27.
~ The elation at the prospect of freedom was intoxicating. Never before had Ariadne longed for home and the simple comforts it gave her. This so called hospital was too cold and uncomfortable and she never felt safe. She kept looking over her shoulder for Fisher to come into her little room alongside his foul nurse.
But less than an hour later, another nurse came to collect her. Ariadne, still without shoes, had to walk on the freezing cold floors to the waiting rooms to be discharged.
She felt dirty and sore all over from her stay. Not to mention Fisher's assault, but felt the air leave her body at the sight of her husband in the waiting room. His suit was wrinkled, his hair uncombed and it was noticeable he hadn't shaved that morning.
"Arthur?" she gasped as she forgot her cold, bare, feet and how wretched she felt.
He turned and his face looked worn and tired.
Was is possible he had spent all night here protesting for her release?
"Are you alright?" he asked as she was easily in his arms. His large hands wrapping around her waist as she inspected his wrinkled clothing and untidy appearance.
"Arthur, did you stay here all night?" she questioned. She felt guilty now that she at least had a bed while he might have had to sleep on one of the hard chairs or gotten no sleep at all.
"I'm fine." he murmured and took her small hand in his large one as she was trying to smooth out his hair. She had never seen him so wretched looking and found it very distressing. His immaculate appearance was her constant in a world that was forever changing.
"I'm fine." he insisted as she fought not to cry. "Ariadne," his voice was low and husky. "Did they hurt you at all?"
She bit her lip hard and shook her head. It was a lie, but it was a lie to protect him. She felt the truth would hurt Arthur and that was the last thing she wanted. Also, she worried that to tell him what Fisher had done, would cause her husband to look at her differently. Not with the love and knowledge that he alone had ever touched her. She wanted to keep that look in his eyes for her.
"Can we go home?" she whispered and he nodded.
~ "I forgot to bring you shoes." he said darkly as the sight of snow on the ground made Ariadne gasp.
Her bare feet were stinging at the ice cold concrete and she didn't look forward to the walk to the carriage.
She didn't have to think about it too much however. Arthur lifted her up as if she were a small child and carried her to the waiting cabbie. She half expected Eames to be waiting for her, but it was just another one of the thousands of drivers in the city today.
She tried not to show her pleasure at being heroically carried out of this place by her handsome husband and into a waiting cab. But the thrill of it gave her a giddy feeling as she nestled her nose in his chest.
~ "I missed the first snow fall." she said sadly as she looked out at the streets covered with snow. It was quickly turning from white to muddy black with the traffic in the city. Snow or no, the people still came out and went to work.
Arthur had made sure she was covered up with his own coat and she didn't protest. She watched the people going about their daily lives with an interest she had never had before. Suddenly, she couldn't see the dirty children anymore with their horrible fighting and their ill tended clothing.
She saw happy children running errands for their parents in coats and dresses that had been lovingly and carefully mended to last another winter.
She saw immigrants who were pleased to have a job to go to. Mothers who held their children's hands as they walked across the street.
Gone was the dirty and ugly parts of it and she wondered why.
The horse stopped to let a crowd of people cross the street and Ariadne spotted her flower seller at the corner. She wasn't selling the bright purple flowers today, but she and what looked like her brother, were selling hot peanuts that were roasted on an open grill and then wrapped in newspaper.
She had to smile as they had a lot of customers and the little girl wore a scruffy pair of work boots to protect her feet. She wondered if the money she had given last week had afforded the boots and perhaps the new business of peanut selling.
It was a thought that cheered her all the way home.
~ "Thank you." Ariadne said as the warm water blanketed her body and every worry or trouble started to melt away.
Arthur nuzzled her freshly washed and damp hair.
The bathtub was large enough for both of them and she wondered why they had never taken a bath together before.
It was the first thing Mrs. Marsh insisted upon when they arrived home. Not suspecting that Arthur wouldn't leave his wife. Instead they had easily fallen into the tub together and enjoyed the rich, warm water and steam that curled off their skin.
"For what?" he whispered as he pulled her closer to him. The rich lavender bath salts were making her feel sleepy and sedated. As if she could take a wonderful nap right here in the water with him.
"For hiring Dr. Yuseff." she said.
"What was I supposed to do?" he said darkly. "Allow my wife to stay in that awful place?"
She tried to fight her need to talk back. She wanted so much to be a good wife.
"I thought, that you wanted me there." she said at last.
"No." he whispered as he started to wash her back again. "Never."
"I thought you wanted me there because I wasn't a good wife." she admitted.
"You are a good wife." he said automatically.
She shook her head, but didn't argue. She didn't want to anymore.
~ Arthur dried her body when the water got too cold. Brisk, purposeful movements of the towel over her skin made her giggle.
"Gently." she told him when he reached her breasts.
"My apologies, dear." he teased as she started kissing him.
"I'm rather tired." she said lamely as her skin prickled hot at the fact they were both naked in her bathroom.
"So am I." he whispered as his eyes looked lustfully over her body.
"I should really go to bed and rest." she said and tried to pull away.
His hands quickly caught her and refused to let her go.
"So should I." he teased.
~ Arthur was rarely in her bed. Except for the few time he had taken his privilege early in their marriage, when he had shyly knocked on her door and the whole thing had been awkward, uncomfortable and best forgotten about.
Now, things were different.
He practically chased her to her bed as the warm fire crackled merrily in the hearth and the snow outside continued to fall.
"You look beautiful." he growled as they fell, naked onto of the covers.
She found she wasn't so ashamed of being naked around him lately. Her body yearned for him now. The secretive places she never understood about her were awake and demanded attention.
"Touch me." she whispered when he broke off their kiss.
His eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief as she guided his hand between her legs. Her womanhood damp despite being dried just a few moments ago. Her heated desire ravenous as his fingers gently tickled her there.
She gasped with delight as his hands, hard and strong rubbed over her, but didn't dare penetrate.
She seized his lips in hers as her own hand guided his to the places that sent a giddy rush of happiness to her blood.
She loved the feel of his callused hands over the delicate skin of her desire. Her body become like fire as he rubbed and tormented her. Her hands directing him to a strange part of her wetness that sent shivers of rapture through her body.
Arthur was compliant and giving as she demanded more. Her moans becoming uncontrollable as she no longer had the strength to show him where to touch and had to leave him to his own judgement.
He rubbed her with a wonderful rhythm and when she ordered him to go deeper, he did. When she wanted him to take her, he mounted her without question. He slid into her easily and her body wanted more of him with each thrust. Her orgasms kept coming as he refused to let her go. Refused to stop for a moment till she had reached his own completion and the both fell blissfully asleep.
~ Three Months Later ~
~ "You're little friends made the papers again today." Arthur grumbled over breakfast.
Ariadne was deeply emerged in the book doctor Yuseff had lent her. Phycology was a fascinating subject and she devoured the knowledge as greedily as she did her breakfast.
"What about this time?" she laughed.
"It seems they weren't content with just dressing up as men and trying to vote." Arthur said bitterly as he looked over his paper. "They stopped traffic with their protest yesterday."
"I know, I had to miss it." Ariadne said sadly. She hated letting her friends down, but she found herself too busy with her other projects lately.
She never had time now with preparing the nursery, studying for the entrance exams to Barnard and keeping up with her reading.
Arthur wasn't against her wanting to go to college after the baby was born. His attitude had been one of relief that she had found a more constructive outlet than getting arrested. He was especially pleased she was letting her hair grow back out.
"Well, I'm very glad you missed it. Much happier to have you in a class room learning about Fraud than on the streets." Arthur said and nodded at the book Yuseff lent her.
"Freud." She corrected
"Fraud, Freud." he sighed. "Same thing."
"You're just mad because you know he's right about the male preoccupation with size." she challenged and helped herself to another piece of toast.
"Speaking of size." Arthur nodded to her large belly. "I think it's time we go out and get you some new clothes."
She hardly thought of the little one lately. In her mind, she knew a child would be born in a few months, but she could still scarcely believe it.
A person. A person who wasn't here before would suddenly come into existence and be apart of their lives.
She places a hand over her growing belly and had to agree that her dresses were all far too tight now.
"Nervous?" Arthur teased.
She didn't look at him and tried not to smile.
"I'll see what Freud has to say about the male preoccupation with procreation." she said with a giggle.
"I assure you, Mrs. Brandon it's an honorable pursuit. One that has been beneficial to the human race." he said hotly.
She covered her moth so not to laugh. The morning sickness had finally passed, the baby was kicking her and she felt happy about it.
She also felt excited about her own future. Not just a life with Arthur and a child, but about school and learning things again. She wasn't sure where it would lead, but felt it gave her life purpose again.
"Arthur?" she said as she watched him look over his paper.
He turned back to her, his eyes soft and kind.
"I do love you." she said softly.
He gave her smile that was gentle and easy.
"I love you to." he said.
She bit her lip and thought once more to tell him about what Fisher had done to her in that exam room.
She had told Yuseff about it. How she had felt about it and how it was little more than rape disguised as treatment. An argument he agreed with.
Each time she was about to tell her husband about it, she couldn't. Something in her screamed to never say a word about it. That such a thing would hurt him too much. Arthur was protective and he might not look at her with the same affection if he knew.
So, she kept it to herself and tried to forget.
"You know what would make a fascinating study?" she offered with a shaky breath.
"What's that?" Arthur asked as he ate a pice of toast.
She glanced at him mischievously.
"The sexual gratification that comes with inflicting punishment." she said in her most professional voice.
She didn't look at Arthur as her cheeks burned. She cold feel his eyes on her as she sipped her water and tried to look innocent.
"I think such a thing would require a lot of research." he said in a harsh voice. A voice that hinted he was excited and hopeful.
She felt her lips curl into a smile and looked over at him.
"Are you sure... that it won't be too dangerous?" he asked looking over her growing body.
"I think the area of normal punishment will be fine." she said happily. "For now." she added quickly.
Arthur was grinning and she thought she saw the faint hint of a blush creep over his face.
"My, my Mrs. Brandon." he laughed. "What would Doctor Fraud say?"
"Freud would say I'm a sexually deprived woman in desperate need of a husband's attention." she said hotly. "A thing that is your sworn duty to provide."
"I'm never one to shirk duty." he sighed and pretended to be put out.
He looked over at her as she was smiling.
"Go upstairs." he ordered.
~ END ~
Thank you all for reading this story.
It started out as just an erotica. One where Arthur just gives his girl a good spanking. But it wanted to be more, so I let it.
Pelvic massage, what Fisher did to Ariadne, was a real treatment in Victorian times. It was used to treat hysteria and lead to the invention of the sex toys. Doctors really would sexually stimulate their female patients to bring on orgasms because it would calm them.
I also wanted to show that we're so lucky to live in a time and a part of the world where women's rights have happened. Where we have the right to divorce an abusive husband, to marry who we choose, to fight against rape and oppression.
As a proud Texan, I'm ashamed of Rick Perry and his misogynistic attitude that he has always had.
I'm currently working on a new story called "The Black Bell".
It's another historical piece and I'll used A&A because it's just easier to write this way and I think my readers like to picture JGL as the hero.