to take Anna in his arms as if lifting a bride over the threshold. She giggled and held to him as John crossed into the room, taking to her feet when John put her back down.

"You've not done that since I first invited you into my rooms in London."

"I thought now would be an appropriate time to repeat the motion." John pivoted on his heel to close the doors, securing them before facing Anna again. "Since we are going to complete the promises we made at marriage."

"Yes we are." Anna shivered in place as John moved to her.

"I do have a condition." John carefully removed the cape from Anna's shoulders and removed his cloak as well, hanging both from a chair. "If you're amendable to a… reversal of our positions."

"If there's a condition," Anna took John's hands, pulling his gloves off and tossing them onto the same chair. "Then I'll do all in my power to grant it."

"Will you?"

"It'd be a poor return on your hospitality if I couldn't repeat for you what you would give to me without question." Anna stepped closer to John, allowing him to remove her gloves so they could touch skin-to-skin. "What's your condition?"

"That you tell me," John kissed the pads of each of Anna's fingers. "If, at any point, you wish to stop."

"I don't think I'll want to."

"But if you do," John stopped, his lips barely touching the back of one of Anna's hands. "I want you to say so."

"And you'll stop?"

"Of course I would."

"After waiting all this time?"

"I'd wait forever if that's what it took."

"You would?"

"For you? In a heartbeat." John finished the kiss and lowered Anna's hand to hold it between them. "I've waited this long. I won't ruin this for you by making you uncomfortable or anxious or frightened."

"Thank you." Anna leaned forward and took John's lips for herself. She spun the kiss out until John was sure he would lose all the air in his lungs until she ended it and drew back. The smile on her face almost gave John a shiver of excitement. "But I don't believe I'll need you to stop."

"Then what do you need?" John murmured against Anna's lips, sighing as her fingers moved over the buttons of his jacket and waistcoat. "What do you need from me Anna?"

"I need you to make me your wife.," Anna ran her lips over his jaw as he rotated his shoulders to rid himself of his jacket and waistcoat under the guidance of her hands. "I need… I need you."

"You have me Anna." John's hands moved to cup Anna's face, holding there to kiss her with as much passion as he could. When he pulled back, pressing his forehead gently against hers, John took a deep breath before speaking again. "I'm yours. For good and proper."

Anna kissed John again, her exploring hands running over the buttons on his shirt before fumbling with his cravat. It flapped and fluttered but eventually joined the growing pile of his clothing as Anna guided them back toward the bed. Each step was in her lead and John only intervened when he feared she might trip herself in the haste to free John from his trousers.

He caught her hands then, kissed them slowly, and brought them back to his trousers to aid her in their removal. Bringing her actions back a pace allowed John the chance to note the tremble in Anna's hands as she moved but he did not question her. Not when the determination in the set of her jaw complimented the excited sparkle in her eye. Anticipation peaked in each of her movements until she sighed into another kiss John pressed to her when she had him naked before her.

"I think," John mumbled against her lips, groaning when her hands ran over his form. "You've made this a bit unfair."

"You're the one with the experience." Anna chided, kissing down John's neck while her fingers reacquainted themselves with his body and pivoted them so John tipped back to lay on the bed. She stood before him and John stayed still as Anna undid the buttons down the side of her dress to loose it enough to drop the material to the floor. "It's already unfair."

"Well I can't complain about the view." John grinned at her, noting the shiver that ran through Anna's body as she freed herself of her corset and underthings until she stood naked before him. "All I know is that I'm unworthy of it."

"My dear Mr. Bates," Anna leaned forward, her nose almost touching John's. "You are most certainly worthy of me."

"Am I?"

"You are."

"And why," John dipped his head to kiss softly along Anna's neck, humming against her skin when she sighed at his motions. "Am I worthy of you?"

"Because I've decided you are."

"You have now," John drew back to look in Anna's eyes. "But what happens when you go to sleep and dream of a better man?"

"That could never happen."

"And why not?"

"Because," Anna put her hands on John's shoulders and pushed him back on the bed, bouncing him slightly when he landed with her weight unequally on him. "There aren't any better men."

"No?"

"No." Anna straddled John's waist and rested her forearms on his chest so her hands could hold the sides of his face. "There's no one better in this world for me than you are. That is the long and the short of it."

"If you're sure," John's fingers stroked up Anna's thighs, trailing to her hips and back to her knees. "Then I can only accept it."

"That's right." Anna's fingers firmed just along John's jaw. "You're mine, John Bates, for good and proper."

"For good and proper." John's hands settled on Anna's hips, holding there as he shifted under her. "What do you want now Anna?"

"I want whatever comes next." Anna's fingers ran along John's neck and collar, tracing the line of muscle and bone under her touch. "I want whatever brings us close and makes us one."

"Then," John twisted his hips for a moment and used a pivot to flip Anna back onto the bed. She giggled as she hit the bed and John loomed above her. "I'll need a better position to leave you sated and satisfied."

"You're making quite the promise there."

"I plan to fulfill it." John met Anna's lips, leaning in when her hands wrapped under his armpits to cling to his shoulders. "Your wish is my command, Your Grace."

"What…" She licked her lips and cleared her throat, moaning when John began kissing down her neck. "What happens now?"

"Now?" John paused, shifting to look Anna in the eye. "Now I'm obligated to leave you utterly satisfied."

"You already do that." Anna's foot traced up John's leg and he adjusted to use his hips to fit between her legs.

"Then let me do it again." John pressed a final kiss to Anna's lips before working his way down the column of her neck to her collar bone.

His kisses traced both while Anna's hands slipped from their hold under his arms to delve her fingers into his hair. As her fingers carded through his hair, John continued to trace his lips down until he reached her breasts. There his lips and hands traded duties as he massaged and kneaded the breast he did not lavish with kisses. Both received enough attention to leave Anna's nails scraping against John's scalp until he finally continued lower.

A glance at Anna's body, writhing over the surface of the bed, showed the sheen caught by the combined light from the fireplace and the candles in the room. A sheen from the perspiration of their activities and the evidence of John's mouth and tongue over her skin. A sheen John perpetuated to the already damp skin between Anna's legs. Skin he only made more damp when he put his lips on her folds and began suckling on her.

Anna's legs tightened around John's shoulders and her knees pressed at his ears. John ignored the pressure there and only followed the guidance of Anna's fingers still buried in his hair. The occasional flex of her fingers preluded the possible rake of her nails against his scalp and each time it guided John's motions as he used his tongue and fingers to bring Anna closer to the edge.

It took a crook of his fingers and the sucking of his lips around Anna's clit to leave her crying out as she came. John guided her through it, enduring the aching press of her legs against his ears, and kissed at her skin until she settled back onto the bed. Her legs loosened and John slid free enough to adjust his hips as he rose above Anna.

She blinked slowly at him, a smile coming over her face as her fingers fell from his hair to bring their lips together. John sighed as she licked at his lips and then sucked on his tongue to drag her taste from him. He pressed into her, succumbing to her embrace as their kisses ended and started and continued until one kiss led from one to the next without clear delineation.

They twisted and writhed together, sighing and moving together as John tried to keep his hips from pressing too close. But he could not help himself, rubbing his thickening erection against Anna's soaked folds as if it would alleviate some of the growing tension. With each motion, Anna groaned into their kisses and wrapped her arms around John's shoulders to drag him closer to him while one of her legs rose and tried to trap him against her.

John drew back, breaking their kiss, and ran his fingers through the loose tendrils of Anna's hair. His lips moved to her ear, his hips rolling against Anna's as her legs opened more to try and contour her body around him. It forced John to bite the tip of his tongue so his thoughts could straighten as he whispered to Anna.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." Her breathless response almost stole John's sense. "Make me yours John. We've already waited too long."

"Then," John moved one of his hands to Anna's thigh and pulled her leg around his hip as he aligned them. "This will stretch you and it might hurt."

"But then?"

"Pleasure." John rolled the word and eased forward.

With a rocking motion, shifting back and forth slowly, John eased through Anna's folds. Their earlier efforts, and the anticipation, played against one another but mostly in John's favor as he managed to seat himself completely inside Anna. Waiting there, and watching Anna's reaction as his ears filled with the staggered breathing she managed, John did not move until Anna's hips rolled as if she were trying to adjust to the position.

John set a slow rhythm. Instinct proved more reliable than time and John trusted in his body to know the right response as he and Anna tried to understand the intricacies of their movements to the dance they began together. Rolling his hips, John commenced his thrusts and watched for Anna's responses to measure if he should increase depth or pressure. But each time he moved Anna's nails dragged over his shoulders and arms as she whimpered and keened.

"Are you alright?" John paused, his body tight with tension but the worry in him proving the most effective method of fighting any primitive urge.

Anna nodded, her eyes blinking rapidly, and her hand flailed out. John shifted and she found the back of his neck to bring their lips together in a sloppy kiss. Breaking it as swiftly as she started it, Anna pressed their foreheads together and rocked her hips against his.

"Please keep going. I can't… It's too much." Anna gasped for air as her fingers tightened at the back of John's neck. "I need you to… I need to…"

Her neck arched back as John added his fingers, snaking his hand between them to bring pressure and attention to Anna's clit. His other hand slid up Anna's thigh to place her knee higher on his hip and give them a different angle. The motions sent Anna almost crying out but her back arched and she met each of John's thrusts. A few more thrusts, combined with the altered angle and John's fingers, left her quivering and coming around him.

John waited, kissing gently at Anna's body as she shattered, and did not move until she settled. Then his speed, as slow as he could manage, fought every instinct slowly consuming his mind. Every thought came back to the building pressure at the base of his spine. But it was not until Anna tensed under him, her nails finding their familiar furrows at his shoulders, that John allowed himself to come.

His climax triggered another in Anna and she tightened around him. The clutch of her vaginal muscles around him almost threatened to squeeze every drop of life from him but John managed to keep himself above her as his body finished its final few thrusts. As they both breathed so heavily their chests caved, John slid free and Anna's body relaxed beneath him.

A slight bit of maneuvering, befitting the dexterity of an acrobat in John's condition, he managed to move to Anna's side. She did not move, her breathing barely returning to normal, but when she did breathe regularly her hand searched blindly for his. John trapped it and brought her fingers to his lips, pressing a kiss there as Anna turned to look at him.

"How are you feeling, Your Grace?" John kissed slowly over her knuckles as Anna let out a soft laugh.

"I believe I feel…" Anna took a deep breath, "I feel whole."

"You do?"

"I do." Anna pushed herself to lay on her side and John matched her. "I feel… I don't have word for how I feel."

"Good." John smiled at her, reaching out a hand to stroke through her loosened hair. "I hope you don't wake up in the morning and regret it."

"I couldn't regret it."

"You may when you're sore in the morning."

"No matter what comes," Anna chided at him, "I couldn't regret it for a moment. Not when I know that I am now what I was meant to be."

"Then you've only confirmed for me that I'm not worthy of you." John pressed a final kiss to Anna's hand and released it. "You were born for this."

"As were you."

"But you're a natural." John risked sliding closer to her. "You were born to be the Duchess of Reerbourne."

"No." Anna shook her head, "I'm only as good as I am because I've had an excellent teacher. A teacher who, at this moment, is going to remember that we've waited long enough to be together."

John raised his eyebrow at her and Anna sighed, "Which was my choice, and I will own that, but it's all the more reason why,, for one night, we're going to let that be enough for us."

"I think that's wise." John sighed, watching Anna's face as his fingers continued to stroke through her hair. "You are the best of me, Anna."

"I hope we're the best of each other." Anna adjusted her position and kissed John's lips. "And I do hope we can do that again… As soon as possible."

"Well," John grinned at her, "Let me show you how."