Ursula waited, her fingers holding the precious diamond necklace in place. Of course Phineas had tried to back out. To reinstall the distance between them. Had pretended to be terribly busy. An empty excuse, for he was very much still there with her and busy with something else.
And Ursula had noticed everything. The way his eyes had been roaming over her body shaped by the tight corset. The blush that had creeped upon his cheeks. The way his breath had got heavier. And the obvious physical reaction in his neither regions under the fine fabric of his tailored breeches.
His words were hanging in the air, the sentence unfinished. Apparently she had made him speechless. She had to acknowledge that with a certain amount of satisfaction. Phineas Nigellus Black was NEVER at a loss of words and always had to have the last word. Now, as she watched him standing behind her in the mirror, she could see the wheels in his head turn. Or jam.
He was so close to her right now, she could feel his warmth, smell his cologne, but also the alcohol on his breath (which she normally detested) and hear him swallow hard. What she could also feel, was her own growing anticipation and the effects of having him so close behind her. Her own breath slightly faster, the restriction of the corset even tighter all of a sudden now.
For a moment, time stood still.
She saw him staring at her bare upper back in the mirror. Examining her like he would a Greek sculpture out of marble. The tension between them was almost unbearable. Yet, there was still the possibility for him to turn away from her, scoffing, telling her they had servants for a reason, scolding her for her cheap display.
Instead, Phineas removed his white evening gloves and placed them aside on her vanity. Ursula then could feel the slightest contact of his fingertips as he brushed aside a lock of hair that had come out of her updo. That alone caused her to shiver. Had he noticed? He cleared his throat again and then gingerly took the delicate silver clasp of the necklace. Closed it expertertly. He had done so before.
The touch of his warm fingers made Ursula hold her breath. She felt her pulse quicken. He had such beautiful hands. Always meticulously manicured, the skin soft. She had never known his touch to be crude, but always careful and gentle. He wasn’t a brute. Distant and closed, yes, but never crude. His fingers lingered, resting against her warm, soft skin longer than necessary after the simple task had long been completed. Ursula closed her eyes for a second, relishing the feeling.
To her surprise, his finger then moved to her right shoulder, applying a tiny amount of pressure in order to direct her to turn around. She did so, immediately looking up to him. Again, she felt his eyes on her. On her lips, then lower, to her now heaving chest, captured by her cleavage pushing forward with every breath. It was a look of blatant desire and clear intention.
At that, Ursula felt a tug in her lower abdomen. Their eyes locked once again and she gazed at him imploringly. Waiting for him to lean in and kiss her. She longed for it. Forgotten were all the harsh words and condescending looks of disapproval from earlier. She would take any of that for one moment of this. With the man behind the facade. And because of the clear state of her husband’s arousal, her thoughts and hopes went even further.
Would he want to…. Was he going to… Now?
There was still an hour until the guests arrived. Arcturus was certainly still in the drawing room. Belvina dressing up her doll, bless her. And Cygnus being cared for and fed by the house elf. Phineas and her were alone. In their bedroom. With her not fully clothed, her hair not yet coiffured. Well, she couldn’t care less about her hair now!
She would have time to make herself presentable afterwards, anyways. More than enough time. Phineas was as …efficient in their marital affairs as he was in everything else. Usually a few minutes were sufficient for him to do his duty. Determined. She was used to the circumstance her enjoyment was more often secondary. She never spoke up. That was nothing for a proper wife to do.
But there had been different times. When he had had some alcohol, just as he had consumed the bloody stuff now. Then, he was prone to get more… passionate. And even if she despised his drinking habits (and the taste of alcohol on his lips) she couldn’t deny she much more enjoyed their encounters after him having had downed some drinks, because, peculiarly, his level of attention towards her own pleasure would rise significantly.
The memory came in a flash. Of the last time he had been like that with her. The soirée at Gaunt Manor. The black dress. The marks on her neck she had found the following day, just behind her ear and above the jugular vein. Magic had only been able to tone down his claims on her. It hadn’t been the only ’creative’ thing he had tried with her in his inebriated passion, though. And it had made her think where exactly he had got the inspiration from. Also, her husband had the tendency to fall asleep QUITE quickly afterwards. So perhaps it was more reasonable to postpone any sort of marital activities to later.
Phineas seemed to had come to the same conclusion because he regained his composure and drew away his eyes, only for them to land on the black evening dress, his tone now confident again if only slightly raspy.
“Our guests will arrive within the hour. I suggest, you finish readying yourself. Unless, there ist anything else you may be in need of assistance of.“
Oh, there was definitely something she could need his assistance of now!
But that was nothing she would ever voice in his presence. That sort of openness was deemed inappropriate for a lady of her standing. Nothing a wife would ask of her husband. The words of her mother creeped into her mind once again.
‘A wife has to be silent and obedient, Ursula. Your desires or wishes are not important. You must never mention them in front of your husband. It is unbecoming.‘
Phineas‘s voice reached her again, pulling her back to reality when he added in a slightly lower tone, without looking at her:
“ I am sure you shall be the envy of all.“
His compliment came unexpected. It was a poor substitute for what Ursula had silently hoped for, (he could have kissed her on the cheek or embraced her at least! Leaving her like that after practically undressing her with his eyes and showing his obvious desire for her, was simply cruel!), but for a man like him, it was still a praise of the highest order.
A bit stunned, she couldn’t find her voice at first. Then, trying her best to not sound too disappointed and needy, she donned a sincere smile and told him in a calm and meaningful tone:
He simply nodded, then turned to leave.
For a while, Ursula stared at the closed door. Processing all the piled up emotions. She really had to get dressed now. And she had to check on the children as well.
After she had summoned Dinky, who helped her into the evening dress and pinned her mistress’s dark curls into an elegant, loose low bun, Ursula picked up her black long silk gloves and made her way to the nursery to kiss her youngest, who was already laying very sleepily and well-fed in his cot, goodnight. Ursula was grateful for his calm state, she wouldn’t have had the time nor the nerves to pick him up and rock him to sleep. With a swish of her wand, the enchanted mobile above his head started to move, tiny owls were spreading their wings and flying in slow circles.
One last loving look at her dear baby boy, a caress of his chubby cheek, then Ursula left the nursery, smiling.
But when she entered her daughter’s room, Ursula was regaled with a different scene altogether. The 4-year old was sitting on the floor, pressing her beloved doll against her chest. The girl’s big eyes red and swollen, tears still running down her cherubic face. The new velvet dress torn and ripped apart.
Before Ursula could have asked what in Salazar´s name she had done, Belvina started crying louder upon the sight of her mother.
“Daddy, sniff , daddy, sniff, daddy doesn’t like my new dress, and… and, I don’t want to wear it anymore, I wanted to take it off, but, sniff, I…. I couldn’t.“
Ursula took a deep breath, her brows furrowing in concern, before she walked over to Belvina and lowered herself to pat her back.
“Now, now, Belvina that is nonsense, your father hasn’t even seen your dress. I’m sure he will like it, it is so lovely.“
“No, he doesn’t, sniff!!“
An uneasy feeling overcame Ursula. It was clear that the girl wasn’t lying and making such a fuss over nothing. Something involving her father had had to have occurred. What sorrow had he caused now?
She decided to not dwell on it for too long. She would find out soon enough. And if Belvina’s words contained a grain of truth…
Time was running and Belvina had had to be presentable for their guests. Phineas would have been furious if not and blamed it on her, with her clearly failing in her duty as a mother. So all Ursula could have done, was damage control. As always.
“Hush little owlet, I am sure your father didn’t mean what he said. He has a lot on his mind because of the dinner, you know. It is very important to him and our guests are as well. Why don’t we make you beautiful again and go downstairs, mh? I can’t be the only lady next to your father and brother, can I? Come on, sometimes we have to pull ourselves together regardless of how we are feeling. Get up for me, will you?“
Belvina eyed her mother calculating, but nodded eventually, sniffing heavily one last time. Ursula took out her wand and casted ‘Reparo’ on the torn dress before she wiped away her daughters tears and kissed her on the forehead.
“There, that is my lovely girl! I expect you to behave now, love, and I want you to make me proud. Now, shall we put Miss Josephine to bed and go downstairs?“
Mother and daughter headed towards the ground floor; Belvina’s little hand in Ursula’s. The girl had cheered up a bit, beaming in awe at the shiny beads on her mother’s dress. Passing by the half closed door of the drawing room, Ursula called for Arcturus to join them. The boy looked even more gloomy than before, his head hanging low. He had had to be just nervous about playing in front of an audience later… Or so Ursula tried to fight her motherly alert. Arcturus was an introverted boy who preferred to settle things with himself. She had left him in Phineas‘s company earlier. A mistake, as it seemed. But then again the man was the boy’s father, for Merlin’s sake! He had to be capable of being around their offspring without being overly expectant and strict. It really made her furious and she could sense the familiar feeling of anger towards her husband rise again. She wouldn’t let him continue to take out whatever was troubling him on his children. Gone for good was the tender image of him during that intimate moment in their bedroom!
“Arcturus, I would very much like it if you minded your posture a bit during the evening and be polite when addressed by our guests. I know you are a responsible and well-mannered boy. And don’t worry about your piano play, I am positive you will excel later.“ No matter what your father has said to you.
The trio entered the salon on the ground floor. The grand room was already illuminated by candles and a roaring fire. A group of elegant plush chairs was arranged in front of the fireplace and family portraits adorned the papered walls. A house elf was quietly standing in one corner, carrying a silver tray with champagne in ornated glasses.
Ursula spotted her husband standing by the window. Much to her dismay, she also noticed a tumbler of golden liquor in his hand again. She had lost count on the amount of drinks he had already had. She pursed her lips. She was not going to comment on that now. Phineas turned his head after he had noticed the arrival of his wife and two of their children. He looked them up and down, lingering a second longer on his wife’s form clad in the black dress. Of course, Ursula was already well aware she was making a stunning appearance. The envy of them all…
He seemed to approve what he saw because no contrary remark left his mouth.
Ursula took a few steps towards him, taking Belvina with her, whose dark brows furrowed and her bottom lip protruded upon seeing her father. Behind her back, Arcturus moved to one corner of the room, trying to become one with the shadows.
Ursula gave her husband one stern and knowing look that could beat even the most potent veritaserum before turning to her daughter.
“Belvina, why don’t you show your father your new dress?“
When Ursula’s eyes darted back to Phineas, she failed to hide the provocative tone and the unmissable glare that accompanied her words:
“Your daughter has waited so long for a special occasion to finally wear it! And doesn’t she look lovely in it, dear? Goodness, but you must be still amazed by your son‘s talent on the keys!“
