True to Cutler's word, the pair had not suffered intrusions of any form throughout the day, which was a pleasant relief for Cutler. Rarely did things run so smoothly when he had to rely upon someone else to do their share of the work. Currently Anna was lying next to him on his large bed, her head on his chest and her hand resting over his slowly beating heart. One of Anna's legs lay between his, hitched up over his waist. Heat radiated from her small body as she slept, her breath inhaling and exhaling over his skin causing it to prickle at the sensation. The length of her hair fanned out behind her and formed a sort of halo. Cutler didn't hold much of a belief in traditional things, he much preferred what could be proven by sight and mindful reflection. However when he remembered the pictures that he had seen of angels, it seemed to him that Anna shared a great many of their features. Contrary to this, the things they shared in private proved her to be anything but an angel. He worried that later when Anna returned home that she would begin to fret over the things they had partaken in. Cutler worried that she would tell someone, or even hint at the things they had done. Everything would come crashing down around him with even the slightest slip of her tongue, silently Cutler reprimanded himself for the thoughts which accompanied the idea of her tongue slipping into places. Now was most definitely not the time to be thinking of such things. Cutler had to find a way to convince Anna that the things they had done were never to be discussed under any circumstances, but that they were in no way immoral or wrong things to have done. She was intelligent and could follow a coherent argument, but she didn't seem to have the same thought processes that he did. Anna had to be convinced that touching herself wasn't wrong whereas he had come to that same conclusion all on his own. Cutler ran his fingers gently down her back as he contemplated how best to ensure her silence for a few minutes before it hit him. It was so obvious that he was surprised he had not thought of it earlier. Clearly Anna loved him, she was utterly devoted to him. If anything were to happen to him, she would be devastated. He would play on her love and her fear in order to ensure her silence. It really wouldn't take much persuasion after all and the fact that she seemed to not get along with the women in her peer group would only make it easier to keep their activities private.
Cutler sighed, he really would have to do something about that particular problem of hers. He had promised Anna that the women who had humiliated her would face retribution at his hands and that was exactly what he would do. He had decided that the young woman who made his sweet Anna cry would have her reputation ruined beyond any hope of repair. He would of course have to pay someone off, but that was of little consequence to him. No one damaged or hurt what belonged to him without facing the consequences. The fact that it was a woman who so wounded Anna did not make any difference to him. He was not an advocate of the 'eye for an eye' doctrine, he much preferred the idea of a life for an eye. That particular method had proven itself to be the best way to ensure that no one ever moved against you again. After he had removed the undesirable elements from Anna's peer group he would encourage her to renter the social circle. They were a necessary evil, he despised making small talk with unimportant people who were convinced that they were otherwise, but those same people did have the potential to be useful. That was the only reason he tolerated them in the first place. While the women Anna would be associating with would not be in possession of any interesting information of their own, they still overheard and speculated about things that they did not fully understand. Anna on the other hand would understand. She would be an important link to influential men who married foolish woman. It was a perfect plan, but it could only be executed with Anna's assistance. That was how he saw their future marriage to be, a perfect partnership which would bring them both benefits in more than just the bedroom.
Slowly he trailed his fingers through the ends of her hair, becoming restless and altogether bored. Although Cutler had been the one to suggest that Anna take a nap in order to recover her strength, he had regretted it as soon as she had drifted off though he dare not wake her already. Normally he would enjoy being left to his thoughts, but at the moment he could not empty his mind of thoughts of Anna and what their future would be like. Carefully he extracted himself from Anna's light grip, moving so slowly that she barely even stirred. Continuing his slow and careful movements, Cutler pulled on a loose fitting white shirt to accompany his trousers. He did not bother to do the buttons up properly before he headed downstairs. Cutler simply could not sleep so whilst Anna was off in her dream world, he might as well get some of his paperwork done.
Lord Blackthrone had created such a catastrophe in such a short time and he knew that the work would continue to pile up once his 'weekend of rest' was complete. He knew that such an excuse would only get him so much reprieve. If Anna's Father were to discover and consequently question him over his absence he would have to come up with some sort of acceptable excuse. However, Cutler suspected that his mentor would have more pressing matters on his mind, such as the recent loss in his family, to be too concerned over what Cutler had done while Anna was staying as his guest. After that the focus would turn to Cutler's lording ceremony and then of course he would ask Lord Sullivan for Anna's hand in marriage. Then there would be marriage and children as was the way of things. Cutler knew that he was late in getting around to starting a family but he preferred quality over any other alternative. Things were falling perfectly into place for the future Lord Beckett and what a glorious future he foresaw it as being. Time was marching on in his favour, but sadly he couldn't take more time to think of this future, the world didn't stop turning just because he wanted it to stop for a while. Silently he slipped down the stairs and made his way to his office. With any luck his sleeping beauty would not waken until sometime later and would not even notice his absence.
Anna woke up what seemed to be hours later to find herself alone in Cutler's bed, the space beside her cold signalling that Cutler had been gone for a while. She sat up slowly and stretched her arms above her head, feeling her back crack with the movement. Anna let out a low sigh that turned into a huff of impatience half way through. If Cutler had remained next to her then they could have resumed their activities straight away, now instead she was forced to go looking for him. The Beckett manor was large, though not quite the size of her home, which meant that finding Cutler may take some time. Anna dropped back against the pillows, she could always just wait for him to return, but who knew how long that would take. She wanted not a minute of this day to go to waste and if she continued to lay about, she knew that she would lose precious time with Cutler. If she were a betting woman, she would place a large sum of money on the conclusion that she would find Cutler either in his office or in the library and that was precisely where she would begin her search. Slowly she dragged herself out of bed and pulled her dressing gown on over her shoulders, though she did not waste any time bothering to do it up. She stood in front of the mirror and surveyed herself, frowning and screwing up her face as she took in the dreadful state of her hair and the way she looked without her usual makeup adorning her features. Anna picked up the comb she had previously left in Cutler's room and began to run it through her hair. She winced as she freed parts of her long blonde hair from the knots which had developed over the course of the day. Sometimes she wished she could just cut off the frustrating length of hair, but she knew that doing such a thing was not normal. Women were proud of their long hair, to cut it off would be a disastrous social move on her part. She already had enough trouble in making polite smiles and conversation with the women she knew, Anna didn't need another thing for them to pick at her for. Maybe she would ask Cutler of his opinion, though she suspected that a man of his importance had far more interesting things to think about than the length of her hair. That and the fact that he seemed to enjoy grabbing fistfuls of it whenever he was close to achieving his release.
When Anna was satisfied with her appearance she tiptoed out of the bedroom and made her way downstairs. She pulled her robe closed over her body, allowing a large amount of skin to still be seen, but hiding what she considered to be her vital regions. It wasn't that she feared anyone other than Cutler seeing her, it was the fact that she wasn't entirely comfortable walking around in such a state of undress. She had no idea how or where all of Cutler's confidence came from but she wished that more of it would rub off on her. Anna couldn't help but wonder if Cutler had always been the way that he was, or if he had someone to teach him in the ways that he had been teaching her. Just the mere thought of Cutler being entangled with another woman set her blood aflame, but the thought that she was the only one he had ever shared himself with was preposterous and utterly unrealistic. He was a skilful man that fact was undoubtedly true, Anna thought that she should be grateful to the woman who had taught Cutler all that he knew. However, if she ever met the woman, showing such gratitude would be impossible.
Her nagging thoughts had distracted her so thoroughly that she barely noticed she was at the bottom of the stairs until the cold touch of wooden flooring graced her feet. She shook her head and pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, Cutler had obviously made his decision and that was all that could ever possibly matter to her. As she walked further down the hallway she caught sight of herself in a mirror and allowed her vanity to claim her full attention. Pausing for a second Anna adjusted her robe so that it showed more of her breasts and once again checked the state of her hair, smoothing it down before she continued on. Anna padded slowly and carefully down the hallway, feeling to soft carpeting beneath her feet which also helped to muffle the sounds of her movement. The room closest to her was Cutler's office, so that would be her first stop looking for him.
She saw him sitting at his desk, so utterly consumed with what he was doing that he didn't notice her. Anna paused and leant against doorway, studying his every movement. His thick, short, brown hair curled slightly at the ends where it was beginning to get longer. His eyes were downcast, focused on the pile of documents immediately in front of him. The dark circles that had been present under his eyes a few days ago were now much less prominent, though they still remained. Anna suspected that was more a product of stress that he refused to acknowledge than it was a sign of something more sinister. She knew first-hand how full of energy he was so he couldn't possibly be sick. Yet still she worried for him, she hoped that this was a sign that she would be a good wife to him in the future. Cutler's shoulders were broad and at times he seemed to be carrying so much weight upon them, but whenever someone of importance caught his eye he stood up straighter. He was magnificent at putting up a front. None other than she and her Father knew about the horror he suffered at the hands of pirates and none others would ever know. She would take that secret to the grave if that was what he wished for. Cutler was far braver than he gave himself credit for and because of that, Anna admired him all the more. He could have played upon his encounter with the pirates to manipulate her emotions, but he chose not to. Absentmindedly she ran her fingertips along the wooden doorframe as she watched him quickly scan over documents before either signing them or scribbling something down on the paper to be remembered for later. His complete and utter focus was an interesting sight to watch. It was obvious why her Father had chosen him above all others to succeed his position within the company. The greatness which he exuded was something that he was born for.
Slowly Anna turned on her heel and began to back out of the room. Cutler had important things that needed to be done and it would be better not to disturb him. She on the other hand had the key to his library and all of those hidden books to keep herself occupied until Cutler came looking for her.
Hello my lovelies! I am so glad that I didn't lose too many of you during my unexpected bout of major writer's block. Believe me, it hurt me more than it hurt you.
So I know this one doesn't have any smutty goodness and the chapter is quite a bit shorter than usual, but there is a reason for that. You see, I seem to be a bit stuck in getting out of this particular part of the story so some things need to be sped up which means leaving out some details. I promise it will be worth it though!
I see this story as being in 3 parts and then moving into DMC/AWE making 4 parts. I was wondering if it would be easier to keep it all in this one story or to keep them separate - any suggestions would be more than welcome!