Upon waking up the next morning I can sense right away that something is different. It seems that it is unusually quiet in the house. I normally hear the servants going about their work, but I don't hear anything right now. Quickly I get up and I am not surprised to see that I am not clothed. I go over to the closet and get the easiest dress to put on. Quickly I put it on and a pair of loose shoes before I go out in search of any people.
Upon passing William's room I cock my head to the side for a moment, but I don't hear anything coming from there. When I reach the bottom of the stairs I hear a low murmur of voices coming from the study. Without stopping to listen and find out who was there I open the door. William turns toward me and who is standing next to him, but the vicar. My heart sinks. I can see that I should have stayed in bed, but I am here now, so I may as well face the consequences.
Smiling as if nothing in the world could possibly be wrong, William reaches out a hand to me. "Maranda, I was hoping that you were going to be getting up soon, love. I was just telling your uncle here that once I saw you working so hard as a scullery maid I just couldn't have it. Having promoted you to the status of fiancé I could not have you sleeping in the servants quarters any longer. I had your things moved at once, and last night we went out and celebrated our engagement by spending it with the gypsies, which is why we weren't here when he came last night."
I can see that William wants me to go along with this, so I do. "That is right, Uncle. We would have spoken to you about it, but since you are always so busy with the vicarage and all of you parishioners we decided that we would wait until we had told Joshua first. After all, he is the one that I was trying so desperately to save from debtors prison, so we thought it was only right that he should be the first to know about us." My uncle is growing more and more upset by the minute, this is very evident by his face.
Pulling me close to his side, and letting his hand wander familiarly over my waist, William leans over and gives me a hard kiss, right on the mouth. Placing my arms around his neck, I respond to it more than I normally would have. Breaking apart, William looks down at me and in a voice only I can hear he whispers one word: Later.
My uncle finally clears his throat. "Well, if you would have given me some notice of this decision yesterday when I was here I would not have come to the conclusion that I did. When my parishioner told me that you were seen carrying my niece to a coach and putting her inside I got the wrong idea. You should definitely be married post haste so that there will be no scandal attached to either of you. In regards to Maranda's betrothal, I shall just have to see what can be done in the way of breaking it. You are a very lucky man, if I have to say so myself, Sir William. Her wedding announcement was set to take place in two weeks time, and it was going to be Robert that she would have been marrying, not a gentleman such as you. I hope that she knows how fortunate she is."
"I do, Uncle. Ever since I first came to work here, I have known that Sir William is a very unique gentleman."
With his arm still around my waist William clears his throat in embarrassment. "I will be getting in touch with you in the next few days to set up when the happy event should take place." At my uncle's look of disapproval, William continues: "I can't ask my wife-to-be to get married in these old dresses that she has. I have to allow her to get a new trousseau. That in and of itself will take some time. As I said, I will be getting in touch with you soon." With that tone of voice, my uncle really can not argue any further. Almost as if he has nothing else to do or say, he turns and walks out the door. By the way he is walking I know that he is burning with anger.
When the door slams behind him I turn into William's arms. Almost immediately he is undoing the closures on my gown. "Maranda, you don't know how much I wanted to slowly wake you up this morning with gentle kisses and tenderly make love to you. Unfortunately I had an unexpected visitor." Taking me by surprise he pushes my gown all of the way off. "Maranda, I need you. It is up to you, though, how you would like it. I could do you over the desk, or here on the floor in front of the fire. It is up to you."
I glance over at the desk, because I know that he likes it that way. "Over the desk, William. I know how you like it that way."
William groans and grabs me to him. While he is guiding me over to the desk I can tell that there is something that he wants to say. Finally, when he has me bent over the side of the desk, he casually starts to talk. "Maranda, you know that you now have to marry me, don't you?" I turn and look up at him in shock. "I was not bluffing when I told your uncle that. I do want to marry you. I was just waiting for the right time to ask you." Casually he presses his manhood into me. "I was going to ask you last night, but that was a lot better than I could have hoped for instead." Slowly pulling out he presses back into me just as relaxed. When I don't respond to what he is saying, William pulls all the way out of me. "Stand up, Maranda, and look at me." Standing I turn to look at him. I see something different in his eyes today. Something that wasn't there yesterday. "Maranda, I am asking you, standing here naked as the day I was born, to marry me. I think I started to fall in love with you that first night when you presented me with such a spitfire of a girl that was ready to do anything to help her brother stay out of prison. I knew then that you were the right one for me, but as time went on and I have seen your unwavering loyalty to me and to Joshua, I have come to know that I want you with me at all times. I want to have you be the mother of my children. I want you to be the one that warms my bed every night and lets me have her when ever and where ever I want her. Please say that you will marry me."
I slowly, but boldly, reach down and caress his manhood. "Does this mean that there will be no public compromise?"
Grabbing me up to him roughly, he kisses me hard. "Not until you answer my question, wench." I can see a smile on his face that takes the sting out of his words.
"Then for goodness sake, yes, I will marry you. If you think that you are doing the right thing."
"I know I am, now, assume the position." I lean over the desk again and before I expect it he rams himself into me. "I am getting the best person that I could have ever dreamed of in marrying you." Slamming into me harder he continues. "If you still want the public compromising, then by all means, let us get to it." With one final thrust into me he lets out a shout and presses hard up against me. "I am not going to let anyone else have you though. They may watch, and if you will allow it, they may touch, but no one shall have you but me."
