Lady Anna Sullivan sat patiently in her Father's carriage as she waited for Lord Sullivan to make his appearance. He seemed to be taking an awfully long time to finish his conversation with Cutler. Anna scowled as she looked out of the window, having been dismissed from the conversation always annoyed her greatly and this time was no difference. She wished that her Father had not interrupted her time with Cutler Beckett, but in a way she was glad that he did because otherwise she did not know if she would have been strong enough to push Cutler away if he wanted more from her. Anna played with a lock of her hair which had come down from its place, twirling it around her finger in boredom and frustration.
A few more minutes passed before she saw her Father make his way out of the front door and over to the carriage. The footman opened the door for Lord Sullivan and he slipped easily inside, sitting opposite his daughter. He smiled at her as he took in the scowl on her face, he knew she would be mad at being dismissed, but his news would more than make up for it.
"Please do not look so upset my angel, I dismissed you for a very important reason," he explained.
"I am sure that you did Father," Anna replied pouting and refusing to meet her Father's eyes.
Lord Sullivan chuckled at his daughter, "if you continue to be so glum then you will never find out what I have planned for you. Such a shame really, you would be so happy if you knew what it was I was going to tell you," he looked out of the window pretending to be engaged in the scenery as the carriage began to move.
"What do you mean Father?"
"Oh no," he replied waving his hand dismissively. "You would not be interested in what I have to say. You are far too busy being angry."
"I am not angry Father, I promise you," Anna said as she gave her Father her best pleading look. "Please tell me what it was that you were going to say."
Lord Sullivan smiled at his daughter, "your Mother and I are needed urgently by my Aunt, it seems that she does not have long left to live."
"How is that news that I would enjoy hearing?" Anna asked with a raised voice.
"Because you will not be coming with us," he explained.
"Again I fail to see how this is a good thing," Anna mumbled.
"In our absence you will be staying with Cutler Beckett, he has agreed to have you live in his home for the expected two weeks that we will be gone." Lord Sullivan watched as the smile on his daughter's face grew so wide that he did not think she could be any happier.
"That is truly wonderful Father!" Anna exclaimed, she leapt from her seat and embraced her Father. She squeezed him so tightly that she felt her arms would break if she used any more pressure.
"I told you that you would enjoy my news," he said, patting Anna on her blonde head. "Now when we go home you will need to pack enough clothing and things to entertain yourself for fourteen days."
"Yes Father, I will ask Helen to help me. Tell me though, how will you explain this to Mother. You know she is not too fond of Cutler Beckett."
"That is not entirely true my angel, but she will not argue with my word," Lord Sullivan said. "Please try not to aggravate your Mother too much before we leave my angel."
"I shall try dear Father."
"That's my girl," he said ruffling her hair.
"Helen?" Anna called from her bedroom door.
"Yes my Lady," the older woman replied. Exiting the room she had been dusting and walking towards her young charge.
Anna checked the hallway for any sign of life before grasping Helen's arm and dragging her into her bedroom and shutting the door tightly behind her. "Father has made arrangements for me to stay with Cutler Beckett while he is away with Mother dealing with family business. I am to leave tomorrow morning."
"How wonderful for you my Lady! Now what dresses will you be taking with you while you are away?"
The smile Anna gave Helen was radiant and full of unhidden joy, "I knew that you would be the best one to ask, which is why I called you in here. I have absolutely no idea what to take with me."
Helen chuckled at Anna, "Thank you for the compliment my Lady. Now let us get down to some serious business," Helen took Anna's hand and led her over to the large wardrobe in the corner of her vast bedroom. She flung the doors open and began to sort through the many different coloured dresses that inhabited the wardrobe. "Mr. Beckett has seen you in this one," Helen said pulling a green dress from its hanger and throwing it onto the bed. Next she pulled the other dresses which Cutler had already seen her wearing and deposited them in a pile on the bed. "There are still quite a few dresses left my Lady, we will make our selection from those, just to be sure Mr. Beckett does not see you in the same dress twice."
"That is an excellent idea Helen!" Anna exclaimed smiling at the older woman.
"Do you have any ideas as to what sort of style dress he prefers?"
"I would have no idea," Anna said chewing on her bottom lip. "Should I have been able to guess by now what he prefers?"
"Of course not darling," Helen said. "But has he mentioned liking a particular dress on you? If we have some idea of what he prefers we will be in a better position to select the dresses which will keep a hold of his interest and hopefully draw him away from some of his paperwork."
"Yesterday he told me that I looked beautiful, but he could have just been acting politely."
"Nonsense my Lady, Mr. Beckett would be blind if he did not realise just what a gem you are."
Anna's smile grew even wider at Helen's words, "do you really think so?
"From the way that his eyes follow you it is easy to discern that he is as interested in you as you are interested in him."
"If you think so than it must be true," Anna said.
"What sort of a man is Mr. Beckett?" Helen asked.
Anna's eyes widened, "what do you mean?"
"Men have favourite parts of women, part of the female body which they cannot keep their wandering eyes away from, my dear husband, may he rest in peace was no different. Some men have an affiliation for the posterior, some like the neck, others like the hair or the legs. It would seem that your Mr. Beckett prefers breasts above all else. That of course means that you will have to take your low cut dresses, if you are alright with bringing attention to yourself in such a way?"
"I understand what you mean now, Cutler is most definitely a breast man," she said giggling to herself at the memory of just how enthusiastic he was about touching her.
Helen raised an eyebrow at her young charge, "I do not want to know how you have stumbled across such information, or else I have to tell your Mother. Please say no more my Lady."
"Of course Helen, I should know better than to put you in a compromising position."
"Just make sure that Mr. Beckett does not put you in a compromising position unless he intends to marry you. I would hate for your reputation to be questioned."
"I know, but Cutler is not that kind of man. He is good, honourable and honest."
"It does not take much for young people to succumb to temptation," Helen warned.
"I will not disappoint you," Anna promised.
"Good girl," Helen said. "Now let us finish sorting through your dresses. You will be taking the ones with the lower cut in the front of course. Do you have idea what colours your Mr. Beckett prefers?"
"He does look rather dashing in green I must admit. Red too suits him well, as does gold," Anna said contemplating what looked best on Cutler. She admitted to herself that Cutler would look brilliant dressed in anything … or nothing, whichever he preferred, though she did not say so out loud.
"That is perfect for they are the colours which suit you best. Isn't it convenient how well you two complement each other."
"I think it is wonderful."
For the remainder of the afternoon the two women sorted through Anna's dresses, selecting only the best to take with her to Mr. Beckett's estate. Fourteen dresses in total were selected, all elegant looking and finely crafted for a woman of her station. A few books were packed into Anna's suitcases as she did not want to run the risk of annoying Cutler in her boredom. Helen was happy with the selections they had made and Anna as positively buzzing with excitement pertaining to the future. Helen could not help but smile as she listening to Anna talk about all of the things which she found so captivating about Cutler Beckett. The way the young lady was speaking about him so amorously made Helen curious to properly meet the man. But she knew that that would not happen for she was Anna's maid, not her Mother and her opinion of the man would not mean anything. Helen hung her head in slight sadness, she often wished that Anna was her own daughter, but she was glad the girl was of high birth rather than servant stock.
The throbbing ache between Anna's legs which Cutler had created during their meeting had taken what felt like forever to subside. For the remainder of the day she had tried her best to ignore the wet feeling between her legs. Once night had fallen and she had been sent to bed, Anna had spent restless hours in bed tossing and turning, trying to ignore the unfamiliar feeling. In desperation she had closed her eyes and imagined that Cutler was still next to her. She had grasped her breasts and touched them in the same way that Cutler had, but still the throbbing persisted. Her fingers were not as skilled in their movements, nor were they as delightfully rough as his.
Anna was frustrated beyond any form of frustration she had ever experienced before and she could not find a way to relieve herself. She threw the bedcovers off before stripping her nightdress from her body, feeling the soft material pool around her feet as she stood up from the bed. Slowly Anna crossed her bedroom and came to stand in front of her glass door. She pressed her fingertips to the cold glass and winched at the icy feeling that greeted her. The moonlight streamed through the window and reflected off her naked form, but Anna had little concern that anyone would see her for it was so late that all would be fast asleep by now. Moving so cautiously so as not to be heard Anna she opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony, Anna did not know what she was doing, standing completely naked and exposed to the elements, but the cold night air seemed to make the throbbing ache recede.
That however, was before her eyes landed on the candlestick holder she had left outside the night before. Anna had been reading curled up on the chair on the balcony the night before until her candle had finally burnt away and she was forced to return inside and go to sleep for the night. She had left the candlestick holder outside because she had simply forgotten about it, but now Anna was so glad that she had found it.
She plucked the candlestick holder from the table and turned it over in her hands, the metal was ice cold to the touch, but the shape and the texture gave Anna an idea.
She took the candlestick holder back into her room and shut the door quietly behind her. Pulling her nightdress back on Anna slipped back under the covers. She rubbed the candlestick holder between her hands in an attempt to warm the metal. Anna trailed her fingers over the swirling and twisting ribbed designs on the candlestick holder, she smiled to herself in the darkness. Anna lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling, her hair spilling out on the pillow beneath her. She bit her lip and wondered if she could really go through with what her body was demanding that she do. She trailed the still cold metal down her body between her breasts and over her stomach. A trail of goosebumps followed in the path of the object, but Anna ignored them and continued to trail lower. She held the cold metal object at the apex of her thighs, teasing herself in a backwards and forwards motion. Anna let out a loud sigh of frustration, she knew that she needed something to happen, but she had no idea what she should do or how she should do it. Pleasuring herself was amongst the worst things that she could do, but Anna could no longer stand the frustration that the throbbing ache caused her.
Anna briefly wondered if Cutler was dealing with the same problem as she was, but Anna quickly dismissed the thought realising that Cutler would have far more control of himself than she ever could. Staring at the ceiling was beginning to make Anna feel even worse about what she was attempting to do, it seemed that every painting adorning her walls and every fixture was watching her, judging her. Anna placed the candlestick holder to one side, and rolled onto her stomach, away from the eyes of the long dead ancestors trapped forever in paintings. Anna buried her face in her pillow and stretched her small fingers back over to the candlestick holder. With one hand she held the cold metal in place beneath her body. She moved it down between her legs and raised her lower body from the bed and spreading her legs slightly. It was an awkward position to be in, but one that allowed Anna to set about her task without the feeling of being watched. She held the candlestick holder in place, flat against the bed and then allowed her body to sink down on top of it. She thrust her hips forwards into the mattress, rubbing and grinding herself against the metal, seeking some sort of release from the inanimate object.
Anna felt the object rub against a small part of her that had never been touched before and it caused her legs to twitch and sent jolts of pleasure through her body. She bit her lip to force a moan back down her throat. Anna continued to rock against the candlestick holder, rubbing it against the same spot that sent her into a frenzy. She tried her best to imagine Cutler lying beside her, holding the candlestick holder and rubbing it against her lower body. As she reached her climax all she thought about was Cutler's icy blue eyes and his rough hands. Anna threw her head back and gasped loudly, the moans she was holding back came out as slightly whimpers of ecstatic pleasure.
Moments after reaching such a high, Anna was overcome with shame for her actions. What she had just done was among the most sinful of acts, she knew this and yet she allowed herself to do it. Anna swore that she had more self control than that, but now she was crushed to learn that she was weaker than she thought that she was. She removed the metal object from beneath her body, she would have to get rid of it somehow, but she would do that in the morning for she was far too tired, and full of shame, to move.
The next day could not have come quickly enough for Lady Anna Sullivan. With the rise of the sun so came Anna, flitting about her room, looking for somewhere to hide the object of her shame. She settled on hiding it deep within the compartments of her locked desk drawer where surely no one would go looking.
After breakfast with her family Anna set about pacing back and forth the parlour room floor. To put it simply, she was a nervous wreck. She had to wait until 10 o'clock before she would be taken to Cutler's home and the wait alone was sure to drive her mad.
"Anastasia, come here!" the older Lady Sullivan demanded pointing to the seat directly opposite her.
"Yes Mother," Anna replied dutifully. She bit back an aggravated sigh and trudged over to her designated seat, careful not to show her true feelings for her Mother as she sat down.
"As you know you will be staying with Mr. Beckett for the next two weeks," Lady Sullivan said looking directly into Anna's eyes and waiting for her to agree.
"Yes Mother," Anna repeated in the same tone as before.
"While I think that it is highly improper for an unmarried woman to share the home of an unmarried man for any amount of time, your Father believes that we should trust Mr. Beckett. I believe that he is correct in such an assumption, however," Lady Sullivan paused watching her daughter's reactions. "I do not believe that we can trust you. I have seen the ways in which your eyes trail along Mr. Beckett. They are the eyes of a wanton woman, the same eyes as a whore and I will not have you bringing shame on your Father's good name."
Anna's mouth gaped open at her Mother's words but she could not think of anything to say in retaliation. Or at least she could not think of anything to say that would not result in her face being introduced to the back of her Mother's hand as it had many other times when Anna forgot to curb her words.
"If I hear even the slightest whisper that you have done something indecent with that man I will personally see to it that your return home will be short lived. Do not underestimate me dear daughter, there are many sanatorium directors whom can be paid a small sum to take troublesome children away," Lady Sullivan said, grinning at her daughter. The smile on her face was not a particularly warm or inviting one, but Anna was familiar with receiving such a look from her own dear Mother.
"Yes Mother, I understand completely," Anna replied meekly. She had started the day off feeling extremely happy and excited, she should have known that her Mother would find a way to change that, she always did after all.
"Good, now run along, your Father is waiting for you."
With final words of goodbye to her Father, Anna ventured up the steps and into Cutler Beckett's home. She had been informed by his head maid, Ms. Kirkpatrick, that Mr. Beckett nor Mr. Mercer were home at that particular moment in time. She was instructed to make herself comfortable in the sitting room and wait from Mr. Beckett to return.
Anna wait for a very long time for Cutler to return, her nervousness subsiding into boredom as she awaited his return. She sat herself down on one of the chairs and gazed out of the window and before long found that she had fallen asleep. Waking herself, what turned out to be only a few minutes later, Anna decided to rise from her chair and walk around the sitting room to wake herself up properly.
Cutler watched silently as Anna walked about the sitting room, her steps delicate and her green eyes gazing unseeingly around the room. Without noticing Cutler, Anna made her way over to the large window and looked out on to the grounds of Beckett Estate. She watched the rain fall heavily down, hoping that her Father would make it to his Aunt's house safely, though she did not spare much of a thought for her Mother. Anna knew that it was a truly terrible thing to wish her Mother would not return, but she had no doubt in her mind that her Mother would wish the same for her if the tables had been turned. The elder Lady Sullivan was a loathsome, vile woman and Anna was glad to be free of her for several days and she intended to make the most of it.
Cautiously Cutler moved across the room until he came to a stop behind Anna. The young woman still had not noticed him, so he took the opportunity as it was shown to him. Cutler placed his hands on her hips and pulled her backwards, her body resting solidly against his own.
Anna let out a startled gasp at first, but once she realised it was Cutler who held her so closely, she smiled. "Welcome home, dear Cutler," she said.
"If I could return home everyday to see you standing here I would never leave," he whispered in her ear. Cutler placed a soft kiss to her neck and rolled his fingers over her hips, "I trust that you will make yourself at home."
"I did not wish to intrude upon your hospitality," Anna said. She tilted her head back to look at Cutler Beckett.
"As long as you are staying here with me I want you to think of my home as your home. Lunch shall be served soon and after that would you like a tour of my home once again? Much has changed and improved since your last tour"
"I would be delighted, but only if you are sure that it will not intrude upon your work."
"It will not," Cutler assured her. "Then after that you can stay with me in my office, make yourself comfortable and read a book or two. I have many in the office that you can choose from."
"That sounds wonderful dear Cutler," she replied smiling at him.
He pressed another kiss to her neck, this time nipping at her flesh with his teeth. Anna's legs buckled slightly at the touch, but Cutler held her in place.
"Shall we make our way to the dining room?" Cutler asked. He spun Anna from his arms, turning her around and pulling her tightly to his chest. Anna pushed her lips forward, stealing a kiss from Cutler before pulling herself away from his grip.
"Come along then," she said smiling widely at Cutler. She linked her fingers with his own and tugged him along behind her. Cutler smirked at her, his eyes following her hips as she walked in front of him.