aristocratic.

The two women swore they would never love anyone but each other, betrothals be damned. But fate, apparently, had other plans ... [ A 1x1 OC RP blog. ]

[arrangedlove]

courting.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl‌:

There was something so selfish about Lord Westin. Or clueless, perhaps, as he was hardly malicious. Mina wished she could put her finger on it. Or, no. She didn’t much care. What she wished was that Adeline was here. Adeline, with her razor-sharp wit, would have precisely the thing to say, but alas, she was at her luncheon with Lord Mercier. May the lord have pity on her soul. Mina supposed she should consider herself lucky, for a turn around her father’s lands was hardly a punishment, even with Westin, where an afternoon with her betrothed might drive her beloved to madness.

“After you, my lord,” she replied, giving him the slightest curtsy. The housekeeper sighed quite dramatically before whispering something to someone outside of the door. No doubt, it was Mother. Housekeeper wouldn’t come out and follow them through the lands, but Father’s man of business could follow discretely behind them on horseback if he wasn’t busy. If not, well, there would be no chaperone, but whatever scandal that might escape would be easy enough to let go of. After all, all of Society accepted the engagement fast enough. She took his arm,  following him outside into the pleasantly sunny afternoon air.

The pressure of Mina’s hand on his arm was pleasant. Everything about her was pleasant, but there was something uniquely satisfying of being linked to her this way, of having her willingly in contact with him. It wasn’t something he had much experience with — his family was hardly physically demonstrative, and male friends didn’t go about clasping each other’s waists as women often seemed to. He often envied them a bit for that, but it wasn’t correct to say so. He contented himself with hardy back pats these days.

“The air is lovely,” he said gently, mostly to have something to say. He looked down at Mina with a small smile, aiming for charming but coming across as just a bit silly instead. “But not as lovely as you, of course.” Something he’d read in countless books, something others would surely scoff at. But Mina was his betrothed, so surely she’d understand.

[tolovethatgirl]

holding court

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl‌:

This entire event had been a terrible idea from the start, naturally. Bennie found any social calling to be a waste of time, but this one was especially so when he had to spend some, if not all, of it pretending to tolerate the presence of his betrothed. A near-impossible task when she sounded so vapid and utterly thoughtless while somehow managing to stab him with a subtle barb at the same time.

It was aggravating, how she sounded dumb and was secretly clever. Perhaps it was her most irritating quality. “Ah, and just like that, you and I have found something upon which we can agree. Marriage is going to be so magical,” he droned, allowing his own sense of humor to return hers. “And yet, the afternoon persists, despite how interest in it wanes.”

Adeline came within a heartbeat of forgetting herself and laughing at the poor fool. There was something not entirely unpleasant about his deadpan sense of humor. It wasn’t endearing, certainly, but on occasion it could be entertaining. Not nearly as entertaining as spending an evening with her dear Mina, of course, but ... the two of them couldn’t have been more different. It was strange that she kept thinking of them within the same context, truly.

“Alas, we will have to make due with the pleasure of each other’s company.” Or lack thereof. She raised an eyebrow at him, hands clasped demurely in front of her. She knew how to play the picture of innocence, even if she chafed against it in private. “And, of course, the company of the rest of the guests here. I do hope there’s someone mildly interesting ...”

[arrangedlove]

courting.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

It was only barely the fashionable hour for callers, as Mother reminded her eagerly when she arrived into Mina’s room, bursting in like an actress in a play. “Wilhelmina, do clean yourself up. Lord Westin is here to see you.” Mina sighed, looking down at her clothing. She was dressed and looking passable, she believed, though clearly from the way her mother took out four dresses, draping them across her bed for her to choose from, she disagreed. No less than eleven minutes later, she walked herself into the sitting room. Being untitled, she did not have a fancy chaperone, but the housekeeper stood by the door, looking pointedly away. There was no way to cause further scandal to their engagement, with her lack of title, so the housekeeper’s presence was merely a formality.

That left Mina no choice but to address Lord Westin directly. “It is good to see you too,” she responded, keeping a polite distance from him. “A walk sounds quite nice.” The weather was tolerable, and Mina could practically hear Mother hovering outside the door. At least if they went out, Mother would probably not follow them. “Around the lands here, or to the park?”

Her question had no correct answer, but Clarence felt compelled to give one anyways. It wouldn’t do to force the decision onto his beloved; in matters of courtship, as was the case in many things, it was the men’s job to act and the woman’s to react. And to provide praise and companionship, naturally. Clarence considered the matter carefully before responding.

“The lands here will do well enough, certainly,” he decided. While he was at loathe to miss a chance to walk with Mina at his arm for all to see, the lands here would provide them a sort of privacy that they had not been allowed up until now. Of course, there would be no true privacy until they were married, but this would be a comfortable start. He offered his arm to Wilhelmina, giving a respectful nod to the housekeeper. A strange arrangement, no doubt, but who was he to judge how the Cleary house was run? It mattered little, at the end of the day. Mina would be a Westin before the year was out.

[tolovethatgirl]

holding court

On the list of things Benoit Mercer wanted to do, there were several activities of various degrees of social obligation. Going to the club and reading the paper with others, for example. Attending the House of Lords. Meeting with his steward. Riding in the park. Even seeing certain callers at his house would have appeared on the list. Spending an afternoon luncheon with Lady Adeline was not anywhere even close to the list. It was, in fact, something he decidedly did not want to do.

That was probably why he was standing in his library, leaning against his bar, glancing to and away from the confounded woman, trying to figure out where to begin this awkward, painful, visit. “So, Lady Adeline,” he began after a moment. “Was your trip here pleasant?” he asked. Travel and weather were always appropriate topics, right?

[arrangedlove]

Adeline’s lips curled up, but she stopped them short of being a sneer. There were several others nearby, of course, including Lady Catherine -- and she knew Lady Katherine to be a terrible gossip. She was probably finding a way to peer in through the keyhole, in fact. She and Mina had almost been caught by the blasted woman on a number of occasions, something that never failed to flush Adeline’s skin when she thought of it. But at any rate, it wouldn’t do for her disdain for her betrothed to get back to her mother. The lecture it would surely produce was too much for her to bear.

Instead, she put on her most false polite face, turning to face Mercer with her hands clasped before her. “Lovely, certainly,” she said, her tone bright. “In fact, I daresay that it will be the most lovely part of this afternoon.” She made it sound like a joke, a polite hyperbole, but she supposed that Benoit would catch on. For all of is (many, many) faults, the man was clever. It was one of the few tolerable things about him.

[arrangedlove]

courting.

Any day that he could call upon Miss Cleary was a good day.

He’d do it every day if he could, and damn whatever social obligations the two of them were expected to attend to. Maybe when they were finally wed, they could have days where they ignored the world entirely, where they stayed in their home with just the two of them. The thought made his head spin a bit giddily. Imagining waking up in the mornings beside her, coming home to her in the evenings -- he could think of nothing in this world that he’d like more. It was enough to make him wish that the wedding was tomorrow, not months from now. But, of course, the anticipation of waiting to see her was a sort of sweetness all its own.

He awaited her in the sitting room, idly reading the titles of the books on the shelf to occupy himself until he heard movement behind him. He turned around with a smile on his face to see Wilhelmina, looking lovely as she always did. “Wilhelmina,” he said fondly, “It is lovely to see you again. Would you like to accompany me on a walk?” He got to the point of his visit eagerly, too excited at the thought of spending a romantic walk with her to bother with small talk.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

Mina was glad she found it repugnant, truth be told. It was so selfish, because every woman was supposed to deserve happiness on her wedding night, before the realities of marriage set in, but she couldn’t abide the thought of her beloved, her heart, with her body singing for someone else. The mere suggestion could make her sick, she was sure.

“There will be so many more positives,” she promised her love, pressing one kiss to her nose, chaste and gentle and everything their passed time together hadn’t been. “Creativity, and stolen moments, and fooling those two clueless men, all the more fun for it. We’ll do okay.” She paused, considering the words. “We’ll do okay.”

“Dearest,” Adeline said fondly. “My dearest. Of course we will.” That much, she was sure of. Men, society, the universe itself -- all were dead-set against them from the outset, and yet, they still managed to find each other. They managed to get this far together, loving each other in every way that they could. Why would that have to change? They belonged to each other. They always would.

So why, why did that very thought set off an odd feeling in her stomach? Adeline pushed it aside. It was probably because of the thought of that horrid Benoit trying to lay his claim on her. “Nothing -- no one -- will tear me away from you,” she promised the other, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before re-arranging her hair over the space, as if hiding a secret.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

It was terribly unkind, terribly ungrateful of her to laugh, but laugh she did. No matter that she was about to swear to love and honor, respect and obey Lord Westin; when her utterly beloved Adeline joked of his incompetence, all Mina could picture was the way he would stare, doe-eyed, unable to touch her in the way she would so badly need. “Better than that Mercier. He won’t even look at you–how will you survive your wedding night? By refusing to acknowledge one another?”

It was crueler, still, to poke fun at Mercier, but he would get to have the one thing Mina would want: Adeline, being able to declare her love, in front of all of their families and friends. Who could blame her for being disdainful toward him? 

Adeline shuddered, pulling an exaggerated disgusted face. “That would be the ideal situation, I believe. The idea of sharing a house with him is repugnant. But sharing a bed ...?” She did her best to pretend that she hadn’t been thinking of that very thing in the heat of her passion. There was no accounting for what you would think of, in that situation. It did not mean anything. “I will have to demand separate chambers,” she concluded.

She went to smoothing Wilhelmina’s hair, fixing her skirts, making her presentable again. “If there is one positive to all of this,” she said, “It is that we will have to get creative, in the near future. And you know that I do so enjoy creativity in these matters.” She grinned at her lover, full of unspoken promises. No men would tear them apart.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

This had been a lovely escape — a wonderful moment between the two of them. But the old doubts and angers started sneaking into her head before it had even finished the pleasant buzzing that came with release. Images of that Westin fool ... of Wilhemina turning to him ... of that absolutely horrid Mercier ... They all swirled through her mind without her consent or approval. It was enough to make her want to shove Mina up against the wall and take her again — but she was done, curled up and whispering declarations of love, and Adeline would never have her as anything less than a completely willing participant.

Instead, she let out a little sigh. “I’d like to see that foolish Lord Westin coax such sounds from you, dear Mina,” she said, with no lack of pride. “I doubt he’d even make it down there. Poor dear would get lost along the way.”

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

There was a difference between making love to Wilhelmina in a bed, or in an encounter like this. When they were in bed together they could lose themselves a little, her room far enough away from anyone else to be particularly suspect. Adeline could not do that here, but that didn’t make it bad. Quite the opposite. She was incredibly aware of every movement her love made, hyper-sensitive to every stroke and caress and the reaction it brought out in her. Pair that with the deliciously sinful thought that, any moment, someone might come by and see ...

“Mina,” she gasped, her hips moving in time with her lover’s sure strokes. “Right there, yes ...” She could feel herself drawing closer and closer to release, already worked up from what had come before. It wasn’t long before she went over the edge with her lover’s name on her lips, a desperate whisper. “Mina, Mina!” And then her command over her speech was gone, lost in the rolling waves of her pleasure, and she had to press a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out any louder as her beloved took her.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

“Ooooohh, love ...” Adeline clapped a hand to her mouth, teeth sinking into the flesh to keep from crying out any louder. Her need for the other woman was a pulsing, living thing, stealing the breath from her lungs and changing the pulse of her heart until all that was left was something hungry and wanting. She pressed against the wall, spreading her legs to allow Wilhelmina better access.

And the more the other woman slowed, the hungrier she became. “Mina, dearest ...” She gasped, her breath coming out in needy little pants. She tilted her hips, eagerly directing her love to continue. “Dearest, you’re so divine ...” Hands hooked and fingers aimlessly scraped against the floor, the wall, even though all she really wanted to do was tangle them in Wilhelmina’s hair, mess it up beyond repair so that anyone could look upon her and see the mark left.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

How many times had they done this? Enough times for Adeline to know what was coming the second that Wilhelmina repositioned them. A low thrill pulsed through her, a small spark begging to be stoked into roaring flames. She clutched at the other woman, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to help herself if her hands were free.

Her breath went out in an eager whisper. “Yes ... yes,” she said. She shifted, allowing Mina easier access. “I want you desperately, my dearest.”

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

It was moments like these that Adeline loved Mina the most. Moments where the other woman was entirely hers, undone by her own actions. Even though she herself hadn’t reached a release yet, she felt a rush of accomplishment and pleasure. This was what she had wanted when she had pulled Wilhelmina aside. She had wanted the other’s love, and she gave it, freely.

So she responded to the other softly, tenderly. “And I you,” she said. “Never forget it, my beloved.” She stroked the other’s cheek gently, letting her bask in the glow that came after. There were times that Adeline could be quite demanding, but in this, she never was. She desired Wilhelmina’s touch, but more than that, she wanted the other woman to want to touch her. There were some things that could not be forced. And, really, the moment was sweet enough that Adeline had no desire to break it.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

After so many times together, Adeline knew what Wilhelmina liked. Usually, she was coy with that information -- she’d flirt and tease, taking her time to bring the other woman to release. But that was now the case here. She employed everything she had learned of what made the other woman weak. Every stroke, caress, and lick was designed to undo her, to send her over the edge, to prove to Wilhelmina -- to prove to herself -- that she knew the woman as no other could, that she loved her as she could love no one else.

And, truly, Adeline was desperate for her. The need pulsed through her with a feverish intensity, her own desire begging to be released. She moaned, low and soft against the other, using one hand to rub against herself in time with the strokes she gave Wilhelmina.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

Keep reading

Wilhelmina’s pleas were incredibly difficult to ignore. Much as she wanted to draw this out, to make it last, Adeline had such a hard time saying no to her dearest. It was so hard to deny her even the slightest thing, even when it would enhance both of their pleasure in the end. Now, if it was Mercier’s skin beneath her lips, she’d have no problem waiting. She’d take delight in teasing him, in making him wait, in turning him into a pleading, whining mess unable to think of anything except his own need, in hearing his careful speech reduced to whimpers and moans as she --

Why was she thinking of this? And why was it intensifying the low, throbbing want between her legs, instead of quelling it?

Adeline pushed forward, tongue running along Mina’s entrance needily. She gripped Wilhelmina firmly by the hips, focusing on the feel of her, the taste of her. Working in practiced movements, the way she knew Wilhelmina liked to be pleased. Thinking of her and her and her, and no one else. No one else at all.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

Adeline closed her eyes, carefully draping her free arm around Mina’s neck to pull her closer. A sigh escaped her lips as the other moved to her breast. How was it, that she managed to make practiced movements feel new and exciting, every time that she did them? She felt warmth pool low in her stomach and cursed the skirts that lay between them. All she wanted to do was press up against the woman, needy and impossible to ignore ...

But then Wilhelmina was asking for her -- begging for her. And she smiled, her free hand tilting Wilhelmina’s gaze up by her chin so that she would look her in the eyes. “That was the right answer, my dearest,” she cooed. She pressed their lips together in one final, passionate kiss, the hand beneath her skirts giving a few more strokes before withdrawing. “Your wish is my command, of course.” And then, just as she promised, she dropped to her knees in front of the other woman, burying herself underneath Wilhelmina’s skirts. She moved quickly, fervently, lips trailing kisses up her thighs, hands spreading apart her legs to clear her path.

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

Adeline was more than happy to shift her body, giving her lover better access to her chest. In some ways it was better at night, with no corsets or cumbersome fabrics between them. She loved the feeling of their bare skin, pressed together, with nothing between them. But this was good in other ways -- in how the threat of discovery hovered above them every moment, of how every stroke and caress had to be hard earned. Adeline pressed her lips against Wilhelmina’s jaw, her throat, against every inch of bare skin she could reach. “My dearest,” she moaned softly, “My dearest one.”

The hand under Mina’s skirt continued its gentle teasing, and Adeline took immense pleasure at the way the other practically begged for her with her movements. This was about them, something no one else would ever understand. “Do you want to know how much I adore you, my beloved?” A teasing stroke along the top of her entrance, whispers against her ear. “Do you want me -- kneeling -- a worshipper at your feet?” She finally gave into what the other’s body language clearly demanded, slipping a finger inside her, moving in the careful practiced movements that she had come to know in hidden stairwells, by open windows. “Say the word, dearest,” she said. “I am yours to command.”

[arrangedlove]

announcement.

[arrangedlove]

tolovethatgirl:

Adeline grinned, teeth against soft skin. “Good, dearest.” Mina liked to be praised. Adeline was angry, yes, but that didn’t mean she didn’t intend on giving Wilhelmina exactly what she liked. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” As Mina untied her corset, she arched her back, leaning into the other woman’s touch. No man would ever be able to appriciate the way that woman’s hands moved, would ever be sensitive enough to truly feel the magic that her touch could bring. She trailed kisses down the other’s collar bone, untying her corset as best as she could with one hand. The other was far too occupied.

They had done this many times before. In broom closets, in stairwells, in secret little corners known only to the two of them. Only to the two of them. Adeline knew Wilhelmina’s body more intimately than she knew her own. And so it was easy for her to slip her hand beneath the other woman’s undergarments, running a finger along her entrance, teasing. “Beautiful, my beautiful,” she mumbled against the other’s skin. Her movements were slower than they might have been, normally. She wanted Wilhelmina to want her, to crave her. She pressed her body up against her, the fabric of her dress against her bare chest sending a warm thrill through her.