When she returned to the villa, she checked on the children through the crack of the ballroom door before making her way to her bedroom to clean up. The Captain was with them, presumably making excuses for the words they heard and sights they saw outside. She never wanted them to see her like that. She was sure they had never seen her frustrated, let alone seething with fury.

As she entered her room, she took a deep breath. It felt like a sanctuary to be in her own space for a moment. She took off her dress and laid a new one out on her bed, walking to the bathroom to wash her face. Her reflection was frightening, and she nearly gasped aloud at how she looked. Her hair was a mess, she had a smear of dirt on one cheek, and the other was red and swollen with what would most definitely turn into a bruise.

After washing her face and returning to her room to change, there was a swift knock before her door opened. The Captain entered quickly, and she gasped at not being decent, picking up her dress and holding it over her slip. He closed the door quietly, doing his best to be sure he hadn't been seen.

"What are you doing in here?" She held her dress tightly over her body, in complete shock. He held his hand over his eyes.

"I was hoping we could talk."

"You couldn't wait?"

"No, actually. Are you decent?"

"No, actually." She mirrored his response, eliciting a smile from him.

"I see you're still angry?"

"I'm sorry. It takes me some time to calm down." He moved closer, hand still over his eyes. "I'm covered, you don't have to do that."

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"This whole day has been uncomfortable." He laughed, pulling his hand away from his eyes so he could look into hers. "What is it you need?"

"It's selfish, really. I was hoping maybe you'd like to take your frustration out on me." She squinted at him, unsure what he meant by that. She was terribly frustrated, but she had taken enough out on the Baroness, she was quite certain.

"I don't understand." He stepped closer and placed a rough kiss upon her lips, taking her aback. She staggered a bit, his hands taking hold of her shoulders so he could pull her close. His tongue jetted between her lips, and she sighed into his mouth. Wrapping her arms around his neck, her dress fell to the floor between them. She could feel his hands move across her back, his fingertips caressing the bare skin he found on her neck before moving down her body.

She pulled him with her as she backed toward the bed, lips furiously fighting. He lifted her a bit and she fell backward, the mattress bouncing beneath her as his body fell on top of hers. She bit his lower lip as he tried to pull away, causing him to groan and renew the kiss even more passionately. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think at all. One hand slid slowly down the side of her body, pushing beneath her slip. She had removed her torn stockings moments before, so his hand met with the bare, silky skin of her legs, moving quickly up the outside of her thigh.

She sighed as his lips moved to her neck, making their way down her chest, his one hand caressing her breast as his other began to push down her panties. A million alarms went off in her brain, but she ignored every single one of them. She cared about nothing other than the man making his way between her legs. He pulled off her panties and quickly began kissing up her legs, nipping at her inner thighs with his teeth before arriving at his destination, his tongue catching her on fire.

"Oh!" She gasped as she awoke, completely startled, and completely confused. She looked around her empty room, the clock read two o'clock in the morning, nothing but the light of the moon shone through her curtains. Sweat was prickling all over her body, and a harsh throbbing between her legs left her feeling bereft and out of breath. It had really been a dream?

The fight with the Baroness was unfortunately real, as was the awkward dinner and bedtime routine afterwards with the children. But she couldn't believe that dream wasn't real. The way his hands felt on her bare thighs, his lips hot and demanding against her mouth. The way his tongue moved between her legs...

She quickly pushed up her nightgown, and moved her hand between her legs, immediately finding the exact pressure she needed. She sighed, her hips moving against the motion of her fingers. Closing her eyes, she saw Georg, looking up at her from between her thighs with his deep, sultry eyes, slowly leaning down to slip his tongue against, all over, and inside of her body.

She shivered and shook, her toes curling as the waves of pleasure rushed through her. After her body felt content, she pulled her hand away and sighed, relaxing into her pillow. She hadn't done that in years, she thought, certainly not since she had become a postulant. It would have been preferable not to be so weak, but there she was, giving in to the weakness without more than a thought.

She sighed once more and rolled over onto her side, her body finally able to relax from a strange day. She fell into a deep sleep, all the while pushing away feelings of shame. Was she going to be able to face him properly at breakfast?