Chapter 5 #2
John’s gaze swept the room, lingering on Maddie.
“Elena followed this ritual faithfully, standing at her window each midnight, clutching the locket and searching the heavens. But as weeks turned to months with no word from her beloved, her hope faded. Still, she maintained her vigil, especially as Christmas approached—the date that should have been their wedding day.”
The room had grown utterly silent, every guest captivated by the tale and John’s storytelling.
“On Christmas Eve, a blizzard raged across the moors. The household received terrible news that day—her soldier had fallen in battle months before. A letter had been delayed, leaving Elena to hope long after hope should have died. Devastated, she still went to her window at midnight, one last time.”
John’s voice dropped even lower, forcing everyone to lean in.
“As the hall clock struck twelve, the storm abruptly ceased. Elena looked up to find the clouds had parted directly above her window, revealing a single brilliant star. As she watched, transfixed, the star seemed to descend, its light growing brighter until it illuminated her chamber like daylight.”
Maddie felt a shiver run down her spine, entranced by John.
“In that unearthly glow stood her beloved, not as a specter of death, but radiant and whole. ‘I could not leave this world without fulfilling my promise,’ he told her. ‘I have watched over you each night, though you could not see me. While I cannot stay in this realm, you cannot follow me yet—your time has not come. But I will return each Christmas Eve, so that for one night, we might share the stars together.’”
John paused, allowing the tension to build. “Elena lived a long life, never marrying. And each Christmas Eve, her chamber would glow with golden light as she kept her appointment with her soldier.”
He looked directly at Maddie now, his eyes intense with meaning only she could understand. “When Elena passed, many years later, it was on Christmas Eve. The servants reported that at the moment of her death, two stars shot across the sky, joining together before disappearing beyond the horizon.”
John’s voice softened. “Even now, they say, the light appears in that east window every Christmas Eve. Some claim to have seen two figures silhouetted against the glow.”
He returned to his seat as applause erupted around the room. But Maddie barely heard it. Her hands trembled in her lap as she avoided looking at John.
“Magnificent tale, Ravensworth,” Lord Camden clapped him on the shoulder as John resumed his place beside Maddie. “How did you encounter it?”
“Some stories find us when we need them most,” John replied cryptically. She caught him observing her when she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.
“I should retire,” she said, settling her eyes on the fire. “It has been a long day.”
“Maddie,” he said, reaching for her hand before she could withdraw. “Sweet dreams.”
His touch warmed her so much it burned. She pulled her hand away, her mouth dry and unable to speak.
She gave him a small nod and then, without making eye contact with anyone, she slipped from the room without drawing attention to herself.
Once she reached the staircase, she hurried up the stairs and then rushed to her chamber before anyone could stop her.
Maddie slipped inside her chamber and closed the door. Polly was inside prepping one of her gowns, but Maddie didn’t feel much like conversation.
She had Polly help her out of her dress and into a night rail. Polly then brushed her hair. The act was almost soothing, but by the time Polly had left, Maddie was lost in thought over John again.
First of the ghost story he had told and the way he spoke of undying love. Then the way his eyes had held hers during their charades performances. Memories of the bloody kissing balls.
If he had been trying to remind her of the good that had existed between them, he was succeeding.
Maddie crossed the room and locked her chamber door, not wishing for anyone to disturb her. Or for Louis to get any ideas about sneaking into her chamber. She wanted a release, but she didn’t want it with Louis. And that was the problem.
She pressed her back against the door, eyes closed. Her entire body was on edge from the events of the day. She shouldn’t want to kiss John. She shouldn’t want anything from him. But tell that to her unsated desire.
Standing there, she could still feel the heat of his body next to hers. Alone in her chamber, Maddie brushed her fingers across her lips, imagining what it might have been like to feel his lips again. Would they feel the same as they had all those years ago?
She moved to the bed and sat on its edge, pulling her night rail up to expose her thighs to the cool night air.
Her hand drifted to her knee, then inched higher along her thigh. She bit her lower lip, knowing she shouldn’t want anything to do with him, while the insistent throb that had begun between her legs believed otherwise.
Maddie slipped beneath her covers, making herself comfortable as she pulled her night rail farther up around her waist.
Her hand moved between her legs, her fingers grazing through the slickness that had already formed. She circled her fingers around her entrance, then higher, finding the sensitive bud that sent jolts of pleasure through her body.
As her fingers moved in practiced circles, she closed her eyes and imagined it was John’s hand caressing her. John’s fingers teasing her most intimate place.
She increased her pace, her breathing growing shallow as pleasure built within her. Her hips lifted off the mattress, seeking more pressure, more friction. She slipped one finger inside herself, then another, her thumb continuing its circular motion as she arched her back.
Her free hand moved to her breast, squeezing through the thin fabric of her chemise. Her nipple hardened beneath her palm, sending additional waves of pleasure to join those building between her legs. She pinched lightly, gasping at the sharp spike of sensation.
Her movements grew more urgent, as she fingered herself slowly while using her thumb to continued its relentless attention to her most sensitive spot. The dual sensation made her whimper, her head thrashing against the pillow.
“John,” she whispered into the darkness, imagining him above her, his weight pressing her into the mattress, his breath hot against her ear calling her name.
Her release came, crashing over her in waves that left her gasping. Her body trembled and her core clenched around her fingers as pleasure radiated throughout her entire body. For several heartbeats, she rode the sensation, eyes squeezed shut, willing the orgasm to sate her foolish needs.
As the pleasure subsided, reality crept back in. Maddie withdrew her hand and smoothed her night rail back over her legs, feeling exposed despite being alone. She stared above her bed, her breathing gradually slowing to normal.
How could she allow herself to get lost in him again? She was being worse than a fool.
This couldn’t continue. No matter how often she saw glimpses of the old John.
They couldn’t return to the past. She’d spent years building walls around her heart after what had happened between them.
And now, after mere days in his presence, those walls were crumbling, allowing her to imagine herself with him again.
Groaning, she rolled onto her stomach and pressed her face into the pillow. What weakness and fucking folly. The man had nearly ruined her once before, almost broken her beyond repair. And she couldn’t allow him to do it again.