Bonds of Matrimony

by A C J McKechnie

  Was he in love with his wife? Had he fallen for her without realizing it? Is that why it had been so incredibly difficult to stop? Ever since he’d married her he’d been attracted to her, but he hadn’t had this raging desire for her before. This was new, and he could only surmise that it was because of his feelings for her.

  He’d been around plenty of beautiful women before, had had many of them attempt to seduce him, but he’d never been tempted. Memories of his mother and father’s behavior had always reigned supreme, and it had never been a problem for him to turn them away.

  Tonight though, tonight was different. If Ellie hadn’t said stop, if she’d have told him that she wanted him he would have taken her. He wouldn’t have been able to stop himself. But he’d been truthful, he didn’t want to make love to her without the love being reciprocated by her.

  Sitting up straighter, Zach realized what he’d just thought and scanned his brain. Reciprocated? He’d just thought that if she’d reciprocated his love then it would have been magical. Reciprocation implied that there was love on one side at least. It wasn’t Ellie’s, which meant that it had to be his.

  When the hell had that happened? And how? How had he managed to fall in love with a woman who couldn’t stand him? How had he managed to do so so quickly as well? He’d never thought that it would happen so fast. He’d mocked others who’d claimed to be in love within a week and yet here he was, barely a month after first meeting the woman and utterly in love with her. A remarkable feat considering the fact that they’d only started to be civil to each other in the last week.

  It was utterly ridiculous. Ridiculous yet undeniable.

  Lost in his thoughts and this new realization, he didn’t notice the bathroom door opening until his wife spoke. When she did he looked over at her and realized that it didn’t make one iota of a difference what she wore around him, he’d want her regardless.

  “Is this okay?” she asked again, and Zach nodded at her before giving his head a swift shake and concentrating on being a bit more verbose with his wife.

  “It’s fine,” he said with a smile and watched as she smiled back softly before heading towards the bed as well.

  “I wasn’t sure that you’d still be here,” she said as she sat down next to him and reached over for a new item that she was crocheting.

  “Why not?” he asked and then nodded when he saw her knowing look. “I like spending time with you, honey. And I promise to behave,” he teased and watched as she smiled more warmly back at him. “What are you making this time?” he asked, and she shrugged at him.

  “Just a Christmas present for Mrs Lowenstein.”

  “You’re good at that. Have you ever considered doing anything with it?” he asked with interest, and she looked up at him, obviously startled by his question.

  “Like what?”

  “Selling them? Designing your own pieces? I don’t know. You said that you were bored, could you do something with all this?” he asked as an idea began to form.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never considered it. I can’t see why I would though. You can get plenty of crocheted pieces. And I’d have to charge more to make it worthwhile.”

  “Of course you would, but people will pay for quality. Quality and handmade deserve a higher price tag,” he said, and she thought over that.

  “I’m not sure that my pieces qualify as quality though,” she demurred, and he picked up what she was working on to look over it. Okay, he was no expert on it all but he thought that it looked pretty flawless to him.

  “That baby dress you made. It was amazing. I think that you’d be able to sell it, you know,” he continued to muse and looked over at her to see her wearing a warm smile.

  “You do like to create your empires, don’t you?” she teased, and he shrugged at that.

  “I just think that you’re missing an opportunity here. We could look into it for you if you wanted,” he continued, and she wrinkled her nose at the suggestion. “What?”

  “I can guarantee that if Zachary McCormack were to ask anybody if his wife’s handiwork was any good they’d all declare that it was the best thing since sliced bread.”

  “You think that people pay me lip service?” he asked with his own smile.

  “I don’t think, Zachary. I know they do.”

  “Then don’t use my name. Don’t use me at all. Use your maiden name to establish yourself. I can find out who to contact but you can do it all yourself.”

  “Would that be allowed?” she asked worriedly, and he knew that she was thinking of the contract between them.

  “I think that we can manage to work within the boundaries of it if you really want to. I don’t want to pressure you into anything, but I’ve seen how much you enjoy your hobby, why not turn what you love doing into a profitable business?” he asked rhetorically and watched as she mulled that over.

  After a moment’s deliberation she slowly said, “I’ll think about it.”

  “Good,” he said then settled himself down more comfortably in her bed, wondering if she’d let him stay the night again. Looking over at her, he took in her appearance and wondered briefly if he even should. After earlier could he trust himself with her? With the clothing that she was currently wearing he was hoping that he’d be in more control of himself. He hoped. At least she wasn’t wearing those stockings and heels combination anymore, that had been what had really done it. There had been something so intrinsically sexy about them. Not that the rest of her wasn’t, but the heels had pushed him over the edge.

  “Have you ever been to The Palatio, Zachary?” she asked suddenly, and Zach snapped his attention away from his reminisces to focus on her face.

  “Maybe once or twice. Why?”

  “But you’ve never stayed there, have you?” she said, and he noticed her wearing a playful smile as she concentrated on the work in her lap.

  “No. Why would I? I live in the city and it’s not like I’d ever be over the limit and unable to get home, I don’t drink, after all.”

  “Well, may I make a suggestion then,” she said, and he saw the twitch of her lips as she tried to conceal her amusement.

  “Alright,” he said slowly, wondering where she was going with this.

  “Don’t,” she said bluntly, and he raised a brow at her.

  “Because?” he prodded.

  “Because you wouldn’t cope with it,” she said as her smile broke through, and he studied her beaming face, forgetting their conversation for the moment. When his brain registered her words he found himself confused again.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If my outfit earlier undid you that much you’d keel over dead at all the rest of the maids there,” she explained, and Zach felt his face pull down into a frown at the comment. Sitting slowly up again, he turned more fully to her and studied her as he spoke again.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Zachary, with the exception of the absence of sleeves, a few more layers of slightly longer skirts, a cap, and a pathetic excuse for an apron, I was pretty much attired as I had been while I worked there.”

  “What?!” he bellowed in shock and watched as her head snapped up to look at him with her own shock in place. “What the hell does that mean?!”

  “The maids there. I told you about them, right?” she asked with a furrowed brow, and he just stared at her in bewilderment. “They have a uniform. French maids’ uniform, complete with stockings and stiletto heels,” she said to him matter-of-factly, and he felt his jaw clenching at this new information.

  “You never said that it was that revealing,” he managed to grit out, and she warily put her work to the side without breaking eye contact with him.

  “I thought that you knew. I thought that everyone knew,” she said carefully, and he tried to even out his breathing at this turn of events.

  “No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I mean you’d mentioned the uniform when you were telling me about Oscar but I didn’t know what it was like,” he sa
id and shook his head before closing his eyes. When he did so an image of his wife as she’d been when he’d entered her room sprang up and he found his mind superimposing small details in an effort to have an image of what she’d traipsed about in while having to work for so many years.

  “That’s why I didn’t think much of it when you entered,” she explained just as carefully, and he looked at her to see the worry and concern in her eyes. “I’m kind of used to being dressed in that way, and I didn’t think it all that different to the other nightgowns that you’ve given me,” she confessed, and he swallowed a groan.

  His wife was a smart woman, surely she could see a distinct difference between the two.

  “I need you …,” he started slowly as he tried to control his anger. He wasn’t angry at Ellie, just at what she’d had to do and the people who had enforced it all. “I need you to promise me something,” he continued as he locked his eyes with hers. He could see the worry still there but needed her reassurance about something.

  “What?” she asked nervously, and he reached for her hands, gripping them firmly yet gently as he continued to hold her stare.

  “I need you to promise to tell me if we ever run into somebody who propositioned you when you worked there,” he said and watched the surprise enter her eyes.

  “What? Why?” she asked in confusion, and he breathed in deeply again as he thought it all over. “I thought that we agreed that it would be better if you didn’t know,” she hazarded, and he shook his head even before she was finished speaking.

  “No. No, it’s not. I need to know, Ellie. I need to know who’s seen you like that, who’s seen you like that and wanted you enough to try to buy you,” he said roughly and noticed her eyes take on a wary look again at the strength of emotion in his words.

  “I don’t understand,” she said softly, and he exhaled heavily before trying to find the words to explain it all to her.

  “We’re going to meet a lot of men who have money. A lot of men who have the ability to stay in a hotel like The Palatio. In fact, almost all of the men who we come across in society fall into that category. Which means that almost every man that we come across is going to be a suspect in my mind. I’m going to be looking at them and wondering if they were low enough to try to seduce a maid, seduce or try to pay, or whatever it is that they do. I’m going to be looking at them all and wondering if they’re one of the ones who’ve tried it on with my wife. I’m going to be looking at them and I’m going to hate them for the possibility that they could have been one of the men low enough to try to treat you like a commodity or a personal plaything for hire.

  “So what I need to happen is to not walk into a room and wonder, I need to not walk into a room and immediately be suspicious of everyone there. And the only way that I can prevent that from occurring is if you promise to tell me when you recognize somebody. That’s the only way that I won’t end up suspicious of them all, because I’ll know that they’re innocent. Unless you tell me otherwise, I’ll know that I have no reason to be angry at them.

  “But it’s only going to work if you’re honest. If you’re truthful. If you don’t hide it from me. I need you to promise complete disclosure on this, honey. I need to know that you’re not going to lie to me and tell me something because you think it’s for my own good not to know. Can you promise me that? Can you promise to help me out here?” he asked and scanned her eyes as she assimilated everything that he’d said.

  When she finally nodded slowly he asked, “I’d really rather have your verbal agreement on this, honey.”

  “I promise, Zachary. I promise to tell you if I recognize anybody we meet.”

  “Good,” he said with a sigh of relief and slumped slightly where he sat. “Good,” he repeated with a soft smile at her. “Was there anyone at the last dinner that you recognized?” he asked and watched as she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. “Complete disclosure on this, honey,” he prodded, and she swallowed nervously before nodding reluctantly. When she did so he felt himself tensing again, but tried to keep it in check for her benefit. She was being honest with him, and he needed to ensure that she didn’t shy away from being so because of his reaction.

  “Who?” he asked. “Oscar?”

  “No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Oscar had never seen me working there before. He just knew that I had done and had seen the maids about. Judging from his questions he’d never approached one either. Though that might have changed by now I guess,” she mused, and he ignored the distaste he felt that a man would do such a thing before focusing on her again.

  “Who then?” he asked.

  “Mr Billings,” she said, and he found his eyes widening at the name.

  “Michael Billings?” he asked and watched as she nodded slowly at him. “But he’s married, with grown children older than you. Grown children older than me!” he said in shock and watched as she shrugged.

  “It’s not that uncommon to find older men wanting companionship. It’s not just the young guys, Zachary,” she pointed out, and he shook his head as he tried to reconcile the fact that the man who he’d always thought loyal to his wife and family could be anything but. “He stays there quite frequently, in fact,” she added meaningfully, and he found himself at a loss of what to say to that. Instead he decided to leave the matter alone.

  “Anybody else?” he asked, and she shook her head. “Are you sure?” he checked and watched as she thought over that before answering.

  “I’m sure. Though I didn’t actually meet many people that night,” she said with a shrug, and he nodded at that before cringing inwardly. No, she hadn’t, because he’d been ignoring her.

  “Is there anyone else who I might know?” he asked and watched as she mused on that. He knew that she was debating saying something and waited until she’d decided what to do on her own. He’d prodded her once for full disclosure, this time he wanted her to make the decision without him interfering.

  “You might know them, but I don’t know for sure,” she finally said warily.

  “You mean it’s most likely that I’ve heard of them,” he surmised, and she nodded while grimacing. “Like?”

  “There was a senator once,” she said, and Zachary just waited for the name to emerge, when it did he was unsurprised this time. The man had a reputation, after all. That didn’t make it any easier to swallow that he’d viewed Ellie as a plaything, but at least it hadn’t shocked him quite as much as the last name.

  “Anyone else?”

  “A couple of actors,” she said and named two famous men, one of which was a renowned playboy, but a playboy who was known for being selective in his choice of women. Models and other actresses were his staple of choice. Though of course Ellie could pass as a model any day, he supposed. The other one was a man who had plenty of relationships, but never committed, and Zach could shrug it away.

  “That’s all?”

  “Maybe some musicians you’ve heard of?” she ventured before naming a couple of names who he had no clue who they were. When he shrugged she then went on to name a band which he did know, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Which one?”

  “Sorry?” she asked with a furrowed brow.

  “Which member of the band?” he clarified.

  “Oh! Uh, well, I don’t know. It’s not like we got down to specifics or anything,” she said with an uncomfortable smile, and he furrowed his brow again.

  “But who was there waiting for you?” he asked, and she shrugged before blushing.

  “All of them.”

  “Wait! What?!” he said in shock, and she shrugged again.

  “That doesn’t mean that it was going to be a free for all or anything, for all I know whoever it was would send the rest on their way once everything had been arranged,” she tried, and he couldn’t help but stare at her in amazement.

  “You don’t know that though.”

  “No. And it never mattered to me. It wouldn’t have made a difference who it was,
I was never going to agree anyway,” she declared, and he could understand her philosophy.

  “Alright,” he agreed with a heavy exhalation as he rubbed her hands gently. Looking up, he could see that she was finished with her recital of men and he pulled her close to him for a hug. “Thank you for telling me,” he said sincerely and felt her nod against his chest.

  “It’s fine,” she said. “Like I said, nothing actually happened, after all.”

  “No. It didn’t. Not for lack of trying on their part of course, but you’re right. And I am grateful for that,” he finished before leaning back and tipping her face up towards his. Brushing a light kiss of gratitude across her lips as a thank you for trusting him, he smiled as she melted against him bodily.

  “I knew I never liked that group,” he said teasingly against her lips and watched as her eyes opened while she smiled a beaming smile up at him.

  “Thank you for taking it all so well,” she said, and he nodded at her in acknowledgement of her thanks.

  “You can trust me, Ellie,” he said softly and watched as her smile slowly disappeared while she scanned his eyes with her beautiful green ones.

  “I think maybe I can,” she whispered, and he watched as she blushed before turning away with a sheepish smile. Leaning over to the side, she turned off the light before crawling under the covers, and Zach took the opportunity to follow suit.

  When she was nestled snugly against his side again he ran his hands through her fiery curls and thought back on the day’s events. A hell of a lot had happened in such a short amount of time, and he couldn’t really believe what a difference one day could make.

  “You should get some sleep,” she whispered against his chest, and he stilled at her comment. Did she mean for him to leave? It didn’t seem likely with the way that she was wrapped around him. “You’ve had enough time off work because of me, you need to get back to the office tomorrow morning bright and early,” she continued, and he found himself frowning at her words.