Colin was vaguely aware of Anna's hands clutching his lapels as he continued to press inquisitive kisses to her lips. She'd sent him over the edge with her little admission, and he'd given her first kiss to her without regret. It seemed he could not get enough of her, angling his head more so that he could part her lips with the gentle pressure of his tongue. She sighed deeply at this, holding his jacket tighter in her gloved hands.
Patiently, Colin gently unclasped her hands from his jacket and brought them around his neck, allowing her to hold onto him while he continued his invasion of her delicious mouth. Holding her face in his fingertips, he pulled his mouth off of hers and buried his face into the sweet smelling skin of her neck. He felt one of her hands slide up into his hair and grip the neatly cropped locks in her tiny fist.
"You are so lovely." He rasped against her, careful to be gentle with her so as not to frighten her. The arousal drew over him in fast, agonizing waves, sweeping him up before he could contain it. "I want to cover you in flowers…all over your body." Her only response was a breathy unintelligible murmur.
"What did you say?" He asked, ghosting his lips over her cheeks and forehead, trying to regain some semblance of control.
"I said," She began shakily, "that it would be a waste of perfectly lovely flowers, wouldn't it?" Colin stopped, pulling back just far enough to look down at her passion flushed face. He was unable to stop the slow grin from appearing, and felt the smallest rumblings of mirth in his chest.
"You don't even know how charming you are." He mused, brushing a stray golden lock of hair from her eyes and smoothing it back. "It wouldn't be a waste of flowers, because nothing that adorned your body could ever be a waste of anything." He knew he was being completely inappropriate, but he couldn't seem to find it in his heart to care. She was staring at him with a sudden smirk, reaching up to touch his hair. Colin caught her hand in his and turned to kiss her palm, watching her eyes widen in shock.
"Incidentally, I have now seen what you look like rumpled and unkempt." She informed him, unable to keep the smile out of her voice. Colin had to restrain himself from kissing her again.
"And, your assessment?"
"It becomes you." She nodded, straightening his tie. "However, I don't want my parents to know I've practically tried to ravish you."
"You ravished me?" Colin uttered incredulously. "I believe I was the one doing the ravishing, Darling." She seemed to consider this momentarily before shaking her head.
"No. I instigated it. You were being very respectable until I provoked you." She insisted sweetly, running her small hands over his hair. It was sheer torture, feeling her hands on him in any capacity.
"Sweetheart, you provoke me just by existing…one look from you and I'm driven mad." He confessed. "Since that first meeting, you've intrigued me."
"Are you referring to the incident in which you plowed me over and caused me to ruin my favorite dress?" She teased. Colin gave her a scandalized look.
"You told me it had been taken care of." He said, watching her eyes take on a roguish gleam.
"Of course I told you that." She remarked, "It wouldn't have been proper for you to pay for my clothing. It would have implied an attachment—"
"Which we've formed." Colin inserted.
"But we hadn't at the time." Anna pointed out sweetly. "And besides, ruining that dress was the reason you and I first spoke. I'd say it was a small sacrifice." Colin decided not to confront her on the matter of Flash for the time being, not wanting to detract from any of the glee he was feeling. She hadn't admitted to anything, though the evidence against her seemed pretty steep. All he knew was that if it was her, and it seemed rather certain that it was, then he was immensely glad of it.
Anna left the house before noon the following morning, hoping to be gone and back before her mother returned from her outing with Julienne. The two were picking out furniture for the baby's nursery. Anna had claimed a headache and had waited precisely five minutes after her mother left before rushing out of her house and down the street. It wasn't a long walk to the post office, only a few blocks.
After her jaunt to the Eiffel Tower with Colin, she had vaguely remembered that he had probably written to Flash. She contemplated whether or not she should continue on with the letters. For a terrifying moment, she'd thought that Colin had caught her, but he hadn't said a word even after she'd admitted that her favorite color was green. She wanted so badly to tell him the truth, but she wouldn't even know how to begin.
Colin, I've been deceiving you through letters and I'm too much of a coward to own up to it.
Yes, that would go well, she thought ruefully. He'd probably laugh in her face and return to England on the next boat.
As she'd suspected, there was a letter waiting in her post office box. Even though the reality of Colin was so much better than her fantasy, a thrill of delight still spread through her body like wildfire at the thought of reading what he had to say. She had almost exited the building when she collided with someone. Stepping back in apology, she stared up into a pair of light brown eyes.
"Oh dear. Forgive me." She told the young man quickly. He stared at her as if placing her for a moment, then smiled.
"It was my fault, I assure you." His voice was tired, weak. He looked like he may be a handsome man if he ever smiled, though she noted that he was rather sad looking. Dark circles and worry lines surrounded his eyes. He looked ill if truth be told.
"Thank you for your kindness, Sir." She replied, starting toward the door.
"Let me make it up to you." He said, following her. Taking a long breath, she shook her head.
"That would not be appropriate, sir—"
"Oh, nothing suggestive." He assured her. "Perhaps let me buy you some roasted almonds at the stand outside?" He motioned to the vendor stand set up outside the post office. The smell of cinnamon and sugar filled the air becomingly. Taking pity on him, Anna nodded.
"Thank you." She let him hold the door open for her as they stepped outside. He ordered the almonds and paid for them swiftly. She noticed a large ring on the middle finger of his right hand. There was some sort of family symbol on the middle of it along with the letter 'A'.
"My pleasure, Mademoiselle…?" He trailed off questioningly.
"Reynolds." She told him. "Anna Reynolds."
"No…you couldn't possibly be the sister of Simon Reynolds, could you?"
"I—yes." Anna replied, surprised. "I am. How did you—"
"Your brother and I are acquaintances of a sort." He told her, putting his hands into his pockets.
"Oh yes?" Anna replied, looking around for a cab. Colin's letter was burning a hole in her hand.
"Yes." He smiled down at her, and she couldn't help thinking that, even though she had no interest in him whatsoever, that he was quite handsome. Holding out his hand for her to shake, she reluctantly took it.
"Mercer Arnott."
Please join the Vicomte and Vicomtesse de Chagny in welcoming their new daughter, Lady Evangeline Cecelia de Chagny with a formal evening ball.
Saturday, August 25, 1906
6 o'clock
Chagny Manor
Colin quickly scribbled his reply and put it in with his outgoing mail as he pulled on his jacket and left to go drop off some paperwork for Simon Reynolds. He had succeeded in procuring a dinner meeting with the president of Herveaux Electric and the company details including their credit history were included in Colin's paperwork. He was nothing, if not thorough.
He had not slept hardly at all the night before, plagued by visions of Anna, which had left him agitated and aroused and completely unsatisfied. She was so completely sweet and in the same instance, could be unpredictable as the weather. She never ceased to surprise him. Colin had never met a girl quite like her. Oh, he'd thought he was in love once before, but that had paled in comparison to the feelings that little Anna Reynolds had wrung out of him near the Eiffel Tower.
Now, all he had to do was meet with her brother with a straight face and try not to think about the fact that he had been ready to make love to her in the middle of the Champ de Mars. Of course, he hadn't told her that. The poor thing had never been kissed before and he hadn't wanted to frighten her lest she retreat again. He wasn't giving her that option.
Well, she had been kissed now. Many times.
Colin couldn't even find the constitution to be ashamed. He'd enjoyed every blasted moment with her and even afterward, on the ride back to her home, they had talked about everything from spiders to cats to the game of Cricket.
Lucky for him, Simon had gone home for lunch, so he left the papers with the young male clerk at the front desk and had left with all haste, determined to get back to the hotel and read over some approval documents that had been forwarded to him from the locomotive company he owned shares in. He'd nearly gotten to the corner to find a cab or a carriage, when he recognized Roger Tiernay – or wasn't it Viscount Nighton now? – standing outside with a group of police. His dark skinned face was taut with tension.
Colin decided to go and see what was happening, hearing the newly appointed Viscount railing at the police officers.
"How can you allow this?" Roger was saying, looking absolutely terrifying at his full six feet, five inches. Colin himself was six feet, three inches, so it was strange looking up at somebody. And, Roger Tiernay was an intimidating man since he was not only tall, but broad as hell. He would destroy anyone in a fight. Irish and Persian…what a combination. "Just because Algernon Arnott donated to the city, does not make it acceptable to allow his son to roam the streets freely." Roger glared down at a particularly portly fellow. "Especially after he tried to murder James Westcliff."
"Well, we didn't really have enough proof to convict him…" The man trailed off lamely, eliciting a seething look from the taller man.
"There's nothing we can do, my lord." Another officer was saying. "The report was lost…someone in filing made a mistake and the evidence was scant enough as it was." Tiernay's face became a mask of sheer rage as a sound that was dangerously close to a growl left him. The officers uttered their final apology before fleeing.
Colin cautiously approached him, folding his arms.
"What's happening?" He inquired. Tiernay did not look at him, only shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. The gold wedding band he wore stood out against the light amber of his skin.
"Westcliff is going to murder someone." Tiernay ground out, meeting Colin's eyes. "With Lillian in a delicate condition now too, and—"
"Wait, Lillian is expecting as well?" Colin interrupted, shocked. Roger nodded tiredly, sighing.
"Esme went to see her yesterday and Lillian told her."
"Well, they certainly wasted no time." Colin chuckled, sharing a knowing look with the Viscount. "And how is my little cousin treating you, Tiernay?" Roger raised a wary eyebrow, though a smile threatened on his lips.
"Esme is precocious, exhausting, overly perceptive, fast-witted and energetic." He told Colin with a touch of tenderness in his voice. "Naturally, I couldn't be happier."
"It's strange to think of little Esme as a wife." Colin thought aloud, seeing Tiernay grin.
"She's always been wise beyond her years. A tiny adult trapped in a child's body until recently." Roger assured him. "Too bloody mature if you ask me." Both men nodded at this, smirking.
"So what do we do about Arnott?" Colin asked, changing the subject back to the pressing matter.
"That's just it." Roger said, the dark anger returning into his eyes and voice. "The little weasel has wormed his way out of trouble…as usual." He shook his head. "All we can do is warn Lillian and Westcliff that they're going to see him at some point, though Arnott is too big of a coward to try anything else with them. He'll no doubt target some other unsuspecting young lady and marry her."
"Bloody ridiculous when the damned justice system fails you. Disgusting git." Colin said acidly, receiving a look of accord from the Viscount.
"Will you attend the ball at Chagny Manor?" Tiernay asked, obviously looking for something else to discuss. Colin nodded.
"I wouldn't miss it. I'm interested to see Claire's latest offspring anyhow."
"That entire family is entirely too good looking for their own well being." Roger agreed, snickering.
"Please give Esme my love." Colin told Tiernay. "And congratulations, Lord Nighton." He added, grinning at Roger, who rolled his eyes.
"I will never get used to that." Tiernay chuckled. "And I'll give the Viscountess your love."
"I'm sure Esme is just loving that." Colin reflected.
"Oh, don't even get me started." Roger muttered. "Let's just say, your cousin is a handful."
Colin smothered his laugh, turning away and heading back toward his hotel.
Hmm. This took a turn. We'll see how it turns out. I don't want it to be cliche. :)