The Fire's Center

by Shannon Farrell

  Once Riona was back at Merrion Square West, she hurriedly bathed and dressed, and threw on her flowered calico, fastened with small pearl buttons from the high neck to the bosom, and long flowing sleeves. The skirt of the gown was full and helped to emphasise her tiny waist and very feminine figure. Riona plaited her hair and piled it up high on the top of her head, and then as a concession to her special guests she tied a ribbon around her coiffure, and put on a new pair of high heeled boots Lucien had brought home for her one day.

  Mr. Sturgess, Mr. Allen, and their wives proved to be very gracious people, and she had to admit she enjoyed their company. But all the same, she began to feel that the supper dragged on, since she was so impatient to get back to her medical textbooks.

  Lucien had come home just after seven-thirty, and was pleased to see that she didn’t need rescuing after all. He took no active part in the proceedings, allowing Riona to use her judgement and organisational skills to the full.

  He entertained the men over port and cigars whilst Riona consulted with the women in the drawing room over coffee. She made copies of the lists they drew up in a quick and efficient manner, went over the menus with the ladies and promised to attend the meeting at three the following day at Mrs. Allen’s, albeit reluctantly.

  "I know you spend a great deal of your time doing little jobs at the clinic, writing letters and so on, but we really need you to take notes and chivvy people along," Mrs. Allen said a trifle patronisingly.

  "All right, I shall do my best to be there. But please, do start without me if everyone else arrives before I get there."

  Riona cordially shook hands with them all as they finally left at about ten, and then went into the back room, where she took out the microscope and then studied all the slides over and over again, trying to identify them by sight.

  She then sat down on the day bed with a pile of books next to her and reviewed the circulatory and respiratory systems, as well as organ functions. So absorbed was she in her books that she didn’t even hear Lucien when he came in…

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lucien came in to propose another cup of coffee together in the drawing room, disliking the silence and the empty room, and the lack of playful banter over their baths and supper which had become part of their nightly routine after they finished work each day.

  Now he silently watched Riona from the medical room doorway as she sat stretched out with a pile of books beside her, studying the drawings carefully.

  Once alone, she had unbuttoned the high-necked flowered gown she wore to the top of her bosom, and had rolled up the long flowing sleeves to the elbows. With her hair in a new style and bedecked by a ribbon, Lucien thought Riona had never looked lovelier.

  "There’s my girl," Lucien said, going over to her and planting a kiss on her temple, wondering what sort of mood she was in at the moment. "So this is where you’ve been hiding!"

  "Not hiding, studying. I’ve been going over everything I’ve learnt so far, including all your wonderful slides. Will you test me?" Riona asked, looking up at him with her sapphire blue eyes sparkling.

  "Of course I will," Lucien said indulgently, his own golden orbs glowing as he feasted his eyes on her loveliness. "But first I wanted to compliment you on your great success tonight. They really admired you, and the supper was superb." He stroked her cheek fondly.

  Riona grew nervous at his nearness then, and stood up to put the books on the day bed back onto the shelves where they belonged.

  "Now test me," she instructed, resuming her seat, but at a distance from Lucien on the sofa. After an hour of quizzing her verbally, Lucien pronounced himself more than satisfied with her medical knowledge, and decided to give her a slide test.

  "Here, you keep looking down the microscope, and I'll hand you the slides one by one, so you can’t peek at the labels," he suggested.

  "All right," Riona agreed, and soon began rattling off the names of the samples he handed her.

  Lucien stood close bedside Riona, as if drawn there by some magnetic force. Try as he might, he couldn’t take his eyes off the tempting flesh of her arms and the shadowy curve of her breasts as they worked side by side.

  Though surrounded by flowers in the study, which the maid had put there to brighten up the otherwise rather dull room, Lucien could also smell her own distinctive perfume, fresh, wholesome, and infinitely more alluring that the Parisian concoctions his female acquaintances practically bathed themselves in for formal functions.

  Suddenly she held out her hand and asked, "Next one, please?"

  Lucien jumped out of his reverie for a moment to hand her the glass slide, but all of a sudden he found himself grasping her fingers tightly instead.

  As Riona looked up from the microscope in surprise, Lucien took a step closer to her and pulled her into his warm embrace.

  Riona’s lips parted with a gasp, so that Lucien had free access to the tempting delights of her mouth, and the hungry kiss they shared soon left them wanting more.

  Lucien ran his hands up and down the length of Riona’s spine, and he thanked God silently that she wore no corsets as he caressed her feminine fullness above and below.

  Riona for her own part tried to remain stiff and unyielding in his torrid embrace, but the heat of his passion melted her reserve. She soon found her arms creeping around his neck, while her lips slanted across his mouth to deepen the kiss even further.

  Lucien laced his fingers through Riona’s hair, scattering pins and her silk ribbon all about the room as her auburn locks tumbled down around her shoulders. He began to kiss her face and neck then, nuzzling her hair, before whispering, "Lovely, so lovely," in her shell-like ear.

  Lucien knew he ought to stop. Had to stop. But the vibrant woman he held in his arms worked on him like some powerful drug. The more he took liberties with Riona, the bolder he became. The more she matched his caresses, and the more inflamed he grew.

  He couldn’t recall the last time he had had a woman in his arms. Even then, she had been a hired companion, far more eager for money than even the remotest tenderness, not even a kiss.

  Lucien savored Riona’s lips like a fine wine, but even as the kiss deepened, he couldn’t content himself with kisses any longer. He knew he needed more. His long fingers began to undo the fastenings at the front of her dress. At last he was able to help Riona shrug out of it.

  With Riona standing there clad only in a thin lacy chemise and petticoats, Lucien feasted his eyes on her for a long time, stroking the soft skin of her arms, shoulders and breasts, before murmuring, "Beautiful, beyond my wildest dream," against her lips.

  Riona’s eyes were open too, marveling at the softness of his skin as she tugged at the starched stock at his throat. She moved down to undo the fastenings of his shirt, which he removed along with his open waistcoat. His muscles rippled supplely under his soft skin. His chest was lightly furred with tantalizingly crisp curls which trailed down to the waist-band of his trousers.

  Riona was not completely ignorant of men, having been raised with such large family of boys. She assumed Lucien would think she should be shocked by what they were doing.

  But why should she pretend that she was afraid? Her innate curiosity about Lucien, as well as her own burgeoning needs, compelled her to tug at the fastenings of his trousers, until they pooled around his ankles and he gasped.

  Riona nearly fainted with desire when his all-too-obvious arousal burned into her like a hot brand through the thin linen of her chemise. She ran her hands down his buttocks to press him more tightly against her, as much to prevent him from changing his mind as to more fully enjoy the tremors of passion which were now running through them both.

  Suddenly Lucien swung Riona up into his arms, and carried her over to the day bed. He tugged the covers back impatiently with one hand, and then laid her down gently, while he knelt at the side of it, and began to run his hands down the length of her almost worshipfully. He caressed every inch of her with his fingers, before trailing after them
with his mouth.

  Riona gasped as he took each rosy nipple into his mouth in turn, and sucked gently. Fresh from her recent bath, Lucien couldn’t think, he could only feel as her heady scent surrounded him. His urgent needs compelled him to dare to try things he had only ever heard his friends boast about.

  The new and erotic sensations filled Riona and rippled down to her toes. She nearly flew off the bed when he parted her thighs and began to caress the small rosy nub between them.

  "Lucien! Oh, Lucien!" she gasped in a voice she barely recognised as her own.

  Lucien lifted his head from her stomach to stare at her. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked in a husky whisper.

  "No, no." Riona shook her head, as she caressed his cheek and ran her fingers through his thick black hair. "It’s just, I had no idea..."

  "Neither did I," Lucien chuckled throatily as he moved up to kiss her breasts again, and lay down on the bed next to her, his full length moving against her seductively.

  But now suddenly Riona was in control as she moved her hand lower, and she kissed his face and neck. She felt his masculine fullness and wondered to herself how any joining between them would be possible.

  But as Lucien moved his hand to gently stretch her, Riona could feel him stroking her until the burgeoning moistness proclaimed her more than ready. Her hips thrust upwards, eagerly seeking more than just his fingers. Soon he poised himself against her, and patiently pressed downwards until her untried flesh at last began to give.

  All the blood rushed to Riona’s face as he entered her, for though she felt a slight twinge, it was as nothing compared to the awesome sensation of Lucien filling her. She gasped as her hips arched uncontrollably, causing him to plunge even more deeply into her.

  A groan was torn from Lucien now as he grasped her buttocks with both his hands and began to move rhythmically inside her, sending her whole world reeling. She clung on to him and kissed with him with all the ardor she possessed, until a rainbow of colours exploded in her head, and they lay gasping and panting in each other’s arms.

  Finally Lucien moved sleepily to one side, and nestled his head against her shoulder. Riona moved her arm to put it around Lucien, and with her other hand she tugged the covers up over them to protect them from the now much cooler night air.

  "Are you all right?" Lucien whispered.

  "Mmm, fine," Riona replied tenderly, as she stroked his lush black hair back from his forehead.

  Lucien, also savoring the moment, enjoyed the chance of stroking her bare flesh, running his hands up and down her slender legs, her narrow but shapely hips, her hard flat stomach, up to her firm round breasts.

  "Like a goddess," he murmured, before kissing her on the lips, an unspoken demand which she answered by turning onto her side and wrapping one leg around his hip.

  Lucien pressed inside her again, and in the dim lamplight they made love all over again, this time with more tenderness, less urgency, and with the joy of two explorers who after a long journey had finally discovered a new-found land.

  Riona knew Lucien was not a man to show his feelings, and his rigid sense of propriety prevented him from showing his need for affection or passion. Everyone always said he was married to his work.

  In her arms she could see he was a flesh and blood man who imposed upon himself the most rigid restraints. Riona knew any sign of fear or reluctance on her part would break the spell. In any case she felt no fear, only a warmth and tenderness, and burning desire for Lucien she had never dared admit to herself fully.

  I love him, she thought as she stroked his brows, his lashes, and then his eyelids, his forehead tenderly. I want him. I think I always have, fromthe moment we met.

  Riona fondled and petted him until he sent her whole world reeling again. Then she wondered if she had not been the recipient of all the love and tenderness, so treasured and adored did she feel.

  Amid all the delights, Riona was sure that this wasn’t simply lust, but a meeting of minds and hearts. As they explored each other, they laughed and giggled, enjoying each other’s company.

  Even after their third climax they continued to cling to each other, all passion spent for the moment, but with Riona and Lucien still wanting to revel in every moment of being together.

  "Did I hurt you?" Riona asked in alarm at one point when she had allowed her questing hands to explore him ever more intimately.

  Lucien trembled, struggling for control. "Not at all, I’m just astonished. I had no idea that could bring such pleasure."

  Riona, with a sense of her own power, rose up to straddle him then. With his hand over hers to help guide him, they joined once again. Riona truly felt she at last knew the meaning of the wedding service when it talked of married couples being one flesh.

  Lucien watched, fascinated, as she rose and fell above him. Though he tried to hold back, as Riona caressed his thighs he climaxed so violently she nearly flew off the bed.

  But Lucien clung onto her hips, and Riona was filled with joys she had only ever dreamt existed as he filled her to the brim with delight, and she could feel the power as he reached his own pinnacle of pleasure.

  At last Riona fell onto Lucien’s chest, soaked with perspiration. He pulled the covers over her and rolled them both onto their sides. Their breaths mingled as their panting grew less urgent, and soon both were sound asleep.

  "I love you, Lucien," Riona murmured as she drifted off into a dreamless slumber in the arms of her incredible lover, already asleep himself.

  Chapter Twenty

  Riona was awakened much later by the footsteps of the maid on the stairs. Riona opened her eyes blearily, and saw that she and Lucien had forgotten to close the shutters of the medical room study. The first red streaks of dawn were already lighting up the early morning sky.

  Riona took in the sleeping form bedside her, and smiled fondly for a moment. Then she realised with a start that Niamh would soon be coming into the room to tidy it and lay the fire.

  She gently managed to disentangle herself from Lucien’s questing embrace. She yanked her chemise over her head, before tugging on her dress and hastily doing up the front. She grabbed her underthings and stockings and rolled them into a ball, and then picked up Lucien’s things and draped them tidily over a chair by the day bed.

  Then she pulled the covers right up to Lucien’s chin, and planted one last kiss upon his forehead. Checking the room once more to make sure nothing of hers was left behind, Riona picked up her bundle and her boots, and opening the door a crack, peered out into the foyer to see if anyone was about.

  She could dimly hear the clink of a coal bucket in the dining room, and so hurried out and took the stairs two at a time.

  Once in the privacy of her own room upstairs, Riona stripped off her clothes once again, and hastily scrubbed herself with some freezing water from the basin. She fancied he could still smell Lucien on her, and she looked at herself critically in the mirror.

  A fallen woman, Riona laughed to herself. She wondered why she didn’t appear any different. And yet, as the sun began to stream in though her window, she could see in truth that she was different, almost radiant. Like a woman in love, she thought with a happy smile.

  Though she couldn’t wait to see Lucien again, she knew it would be hours before he was awake, since they had both got so little sleep the night before.

  But despite the lack of rest, she felt completely alive for the first time in a long time. For the first time since the Famine had started so long ago and ripped her family apart, she recalled with a pang.

  Riona decided she was too keyed up to sleep, so she put her hair into some semblance of order, tugging at it with a comb and brush until she finally managed to untangle it. Then she piled it high on her head in imitation of one of the more stylish fashions she had seen since coming to Dublin.

  Next she selected clean underthings, and tugged on her stockings almost reverently, recalling her lover’s touches from the night before.

  Then she went over
to her small wardrobe, and dressed in the royal blue linen gown Lucien had bought her when they had first met, but which she had thus far considered too fine to wear.

  Dresses were meant to be enjoyed, not kept for special occasions which might never arise, Lucien had said. So Riona donned the gown and looked in the mirror.

  She was pleased with the effect, but she knew if she were going to the clinic, she would have to dress a bit more practically. She took out a brand new clean apron from her bottom drawer, and throwing her cloak over her shoulders, she tucked the apron under her arm, along with a small parcel of herbs Mrs. Kinsella had managed to get for her at the market, and crept down the stairs.

  She let herself out the front door without anyone hearing her, and enjoyed the brisk walk to the clinic, admiring Dublin for the first time without having to worry about anyone thinking she was odd, or an unsophisticated country bumpkin.