this book just got messier?? and mc still has the habit of sticking her nose to things she could actually get into real trouble for??
this chapter is just so chaotic man. timed choices on a diamond scene?? and this scene with ernest?? i’m just????? having sex while ur enemies are probably listening in on u in the next room? WILD ultimate show of power man
Hi! This is my first ever fanfic as well as my first fanfic I’m ever posting. I hope you guys like it! you can also read it on ao3! I don’t really have a fanbase (although I sincerely thank all 82 of my followers who aren’t bots for chilling with me lmao), so I don’t really have anyone to tag, but I’d just like to do a special shoutout to my main motivator and one of my closest friends @blondeslytherin for giving me the courage to actually publish my writing. She’s also really incredible at writing and does MCOMISSIONS so please check her out because she’d love to hear from you!
Description: This takes place right before the duel when they go up to the ancient castle. I took a few liberties on how they got there as well as the outfits but kept it mostly true to the scene. As the duel bears down on their perfect romance, how will Lady Alaina and Mr. Sinclair relax?
Warnings: none! pure fluff, but mostly because I wrote this for my creative writing class, and my teacher would not like heavy smut (or at least she’d never admit to liking it)
Despite the high summer temperatures during the daytime, the early evening chill had begun to set in as she walked through the field, Mr. Sinclair at her side, stoic and melancholy as ever. The morning after was to be grim, with the duel for her hand in marriage, but for the night, Lady Alaina simply wanted to forget about the coming dawn and stay under the stars with her true love. She continued walking silently but reached her hand out to brush his knuckles. He sputtered, trying to speak, but simply stopped his attempt as she turned his attention towards him. They were alone, which was highly inappropriate for a woman engaged to someone else to be in such close proximity to another man, but when he had thrown rocks at her window to invite her on this excursion, she had decided to forget the rules associated with her status. For tonight, she was simply Mr. Sinclair’s love. He continued to stare at her, eyes wide and cheeks painted red.
“You certainly are a modest man, are you not, Mr. Sinclair?” Despite being on a first-name basis with the man, she still liked to tease him with the formality. He took a gulp as he looked at her.
“I consider myself in that regard, yes. I apologize for stopping. We will soon arrive at the castle,” he managed to shake himself out of the reverie of his love for her. She simply nodded and turned to walk forward, but felt her breath hitch as she felt his fingers close between her own. Now was her turn to blush as she turned to him once more. He broke his resolve to give her a small smile, and they continued walking through the field. They reached the castle with the sun just beginning to set behind it, and Lady Alaina paused to take in the sight. She watched the beauty of all around her, as did Mr. Sinclair; he, however, was not staring at the sun or the castle. He watched her absorb the scene and felt his heart flutter at her own beauty. She was his, at least for tonight. In her shock, he watched her drop her shawl to the ground, leaving her shoulders uncovered. His blush extended down to his neck this time at her revealed skin. He retrieved her shawl from the ground and looked down at it in his hands to avoid seeming inappropriate. He looked back up upon hearing a small giggle come from Lady Alaina.
“One would think you’ve never seen a shoulder before, Ernest,” she taunted him, urging him to walk over to her, run his hand up her arm, interact with her in some way to confirm he was hers. He gave a chuckle and slowly stepped towards her.
“I rarely have the pleasure of seeing yours,” he whispered to her, not wanting to disturb the peace of the sunset around them. He accentuated his point by wrapping his arms around her and pressing a soft kiss to her exposed skin. She sighed happily in his arms.
“I envy Duke Richards for even getting the privilege of calling you his fiancee. Once you are married, he will, by word of law, be able to see you in the same state as I see you now,” Ernest hated to say it, but he was never one to mince his words. He felt his love sigh out of frustration at her predicament.
“This duel is to change that, though, right? You will win, the Duke will never be able to see me again, and we will be together forever, and一,” she rambled on with her wishes for a life with Mr. Sinclair before he stopped her with two hands on her shoulders.
“My love, we must prepare for the worst, you know that,” he gently spoke. She sighed once more.
“I know of it, but must I think of it? Right now, I wish to just simply be with you as if our wedding was tomorrow. This castle is even the perfect venue,” she breathed her last sentence as she turned to look at the castle. It was classified as ruins, but many of the stained glass windows and rooms were still intact. The young couple walked into each room, reminiscing about memories they had never had.
“This seems like a parlor! I wonder the ancient gossip and secrets shared in here,” she said, giggling slightly at the thought. Ernest smiled, but not at the joke. He watched her cheeks flush and her excitement increase as they moved to the next room.
This room, a bedroom, contained a large stained glass window and no roof. Despite the piles of hay throughout the room, Alaina found no trouble in imagining the grand state the room must have been in years ago. She saw a bed facing the window and lavish furniture lining the walls. She cast a sly glance at Ernest.
“Well, Mr. Sinclaire. I do love the room, as much as I love being called Mrs. Sinclaire,” she exclaimed, watching his eyes widen at her declaration. He coughed and tried to use his hand to hide his blush from her, but she grabbed his fingers and led him to one of the sides of the room where the wall was missing. Despite the sun having gone down, the moon still shone brightly directly on the castle, giving illumination to Alaina’s bright smile. They sat on the edge of the wall, holding hands as if that would keep each other from falling; in reality, it only made them fall harder.
“I….quite like it when you call yourself that. Do you really think….we can be together?” Ernest cast a glance at his shoes, not wanting to get his hopes up about the woman in front of him. She gently brought his chin up so that his eyes would meet hers. With certainty, she whispered her answer before gently kissing him in the light of the moon.
I'm seriously not forgiving comte Renard aka that bitch Snakedeon for threatening my brother and sabotage my wedding by killing that pig prince regent and Her Majesty, Queen Charlotte.
But today's highlight chapter is that me and Ernest just tell little Percival a bed time story and it was *chef kiss* WHOLESOME
Summary: Pregnant Clara wants to shares a Christmas tradition from the continent with Ernest and their daughter, causing Mr. Sinclaire to worry about being able to fulfill his wife’s request.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Choices by Pixel Berry
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Clara walks into Mr. Sinclaire’s study noticing that he is quite focused on his books. She takes a chair and sits down in front of his desk, but he doesn’t even realises she is there.
„Ernest?“, she says quietly not to startle him. „Ernest!“, this time a little louder.
„Love… Apologies, I did not see you there! Where did you came from?“, he says surprised.
Clara giggles, „From that door over there, of course!“, she stands up, walking around his desk and sitting on his lap, „I’m sorry to disturb you, I know you are busy but I wanted to make a request for this Christmas“.
Mr. Sinclaire raises a brow at his wife, „A request? Hmm, what is this request of yours about?“
„When she was alive, my mother used to bring an evergreen into our living room and decorate it, placing a couple of presents underneath it for me — she said it is a German tradition she learn with her neighbours in France. It wasn’t fancy gifts, most of them were self made or books she got from her clients but I always appreciate this time of year with her and I love the memories we made“. Mr. Sinclaire feels emotional when hearing about Clara’s childhood, so different of his own — he wraps his arms around her 5 months pregnant belly, stroking it and kissing her shoulder. „Now that Alice is a little bigger, I’d like to share this tradition with her, our baby and you. I’ll take care of the decorations if you take care of the evergreen“, she looks into his eyes and smiles.
„This sounds like a lovely tradition but where will I find an evergreen a few days before Christmas, Clara?“, he asks worried, „How can you tell me something so important on such a short notice?“
She kisses his temple, „You will find a way“, she stands up and walks to the door, „You always find a way!“, she giggles and leaves the room, throwing him a kiss as she goes.
—————
After Christmas dinner, Clara looks at her sweet daughter and says: „We got a surprise for you this year, Alice“
„Yes, today you will stay up longer because we got a few surprises for you, my darling girl“, Ernest stands up and picks up Alice from her chair, holding one arm out for Clara to take and they make their way to the siting room.
„Do you remember that we told you to not enter the sitting room?“, Alice nods, „This is why…“, Clara opens the door and Mr. Sinclaire puts her down on the floor. Her eyes light up as she sees the beautiful decorated tree and the many gifts under it.
„Go ahead… it’s all for you, my sweet girl!“, Mr. Sinclaire smiles when she looks up at him.
„Papa, is today my birthday?“, she puts a few fingers into her mouth, bitting them unsure of what to do.
Mr. Sinclaire kneels before her, taking her hand out of her mouth, „No, sweetheart, it is Christmas Eve. Mommy and I thought we could proceed with her family tradition, that’s why we have a decorated tree in our sitting room. We got a few gifts for you because we love you and we want you to enjoy this important night with us. What do you say? Should we go there and open your presents?“, he asks kissing her forehead.
„Yes, papa!“, she smiles excited, holding her hand up for Clara and Mr. Sinclaire to take. They sit around the tree and open one gift after the other and Alice can barely believe that all of this is for her.
After a couple of hours playing with her new dolls, Alice walks up to Mr. Sinclaire, who is reading a book at the sofa.
„Papa? Can you read me this book?“, she hands him one book she found under the tree.
„Of course, my darling girl. What do you have there?“, he takes it and smiles, „Oh, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King! This is a good one“, he helps her onto the couch to sit between him and Clara and reads the story until she falls asleep.
Clara smiles at Mr. Sinclaire, „Would you carry her to bed while I take the dolls to her playroom?“
„Of course, love. I’ll meet you in bed then“, he stands up and kisses her forehead. Taking Alice into his arms and leaving the room.
————
When Clara walks into their marital chamber, Mr Sinclaire is already in bed waiting for her. „This was a lovely evening, Ernest. Did you see Alice’s eyes when she saw the tree?“
„She was amazed… I bet little Clara looked the same way when she saw her first Christmas tree“, he smiles, pulling the covers for her to get into the bed. „I have something for you too, my love“, he turns around, taking a small case from his nightstand.
„Ernest! The presents are only for children… so, I didn’t get anything for you!“, she looks at him apologetically.
„You give me so much already, my love“, he places his hand on her belly and kisses it. „This is just a small token of my gratitude“, he opens the small case and shows her the gold bracelet he had made for her.
Clara smiles and kisses Ernest, „Ohh, my Ernest, this is lovely!“, she takes the case looking at the beautifully made gift. „I love you, Husband!“
He puts his arm around Clara, pulling her closer, „I love you too. Merry Christmas, my love“
The Woman I Love (First Kiss -D&D, MC x Mr. Sinclaire)
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Book: Desire & Decorum
Summary: Mr. Sinclaire falls into a trap in his own dinner party and end up hurting the most important person in his life. Will he be able to clarify what happened or is it too late for them?
Rating: PG
Pairing: Mr. Sincaire x MC (Clara)
Characters: Mr. Sinclaire, Lady Clara, Miss Holloway, Annabelle, Mr. Harper, Briar, The Dowager Countess
Words: around 2800
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Choices by Pixel Berry
Note: Thank you for stopping by. It is my first fanfic in English and I hope you have fun!
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The wind is picking up on a chilly spring night in London. The sound of its whistles echos through Mr. Sinclaire’s large townhouse, even though the pianoforte mostly conceals its intensity. Clara stands in front of the window and watches carefully what is going on in Mr. Sinclaire’s Townhouse patio. Annabelle, on the other hand, studies her friend’s face trying to figure out what is going through her mind but her expression is blank.
„Once again, why did Mr. Sinclaire accepted Miss Holloway's request to go outside? The poor bloke looks rather uncomfortable around her…“, Annabelle asks whilst shifting glances between Clara and the scene outside the window. Clara looks over her shoulder to her friend and answers:
„Well, according to Miss Holloway she was not feeling quite well and was in need of fresh air. However, she seems fine from where I stand“, she sighs whilst watching Felicity Holloway touching Mr. Sinclaire’s strong arms with a big smile on her face. Annabelle takes her friends hand trying to get her attention for a moment and as Clara looks at her, she says:
„Maybe you should go out there and save the poor fellow from that deadly trap. I’m sure Mr. Sinclaire would appreciate the gesture“, she knew for a fact that he could not stand Miss Holloway’s pretension. What she was not so sure about were the motives that led him to leave his party when Miss Holloway was clearly just trying to spend some time alone with him. Clara let her friend’s words sink in for a moment before smiling at her and whispering:
„I guess you are right, Annabelle. And I know exactly what to say to whisk him away from her!“, she winks at her friend and leaves the room making sure nobody notices her leaving.
———————————————————————
„Miss Holloway, I believe you are feeling quite alright now, yes? So I should go and join my guests once again as it would be utter disrespect on my part to leave them alone for so long“, Miss Holloway ceases her smile looking rather disappointed after hearing Mr. Sinclaire’s words. She steps closer to him and says:
„Why, Mr. Sinclaire… Why do you have to make it so difficult?“, Mr. Sinclaire looks at her puzzled by her words. The truth is that he was not listening to her taradiddle as all he could think about was Lady Clara in her beautiful navy dress. „It is because of the Earl’s bastard, is it not? I have noticed the way you look at her… however, it does not change the fact that she is the kind of wench you have fun with and I am the kind of lady you should wed. You know it very well!“, she gets closer to him. He looks at her with furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, angry at the inadequacy of her words. He takes a deep breath and says:
„I do not appreciate you or anyone talking about Lady Clara in such a manner in my house, Miss Holloway.“, he gets one step closer to her and continues in a lower voice: „It sounds to me as if you are feeling threatened by her. It is indeed easier for you to destroy others than to face your own shortcomings, is it not?“, Miss Holloway frowns at him but before she is able to respond to his blunt accusations, she sees Lady Clara descending the stairs on her way to join them. In a rash reaction, she throws her arms around Mr. Sinclaire and kisses him caressing his hair. Clara looks at the man she loves in the arms of another woman and feels her heart breaking into thousand pieces. She can’t bear the sight of her dreams being destroyed by one kiss...
It does not take too long for Mr. Sinclaire to hear steps coming from behind him, as if one was running for their lives. He pushes Miss Holloway away from him and turns around only to see Clara getting into the house. He screams after her:
„Lady Clara… wait!“, without looking back at Miss Holloway he storms after her.
——————————————————————
Clara runs through the house looking for the fastest way out. ‚How could I be such a fool‘, she asks herself, tears streaming down her face whilst she flings the door open on her way out.
„Mr. Harper! Mr. Harper!“, she cries out his name standing for a moment in the front yard. A few feet away she hears his kind voice:
„I am over here, Lady Clara!“, she runs as fast as she can to her friend and confident wishing she could unsee what she had just faced. As she gets closer, he cannot ignore her red face and puffy eyes and wonder what might have happened in that dinner party. However, before he is able to ask anything, she says:
„Pray, take me out of here!“, he looks aback and sees Mr. Sinclaire leaving the house in a hurry screaming her name. For one second Mr. Harper’s and Mr. Sinclaire’s eyes meet and as he comes in Clara’s direction she says entering the carriage: „Now!“. Mr. Harper could not understand the depth of what was evolving in front of his eyes. He knows Clara cares a whole lot for Mr. Sinclaire and he knows a man in love when he sees one — Mr. Sinclaire is definitely in love with her, so what could he have done to hurt her? Without further question, he takes his place in front of the carriage and they departure before Mr. Sinclaire is able to reach them.
———————————————————————
It is around 8 O’Clock in the next morning when Briar enters Clara’s room. She opens the curtain allowing the rays of sun to touch Clara’s face for a moment before she hides it under a pillow.
„You have to wake up, Clara. We have to get you dressed otherwise the gentleman waiting for you down the stairs might lose his patience and leave“, Lady Clara looks for Briar eyes for a second and asks:
„Gentleman? What gentleman could possibly be down the stairs waiting for me?“, her eyes are almost shut, still swollen from the hours she spent crying before finally fallen asleep of exhaustion. Briar smiles at her and says:
„Why, Mr. Sinclaire! Who else would come this hour of the day requesting seeing you? Your Lady Grandmother asked me to get you ready whilst she offers him some tea. The poor man looks quite tired! I bet he spent the night pining for you“, Briar, the hopeless romantic, laughs at he own thoughts whilst Clara buries her face once again under the pillow and says:
„Sadly for him I am not feeling well today. I think it is best if she sends him away…“, Briar sits at her side, her face with a mix of worry and nervousness. She touches her friend’s arm shortly and says:
„You do not seem to have a fever though… are you sure you are not feeling good today?“, Clara answers in a almost inaudible voice:
„I am staying in bed for the day. You can tell Mr. Sinclair whatever you please. Tell him I am sick or that I left… or better yet, tell him that I died — maybe I will, just to prove a point!“, Briar laughs at her friend’s exaggeration and says:
„Alright… if there is no changing your mind. I will inform the Dowager Countess about your sudden illness but be aware that she will want to know what is going on with you!“, Lady Clara says to her friend:
„Pray, close the curtains on your way out… I really do need some sleep“, Briar does as requested and leaves the room.
————————————————————————
It has been three days since Clara left her bed. Once again, around 8 O’Clock in the morning she hears a knock on her door. The room is still dark and if it depended on Clara, it would stay this way for a while. Without any sign of life from her granddaughter, the Dowager Countess enters her room and opens the curtains and the window saying:
„The air in this room is stuffy, no wonder you have not been feeling well, my darling granddaughter“, Clara mumbles wishing to get back to her sleep. However, the Dowager Countess will not give up so easy this time. She sits on the bed and says: „I do not know what you have done to that poor man but he is once again down the stairs waiting for the sight of you — he has been coming back day after day since your last encounter in his house and you have been sending him home ever since“, she pauses her discourse and takes the pillow away from Claras’s face before starting it again: „Last time we talked, you told me about your interest in him. I can not possibly imagine what has changed the past few days. However, I am sure your father will not be pleased when he hears about your demeanour towards a member of the Sinclaire family. He has high hopes for the both of you, even though Mr. Sinclaire is not titled“. Clara looks at her Grandmother and sighs making sure she understands how displeased she is with Lady Grandmother’s mention of her father. She sits at her bed and says:
„Tell him I will see him today… but I have to get dressed first!“, the Dowager Countess smiles at her granddaughter and says:
„Very well, I will send Briar up“, she stands up and leaves the room on her way to Mr. Sinclaire.
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Mr. Sinclaire paces around the empty sitting room waiting for a sign of Clara. The past few days have been torture for the handsome country squire, who could not concentrate on his business as all he could think about was Lady Clara.
Lost in his thoughts, he did not notice her entering the room. Clara glances at him and notices that he looks tired as if he was not sleeping well. She takes a deep breath and says:
„To what do I owe the honour of your visit, Mr. Sinclaire?“, his heart flutters by the sight of her —her blond hair tied in a bun showing off her beautiful long neck, she is a vision in light pink this morning and her big green eyes… he can not resist those beautiful eyes of hers. Before he can say anything she continues: „You know, you have been waking me up daily with your requests, Sir. Although I would rather rest, I have to admit that today my curiosity took the best of me“, she looks at him but it is not the same as before. He feels her distance, she has lost the sparkle in her eyes always present when she looked at him.
Mr. Sinclaire walks in her direction getting closer to her. He takes her hand and kisses her knuckles before saying: „My Lady, allow me to say this first… you look beautiful today“, his smile is genuine, his deep blue eyes not leaving her sight for a moment. Clara pulls her hand back and walks over to the window. Sinclaire breathes deeply and says: „I was worried about you leaving my dinner party in such a distress. It seemed appropriate to make sure you were alright…“, he lowers his voice and says: „That we were alright…“.
Clara looks over her shoulders and says: „I am fine, Mr. Sinclaire. However, I wonder what Miss Holloway would think about you visiting me daily. For someone so worried about propriety it seems quite inappropriate, would you not agree?“
Mr. Sinclaire is startled by her words. He shakes his head for a short moment and says: „Pardon me my Lady, but I cannot possibly understand what Miss Holloway has to do with our conversation“. Clara looks directly at him and sees his bewildered expression, then turns her glance once again over to the street and says:
„Well, she made sure to inform me at your dinner party about the talks between you and her family. She even mentioned the discussion of terms for your engagement to her. Of course, I thought she was daydreaming, however, after watching you kissing her…“, before Clara can finish her sentence, Mr. Sinclaire walks over to her side and says:
„I am not sure what kind of madness has afflicted Miss Holloway to say this much of a poppycock. However, I can assure you that I am neither interested in her nor in her family affairs, Lady Clara“, Clara contemplates the weight of his words as his face changes into an rather annoyed expression.
Trying to keep the distance between both, Clara walks to the other side of the room and says:
„I know what I saw and that was a very affectionate kiss, Sir.“, she takes a seat on the Sofa in front of the fireplace and continues: „Anyway, I am sure you have business to take care of in the city. I most certainly do not want to get in your way. Have a good day, Mr. Sinclaire“, she looks to the slow burning fire trying not to meet his eyes for once.
Mr. Sinclaire sighs deeply and says: „Fair enough, Lady Clara“, he thinks about going to her but she has made herself clear — she wishes nothing more than to be left alone. He heads to the door and looks over to her before saying: „Until we meet again, my Lady“.
Clara hears his heavy boots marching out of the house and as the front door opens and closes she feels as if she could finally breath again — her eyes could not hold back the tears for one more minute. She sat there crying alone until she notices someone entering the room. Sobbing she takes a deep breath, her voice full of pain and says:
„Lady Grandmother, I talked to him as you wished… now would you please leave me be for a moment? I cannot bare the thought of discussing anything right now“, she hears no response in return but she still senses her Grandmother’s eyes on her. Clara says: „He kissed her… he kissed Miss Holloway. I do not quite understand how he could…“, behind her she hear:
„I did not and I would never kiss Miss Holloway, Lady Clara!“, she jumps out of the Sofa drying her tears whilst Mr. Sinclaire walks slowly to her side: „Miss Holloway forced herself on me but I would never… for I could not imagine kissing anyone else than the woman I love and care about“, his voice is assertive yet tender. He closes the distance between them and caresses her cheeks looking deeply in those green eyes of hers, Clara whispers:
„But Mr. Sinclaire…“, as if she would want to discuss what happened in his house. Mr. Sinclaire cups her cheeks and tells her in a lower tone:
„It pains me greatly, my Lady, that you would not believe my words… I can only hope you will believe my actions“. He slowly lowers his lips to hers, unsure of her reaction. Clara’s heart is beating so fast she fears he will be able to hear it. She closes her eyes feeling the warmth of his breath and their lips meet for the first time. A jolt of electricity runs down their spine as Mr. Sinclaire deepens the kiss — one of his hands wandering to her lower back pulling her closer to him, the other hand holds her head. The kiss lasted for a brief moment but it was more than Clara has ever dreamed of. His soft lips touching hers, the musk scent of his cologne and his strong hands holding her for the first time has awaken something in her body that she has never felt before.
Fearing getting caught in a compromising situation, Mr. Sinclaire pulls apart reluctantly. Resting his forehead on hers, almost out of breath but smiling he whispers: „Now that you know my deepest heart’s desire, I hope you will never doubt my intentions towards you ever again, Lady Clara!“, Clara flushes and smiles coyly whilst Mr. Sinclaire leans in for another kiss. His lips brushes hers but he takes a step back as he hears footsteps coming from the corridor— His cheeks turn red and he shakes his head before mumbling: „You are making it quite difficult for me to resist the urge to kiss you, my Lady“. He looks at the door expecting for someone to come in but the footsteps get further away. She smiles whilst he takes Clara’s hand and says: „I better get back to my duties, as I have not been able to focus on anything after that dinner party“, he kisses her hand and bids farewell to her leaving her alone.
Clara runs to the door and watches Mr. Sinclaire leaving the house. Although he is not one to often smile, she could swear she saw a smile on his face as he was closing the door. Mr. Sinclaire, on the other hand, could swear he had seen Clara’s eyes peeking at him around the doorframe.
