Solace
By Laura Schiller
Based on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
An empty wine bottle smashed against the wall, scattering sharp bits of glass around the room. A little boy ducked, covering his head with his hands.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he cried. "I didn't mean it, Father, please – "
The floor shook in front of him as a pair of scuffed leather boots advanced. The light from the candle was blocked by an enormous shadow, reeking of stale sweat and alcohol, reaching out its hands …
"No!"
William Collins' eyes flew open. Someone's hands were holding him down, and someone's breath was in his face, but they smelled like soap and linen instead of wine, and pushing them away was far too easy. A female voice gasped, and William remembered where he was: in his own bed at Hunsford Parsonage.
"Charlotte?"
"Yes," she said. "I'm here.."
"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry! I never meant - "
"Shh, all is well," she whispered, stroking his hair with a small, warm hand. "Do not be afraid, William. I am here."
She had never called him William before. She had never touched him like this either.
"Charlotte … "
He pulled her close and buried his face in her soft hair, lost for words, lost in her. He had never asked to be loved by his wife, knowing quite well that she had married him for convenience; but just to to have her here, in his house and in his bed, made him happier than all his conventional phrases could express. Just to be touched and held, after so many years of waking up alone in the dark, was a miracle to him.
He had spent his whole life talking, but it was through silent touch that he finally began to communicate.