11-29-2024, 10:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-29-2024, 10:52 PM by Ruth Longbottom.)
She felt a tantalizing relief when his features softened on her. His rage was directed at other people. Ruth had already realized that he was a mean and angry man. But what did she care if he was rude to the butler or boorish around the maids? What did she care if he was cruel to his wife? It only made his special treatment of her more hypnotic.
He even held out a fucking chair for her. It had been years since a man had treated her with such gallantry. Ruth gave him a genuine smile and sat down. When he was seated, he even apologised for behaving angrily towards others. Apologised! To her! Ruth tried not to look too smug. She put her hand on his and was about to tell him that if the servants had angered him, they must be really incompetent and she was glad they weren’t there, when the smell of wine pulled her gaze and longing to the other end of the room.
Fuck.
So this was the younger version? By habit, she responded to his hungry gaze with a coy smile. Then she realized her mistake and dropped the smile. Her hand wrapped more tightly around Magnus’s in compensation – or maybe as a plea. She dared not look directly at his face to gauge whether he had noticed her short lapse.
But seriously, fuck.
The younger Carrington looked like he was trying to destroy his liver faster than her mum, but even so he looked a billion times better than the fossil next to her. More importantly, he drank, like normal people. Fuck Tilly for telling her there was no booze in the house. And Magnus could go to hell.
It was probably lucky that his voice pulled her out of her confused thoughts. Magnus was the one with the power and the money. Mr. Carrington Jr. was the one with the looks and the booze. It was a tough call, but if she could get through this night, she could drink herself to oblivion tomorrow when she was alone. With that promise to pull her through, she looked back at Magnus and tilted her head. She knew what she was paid to do and there was some pleasure to be had in the outrageousness of it all. She lifted his hand in hers and kissed it affectionately. “Your son, my dear? I didn’t know he was home from school.”
He even held out a fucking chair for her. It had been years since a man had treated her with such gallantry. Ruth gave him a genuine smile and sat down. When he was seated, he even apologised for behaving angrily towards others. Apologised! To her! Ruth tried not to look too smug. She put her hand on his and was about to tell him that if the servants had angered him, they must be really incompetent and she was glad they weren’t there, when the smell of wine pulled her gaze and longing to the other end of the room.
Fuck.
So this was the younger version? By habit, she responded to his hungry gaze with a coy smile. Then she realized her mistake and dropped the smile. Her hand wrapped more tightly around Magnus’s in compensation – or maybe as a plea. She dared not look directly at his face to gauge whether he had noticed her short lapse.
But seriously, fuck.
The younger Carrington looked like he was trying to destroy his liver faster than her mum, but even so he looked a billion times better than the fossil next to her. More importantly, he drank, like normal people. Fuck Tilly for telling her there was no booze in the house. And Magnus could go to hell.
It was probably lucky that his voice pulled her out of her confused thoughts. Magnus was the one with the power and the money. Mr. Carrington Jr. was the one with the looks and the booze. It was a tough call, but if she could get through this night, she could drink herself to oblivion tomorrow when she was alone. With that promise to pull her through, she looked back at Magnus and tilted her head. She knew what she was paid to do and there was some pleasure to be had in the outrageousness of it all. She lifted his hand in hers and kissed it affectionately. “Your son, my dear? I didn’t know he was home from school.”
