A/N: this chapter contains heavy smut & mentions of weight.
Upon returning home, Lucy and Benedict headed straight for their shared bedroom. He opened the door and allowed Lucy to enter first, and he followed her inside. It was the first time that Benedict could see her in proper lighting since he found her in the maze, and Lucy could tell he was about to fly into a fit of fury. She stood in front of her full-length mirror, examining herself for a few seconds. It was also the first time that night that she could see what Bancroft had done to her.
"I'm going to kill him, if Henry hasn't done it already," Benedict spoke in a tone Lucy had never heard him speak in before. He eyed her, focusing on the bruises left by hands around her throat. She had another hand-shaped bruise around her upper arm, where Bancroft had held a firm grip while dragging her through the maze. She sighed and sat down in a chair by the window, Benedict following her.
"I am fine, Benedict. There is no need to worry," she sighed.
"No need to worry? The man attacked you! We need to report him to the authorities immediately," Benedict spoke, his voice low but filled with anger. If it wasn't the middle of the night he would have probably been shouting.
"They won't do anything, and you know that. They will just assume that I went with him willingly and then changed my mind. It will cause more problems than it's worth," Lucy replied softly, trying to reason with him. She did not want any more attention to be thrown her way, she just wanted Bancroft to disappear. She most certainly did not want anyone to find out what had happened earlier on in the night. Therefore, getting the authorities involved was the last thing she planned on doing. Even they were privy to societal gossip, so there was no doubt in her mind that they had heard of her antics. Lucy knew that it meant there would be a high possibility that she would not be believed.
"He still must be held accountable for his behavior, Lucy," Benedict huffed, folding his arms in annoyance.
"And he will, one day. I punched him and knocked him out tonight, Benedict. Surely that had some effect on him?" Lucy responded.
"We will have to wait for word from Henry and then assess any damage. Bancroft is a serious problem, Luce- I thought he would give up whatever game he's playing at once we got married but it only seems to have made him more aggressive," Benedict spoke, taking a seat opposite Lucy. Even though she was in pain, the only thing she could focus on was how beautiful he looked amongst the countless little candles in the room. He kept speaking and Lucy nodded along, not in the mood for words anymore. Once he realized she was not paying attention, he snapped her out of her daze.
"Lucy?" He spoke, looking at her intently.
"Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?" He continued, concerned. Lucy just gave him a faint smile and shook her head no. He cared deeply about her, which was made abundantly clear over the past few weeks. And she knew she cared about him too, with every ounce of her being.
"Then what is it, darling?" He asked and waited patiently for her response. Her heart fluttered at the nickname. She had never felt these feelings for another human being, she knew that for certain. While since the beginning, she could not discern what they were, as the two of them sat there opposite each other that night it all became so painstakingly clear to her.
"I want to say this to you now because I did not before and I should have - I love you. I think I have been in love with you for a while now – I wasn't sure what I was feeling at first but now I know. You are my favorite person and I can't imagine a life without you. And I am not worried about our future or reputations anymore – all I want is for us to have each other."
Benedict seemed to be awestruck, sitting opposite her with his mouth slightly agape. Then, he broke into a smile and grabbed hold of her hands, kissing the backs of each of them, before leaning forward and planting a chaste kiss on her lips. Lucy pulled back first, hastily adding on to what she had said.
"Also, I am not as fragile as I seem, Benedict," Changing the subject after their warm moment. Benedict looked at her and cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked, his thumbs rubbing circles on Lucy's hands.
"I am not in that much pain. He did not hurt me as much as it seems he did," Lucy replied casually.
"You have marks around your neck, Luce," Benedict responded, motioning to where Bancroft left his marks.
"Yes. And I am trying to explain that it did not hurt," Lucy added. Benedict nodded and sat in silence, unsure of what to say to her so he just continued rubbing circles. Lucy thought for a moment. She wanted to fully explain to him how she was feeling at that moment but did not want to make herself sound insane. She thought back to Bancroft and the pain that his touch left. It was awakening – it left Lucy angry and hungry for something. She was tired of people inflicting pain on her without permission or warning. She wanted to take control of it and of all of her emotions.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked.
"Anything, of course," Benedict responded, giving her hand an affectionate squeeze like he always did.
"I did not feel much pain because it was thrilling. It feels so shameful to say that out loud, but it is true. I wished that in that moment it was your hands touching me like that and not his," Lucy let out a nervous breath, anticipating his reaction. His eyes, which were furrowed in confusion while she was speaking, widened when she finished saying what she needed to say. He quickly cleared his throat and stood up, then began pacing around the room slowly, thinking. Lucy regretted saying anything at that point, she knew he would think she was crazy.
She stood up as well after a period of silence and headed for the door, to go and find another room where she could sleep in. There was no way Benedict would want to be in the same room as her after what she had just confessed. As she walked past him, though, he reached out and grabbed her arm, startling her.
"Where are you going?" He asked, a dark look in his eye.
"I was going to leave you. It was improper of me to say something like that, I am sorry," Lucy replied quietly, shame bubbling up inside her. He did not release her arm. It was a light but firm grip.
"There is nothing to be sorry about, Lucy. Some people have different tastes than others, I of all people would understand," he explained. Lucy met his gaze and cocked her head to the side.
"Would you care to explain what you mean by that?" Lucy asked curiously. He just smirked at her.
"Maybe another time. It's you that should be the focus right now," he grinned, pulling Lucy in front of him and grasping both of her arms firmly within his grip.
"Just to make sure I understand what you are saying, you mean you enjoyed being handled like that?" Benedict asked genuinely and waited for her response. She looked down in embarrassment, but Benedict's hand found its way to her chin and pushed her face back up so that she could look into his eyes.
"You do not have to feel ashamed. Tell me your answer," He prodded, one hand around her arm and the other still below her chin. Lucy felt her heart speed up.
*"In a way, yes. It made me wonder what it would be like to be more aggressive in... the marital bed. I did not like that Bancroft assaulted me once again, but it awoke a beast of curiosity in my mind," Lucy replied nervously. Benedict's face was more dark and brooding than ever, and he licked his lips before allowing them to crash into hers with more passion and vigor than he had ever displayed for her before. She was startled once again by his movements but welcomed the kiss.
Their lips battled violently with each other, as though they were both starved of touch. His hands found their way into her hair, releasing the strands from the meticulous coiffure that kept them in place. He tugged on her hair gently, pulling at it so that her head would angle upwards, but he only used more tension when the action caused Lucy to moan into his mouth - driving him even wilder than he already was.
He pulled down her dress, ripping the neckline and ruining the undergarment she had on underneath. Lucy gasped at the action but continued kissing him, the chilly air of the room making contact with her breasts. The small buds on her chest hardened at the rush of air mixed with them rubbing against the fabric of his jacket. She decided his clothing had to go, even though it felt good as it rubbed against her bare upper body. She pulled his jacket off of him and he moved to undo his shirt and pull it over his head.
He continued kissing her, then moved down to her neck, kissing and sucking at the skin, and when he got to one of the sensitive spots on her breasts, he took it in his mouth making her moan a bit louder. He was bending down to meet her short frame, he may as well have gotten on his knees. He bit one and pinched the other with his fingers, soliciting an even louder moan from Lucy. Then, without warning, he pulled away and stood up straight, gripped onto Lucy's waist, and spun her around so that her back was to him.
The only thing keeping the rest of her sheer undergarment on her body, covering her modesty, was the corset that was still laced up tightly around her torso, which Benedict immediately began tugging and pulling at. He was a man on a mission, and that mission was to make sure nothing separated him and his wife. His pulling at the laces was not gentle - he pulled with strength, eager to rid her of the piece of clothing. Once he undid the last few laces, the corset fell to the ground along with the sheer dress it was holding up, and Lucy was aware of how exposed she was to him which gave her goosebumps.
He removed his hands from her, still standing behind her, and she heard the rustle of material. When she felt the warmth of his manhood pressing against her as it sprung free from its prison, she felt her womanhood growing wetter and hotter by the second. Benedict put one hand around her stomach protectively and placed the other one at the back of her neck.
"Do you trust me?" He whispered into her ear, his voice deep and low. Lucy nodded and said yes. He brushed her hair to one side of her shoulder. They had been sharing a bed for about two weeks at that point, and she knew he would never do anything to hurt her. Well, anything she did not enjoy.
"If you don't like something tell me to stop, alright?" Benedict asked, and Lucy nodded. She turned around and kissed him once again, which he returned for a few seconds before pulling away. In a swift motion, he pushed her down onto the bed and lifted her so that her knees were also placed on the bed, putting her on all fours. Lucy felt more exposed than she had ever felt before, but it excited her. She was learning things about herself that she thought she may have not been able to explore if she were with anyone else but Benedict.
The room was quiet aside from the sound of Benedict's hands massaging their way up Lucy's legs, then her thighs, and stopped when one hand was resting on her backside. She lay there motionless, patiently waiting for something to happen. For him to do something. The feeling of his hand leaving her body for a second and then landing on it once again was an intensely pleasurable feeling. He smacked her - not too hard, but he smacked her nevertheless. The feeling was sharp and thrilling, so she welcomed the pain when it came back a second time.
She turned her head around to look back at him, their eyes met, and his glistened like stars in the night sky. She watched as he stroked himself a few times, making himself firmer for her. The whole scene came together so quickly that neither of them had time to ready themselves for the other. Then, when he entered her womanhood for the first time that night, for the first time in that position, it was soul-shattering. He entered softly and slowly at first but quickened with every thrust. Lucy decided that being in that position was probably her favorite so far – it hit an extra special spot perfectly. The way she tightened around him felt so good for her, and judging by his guttural moans, it felt just as good for Benedict too.
"You feel so good, darling," he groaned into her ear, after pulling her up by her hair, causing her to gasp out of surprise and pleasure. He kept his grip firm around her hair, and thrusted into her as deeply and quickly as he could.
"Does that feel good, Luce?" Benedict asked, pulling her by the hair up so that her ear was an inch from his mouth. She whimpered in ecstasy.
"Use your words, love. Talk to me, does it feel good?" she cried again.
"Do I make you feel good?"
"Yes!" she relented, her breathing rapid and unsteady. She felt a rush of air escape his nose, and she knew he was grinning in that moment, she did not have to be facing him to know that.
"Faster, please," Lucy whined and Benedict obliged. The thing that sent her completely over the edge though was when he smacked her again, hard, and then reached underneath her and started rubbing her most sensitive outer spot of her womanhood. Her heart rate increased rapidly, and she was overcome with emotion when she finally hit that peak. One different thing, though, was the rush of liquid that came out of her uncontrollably as she finished at the same time as Benedict. His groans were cut off with a gasp when he noticed.
When the two of them finished, Benedict released the grip he held on her hair carefully and lowered her onto the bed, lying down beside her. The two of them, breathless, sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Was that normal?" Lucy asked, finally breaking the silence between them. Benedict shifted to look at her, so she did the same.
"It does happen sometimes, yes," he grinned sheepishly. Lucy did not know why, but she felt embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, I made such a mess, and-"
"If you think it is going to happen again, tell me," He cut her off. She nodded wordlessly. He grinned wide.
"Tell me, so that you can do it on my face," he added. Lucy gasped at his request and playfully smacked him, unsure of how else to react.
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Later on in the night, after Lucy and Benedict had fallen asleep, a knock on the door woke them up. A lady's maid had come up to let Lucy know that her brother was downstairs and wished to see them urgently. They sat up from their positions in bed immediately, sharing a knowing look with each other. Lucy thanked the Lady's maid and after she left the two of them alone again, they wordlessly got out of bed and made themselves presentable to go and speak with Henry.
"What is it? is everything alright?" Lucy asked, worried. Lucy and Benedict met her brother in one of the drawing rooms. She noticed that Henry seemed exhausted – he had dark circles around his eyes and his hair was ruffled – and he was also wobbly on his feet.
"And how much did you have to drink?" she added.
"I'm going to ignore the last question, dear sister. I have just spent the past few hours trying to convince Bancroft to – forgive my language – piss off, and have come to the conclusion that the only way we can get him to do that is to pay him," He responded with a sigh.
"Alright, we can do that. how much did he ask for?" Benedict asked. Henry looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the couple without another word and then placed his hands on his hips. Benedict and Lucy looked down at the paper and gasped simultaneously, their eyes widening as they looked at each other.
"I do not have this kind of money – I am the brother of a Viscount, not the damn Viscount himself," Benedict spoke, anger present in his tone. Henry nodded in understanding.
"I know, which is why I went to my banker – he is a good friend which is why he met with me so late. Unfortunately, I do not have access to the estate accounts since I am not the duke yet. I do not know what else to do, so if either of you have any ideas on how to come up with the money do let me know," he responded. Lucy realized at that point that it appeared that her brother was more worse for wear than she thought. His voice did not sound like her brother's voice – it sounded strained when he talked. His eyes were also dull and sunken, as were his cheekbones. She hadn't noticed just how much weight he had lost in the past month until that moment.
"Well, we can figure all this out another day. Everything will be fine, I know it will. Thank you for helping me tonight, both of you, even though I worked my way out of this one I still do appreciate you both looking for me – and you Henry for trying to deal with Bancroft. But I think you have done enough for now, brother – why don't you stay here for a few days and get some food and rest," she looked at him kindly. He had been looking down at the ground but looked up as Lucy finished speaking. His eyes turned red, and for a moment she thought he was going to cry but he did not – he nodded instead and walked towards his sister, who affectionately placed her hand across his back and on his shoulder. She looked towards Benedict – he gave her a knowing not that read Yes, that's the right thing to do, he looks awful. Lucy led Henry upstairs to one of the many spare chambers, and made sure a servant brought up some warm milk for him.
"I have so much to tell you, sister," he whispered as he enveloped himself in the warm bed linen in the way a child would do.
"We have plenty of time to talk, brother. Sweet dreams – I will see you tomorrow."