his departure could not have come at a more unfavorable time and philippa was not ashamed to admit that his absence had been keenly felt over the weeks that the king had spent in dover ─ without his encompassing warmth and steady assurance by her side, the duchess of suffolk had been unmoored, floating mindlessly in the seas of uncertainty even as the court rose in thunderous celebrations beneath the regency of the princess. the separation had been poorly mended through letters exchanged on the daily though many laid unsent, shoved in the compartments of her desk and comprising of a few legible sentences that reflected the way that he occupied her thoughts every second of every waking minute. ( in the morning, when sense returned to her with the rising of the sun, the letters would be made into kindling for the hearth, though a few would remain, lodged between books and letters of estate, to tell the tale of the duke and duchess of suffolk to the future generations. ) it was no surprise, then, that she came to him, as bare as the day of her birth, beneath the cover of night, unable to rest until he was standing before her, allowing her gaze to consume him as though such drastic changes could take place in a span of a few days ─ unadorned and exposed, both in body and in spirit, she approached as a shade of the golden, glittering wife he had abandoned for dover and for the king, with steps as light as a feather.
❝ is it truly you, husband ? ❞ pale lashes dusted the apples of her cheeks as she blinked, pausing in her step, to dislodge the exhaustion - fueled fantasy from her gaze. when he did not fade from her sight, philippa hastened to meet him, unhindered by the billowing nightdress that laid forgotten on the floor. ❝ how you haunt my days and my nights, how the absence of you has made me cruel to the undeserving souls beneath our household, how the sight of you now fills my aching heart. ❞ what was meant as a rebuke chimed instead with breathless appeal, giddied and lightheaded with relief at his return to her side ─ with outstretched hands, they collided, fitting into the curves and crevices of each others' bodies with a familiarity that had her sighing against his ministrations, fingers clutching at his shoulders as the warmth of his mouth descended upon her neck. ❝ my darling ... you left me emptied of soul, of warmth, of love ... take me, fill me, consume me and make me whole again. ❞
stretching along the length of him, their lips met, forcing a soft gasp, a half whine from the slender column of her throat as her body pressed closer to him, as though she meant to crawl beneath his layers and feel the warmth of his skin against her, unhindered. plucking at his ties and buttons with cool fingers, she brought him along with her as they stumbled through the darkness, one leg lifting to hook around his thigh as her back met with the edge of the chaise, the warmth of her center pressed against the heaviness of his confined length. with a trembling moan, her hips swiveled pitiful in an attempt to rub against him with little success. ❝ let me ... let me show you ... let me show you how much i have missed you, so you will never think of leaving me again. ❞ as though it were his choice to leave, as though she had not been supportive of his calling to accompany the king. never again would she put ambition before her heart, before her husband, for though she desired to possessed those around her, he had full control of her, the sole master of her entirety whose lack of attention had left her like a marionette with her strings cut. murmured against his mouth, she broke away with a stuttered breath, trailing her lips down his chin and neck to the loosen gap of his shirt ─ pressing a wet kiss to his chest, tongue flicking at the hint of perspiration on his skin, she fell to her knees, dragging her hands down his front until she met with the ties of his hose. philippa did not bend easily, pride stiffening her limbs into lead before all but the almighty, yet she found a comfort in her place, staring up at her husband with trust shining in her eyes as she unpicked at his ties until a slender hand could slip between fabric and flesh to cup the warm weight of his cock in her palm.
freeing him from his confines, a soft noise hummed within her throat as she kissed the length of him with an open mouth, shamelessly delighting in the salt - sweat - musk that filled her with a heady desire that slickened at her cunt. with a firm hand, she grasped him, stroking him to full hardness ─ once, twice, thrice, the ring of her fingers slickened by the wetness that drips from her waiting mouth onto the bulbous head. mouthing at tip, she pushed the spit through her lips against his cockhead as she blindly reached for one of his hands and, once their fingers intertwined, his fingers were brought to rest upon her head. ❝ guide me ... show me how you wish to be pleased, husband. ❞
