Ann hadn’t spoken to Anne all day, not since last night – and barely then either. Anne had tried to go about as usual, but she hadn’t been successful. Dinner had been awful quiet and now, as they had both readied for bed Anne couldn’t stand the silence any longer.
“Are you mad? You look mad.” Anne looked at the blonde who sat on the bed refusing to look at her.
“I’m not mad.” Ann replied her through her gritted teeth,
“Your face is scrunched up like you’re mad.” Anne pushed, and Ann closed her eyes, taking a breath,
“I’m perturbed, not mad.”
“You still look mad.” Anne muttered, and Ann clutched her hands, nostrils flaring as she tried hard to calm herself,
“I’m NOT mad! But I will be soon!”
“What? With me? Are you mad at me?” Anne seemed bewildered and Ann dragged her hand over her face upset,
“Of course I’m upset with you! – And yes, now I am angry because you keep asking me if I am!”
“Is it because of yesterday?” Anne wondered, still standing, and Ann sighed,
“I just don’t think you’re being… ah, you could’ve told me!”
“I didn’t know she’d be there.” Anne defended herself, crossing her arms.
“You should have said something!” Ann mumbled, glaring at her, and Anne threw her hands up,
“How could I… How was I supposed to have done that? I can’t just yell over a ballroom full of people ‘Please stop eye-fucking me Tib! - My wife doesn’t like it!”
“I don’t like it when you mock me. I obviously meant when she came over to strike up a conversation with you and was overly-friendly.” Ann spat annoyed, and Anne rubbed her temples with her fingers,
“Tib was overly-friendly with me! I wasn’t. I was just being polite.”
“Mm, but you knew what she wanted, and I still think you could’ve deterred her. At the very least you could’ve removed her hand from your arm.” Ann refused to look at her, and Anne didn’t know what to do or say, because evidently whatever she did say were just pissing Ann off more.
“But the fact remains that I didn’t encourage it, it’s not like I slept with her! I went home with you, I spent the evening with you, and I tried to, wanted to sleep with you last night but you didn’t want me to!”
“Only because you’d spent all night entertaining Isabella Norcliffe, and she’d got you all excited and I didn’t want you to touch me with her in your head.” Ann growled and Anne sank down in a squat groaning before jumping up again,
“I don’t want to fuck Isabella Norcliffe! I was being nice. I don’t even like her all that much. She’s a drunk and she’s been for years. I haven’t…” Anne bit her tongue hard, and Ann’s eyes shot up at her, sparking with anger,
“Oh, so she is one of the many women you’ve had liaisons with!?”
“I thought you knew that. I thought that’s why you were angry!” Anne moaned frustrated.
“I understood that she was like us, but I didn’t know she’d already had whatever was yours to give!” Ann cried, and Anne didn’t know how to make it better – if she could go back in time and not sleep with Tib she would do that.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say, Ann. I can’t change the past.” Anne sighed tiredly,
“Well you could have told her off. She was acting inappropriate, people were staring and whispering!”
“She was drunk! I was trying not to cause a scene and humiliate her.”
“Do you still have feelings for her?” Ann asked bluntly and Anne howled in pure irritation,
“No! Ann you are being unreasonable.”
“She acted as though she owned you, and as if she was certain you’d come with her later to…” Ann trailed off, a blush covering her cheeks, and Anne was slowly losing her mind, this discussion wasn’t real.
“Why does it matter what she wanted or what she thought? Hm?” Anne inquired, raising her eyebrow, she didn’t want to fight with Ann, but clearly, they needed to get to the bottom with this. It would do them no good to go to bed angry with each other. Though it was a little adorable that Ann was jealous, the fight seemed thoroughly unnecessary and to be perfectly candid – Anne had no energy to fight.
“Because…” Ann paused, she was so upset that tears threatened to fall, and her voice was deeply affected, Anne waited patiently for her answer.
“Because?”
“Because I’m afraid of losing you!” Ann admitted eventually, her eyes dropping to the floor as she didn’t want Anne to see the tears that had begun to spill over. Anne’s guard fell, and she eyed her wife with such tender feelings, and felt so for her. Anne crept nearer and sank down in-front of Ann, placing a hand on her knee, but Ann turned slightly from her.
“Ann, you needn’t worry about losing me! - Least of all to Isabella Norcliffe. I’m committed to you; I swore oaths on the bible with you and what’s more; I love you!” Anne spoke heartfelt, her hand still on Ann’s knee, stroking over the fabric of her nightgown, trying to catch Ann’s eyes with her own. Ann still wouldn’t turn to her, and Anne sighed,
“There is no one else I want to be with but you. Ann, I love you, do you hear me?”
“I’m boring, I’m not clever enough for you, you’ll soon get fed up with me!” Ann said shaking and Anne frowned, running her hands down her legs and back up to her knees in soothing movements,
“What’s this coming from? I thought we’d agreed that you shouldn’t have such a poor opinion of yourself. I don’t. You are interesting, you are clever, you are kind-hearted and very lovable. Hm? Ann, look at me!”
Ann covered her face with her hand, as a sob shook her frame and Anne stood up to sit down next to her, taking her in her arms to bring her back to rest against her chest.
“Hush.” Anne softly hushed her, running her fingers through her hair, over her neck and down her back; placing soft kisses on top of her head. Ann clung to her, crying inconsolably.
“Don’t leave me!”
“Ann! I won’t.” Anne pulled her back, placing her hands firmly on her cheeks to ground her,
“I won’t!”
“But I’m making such a scene.” Ann whimpered and Anne couldn’t help but chuckle kindly at her, and kissing her gently,
“For better and for worse, remember?”
Ann exhaled slowly, calming down a bit, and Anne dried her tears with her thumbs, leaning forwards to place soft, cooling kisses over her eyelids, cheeks and then over her pink lips briefly.
“I’m sorry.” Ann mumbled, her head falling to rest against Anne’s shoulder. The brunette wrapped her arms around her, kissing her neck,
“No matter.”
“I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I shouldn’t have called you a twat.” Ann sniffled, and Anne drew back for a second,
“You didn’t?”
“Oh? I might’ve behind your back. To Marian.” Ann became a little red, and Anne looked upwards before chuckling, kissing her fondly on the lips. Ann really was the sweetest creature even when she did call her names. Because she never could live with the guilt of it.
“She was no doubt happy to agree with you.”
“Maybe, I don’t think she overcame the fact that I shouted ‘twat’…”
“Well, I forgive you in any case! And maybe I could’ve told Tib off, she shouldn’t have been so familiar with me.” Anne told Ann sweetly,
“I was overreacting just now and yesterday….” Ann mumbled and Anne kissed her tenderly, and slowly,
“Well, I think we are all prone to overreact when it’s almost time for the visiting cousin to come.”
Ann drew back, eying her wife with a mirthful look, laughing in disbelief,
“Anne! Why do you keep track of that!? – That’s a bit weird!”
“Then I probably shouldn’t tell you that I write about it in my journal.” Anne smirked, and Ann groaned into her neck,
“If someone ever finds your journals and crack your code – I will be so embarrassed. I don’t want millions of people to know when I had my ‘cousin’ visit me or how fast you made me… hm.”
“Adney, you are being ridiculous! – No one will crack my code. And millions of people?” Anne was amused, and her wife rolled her eyes at her,
“I hope for the life of me that those parts are in crypt hand!”
“I’m discreet – don’t worry.” Anne told her with a smile, “Besides, I always keep them safe – and who’s going to care to crack my code and read my journals when I’m gone? – No one.”
“I love you, though you are evidently just as eccentric as they come…” Ann kissed her chastely, and Anne grinned,
“And yet you married me!”
“Well clearly I have good taste.” Ann retorted, and Anne laughed,
“How’s that?”
“Well, the more eccentric a piece of art is – the more beautiful and singular it appears.” Ann told her and Anne shook her head, kissing her roughly,
“You are insane!”
“Obviously.” Ann agreed, and then she pushed Anne down on the bed,
“What are you doing?” Anne wondered barely able to contain her excitement. Ann straddled her with a wicked smile,
“I’m making it up to you!”
And Ann did. Thrice.