Hangover
The Christmas feast had been a great success the evening before. Their neighbours and friends had happily come – after all, not many of them could remember the last time they had been invited to Shibden for festivities or anything really. Anne had been reluctant to host the thing, but Ann had persuaded her when Marian had failed to. It had certainly livened up the place, and the servants had been happy to finally whisk out the fine plates and their fine dining skills.
They had all been a merry party and both the madeira and brandy had made an appearance. And Ann hadn’t meant to, but she had indulged herself too much. Mainly because she was too polite to say no when another neighbour offered to refill her glass. In the end she had been so dizzy and wasted that she had almost left at one point to go home, and Anne had to stop her and explain to her that she lived at Shibden with her. At which point Ann had begun crying, because she didn’t understand anything. Anne had to help her up to bed after that, and help her dress for bed, and to be honest – Anne didn’t mind too much because her wife was hilarious. But then, finally, in the early morning hours they fell asleep.
Ann awoke with the headache of the century, she groaned into her soft pillow, her eyes stung from the offending light that crept through the windows and their curtains. Her head was pounding terribly, and her stomach was in an uproar. What on earth had she been drinking the night before? – Ann had never been intoxicated but she must have been for she did not remember much from the night at all, and she groaned again for the anxiety quelled within her as she wondered at what she might have done in her drunken state, what if she had embarrassed herself greatly at the feast? Ann pressed her face further into the pillow, as she let out yet another groan. Maybe she didn’t drink that much, maybe she was just over-exerted and her mind in a blur because of it, Ann decided to think it was so for she would rather not contemplate the pain of it being the other.
The door creaked open, and Ann moaned as her head throbbed at the sound of it. Then the mattress sank as, presumably, her wife sat down beside her. A cold hand touched her hot cheeks, cooling her down – soothing her, and Ann turned her face upwards to meet the eyes of her wife.
“How are you this morning, Ann?” Anne smiled down at her and she growled, and her wife’s grin grew wider, and she leant down, chuckling as she kissed her over the brow gently, running a hand down her arm, smirking,
“Too much to drink?”
Ann blushed, hiding her face in her pillow again but Anne swung her legs up on the bed and pulled Ann back to rest against her chest. Ann circled her arms around her waist, and Anne ran soothing hands over her back.
“I wasn’t that… I didn’t drink that much last night.” Ann murmured against her breast,
“You were flirting with me, quite openly, from a distance whilst you were talking to my sister.” Anne said amused, kissing her over her blonde curls, Ann’s eyebrow quirked,
“So what? You’re my wife, Anne – and no one else noticed.”
“Well, you approached me and whispered to me a question of whether I was taken or not, and when I quietly replied that I was, you blushed and sulked away in the corner for a while giving me death stares.” Anne’s chest vibrated as she laughed, and Ann couldn’t help but laugh with her though it hurt her poor head immensely.
“It wasn’t my fault! People kept pouring my glass for me, and I didn’t even feel it coming on.” Ann argued, and Anne kissed her nose,
“No, I wonder why they kept pouring for you? – For it’s a devil, you do not feel anything until it suddenly hits you.” Anne mused, and pressed another kiss to her wife’s hurting head.
“Did I do anything embarrassing, pony?” Ann asked her quietly, dreading the answer, Anne absentmindedly traced down her arm with her fingertips, making Ann shiver,
“Not too bad. You almost left yesternight though – thinking you needed to go home to Crow Nest I imagine. And then of course you… only I don’t think it’s embarrassing, you only told me.”
“What did I say?” Ann asked, refusing to lift her head from her wife’s chest to look her in the eye, Anne chuckled,
“I told you that your dress was lovely, and you replied me, ‘Thank you, and I bet it would look even better on the floor’”
Ann groaned and hit her square in the chest,
“Anne! How could you let me say such things? That’s inappropriate! And vulgar!”
“You’re my wife, Adney, no one else heard, and believe me, I want to hear those things!” Anne told her, rubbing the sore spot her wife had struck.
“Oh, Christ – I don’t think I’ll ever come downstairs again.” Ann whined quietly and Anne kissed her hand, and then her temple sweetly,
“Now, it wasn’t all that bad. In fact, I think it brought Christmas cheer to the house, no one thinks ill of you downstairs... Marian was very happy to have someone to hate me with for twenty minutes last night.”
“Oh, are you sure?” Ann dared look up at her with one eye and Anne kissed her on the lips chaste,
“Yes. Marian will love you for always because when I exclaimed yesternight that I felt as though I was slowly losing my mind, and you told me ‘you cannot lose something you never had’.”
“And she found that funny?”
“Well, either that or I should be much more worried about her outcry that she could kiss you.” Anne smiled, and Ann snorted into her chest,
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t…”
“In your right mind?” Anne suggested and the blonde chuckled and nodded slowly,
“No, but I am paying for it – I feel horrible. If I move one inch or smell food – I will be sick!”
“Mm, I can leave if you want to rest?” Anne glanced down at her, but Ann’s arms held her tighter,
“Please stay, it’s cold outside and you are so warm and toasty.”
“Alright – I have a few minutes to spare.”
“It’s Christmas – you should have all the time in the world for those you love.” Ann mumbled and Anne touched her cheek fondly,
“Of course – and just for the record – I will always have time for you.”
“I love you, Anne!” Ann said quietly, and Anne smiled down at her,
“Oh, I love you too!”
“Love you more.” Ann muttered,
“I loved you first.” Anne whispered in her ear and Ann’s lips turned up into a smile,
“We both know that’s not true, Lister!”
“You are insufferable!” Anne laughed,
“That’s why you love me.”
“I can assure you that it is not.”
“Well, it certainly isn’t my looks… ‘You are very pretty… in a certain light.”
“You promised me, you’d stop using that against me after last summer!” Anne argued and Ann smirked, her eyes still closed,
“I lied, love.”
“You vex me!”
“’Vex’? Did I marry Anne Lister or Eliza Priestley?”
“Ouch – of all the things you’ve ever said to me - that hurt!” Anne grimaced, being compared to that woman was not one of her better compliments.
“Now we sleep, or I know someone who is going to get heaps of coal for Christmas.” Ann told her sternly, and Anne smiled,
“I mean I wouldn’t mind – If it’s good coal, and heaps of it too – then I might make a fair profit.”
“My head hurts!” Ann whined, “Shut up, you, mad coal selling woman.”
“The pits were a great idea. I wonder if I should sink a new pit?” Anne began pondering and Ann glared up at her,
“If you do not shut up, and let me rest my aching head then the next thing you will be sinking is your marriage!”
Anne bit her lip, though her eyes went wide as she tried her best not to laugh at Ann but then she did happen to let slip and then felt so bad at Ann’s obvious pain that she kindly lulled her wife to sleep by rubbing her arms, and back for her. A Christmas hangover was not to be joked around with.