The Beast at the Door

by Althea Blue

  Patience tried to distract her. “But there must be things you need to buy. I know there are things you can’t grow here.” She was shaky on what exactly could be grown, but she knew flour and oats required much more space than a small garden could provide.

  “That’s where Mr. Welsh comes in. He’s the only one who knows I‘m here. He doesn’t like it at all, but I told him that if he didn’t help me I’d run away and live on the streets in a city and who knows what would happen to me. He wouldn’t let me go. If he had a wife he might have sent her to look after me, but she passed away about the same time as my mother so it’s just him and his son. And so he takes deliveries for me, and brings things I can’t grow here, and occasionally a treat. He doesn’t come often, though, he won’t even tell his son; we never got on. But he tries to look after me, and makes sure I’m okay. And I was okay, I really was,” she insisted.

  Patience covered Ada’s hand on the table. “Of course you are okay. It is quite amazing how you have managed. I would never be able to do what you did. And I understand why you did not want me to know about the beast, you barely know me and could not know that I would never speak your secrets to someone. But I promise I never will.”

  Ada clutched Patience’s hand hard enough to hurt. “But they came. The men came and they’ll tell everyone and ruin everything. What are we going to do?”

  Ada had been so strong, since the moment Patience met her. She’d looked after herself and she’d looked after Patience and she’d come up with all the ideas of how to scare the intruders away, so Patience was astonished when the girl burst into uncontrollable tears. She went from storytelling to full out sobbing in moments. Patience didn’t know what to do. She held Ada’s hand and try to reassure her.

  “The men are gone. Long gone,” she told Ada. “They were so scared that they will never come back here. I suspect that they have not stopped running yet. You did not know them, so they cannot be from the village. No one there will ever know. And if they did find out, all you have done is made the story stronger. Not only is there a ferocious beast living here, but a lion and bats and ghosts. No one will ever come here again, certainly.” There was no way to really be sure, but Ada certainly didn’t need to hear that. “They are far away and will not return.” She sounded as firm as she could.

  “They’ll take me away. They’ll take me away to my Aunt and I’ll never be here again. I won’t be here when my fa…father comes back and he won’t know where I am. I have to stay here until he comes back,” Ada insisted.

  “No one knows that you are here. You are safe. We will be safe,” she repeated.

  Ada only sobbed louder. “I don’t want to go away.”

  Patience didn’t even think Ada remembered she was there, but she put her arms around the sobbing girl and rocked her and patted her back and tried to make her stop crying. Nothing seemed to work. Ada was shivering the way Patience had when she’d first come, but she couldn’t have caught a chill in the house. The sobbing went on and on and the shivering got worse.

  Finally, Patience decided she had to do something. She stood and half picked Ada up until the girl was standing. She put both arms around Ada and led her from the kitchen thinking she needed to be somewhere warm, where she felt safe. She was outside in the corridor before she realized she didn’t know where Ada slept. She couldn’t leave her alone to go searching so she guided Ada up the stairs to the room she had been sleeping in. She sat Ada on the bed and pulled off her boots, tucking them neatly away. Then she pulled the covers back and lay Ada down, covering her with the heavy duvet. She smoothed Ada’s hair away from her brow, and stroked her face, trying to be calming.

  When she removed her hand to go fetch a chair to sit in, Ada cried harder so she sat on the edge of the bed and kept stroking her hair, a gesture she remembered some of the nurses and servants doing for her when she’d wept after being punished by her father.

  Eventually, Ada’s sobs slowed. Her eyelids became heavy, then closed and she seemed to fall asleep. Patience stayed where she was for a while, and then realized she too was chilled. She built a fire in the grate, and, looking back to make sure Ada was still asleep, she returned to the kitchen to boil some water for tea. While she waited she tidied up the kitchen and found the teapot and the chest where the leaves were. Luckily, it was unlocked. In her own house her mother kept a key to that and the salt chest. Just in case some servant might want more than their share.

  While the water was heating, Patience went to look at the front door. The door itself was unbroken, though the pane of glass beside it had been shattered to allow the men to unbolt the lock. She thought for a minute and then wrestled a long table in the corridor up on its side covering most of the door and the glass panes to cover the hole. It wasn’t a good solution but it would have to do for now. They could find wood and nails and board it up properly the next day. When she returned to the kitchen she poured the boiling water into the pot and put everything on a tray to take upstairs. She wanted to be there in case Ada woke up, she didn’t know what else to do. She thought about the soup Ada had made her on the first night, but it didn’t seem like it would help, even if she knew how. Tea would have to do, for now.

  She couldn’t have been gone more than ten minutes and Ada was still sleeping, her face flushed and wet with tears. She sat at the table where they had breakfast together and drank her tea. She had nothing to do but watch Ada sleep. She let herself stare longer than she would otherwise. Even red and damp, Ada still managed to be beautiful. Her eyes darted around under her eyelids, and her expression still looked anxious, but there was something that drew Patience to her, visible even in distress.

  She wanted to protect Ada but she didn’t know how. The girl had done everything to protect herself, and she probably would have gone on for a long time if those men hadn’t come. Patience had never been so angry with anyone before. Not even with her father for insisting she marry a man she detested. If they had ruined everything, she would hunt them down and hurt them. She didn’t know how, but she’d do it if Ada needed her to. Her fists clenched in her lap.

  #

  Patience was staring out the window at the moon when Ada cried out. Patience strode to the bed and put her hand on Ada’s. “Shh, you are fine,” she promised in a calm voice.

  Both of Ada’s hands clutched her own and she moaned. “They’ll take me away,” she whispered, tears starting to leak out of her eyes again. Patience didn’t know why Ada was so fixated on this idea but she allowed Ada to clutch at one hand while her other resumed stroking Ada’s hair.

  “I will not let them,” she promised. “I will never let them take you away.”

  Ada quieted down but the tears still streamed from her eyes and her shivering was so strong the whole bed shook. Patience looked around for something else to cover Ada to warm her but she could see nothing. The fire was still going strong and the room didn’t feel chill to Patience, but Ada seemed to think otherwise. Patience wrapped her arms around Ada’s shoulders and tried to keep her still but it didn’t seem to help.

  Finally, she kicked off her boots, gently pushed Ada over and climbed under the covers next to her. She leaned against the wall and held the girl, guiding her head to rest on Patience's shoulder. Ada put both arms around Patience and clutched her fervently; hard enough that Patience could feel individual fingers through her dress and shift. Eventually she slid down the wall until she was lying beside Ada, and rubbing her back with the arm that wasn’t under her. She thought Ada had fallen asleep again when her hold loosened, and looked at her in the light of the fire.

  Ada’s eyes were open, and though they still shone, there were no more tears.

  “It will all be fine,” Patience reassured her. “I am here with you.” She wasn’t sure if Ada was listening, but she seemed calmer anyway, and the shivering had stopped. Their eyes met and they both held still. Patience held her breath, waiting to see what Ada would do next.

  Ada studied Patience’s face. “You’ll be h
ere?” she asked.

  Patience nodded, not trusting her voice. She realized exactly how close they were, and loosened her hold slightly, in preparation to move a little away. Ada’s arm tightened on her to keep her in place, as though she knew what Patience was thinking. Her eyes returned to Patience’s, unblinking, and then she pushed herself up on one elbow and kissed Patience’s lips.

  Patience couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her. Ada seemed to take it as encouraging. She pressed her lips more firmly and put her free hand on Patience’s cheek, where it had rested the first time Patience had kissed her. Patience had been lightly stroking Ada’s back, before she was surprised into stillness. Now, her hand pressed more firmly as it moved up and down Ada’s spine. She wanted to touch Ada’s face, but her other hand was trapped under the girl and she didn’t want to break the kiss by trying to free it. She rested her hand on Ada’s hip and squeezed lightly, circling her fingertips over the thin cotton of the dress.

  Ada moaned slightly into Patience’s mouth, sending shivers down her spine. She focused on the feeling of Ada’s lips against hers, moving gently. Tentatively, she touched the tip of her tongue to Ada’s lip, feeling something reverberate through her when Ada opened her mouth in response. She realized she actually had no idea what she was doing. Her body was leading, but she didn't know where. It was beyond her strength to try and break away. She lightly stroked her tongue inside Ada’s mouth, unsure how the girl would respond.

  Ada pressed harder into her, her elbow giving way so her body was lying almost on top of Patience’s chest. The weight didn’t crush her, it sent another shiver through her, and her hand on Ada’s hip shifted to the dip in her back just above her buttocks, pulling more tightly, until it felt like they were merged. She dug her hand out from between them and stroked Ada’s face, her hair, her neck and her shoulders. Ada’s right hand came up to cradle Patience’s face and as she explored, Ada’s hips pressed into Patience’s, until there she found a leg in between her own.

  Patience caught Ada’s lip between her teeth and sucked on it, feeling pressure building deep inside her. Ada’s back arched and Patience examined the expression on her face. Ada looked like nothing she had seen before. It was something akin to ecstasy, but earthier, more human than anything she recognized. Her whole body burned, the weight of her clothes and the bed covers dug into her. Ada’s weight felt like a feather.

  Fearlessly, Patience’s hand dipped lower, pressing on the skin of Ada’s chest above her dress, and then drifted to her breast, feeling the smooth cloth that separated then, and beneath it the hard outline of Ada’s nipple. Ada gasped, grinding her breast into Patience’s hand. Taking this for approval, Patience let her hand slide beneath the fabric, wanting nothing more than to feel the feverish skin below her fingers. The neckline was too high to expose much to her seeking fingers, but the skin of her breast was softer than she could have imagined.

  She sucked at Ada’s lip again, then thrust her tongue into the warm mouth, desiring to taste everything. Her hand strained and she pulled it from the dress’s neck. Ada moaned in disappointment, but sucked her breath in as Patience’s fingers untied the top of her gown. She pulled the laces from hole after hole until the dress was undone to Ada’s waist. She wore only a loose shift closed with a single tie beneath, and Patience pushed the top of the dress and shift together over Ada’s narrow shoulders. She could feel the girl trembling, but Ada raised herself from Patience’s chest to allow her dress to be pushed to her waist, baring her breasts and stomach to Patience’s view. She left off once the dress had reached Ada’s hips, not wanting to rush anything, but her eyes took in the smooth skin that was only inches from her and Patience rose up to meet the pale expanse.

  She kissed Ada over her heart, and one hand returned to Ada’s back, keeping their hips pressed firmly together, while touching Ada’s shoulder lightly with the other. That hand moved gently, wanting to caress every inch of skin above her. Ada arched her back again and this put her nipple within reach of Patience’s mouth. Without stopping to question herself, her tongue darted out to taste the flesh, and swooped over the small button. Ada almost shrieked at the contact and dropped herself closer to Patience’s seeking mouth.

  Patience sucked the nipple into her mouth and then laved around it with her tongue. The flesh hardened further and the aureole contracted until Patience could feel individual bumps. At the same time her hand covered the other breast and her fingertip circled the nipple, stopping to weigh the orb and then teasing with her nail.

  Although she’d never before touched anyone else this way, Patience's own nipples were very sensitive, and from the reaction she assumed Ada felt the same. After a few minutes she shifted her mouth to lick between her breasts and then raised her head to kiss Ada again deeply.

  Ada’s hands seemed to be everywhere, stroking Patience’s sides and occasionally brushing over her breasts. Patience wanted more. She wanted nothing between them and her dress seemed very inconvenient at that moment. She slowly shifted, easing Ada to a sitting position without breaking the kiss and fumbled at the laces of her own dress, which did up the front.

  Ada realized what she was doing and her fingers joined Patience’s, fumbling with laces and mostly tying them in knots. There was no way for both girls to work at them at the same time without their fingers getting more tangled than the laces. Ada let Patience deal with them while she ran her fingers through the larger girl’s hair. Patience almost swooned, but eventually managed to detangle the mess that her laces were in and pulled them out of each eyelet deliberately. She couldn’t get the bottom ones out, as Ada was now sitting on her lap, but undid what she could. Ada pushed the dress off Patience’s shoulders and then tugged the chemise up from the waist, pulling it over Patience’s head. Patience rolled from one hip to the other, and managed to get the rest of her dress off, taking her pantaloons and petticoats with it. Ada used the moment she was separated from Patience to push her dress and shift down to her ankles and kick her way out of it.

  Ada fell back down on top of Patience with nothing between them.

  Patience could not focus her mind. All she could feel was skin everywhere and she had never realized how sensuous it could be. She wondered if this was how people usually felt on their wedding night. If so, she finally understood why one might want to get married.

  She wanted to touch everywhere, all at once, and wished she had enough hands to do so. Her mouth returned to Ada’s breast, and the other girl pressed against her, thrusting herself at Patience. At the same time she stoked down Patience’s body with a single finger, leaving off at Patience’s belly and cupping her breast in one small hand. Patience bucked as Ada found her nipple and rolled it between her thumb and finger. In response Patience sucked harder and Ada moaned again, louder, and threw her head back. This took some of her weight off Patience, and gave her room for her hand to move further down.

  Tonguing Ada’s nipple, Patience reached between their bodies and touched Ada’s sex lightly. The liquid warmth nearly undid Patience, and she could feel Ada’s hips lift toward her hand.

  Rolling onto her hip, Patience lay the girl down on her back and raised her head from Ada’s breast to look at her fully. She was glorious. Pale and glowing and Patience had to kiss her again. At the same time her hand stroked upward from the girl’s thigh, skimming between the slender legs and touching carefully. She didn’t want to hurt Ada and she didn’t know what she was doing, but the sounds the dark-haired girl made encouraged her to keep exploring. One finger crept into the wettest part of her and sank to the first knuckle and Ada’s hips bucked. Patience pushed slightly further and felt a blockage. She didn’t know what it was, but explored with her fingertip. Carefully she slid a second finger in and moved them together, but the barrier worried her so she pulled them back and resumed stroking between the folds.

  Ada’s breathing was heavy as Patience moved, and her hips began thrusting in time with Patience’s strokes. Her hands were still fumbling around Patien
ce’s body but they became slower and lackadaisical. Patience used her other hand to knead Ada’s breast, while she sped up her stroking. Ada moaned continuously, jerking her hips faster as Patience’s touch became firmer and she grew more confident.

  Ada cried out and Patience felt a new flush of wetness cover her hand, warmer and more fluid. She kept stroking but let her touch lighten until Ada stopped jerking against her and then kissed the girl firmly.

  Ada pulled down on Patience’s back until she was almost fully covered by the larger girl. There was no space between them as Ada kissed Patience harder, and this time her tongue was the one that entered Patience’s mouth. It felt so right, so familiar and yet she’d done nothing before that felt similar. Patience’s cheeks burned as she remembered the feel of her fingers reaching inside Ada, somewhere no one had ever been. Her breathing quickened and Ada resumed her investigation of Patience’s body. Like the other girl, Ada seemed to want to touch everything. She tasted Patience’s nipple and Patience understood where Ada’s moans had grown from. Did anything ever before feel that astounding? Were bodies meant to feel like that?

  Patience moaned and moaned again as Ada’s hands touched her full expanse. Somehow Patience was on her back and she didn’t remember turning over. Ada’s legs straddled her hips and she could feel wetness from Ada’s sex touching her stomach. She rolled her head back as Ada took as much of Patience’s breast into her mouth as could fit and then returned to sucking on her nipple. Her other hand stroked Patience’s hips and thighs and reached just between her legs to skim over something that made Patience nearly pass out. She realized that was what her touch must have felt like to Ada and her fingers dipped between Ada’s legs, wanting to reach that spot again but Ada grabbed her hand and pulled it away.

  She felt rebuffed and looked away from Ada but the smaller girl shifted her head until she caught Patience’s eyes.

  “Let me first. I need to think.”