Only the First of Many

Note: This is basically the diamond scene from Book 2, Chapter 9 but from Ernest’s point of view. All the dialogue is copied from the chapter. I took some liberties with the actions where the text was less descriptive.

One more… One, Two…” Ernest begins walking the paces once again like he’s done for the past two hours straight.

“Ernest…” Anna interrupts. “Take a deep breath. You have nothing to fear.” She walks towards him with a reassuring smile, taking his hand in hers.

Ernests shoulder’s slump and he moves away from Anna. He wishes her faith in him was enough for the both of them, but he can’t stop worrying about the possibility of a negative outcome. “If I…If I don’t win, you’ll be locked in your engagement, and I won’t be able to stop it!”

“Listen to me…Everything will work out as long as we have each other. She reassures him. “You and I can accomplish anything together. I believe in us…why don’t you?”

It pains Ernest to have such doubt and to see the look on Anna’s face because of it. “I do believe…but I still fear for what could happen.”

“Listen, I’m scared too..but if we let our fear get the best of us, Duke Richards wins, and I refuse to give him that satisfaction.” Anna’s features harden, a mix of determination and anger. Ernest wraps his arms around Anna and she nestles her head into the crook of his neck. For a brief while, all feels right in the world. “I don’t want this moment to pass.”

“Neither do I…Especially since…” He hesitates to say it aloud and make it real, but he must. “this could be my last night upon this earth…”

“You can’t think like that…Think of me, stay with me…not your fears.”

Anna is right. if this truly is the last night he spends with her, would he wish to have wasted it worrying about what was to come instead of being in the moment, sharing the depth of his love for her should it need to last a lifetime? He presses a kiss to her forehead and murmurs softly. “Oh Anna. You’re the comfort I need…the comfort I desire. I want to share every moment I can with you…”

She pulls back, gazing into his eyes. He runs a hand gently along the curve of her cheek, hoping she understands what he’s asking and that she wants it too. “Ernest…what are you saying?”

“I want to be closer with you than I have ever been…in case we never get the chance again…Will you stay the night…with me?” He doesn’t spell it out explicitly, but he’s fairly certain he’s said enough.

A bright smile spreads across her face, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight. “There is absolutely nowhere else I would prefer to be, on this night or any other.”

“Then let this merely be the first of many.” Ernest leads Anna into the castle ruins with an electric air of anticipation between them. The large room is illuminated only by the faint glow of the moon through the partially caved in ceiling.

“Wow…” Anna’s jaw drops as she eyes the space. A cold breeze blows in and she shivers.

Ernest reflexively reaches out and wraps her shawl tightly around her shoulders. “Are you cold? We should start a fire.”

“A fire would be most…intimate.” She emphasizes the last word, a tempting smile playing on her lips, further igniting the passion within him. They work together to quickly pile logs into the fireplace. He strikes two crumbled stones together, and much to his relief, the spark is enough to set the logs aflame. Anna looks around with wonder. “Ernest, this place is so Romantic!”

Ivy has woven itself into the crevices in the old stone walls, and the ornate stained glass windows are as magnificent as ever. “Yes…like something out of an epic novel.” How fitting he thinks, as their own story is one for the ages.

“A tale of epic passion.” Anna adds, as if to make her intentions even clearer.

As Anna warms her hands by the fire, Ernest retrieves a blanket from his saddlebag. “I didn’t want you freezing to death in your efforts to humor my anxiety about tomorrow’s battle, so…” He feels a need to explain so as not to seem presumptuous, but the truth is he had been hoping the blanket could be of use for certain other purposes tonight. He spreads the fabric over a large bale of hay, sitting atop it and patting the space next to him in invitation. He cradles her in his arms as she sits down beside him and buries his face in her hair which smells of flowers and fresh air. With time again to think, the weight of the impending duel sinks down upon him once more. “I wish…I wish to never let you go.”

“Are you still worried about the morning?” She asks as she must be able to hear it in his voice.

“Everything will change tomorrow. I could die, or worse…I could lose you forever,” he admits, for death would be more merciful than living the rest of his life without her.

“Yes, those things could come to pass. But Ernest, have you considered that there is another possibility?”

“You mean..” Ernest begins to remember why he challenged the Duke in the first place.

“You could win! Think of it, what life could be like..No what life will be like after we say goodbye to Duke Richards once and for all. We shall kiss whenever we wish to!”

“Whenever we want? I’m not sure I can imagine such a life.” So used to secret moments and stolen kisses, he hasn’t allowed himself to think this far ahead.

“Let me paint a picture for you then…” Anna cups his face in her hands and presses her warm satin lips to his, stirring the heat within him.

She slides her hands down to massage his shoulders, and even with her gentle touch over the layers of clothing, he cannot help as a groan escapes. “Ohh…”

“It occurs to me that you will need to be loose and lithe for the duel…” Anna continues to work at the tense muscles between his shoulder blades and his eyes flutter shut focusing on her magic touch. “So tense, Mr. Sinclaire. Have you cause for nerves?”

“Not at this moment, no.” He replies,almost forgetting what lies ahead.

Anna giggles as she trails kisses from his ear to the hollow of his neck. He shivers as she whispers in his ear. “Ernest, all I want tonight is you. All of you.

He’s held back his desires for so long, sensing that she’s felt the same, but not daring to do anything that could damage her reputation or put her in an uncomfortable position. Now that she’s said it aloud, he cannot wait a moment longer. He brings her onto his lap, kissing her with desperation and need, pulling back only once they are both breathless. “I hadn’t dared to hope, but…I’ve waited for you to speak those words.”

Anna kisses him again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and squeezing him tight against her. He tantalizingly swipes his tongue across her lower lip and tangles his hands in her hair before deepening the kiss. Her hands wander down his sides, tugging at his clothes and wordlessly asking for more. “Oh, Anna…”

His fingers glide down her neck, across her collarbone, and over the curves of her breasts. “Oh, thats…” Anna begins with an unreadable expression,

Ernest pauses, looking her in the eyes to make sure she still wants this. “Is that all right?”

Her lips quirk into a smile. “Far better than ‘all right’, sir and I don’t believe I requested you to stop.”

Ernest smiles back, pleased with her response. “Very well then.” He draws her close to him once more, capturing her lips in another heated kiss. He cups her breasts through the layers between him and her skin, resisting the primal urge to rip her clothes right off. Anna’s hands travel down his back, round his hips and then slip between his thighs, and he harden further beneath her touch.  “Mmm..”

Anna pulls back with a smirk. “Hmm…I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves.” She stands, her eyes never looking away from his.

“What are you–” Before he finishes, she shrugs her shawl off, the silken fabric fluttering to the floor.  He stares open mouthed, mesmerized by the show she’s putting on for him and only him. She gracefully pulls the dress over her head and discards it by her feet. He swallows hard as she turns and seductively unlaces her corset. “Anna..” As much as he’s enjoying observing her performance, he can’t help but reach out and touch every bit of exposed skin and she teasingly lowers her chemise to the ground inch by inch.

“Well…” She stands before him in all her glory, and he wonders if she really doesn’t know how perfect she is or she just wants to hear him say it.

“I have found a great many things of beauty in this world, but none of them could ever rival you. The entire world is drab and dull in comparison.” His words may sound like hyperbole, but he means them wholeheartedly. His wife Roselyn was very pretty and admired by many a man but she wouldn’t have been able to hold a candle to Anna. The depth of his love for Anna may be colouring his vision, but be it her physical appearance, her amazing spirit, or both combined, seeing her this way far exceeds his greatest expectations.

“You are a poet, my Ernest,” she responds with affection. “Now do I get to see you in…all your glory?

She needn’t ask twice. Ernest is quick to undo the buttons of his vest while Anna’s nimble fingers untie his cravat. She pulls at the ends, bringing his mouth to hers and he can’t help but smile against her lips. He’s in awe of her confidence and would like to believe she’s only so at ease right now because she’s with him. He grips her waist as she unbuttons her shirt, trailing kisses down all newly exposed skin along the way. He moans as she frees his hard length from his confines and stops just short of it before she pulls back to appraise his form.

“Well…?” It’s only fair that he ask her opinion as well.

“Ernest, to think you’ve been hiding that all this time.” She giggles and heat instantly rises in his cheeks as he’s both flattered and a bit shocked by her observation. The angle of her gaze tells him she’s not just talking about his sculpted physique.

“I’m glad you find me pleasing.”

“I find you dashing, sir. Though, I do hope to find you...pleasing.” She flashes him a devious smile and he cannot wait to feel her against him any longer. He wraps her in his arms around her, and skin to skin, and electric current passes between they kiss one another with equal fervor. “Mmm.” She moans into his mouth.

Ernest dips Anna back onto the hay and sinks down onto her. He pulls back, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes and taking in the softness of her features illuminated by the moonlight, but the delay is for her sake. He’s never been surer of what he’s wanted, but he’ll only proceed if she has no reservations.

“Ernest…Hold nothing back,” she says with such conviction he’s certain she’s ready.

“As you wish, my Anna.” He promises, but in this area, she doesn’t know quite what she’s asking of him and he knows better than her what she needs. As much as his body yearns to ravish her, it’s her first time, and a gentle approach is best, at least to begin. He presses into her again and guides his tip to her entrance.

“Ohh!” Anna gasps and her eyes go wide as the first couple inches slide in. He eases in the rest of the way so as not to hurt her as her tight walls stretch to accommodate him. Although he’s done this before, it never could have compared to how incredible it feels to be inside her.  He rocks against her slowly and she relaxes into his rhythm, tangling her hands into his hair as their bodies move together. “Ohhh!” she moans telling him she’s starting to enjoy it just as much as she is.

Ernest kisses her lips and dips down lower, kissing and sucking along her neck and down to her breasts. He circles her nipple with his tongue before tugging gently with his teeth. Anna whimpers softly and arches into his him. She slips her arms around his backside and pulls him into her as deep as he can go, bringing him closer to release.

“Oh, Anna…Yes…Yes!” He cries out.

“Ernest, I..Ernest,” is all Anna manages to get out and Ernest knows what this means for her. Determined to get her to her peak before him, he wraps a hand around her wrist and pins it beside her head, unable to suppress his own groan of pleasure. Eyes closed and breathing heavily, her moans and whimpers increase in volume and frequency. She’s taken everything he’s given with ease thus far, so he picks up his pace just a bit more and he kisses her over and over again.

“Ohh…OHH…Ohhhhh!” she cries as her core pulses around his shaft, the sounds echoing loudly off the stone walls.

Watching her, hearing her, feeling her – everything about her is too much for him to handle and moments later he allows himself to give in, spilling his seed inside her as pleasure floods every corner of his body and bright white lights invade his vision. He collapses beside her and they lie in silence as their heartbeats slow and they catch their breath.

Anna is the first to speak. “Ernest, you… You are very good at that.

Ernest shakes his head almost imperceptibly. With nothing to compare it to, she wouldn’t know any differently, but they truly were magnificent together. “And you, Anna, you are…spectacular. In every imaginable sense. He traces a delicate  line along her cheek with the fingers of one hand. “I don’t know whether I have emphasized enough how utterly breathtaking you are, my Anna. Sometimes you don’t seem quite real.

“I’m as real as you are. Real and yours.” She touches his cheek in return.

“And I am the luckiest man the world has ever seen.” Ernest idly traces circles across her skin.

Anna stares up at the ceiling, a far off look in her eyes. “Ernest, no matter what happens tomorrow, just know…I will always love you.”

He kisses the top of her head. “I love you too. I will think of nothing but my love for you when I face the duke tomorrow, and that though will see me through.”

“I know it will. It must.” Anna smiles and seems to be more sure of Ernest than he is of himself, but her faith in him will give him strength. “Just make me a promise, here and now,” she urges.

“If it is in my power to fulfill, you know I will.” He has an idea of what she will ask of him, and he doesn’t want to make a promise he cannot ensure he can keep.

Her eyelids droop, but she fights to stay away. “Please…don’t leave me to face this world alone, Ernest.” Her pleading voice is like a knife to his heart.

He tugs her in closer, tightening his embrace and trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes. “Oh Anna, I wish I could make that promise… But I’ll have to make another one instead. I promise that whether I walk away from the duel, or…” He cannot force himself to say the alternative out loud for his own sake or hers.  “No matter, I shall always be with you. Now that we have found each other, we can never truly be parted.”

He can feel her smiling against his chest. “That’s a lovely promise. I accept.” Her voices trails off and not long after her deep rhythmic breathing and the steady rise and fall of her chest indicate she’s already asleep.

Unfortunately for Ernest, sleep won’t come that easily. He takes comfort in Anna sleeping so peacefully in his arms, but the uncertainty of his fate keeps him awake. He drifts in and out in fitful bouts of sleep until he’s eventually so exhausted his mind and body give him reprieve.

Ernest wakes one last time, and the position of the moon tells him dawn is near. He smiles at the angel still sleeping soundly next to him. He’d be content to watch her all day if he could, but it’s almost time. He peppers her skin with kisses, from her shoulder up to her neck and she finally stirs as he nips at her earlobe. “Good morning, Anna.” he whispers in her ear.

She flashes him a sleepy grin. “A good morning, indeed. You’re beside me.” She places a quick peck on his lips.

He wishes to stay right here with her all day, to make love to her over and over again, but that must wait for another day should he be so fortunate. “The sun will be up soon…We should get ready.”

“If we must…” Anna relents. He pulls her in close once more, kissing her deeply, passionately, as if this kiss could be their last. They reluctantly part to get dressed and head outside, hand in hand, to await Ernest’s fate.