Again plot development. Forgive me, but the sex will come after a few chapters , so bear with me.
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Old wisdom says that you can never be a passive participant in your own marriage, but defiant being as I was, I was resolutely exactly that. It is with some regret though that I inform you now that I would have done well to have shown some modicum of participation, so that I could exercise what little control I could over the otherwise un-manageable situation. I would give the example of my wedding dress to make myself clear- the French had successfully given a very desirable twist to the term 'fashion'; low-cut gowns were all the vogue. Designing naughty lingerie was the new noble profession amongst ladies. Being naturally of a somewhat tomboyish inclination, I had never paid much attention to the clothes I wore. Darling old Martha was left in-charge and had done a good job so far, as her age and era of experience allowed. To put it simply, it was on the day of the wedding that I was rudely introduced to 'fashion' , with my decolletage almost spilling out of the a-bit-too-tight whalebone corset. The wedding gown promised much more than the usual till-death-do-us-part. All in all I was mortified, but then again I seemed to be the only one who was. Martha thought I was an angel, and my father...well He was too preoccupied with getting me to the church to notice anything else.
Now, as is proper for a bride to-be, I managed to conjure up the illusion of interest in my betrothed...without quite reaching the necessary blush (that seemed a bit over the top).When the pretense changed into reality I cannot point out exactly, suffice it to say that it was somewhere between me dressing up and the ride to the church. So, when I found myself confronting the heavy and intricately carved oak doors of the church, I did the most lady like thing in the world- I swooned. But, my mind ever so concerned about my vanity would have none of it and so I found myself restored even before the smelling salts were within a smelling distance. And that is how I lost my chance of a brief respite.